Just wanted to say, thank you for this DIY! This is my first self-owned car, and I just completed my first oil change thanks to your instruction. Thank you so much!
A few tips for future owners:
- Took me a little while to find; the car must be ON on order to view the oil level from the stalk menu, and it is quite a ways down; this menu does not appear if the car is not on. If the system has not had enough time to heat up the oil and/or measure it, it will just show a little clock.
- I used the 12,000lb Rhino Ramps because Autozone had them for ~$44, which was only slightly more than the 4,000lb ones. These did NOT have the issue mentioned in the original post (the lip catching on them), but it was very close!
- Autozone has 5qt Mobil-1 0W-40 for $36 (plus a cheapo Bosch filter w/ only a big rubber seal), which is the recommended oil for the Mobil-1 brand (see the BMW site for specific brands)
- You'll need 7qt of oil, not 6, to get this to "OK" or better.
- I used a Wix oil filter and it seems to be working fine (so far); however, neither it or the Bosch filter seem to be as sturdy as the BMW OEM version.
- Definitely pick up a NON-METALLIC strap wrench for removing the oil filter cover; I used a metal one and it left scratches all over the cover.
- The dangling cover for the bolt under the car can easily be removed to make it easier to move around under the car; it just slides into slits on the side and is not "permanently" attached.
- Don't forget to pick up a funnel!
Once again, thanks a lot for the DIY!