Oil Change - BMW 3-Series (E90 E92) Forum

ihbase · 12-02-2012, 07:04 PM

Ok. I am sure this topic has been beaten like a rented mule but... Now having noted that there is no transmission oil change interval (correct?) I am more and more skeptical of the factory engine oil interval. Therefore, I was thinking about doing an initial change at 5k.

Let's hear it- Good idea or bad idea? And since I would be following the factory fill and preceding a later free service provided by the dealer, which oil is going to be most compatible with whatever the dealer is going to use?

And while I am asking stupid questions, where is the battery buried on this thing? Yes, I read the manual. And yes, it appears to be at the passenger firewall, but I did not dig in to see. If this were a 335i, would the battery be in the trunk?

Ok- that is it for stupid question for the time being.

-Michael

DieselDiner · 12-02-2012, 07:38 PM

The oil change opinions will fall into the usual 2 camps: "BMW engineers know what they are doing, stick with the factory interval" or "change it early/more frequently than the factory interval for peace of mind, if nothing else". I don't know that there is much empirical data to support either position when it comes to our cars.

The oil itself needs to meet BMW spec LL-04. It is critical to use an oil that meets this spec, as the spec relates to the oil being a low-SAPS oil, which is what our diesels require. In the U.S., Mobil and Castrol make oils for LL-04. You can also find some Euro oils that are imported by web shops that meet the spec.

The battery is located in the trunk on the passenger side, behind the wheel well.

ihbase · 12-02-2012, 07:40 PM

DieselDiner: Thanks for the answer. That was an embarrassingly stupid question...
I think a lab analysis of 5k oil would be interesting. It might shed some light on which of the two camps you identify is actually correct.

-Michael

Puerto Rican 335d · 12-03-2012, 06:44 AM

Battery is in right hand corner of the trunk buy an OPTIMA battery my suggestion, Im planning in using AMSOIL soon. As far as the tranny oil AMSOIL DOES NOT have an oil for OUR trannies(they have their ATF but not for the "D"s) best suggest buy yours from BMW. Although my AMSOIL distributor suggested their product he also mentioned to go BMW just incase

P.S. Michael your questions are not stupid, the ones that are stupid are the ones that are NOT QUESTIONED!!

GreekboyD · 12-03-2012, 07:25 AM

I usually do an oil change at every 8,000 kms. One in the spring and one in the fall.

FormerRotor · 12-05-2012, 03:37 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreekboyD

I usually do an oil change at every 8,000 kms. One in the spring and one in the fall.

Greek, I had to do some quick math when you wrote this b/c I think in miles. I do an oil change about every 5.5k miles (8850km) which for me is every other month. How do I get on that every other season schedule?

floydarogers · 12-06-2012, 12:12 AM

A bunch of us discussed the motor-oil change interval over on bf's diesel forum, and came to the conclusion that the usual 13K miles interval was "ok". Actually, it looks like (from Blackstone Labs reports) that you definitely wouldn't want to go much if any beyond that. 10K seemed perfectly safe. Change it at 7K if you feel you "need" to.

As far as the tranny goes, there actually is an interval: 100K miles (it's on Page 11 of the maintenance book). Personally, I'm going to do it at 60K miles.

Pierre Louis · 12-06-2012, 03:52 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by floydarogers

A bunch of us discussed the motor-oil change interval over on bf's diesel forum, and came to the conclusion that the usual 13K miles interval was "ok". Actually, it looks like (from Blackstone Labs reports) that you definitely wouldn't want to go much if any beyond that. 10K seemed perfectly safe. Change it at 7K if you feel you "need" to.

As far as the tranny goes, there actually is an interval: 100K miles (it's on Page 11 of the maintenance book). Personally, I'm going to do it at 60K miles.

This is how I feel also. The tranny is an expensive fix and we often don't realize how much "heavy duty" use we put it through. The 100,000 mile change interval is for "regular duty" while heavy duty requires earlier changes.

PL

GreekboyD · 12-06-2012, 07:38 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FormerRotor

Greek, I had to do some quick math when you wrote this b/c I think in miles. I do an oil change about every 5.5k miles (8850km) which for me is every other month. How do I get on that every other season schedule?

Holy shit dude!!! I put 16,000 - 18,000 kms a year on my car.

What do you do?

EDIT: Did some quick math and got 53,100 kms a season for you. Wow!

FormerRotor · 12-06-2012, 12:43 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by GreekboyD

Holy shit dude!!! I put 16,000 - 18,000 kms a year on my car.

What do you do?

EDIT: Did some quick math and got 53,100 kms a season for you. Wow!

Lol, yeah, I'm in a sales position where I am typically calling on commercial building owners, so I tend to put 80-130 miles on the car each day. On top of that,the wifey's ride is a bit of a gas-hog (being a 4.8L v8) so we tend to use mine for the majority of our grocery runs, etc. My average annual usage over the past few years has typically fallen in the 30-50k mile range. Needless to say, my differential risk-adjusted rate of return between the m3, 335i, and 335d was a pretty obvious indicator of which one was the right choice

12-02-2012, 07:04 PM	#1
ihbase Enlisted Member Drives: 335d Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oregon Posts: 39 iTrader: (0)	Oil Change Ok. I am sure this topic has been beaten like a rented mule but... Now having noted that there is no transmission oil change interval (correct?) I am more and more skeptical of the factory engine oil interval. Therefore, I was thinking about doing an initial change at 5k. Let's hear it- Good idea or bad idea? And since I would be following the factory fill and preceding a later free service provided by the dealer, which oil is going to be most compatible with whatever the dealer is going to use? And while I am asking stupid questions, where is the battery buried on this thing? Yes, I read the manual. And yes, it appears to be at the passenger firewall, but I did not dig in to see. If this were a 335i, would the battery be in the trunk? Ok- that is it for stupid question for the time being. -Michael
	Tweet

12-02-2012, 07:38 PM	#2
DieselDiner Major Drives: 335d Join Date: Aug 2010 Location: Home Posts: 1,494 iTrader: (2)	The oil change opinions will fall into the usual 2 camps: "BMW engineers know what they are doing, stick with the factory interval" or "change it early/more frequently than the factory interval for peace of mind, if nothing else". I don't know that there is much empirical data to support either position when it comes to our cars. The oil itself needs to meet BMW spec LL-04. It is critical to use an oil that meets this spec, as the spec relates to the oil being a low-SAPS oil, which is what our diesels require. In the U.S., Mobil and Castrol make oils for LL-04. You can also find some Euro oils that are imported by web shops that meet the spec. The battery is located in the trunk on the passenger side, behind the wheel well. __________________

12-03-2012, 06:44 AM	#4
Puerto Rican 335d Captain Drives: Montego Blue 335d Join Date: Jun 2011 Location: Puerto Rico Posts: 959 iTrader: (0)	Battery is in right hand corner of the trunk buy an OPTIMA battery my suggestion, Im planning in using AMSOIL soon. As far as the tranny oil AMSOIL DOES NOT have an oil for OUR trannies(they have their ATF but not for the "D"s) best suggest buy yours from BMW. Although my AMSOIL distributor suggested their product he also mentioned to go BMW just incase P.S. Michael your questions are not stupid, the ones that are stupid are the ones that are NOT QUESTIONED!! __________________ RENNtech Flash/WAGNER IC VMR710 19"/Execuhitch Hitch/Koni FSD Soft Ride Bike Rack Amsoil Cetane Boost Diesel Fuel Additive Amsoil Diesel Fuel Additive Concentrate Last edited by Puerto Rican 335d; 12-03-2012 at 07:36 AM. Reason: correction

Thread Tools	Search this Thread
Show Printable Version Email this Page	Search this Thread: Advanced Search

12-02-2012, 07:40 PM	#3
ihbase Enlisted Member Drives: 335d Join Date: Sep 2012 Location: Oregon Posts: 39 iTrader: (0)	DieselDiner: Thanks for the answer. That was an embarrassingly stupid question... I think a lab analysis of 5k oil would be interesting. It might shed some light on which of the two camps you identify is actually correct. -Michael

12-03-2012, 07:25 AM	#5
GreekboyD Major Drives: 2009 BMW 335d Join Date: Jan 2012 Location: Toronto, ON, Canada Posts: 1,335 iTrader: (0) Garage List 2009 BMW 335d [5.00]	I usually do an oil change at every 8,000 kms. One in the spring and one in the fall.

12-06-2012, 12:12 AM	#7
floydarogers Curmudgeon and Pedant Drives: 2010 335d Join Date: Nov 2012 Location: Renton, WA Posts: 43 iTrader: (0)	A bunch of us discussed the motor-oil change interval over on bf's diesel forum, and came to the conclusion that the usual 13K miles interval was "ok". Actually, it looks like (from Blackstone Labs reports) that you definitely wouldn't want to go much if any beyond that. 10K seemed perfectly safe. Change it at 7K if you feel you "need" to. As far as the tranny goes, there actually is an interval: 100K miles (it's on Page 11 of the maintenance book). Personally, I'm going to do it at 60K miles.