[bookman2]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Have you actually kept a car for 500,000 miles? Outside of the one guy with the 35-year old Volvo and the other guy with the 40-year old Mercedes, and the guy with the 500,000 mile Chevy pickup (all car-commericals over the years) have you ever really heard of a car lasting 500,000 miles?

Do you think that some of the other expensive (non-routine maintenace) parts of the car may have failed by then? At what point would you consider the car not economically to repair? At 500,000 miles, even a wheel bearing replacement would render the car not economical to repair. Cars do not last forever.

I kept my '89 E30 to 260,000 miles. It took 18 years to get to that mileage. By the time 18 years went by my life style had changed and transportation needs changed, and although the E30 is a classic BMW, it was time for a change. I've not added it up to the penny, but I probably spent upwards near $18,000 in maintenance and repair costs - and I do all my own work; so double that for someone who has a shop maintain their car.

As far as the E9x, the owner's manual says to change the diff and trans fluid at 100,000 miles. I've followed the BMW maintenance schedule for my car, which has just passed over 153,000 in 5 years and 4 months (oil changes every 17,500 miles on average, and one round of diff and trans fluid changes, and coolant at 98,000). The parts that have failed so far are: A/C compressor, thermostat, and water pump (the drivers seat needs some reconditioning now and the paint on the center console where the sealtbelt buckle rubs is has worn off). I run my car almost 40,000 miles a year, so I'll rack up 250,000 in 8 years. By that time I'll be looking forward to a new car. My E90 will be worth probably $1,500 - $2,000, so even a minor issue will make the car not worth repairing. If the motor dies at 250,000 (which it probably won't - hopefully the VANOS and Valvetronic systems go that long) I'll have "lost" at most $2,000. If I changed the oil at half the 17,000 mile interval (thinking it will help the engine last longer) it would cost me an additional $1,100 in oil maintenance cost. For someone who pays for a shop to change their oil, the number is more like $1,800, so at best it is a break-even proposition. Investing that $1,800 over 8 years is a much better use of that money.

So throwing in a life span of 500,000 miles is just a ridiculous argument. No car is worth keeping for 500,000 miles.

You've overlooked a crucial part here: MY car is worth 500,000 miles because 15 years without a car note is worth the effort TO ME. There is nothing in your hypothetical maintenance breakdown--even for someone hiring the work out--that comes remotely close to the $50,000+ it would cost me to replace my vehicle. Fuck a new car. Depreciation at this point is an utterly meaningless concept to me for I determine the value of my vehicle in terms of its reliability relative to cost of upkeep vs. a new car note and it isn't even close. I'll keep my ride.

[queensfield]

Lots of flares flying here. Thought of chiming in. I am probably much older than anyone here. Have seen GM, Dodge Colt, Honda Civic, Toyota Corrola, Acura and BMW in my lifetime starting at age 17. Had a 1989 E30 till 2005- gave it to a friend in need at 252K miles for one dollar. Things done to it were nothing beyond the norm- followed BMW maintenance schedule. Replaced radiator, water pump, hoses and PS pump in it that can be called major items. Still runs fine. Now have a 330i E90. Plan on changing coolant every 50K, oil every 12K, PS fluid every 60K, brake fluid every 2 years, transmission/diff every 75K and spark plugs at 100K.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by bookman2

You've overlooked a crucial part here: MY car is worth 500,000 miles because 15 years without a car note is worth the effort TO ME. There is nothing in your hypothetical maintenance breakdown--even for someone hiring the work out--that comes remotely close to the $50,000+ it would cost me to replace my vehicle. Fuck a new car. Depreciation at this point is an utterly meaningless concept to me for I determine the value of my vehicle in terms of its reliability relative to cost of upkeep vs. a new car note and it isn't even close. I'll keep my ride.

So, then you are still driving the first car you ever owned?
Your ownership scenario applies to any car that anyone owns. Sorry, but I keep my cars far past 200,000 miles, I've done it twice now, the E30 previously mentioned (my wife drove it the first 120K until we got her a Z3) and an '89 Acura Integra that I put 230,000 miles on the clock (owned during the same time period as the E30), so I'm quite familiar with the process. On the Integra I used to change the oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles (double the Honda spec) and when 230,000 miles came around in early 1997 the engine ran fine but the interior was starting to fall apart due to sun damage, the right rear fender was rusting, the wire loom to the rear hatch was constantly breaking (bad design), and the 2nd gear syncro was a bit dicey. Cars wear out, the parts for them are not available forever, the used parts are nearly as in as poor shape (e.g. rusted body panels, worn out seats, etc) as the one on the car you own. To keep a car reliable (as close to a new car reliability as possible), functional, and pleasant to drive is expensive; it just is. Having the car breakdown often and getting it repaired is not desirable for most people because they are too busy to mess with it, or it is too important for them to miss appointments because of an unplanned breakdown, or repair event.

Its fine to own an old car when you’re young and have the time, energy, and desire to perform the upkeep an old car needs, but when you are a business person, in a suit, on the way to an important client meeting and your car breaks down in the middle of traffic on a 100 degree day and you miss the meeting, it is a different scenario all together; it is not reality.

Lastly (I know I argue too much) but say your car (let’s use mine as an example) has 153,000 miles on it. It’s paid off (for several years now), and is worth around $7,000 (hey it is an unreliable BMW E90 right). If I hit a deer, and the repair cost is $5,200, the insurance company is going to total it (so they can make more money salvaging the parts), do you think all the extra maintenance costs put into the car to try and make it reach 500,000 miles was worth it? It wasn’t.

[DieselDiner]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

"Many modern engines have unique lubricants as their Factory fill and in some cases a special specification lubricant many be needed for the first 100k miles or so. This is for specific “bedding in” reasons and often depends on the engine’s design and certainly on its “wear face” metallurgy! People that chose to ignore the Manufacturer’s advice concerning the first oil change period and the lubricant to be used then are IMO quite foolhardy – especially if they intend to keep their vehicle for many years."

From "BMW Operating Fluids" TSB dated October 2010:

"During the break-in period of a new engine or parts of a reconditioned engine (new bearings, crankshaft, pistons, etc.) BMW engines do not require special break-in oils."

[bookman2]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

So, then you are still driving the first car you ever owned?
Your ownership scenario applies to any car that anyone owns. Sorry, but I keep my cars far past 200,000 miles, I've done it twice now, the E30 previously mentioned (my wife drove it the first 120K until we got her a Z3) and an '89 Acura Integra that I put 230,000 miles on the clock (owned during the same time period as the E30), so I'm quite familiar with the process. On the Integra I used to change the oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles (double the Honda spec) and when 230,000 miles came around in early 1997 the engine ran fine but the interior was starting to fall apart due to sun damage, the right rear fender was rusting, the wire loom to the rear hatch was constantly breaking (bad design), and the 2nd gear syncro was a bit dicey. Cars wear out, the parts for them are not available forever, the used parts are nearly as in as poor shape (e.g. rusted body panels, worn out seats, etc) as the one on the car you own. To keep a car reliable (as close to a new car reliability as possible), functional, and pleasant to drive is expensive; it just is. Having the car breakdown often and getting it repaired is not desirable for most people because they are too busy to mess with it, or it is too important for them to miss appointments because of an unplanned breakdown, or repair event.

Its fine to own an old car when you’re young and have the time, energy, and desire to perform the upkeep an old car needs, but when you are a business person, in a suit, on the way to an important client meeting and your car breaks down in the middle of traffic on a 100 degree day and you miss the meeting, it is a different scenario all together; it is not reality.

Lastly (I know I argue too much) but say your car (let’s use mine as an example) has 153,000 miles on it. It’s paid off (for several years now), and is worth around $7,000 (hey it is an unreliable BMW E90 right). If I hit a deer, and the repair cost is $5,200, the insurance company is going to total it (so they can make more money salvaging the parts), do you think all the extra maintenance costs put into the car to try and make it reach 500,000 miles was worth it? It wasn’t.

I have a confession to make if I'm to continue this discussion in good faith: I'm not typical. I don't get a new car itch anymore, I just don't. If my car is totaled, as has happened, then yes I will, reluctantly, replace it with new. I'll admit that this has not always been my view for like most others within our culture where we are encouraged to obsess over consumption, I would work myself ragged to "buy" the car of my dreams and think nothing of what the cycle of never-ending debt was actually costing me.

No more.

I've come to the realization that I really don't need a new car and that no matter how you run the numbers (and I have) it will always come out cheaper if you keep and maintain the car you have. Now I know what you're thinking: but what about depreciation? Depreciation in this scenario is just a ruse to get people believing that they'll "lose" something the longer they hold on to the car they own instead of buying new because its "value" has dropped. Completely absent from this equation is the value of what you save in car payments. Place in one column the cost of purchasing a new car every 3 to 4 years over a 20 year span and in the other column purchasing just 2 vehicles and maintaining them for the same period of time and there is no question in my mind that under the latter scenario you will come out ahead financially.

Now I will allow that circumstances change, families grow, cars get totaled, etc. but that's really not what we're discussing here. Absent these events it's cheaper to keep and maintain what you own.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by bookman2

I have a confession to make if I'm to continue this discussion in good faith: I'm not typical. I don't get a new car itch anymore, I just don't. If my car is totaled, as has happened, then yes I will, reluctantly, replace it with new. I'll admit that this has not always been my view for like most others within our culture where we are encouraged to obsess over consumption, I would work myself ragged to "buy" the car of my dreams and think nothing of what the cycle of never-ending debt was actually costing me.

No more.

I've come to the realization that I really don't need a new car and that no matter how you run the numbers (and I have) it will always come out cheaper if you keep and maintain the car you have. Now I know what you're thinking: but what about depreciation? Depreciation in this scenario is just a ruse to get people believing that they'll "lose" something the longer they hold on to the car they own instead of buying new because its "value" has dropped. Completely absent from this equation is the value of what you save in car payments. Place in one column the cost of purchasing a new car every 3 to 4 years over a 20 year span and in the other column purchasing just 2 vehicles and maintaining them for the same period of time and there is no question in my mind that under the latter scenario you will come out ahead financially.

Now I will allow that circumstances change, families grow, cars get totaled, etc. but that's really not what we're discussing here. Absent these events it's cheaper to keep and maintain what you own.

But you can't base a discussion on events that do happen and pretend they don't. It's real life and these things do happen.

I agree with your points, but only to an extent. I have the very issue you speak of right now. I have a 1999 F-150. I've been repairing it for the last 3 years on numerous fronts and my wife is just flabbergasted on how much time any money I've spent; it's much over the value of the truck, but it's the truck I beat on; take stuff to the dump, and throw logs in the back, gravel, and other crap. It makes no sense to buy a new truck just to beat on that one. But the F-150 is not my primary vehicle; if it's not running, it is not an issue. The scenario you speak of is your primary vehicle. It gets to a point where you tire of the car being in the shop all the time, or having constant problems.

[KauvSTi]

Im sorry I just cant wait till 15k for my 1st oil change I had a 07 335i and I would change my oil every 3-4k miles, sold it to my friend and he does the same, changes it every 3-4k miles. The car currently has 120k miles on it and still runs like new! I am not waiting 15k on my new 335i..

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by aghakauve

Im sorry I just cant wait till 15k for my 1st oil change I had a 07 335i and I would change my oil every 3-4k miles, sold it to my friend and he does the same, changes it every 3-4k miles. The car currently has 120k miles on it and still runs like new! I am not waiting 15k on my new 335i..

How do you know it wouldn't be running like new with 15K oil changes?

[Glim]

Unknown if changing fluids early prevents wear.

The only way to know would be if we had access to BMW's service database where we could pull up global repair statistics to compare against our early fluid changed vehicles.

[KauvSTi]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

How do you know it wouldn't be running like new with 15K oil changes?

I really don't know I could be completely wrong. I just find it hard to believe that the protection of the oil would last that long I did not want to risk it especially on a turbo'ed car. I know that turbo cars or S/C cars burn oil faster than N/A cars so 15k is just too long for me.. Thats just my opinion.

Originally Posted by Glim

Unknown if changing fluids early prevents wear.

The only way to know would be if we had access to BMW's service database where we could pull up global repair statistics to compare against our early fluid changed vehicles.

Your absolutely right ill see if my friend at the local dealer can find something.

[iflyjetzzz]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Have you actually kept a car for 500,000 miles? Outside of the one guy with the 35-year old Volvo and the other guy with the 40-year old Mercedes, and the guy with the 500,000 mile Chevy pickup (all car-commericals over the years) have you ever really heard of a car lasting 500,000 miles?

Do you think that some of the other expensive (non-routine maintenace) parts of the car may have failed by then? At what point would you consider the car not economically to repair? At 500,000 miles, even a wheel bearing replacement would render the car not economical to repair. Cars do not last forever.

I kept my '89 E30 to 260,000 miles. It took 18 years to get to that mileage. By the time 18 years went by my life style had changed and transportation needs changed, and although the E30 is a classic BMW, it was time for a change. I've not added it up to the penny, but I probably spent upwards near $18,000 in maintenance and repair costs - and I do all my own work; so double that for someone who has a shop maintain their car.

As far as the E9x, the owner's manual says to change the diff and trans fluid at 100,000 miles. I've followed the BMW maintenance schedule for my car, which has just passed over 153,000 in 5 years and 4 months (oil changes every 17,500 miles on average, and one round of diff and trans fluid changes, and coolant at 98,000). The parts that have failed so far are: A/C compressor, thermostat, and water pump (the drivers seat needs some reconditioning now and the paint on the center console where the sealtbelt buckle rubs is has worn off). I run my car almost 40,000 miles a year, so I'll rack up 250,000 in 8 years. By that time I'll be looking forward to a new car. My E90 will be worth probably $1,500 - $2,000, so even a minor issue will make the car not worth repairing. If the motor dies at 250,000 (which it probably won't - hopefully the VANOS and Valvetronic systems go that long) I'll have "lost" at most $2,000. If I changed the oil at half the 17,000 mile interval (thinking it will help the engine last longer) it would cost me an additional $1,100 in oil maintenance cost. For someone who pays for a shop to change their oil, the number is more like $1,800, so at best it is a break-even proposition. Investing that $1,800 over 8 years is a much better use of that money.

So throwing in a life span of 500,000 miles is just a ridiculous argument. No car is worth keeping for 500,000 miles.

Entity, your post was truly enlightening for me. I've been in the more changes are better camp - I've used 7500miles/8months as my target. Since I don't drive that much, I change based on time limits rather than mileage. My most recent oil change was ~3K miles at 8 months.
You said that you put ~40K miles/yr on your E9x. I'm putting ~5K/yr on my car and the CBS says that I should change my oil at 24 months (assuming I don't drive ~18K miles). Would you wait 24 months to change your oil if you didn't drive very many miles/yr?

[ceb]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

No car is worth keeping for 500,000 miles.

In general I'd agree but I had a Opel Omega CD diesel staff car for 850k km before it was rearended by a Mercedes on the Autobahn. I put about 300k of those kms on in three years. Granted, I didn't pay for any of the maintenance and they fixed anything as soon as I complained, but that car took me everywhere from Italy to Norway to Turkey without issues. I was aiming for a million kms. My next staff car was a Chevy Celebrity wagon

[str8nm]

Originally Posted by bookman2

Get back to me after you've managed 500k with these ludicrous intervals then we'll chat.

Don't be ridiculous...500 K ! Did you really just say that? Or did you mean 50 K?

[Glim]

Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz

I'm putting ~5K/yr on my car and the CBS says that I should change my oil at 24 months (assuming I don't drive ~18K miles). Would you wait 24 months to change your oil if you didn't drive very many miles/yr?

This is a very interesting post

If you are not getting the car up to operating temperature for 20 minutes then once every two weeks take a longer route to where you are going in order to keep the car running for at least twenty minutes.

This will burn off the condensation in your engine and reduce sludging. Sludge is created when oil mixes with water, it can lead to an early engine death as it blocks lubrication passages, moving parts will then wear and fail or seize.

If I only drove 5,000 every year I would change my oil annually.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz

Entity, your post was truly enlightening for me. I've been in the more changes are better camp - I've used 7500miles/8months as my target. Since I don't drive that much, I change based on time limits rather than mileage. My most recent oil change was ~3K miles at 8 months.
You said that you put ~40K miles/yr on your E9x. I'm putting ~5K/yr on my car and the CBS says that I should change my oil at 24 months (assuming I don't drive ~18K miles). Would you wait 24 months to change your oil if you didn't drive very many miles/yr?

It's a hard question and I got to thinking about this the other day. So if you think about it, BMW's standard OCI is between 15K -17K miles PER YEAR because if you don't drive the car 17K per year (which most people don't) then per BMW's requirements, you change the oil every 12 months (or it used to be that - I think they switched to 24 months, then back to 12, so I'm not sure). Anyway, assuming it's 12 months, and most people don't drive 17K per year, most people under BMW's maintenance plan should be getting oil changed prior to the CBS indication to do so.

I'm not sure if I'd leave the oil in the engine for 24 months or not. I own two vehicles that I don't drive/use that much. One is a 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate, which for all indended purposes has a car engine in it (1,500cc flat 6) and a 2003 New Holland TC45 diesel tractor. Both owners manuals do not have a 12-month oil change interval regardless of mileage (or hours in respect to the tractor). The Honda has an 8,000 mile OCI (think about for a moment - the oil also lubes the transmission and wet clutch) and the tractor, which has a 2.2L 4-cylinder diesel, requires oil changes every 100 hours. The Honda has 59,000 miles on it (I used to ride a lot more 5 years ago) and the tractor has 488 hours on it (I just changed all the fluids in it last weekend). Being consistant in following manufacturer’s instructions, I know I've left the oil in both of them over 24 months, if not 36 months, to what I can tell so far, is no I'll effect.

So to get back to another discussion we’ve had regarding the oil level indicator accuracy. If you recall, I told the story of my last oil interval where my CBS indicated I was a quart low and by the time I got around to add the quart, the level went back up to only 3/4 quart low, so I didn’t add the quart, and then about 3,000 miles later, I added the quart once the low oil indication came up. Well, this oil interval (I’ve since changed the oil from the last incidence) the low oil warning came up at about 10,500 miles into the interval, but this time I was prepared and had a quart of oil in the trunk (I put it in there when I got to a ¾ quart low - see I'm learning). So this time I replaced the quart within 5 miles of the indicator showing up. That was Tuesday of this week, and I've since driven 480 miles, and the oil level has stayed at “full”. Now what was unusual about it was, I added the quart when I got home and shut the car off for the day. So the next morning I started the car, and the warning triangle (that indicates a system check is warranted) went off about 10 seconds into the engine being started for the first time after I added the quart. This indicates to me the sensor can detect the oil level almost instantly; which up to this point I didn't think it could. Funny little device, that oil level sensor is…

[Richwm]

I changed my oil every 5K miles for the first 100k miles, now I am doing 7500 just like I have always done on my e46 and my wifes 2007 e60 530i.

[Richwm]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

Have you actually kept a car for 500,000 miles? Outside of the one guy with the 35-year old Volvo and the other guy with the 40-year old Mercedes, and the guy with the 500,000 mile Chevy pickup (all car-commericals over the years) have you ever really heard of a car lasting 500,000 miles?

Do you think that some of the other expensive (non-routine maintenace) parts of the car may have failed by then? At what point would you consider the car not economically to repair? At 500,000 miles, even a wheel bearing replacement would render the car not economical to repair. Cars do not last forever.

I kept my '89 E30 to 260,000 miles. It took 18 years to get to that mileage. By the time 18 years went by my life style had changed and transportation needs changed, and although the E30 is a classic BMW, it was time for a change. I've not added it up to the penny, but I probably spent upwards near $18,000 in maintenance and repair costs - and I do all my own work; so double that for someone who has a shop maintain their car.

As far as the E9x, the owner's manual says to change the diff and trans fluid at 100,000 miles. I've followed the BMW maintenance schedule for my car, which has just passed over 153,000 in 5 years and 4 months (oil changes every 17,500 miles on average, and one round of diff and trans fluid changes, and coolant at 98,000). The parts that have failed so far are: A/C compressor, thermostat, and water pump (the drivers seat needs some reconditioning now and the paint on the center console where the sealtbelt buckle rubs is has worn off). I run my car almost 40,000 miles a year, so I'll rack up 250,000 in 8 years. By that time I'll be looking forward to a new car. My E90 will be worth probably $1,500 - $2,000, so even a minor issue will make the car not worth repairing. If the motor dies at 250,000 (which it probably won't - hopefully the VANOS and Valvetronic systems go that long) I'll have "lost" at most $2,000. If I changed the oil at half the 17,000 mile interval (thinking it will help the engine last longer) it would cost me an additional $1,100 in oil maintenance cost. For someone who pays for a shop to change their oil, the number is more like $1,800, so at best it is a break-even proposition. Investing that $1,800 over 8 years is a much better use of that money.

So throwing in a life span of 500,000 miles is just a ridiculous argument. No car is worth keeping for 500,000 miles.

I plan on keeping my 2001 E46 330i until it dies. It been payed off for 6 years it has 180k miles on it still runs great and it keeps some miles off my E90 that now has 141k miles on it. It now sits outside since it has been replaced by my wife's 07 530 but I drive it 2-3 days a week or if it rains. I still love to drive it its more fun than my E90 330i and my 8 year old daughter says it is going to be her first car assuming I don't total it before then. I have no doubt that it will out last my E90 just because it has less electronic BS on it. If I have one more electrical issue on my F@#^king E90 I am going to sell it and buy a 2005 E46 M3 or a 1 Series M.

[ENINTY]

Originally Posted by Richwm

I plan on keeping my 2001 E46 330i until it dies. It been payed off for 6 years it has 180k miles on it still runs great and it keeps some miles off my E90 that now has 141k miles on it. It now sits outside since it has been replaced by my wife's 07 530 but I drive it 2-3 days a week or if it rains. I still love to drive it its more fun than my E90 330i and my 8 year old daughter says it is going to be her first car assuming I don't total it before then. I have no doubt that it will out last my E90 just because it has less electronic BS on it. If I have one more electrical issue on my F@#^king E90 I am going to sell it and buy a 2005 E46 M3.

So I'm sure you've read this from me before, but I had a 1989 E30 we bought new in November 1988. The car went an easy 258,000 miles (on the engine at least - a lot of other parts I replaced) changing the oil between 9,000 - 12,000 miles per the service indicator. I sold the car to my neighbor for $1,500 who drove it to 295,000 before his daughter's boyfriend put it through a cow fence down the road from our houses and mangled the almost perfect body (just slight rust). He sold it back to me for $1, but it had a cracked head, he let it overheat (dead temp guage). I gave it to a guy that did some work for me on the house. Anyway, my point is eventually other stuff goes on a car besides the engine, so going overboard on (oil) maintenace doesn't so anything for other systems like gauges, AC units, heater cores, wheel bearings; all stuff that for the average consumer doesn't pay to get fixed when the car is only worth $1,500.

Now that the F30 is going to come with a 4-banger turbo, I'm considering buying a nice hatchback as a DD and preserving the E90. Mine is doing well.

[Tom K.]

[quote=ENINTY;10393406I'm not sure if I'd leave the oil in the engine for 24 months or not. I own two vehicles that I don't drive/use that much. One is a 1999 Honda Valkyrie Interstate, which for all indended purposes has a car engine in it (1,500cc flat 6) and a 2003 New Holland TC45 diesel tractor. Both owners manuals do not have a 12-month oil change interval regardless of mileage (or hours in respect to the tractor). The Honda has an 8,000 mile OCI (think about for a moment - the oil also lubes the transmission and wet clutch) and the tractor, which has a 2.2L 4-cylinder diesel, requires oil changes every 100 hours. The Honda has 59,000 miles on it (I used to ride a lot more 5 years ago) and the tractor has 488 hours on it (I just changed all the fluids in it last weekend). Being consistant in following manufacturer’s instructions, I know I've left the oil in both of them over 24 months, if not 36 months, to what I can tell so far, is no I'll effect.

…[/quote]

I had the first year version of that Honda flat 6 in my 1988 GoldWing. One interesting spec was that although oil changes (non-synthetic, IIRC) were 8k, spark plug changes were called for every 4,000 miles - in an unstressed motor with a 5,500 rpm redline! I changed plugs at 15k and oil at 6k with no problems.

After buying a Z3, the Wing wasn't used more than 1k miles per year so I went to a two year cycle of service intervals - at one point (I'm ashamed to say) 3 years. I did notice that after 2 years on the same brake fluid, the brakes would become very grabbby and difficult to modulate. However, the motor ran very strongly when the bike was traded for a Beemer at 68,000 miles.

Tom

[iflyjetzzz]

Originally Posted by Glim

If you are not getting the car up to operating temperature for 20 minutes then once every two weeks take a longer route to where you are going in order to keep the car running for at least twenty minutes.

Not a problem. While most of my driving is local, I drive to the air force base at least every other week. That's 24 miles each way.

Originally Posted by ENINTY

I'm not sure if I'd leave the oil in the engine for 24 months or not.

My CBS has 24 months. I'm leaning toward annually.
I change the oil myself so the total cost is under $50; not exactly a break the bank maintenance item.

Originally Posted by ENINTY

So to get back to another discussion we’ve had regarding the oil level indicator accuracy. If you recall, I told the story of my last oil interval where my CBS indicated I was a quart low and by the time I got around to add the quart, the level went back up to only 3/4 quart low, so I didn’t add the quart, and then about 3,000 miles later, I added the quart once the low oil indication came up. Well, this oil interval (I’ve since changed the oil from the last incidence) the low oil warning came up at about 10,500 miles into the interval, but this time I was prepared and had a quart of oil in the trunk (I put it in there when I got to a ¾ quart low - see I'm learning). So this time I replaced the quart within 5 miles of the indicator showing up. That was Tuesday of this week, and I've since driven 480 miles, and the oil level has stayed at “full”. Now what was unusual about it was, I added the quart when I got home and shut the car off for the day. So the next morning I started the car, and the warning triangle (that indicates a system check is warranted) went off about 10 seconds into the engine being started for the first time after I added the quart. This indicates to me the sensor can detect the oil level almost instantly; which up to this point I didn't think it could. Funny little device, that oil level sensor is…

I must confess that I've lost all confidence in its reliability. Next oil change, I'll be

[Richwm]

Originally Posted by ENINTY

So I'm sure you've read this from me before, but I had a 1989 E30 we bought new in November 1988. The car went an easy 258,000 miles (on the engine at least - a lot of other parts I replaced) changing the oil between 9,000 - 12,000 miles per the service indicator. I sold the car to my neighbor for $1,500 who drove it to 295,000 before his daughter's boyfriend put it through a cow fence down the road from our houses and mangled the almost perfect body (just slight rust). He sold it back to me for $1, but it had a cracked head, he let it overheat (dead temp guage). I gave it to a guy that did some work for me on the house. Anyway, my point is eventually other stuff goes on a car besides the engine, so going overboard on (oil) maintenace doesn't so anything for other systems like gauges, AC units, heater cores, wheel bearings; all stuff that for the average consumer doesn't pay to get fixed when the car is only worth $1,500.

Now that the F30 is going to come with a 4-banger turbo, I'm considering buying a nice hatchback as a DD and preserving the E90. Mine is doing well.

I do all my own maintenance, so unless I blow the engine or wreak it I will keep it running for as long as I can. I still like working on cars. until the time I don't enjoy it any more I will keep my them running. But some day soon I would like to replace my E90 330i with a 1 series M and just keep my E46 to tinker with.

[Richwm]

Originally Posted by iflyjetzzz

Not a problem. While most of my driving is local, I drive to the air force base at least every other week. That's 24 miles each way.



My CBS has 24 months. I'm leaning toward annually.
I change the oil myself so the total cost is under $50; not exactly a break the bank maintenance item.



I must confess that I've lost all confidence in its reliability. Next oil change, I'll be

I have no confidence in that damb thing either, I changed mine at 50K because I started to get some top end rattle and the sensor said it was full. I added a quart of oil and the rattle went away but the sensor still said full not over full. I took it to the dealer and they drained the oil and measured it and said they got 7 quarts out. I said so replace the sensor, they said it works fine it has 7 quarts. I said good but I just added a quart of oil and it said it was full so it doesn't work. They said sorry sir but we can't do it under warranty we have no proof that it is broken. So I went home ordered a new sensor and just put it in myself. I hate BMW electronics they suck and they always have.