[geyer25]

I'm new to BMW and was just wondering what the recommended oil change mileage was for my 2008 328 xi. Thanks in advance for the input.

[jc5988]

10-15k from factory, 6-7k personal.

[kiwi29]

I usually change every 5k because of how I drive. Or if I burn more than half a quart of oil, I change it again. Reason for why I see it this way is because if I keep adding oil, the amount of oil added over time will lead to around 3 quarts until the next oil change and a that means those 3 quarts could've been used for another oil change. But, like I said, its because how I drive (very spirited and pretty often). If you drive normal, I say 8-10k will be no problem at all if not more. Just set the service reminder for your oil and it should say 12k I believe. It also depends on what oil you use. If you use mobil 1, you're fine for 15k or so miles between changes. If you use royal purple, even if you drive normal and stay away from 7k/red line, you'll need to change it more often because since the oil is so good, it tends to burn faster. Most people use oem oil and mobil 1. Me, personally, I recommend 0w-40 mobil 1 because its cheaper and easier to get if you burn a quart. Not to mention its the only in store brand that is LL-01 approved. Btw, stay away from everything that doesn't say "BMW LL-01" or "BMW Long-life 01" this also include royal purple because it doesn't have the approval.

[FCBuff]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

I usually change every 5k because of how I drive. Or if I burn more than half a quart of oil, I change it again. Reason for why I see it this way is because if I keep adding oil, the amount of oil added over time will lead to around 3 quarts until the next oil change and a that means those 3 quarts could've been used for another oil change. But, like I said, its because how I drive (very spirited and pretty often). If you drive normal, I say 8-10k will be no problem at all if not more. Just set the service reminder for your oil and it should say 12k I believe. It also depends on what oil you use. If you use mobil 1, you're fine for 15k or so miles between changes. If you use royal purple, even if you drive normal and stay away from 7k/red line, you'll need to change it more often because since the oil is so good, it tends to burn faster. Most people use oem oil and mobil 1. Me, personally, I recommend 0w-40 mobil 1 because its cheaper and easier to get if you burn a quart. Not to mention its the only in store brand that is LL-01 approved. Btw, stay away from everything that doesn't say "BMW LL-01" or "BMW Long-life 01" this also include royal purple because it doesn't have the approval.

Umm what?

OP do a search, lots of good info out there. Beware posts like above, lots of misinformation there.

Factory OCI's can be anywhere from 15k-20k depending on driving style. Conventional wisdom says do it on the half interval or 7.5-10k miles. Some do it more frequently.

Other choices off the shelf besides M1 0w-40 that carry the LL-01 spec are

Castrol syntec 5w-40
Castrol syntec 0w-30

LL-01 doesn't really matter after you are out of warranty. Any good synthetic rated ACEA a3/B3 with HT/HS >3.5 will work fine.

[jzchen]

Originally Posted by FCBuff

Umm what?

OP do a search, lots of good info out there. Beware posts like above, lots of misinformation there.

Factory OCI's can be anywhere from 15k-20k depending on driving style. Conventional wisdom says do it on the half interval or 7.5-10k miles. Some do it more frequently.

Other choices off the shelf besides M1 0w-40 that carry the LL-01 spec are

Castrol syntec 5w-40
Castrol syntec 0w-30

LL-01 doesn't really matter after you are out of warranty. Any good synthetic rated ACEA a3/B3 with HT/HS >3.5 will work fine.

I think there is a question for about how long the oil will last, and with that respect LL-01 has it's importance. LL-01 oils tend to have a higher TBN, which a higher number tends to indicate a higher longevity. Conventional wisdom about how long the oil will last goes hand in hand with not caring about the LL-01 spec.

Castrol's own website doesn't have a recommendation on oil to use. I also notice it is difficult, at least on the website, and at least for me, to find the specs on TBN for example. I just checked their Data Sheet for one syntec EDGE Titanium product and for HT/HS it says "OK". Have you looked at the HT/HS ratings of their LL-01 EDGE with SPT, unfortunately only 5w-50, not LL-01 rated, has above the 3.5 you mention is good. All the others are less than 3. Important facts seem to be hidden in the details. I had to look at their naming again to figure things out. It used to be Castrol Syntec, and Castrol EDGE was the new super oil. Now they've moved the EDGE to the Syntec, call it EDGE with Syntec, formerly Syntec, and now they seem to be calling EDGE, EDGE with Titanium. (I think I'm getting a headache, but maybe it's the time of day...) Mobil 1 0w-40 oil has a TBN of 11.8. Easily found on the 0w-40 page "Product Data Sheet" link at the bottom. There is a story about how Mobil sued Castrol, no wonder....

The formula on BMW's list says European Castrol. I don't find this easy to find. If you can direct people where to get this, that is great!

[jzchen]

Originally Posted by geyer25

I'm new to BMW and was just wondering what the recommended oil change mileage was for my 2008 328 xi. Thanks in advance for the input.

Welcome to the forum!

CBS (condition based service)/The car will tell you when it needs it's oil changed, but at least once a yr if you don't reach that point in one yr. (This is my understanding from reading the manuals.)

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by FCBuff

Umm what?

OP do a search, lots of good info out there. Beware posts like above, lots of misinformation there.

Factory OCI's can be anywhere from 15k-20k depending on driving style. Conventional wisdom says do it on the half interval or 7.5-10k miles. Some do it more frequently.

Other choices off the shelf besides M1 0w-40 that carry the LL-01 spec are

Castrol syntec 5w-40
Castrol syntec 0w-30

LL-01 doesn't really matter after you are out of warranty. Any good synthetic rated ACEA a3/B3 with HT/HS >3.5 will work fine.

How is my post misleading him. LL01 has a major importance if you want to keep your car running at peak. The last I checked, castrol "syntec" which is now known under castrol edge doesn't have the approval of BMW LL-01 or and BMW approval. Its his personal choice if he wants to use it but without that approval it must mean that it doesn't show a good enough record to be approved.
Yes the factory says change it from 12k-25k but if you wait that long and you drive hard, good luck. I GUARANTEE that he will burn oil if he waits as long as the computer says to change it and not to mention the sludge build up will be bad. The oil will come out blacker than anything you've seen (I know from experience)
I just told OP to avoid non LL approved oils such as the castrol syntec you've mentioned.

[xxxjecxxx]

every 5K Mobil 1 0w-40 check your local walmart I found them for $6.5 a quart.

I've been doing this for the last 60K on my 06 325i with pretty aggressive driving and have not had a single issue. Car runs great. I'm sure you can go more than 5K on this oil but It's my personal worry free preference.

[VTECaddict]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

How is my post misleading him. LL01 has a major importance if you want to keep your car running at peak. The last I checked, castrol "syntec" which is now known under castrol edge doesn't have the approval of BMW LL-01 or and BMW approval. Its his personal choice if he wants to use it but without that approval it must mean that it doesn't show a good enough record to be approved.
Yes the factory says change it from 12k-25k but if you wait that long and you drive hard, good luck. I GUARANTEE that he will burn oil if he waits as long as the computer says to change it and not to mention the sludge build up will be bad. The oil will come out blacker than anything you've seen (I know from experience)
I just told OP to avoid non LL approved oils such as the castrol syntec you've mentioned.

Castrol Syntec (now called EDGE with SPT) in 0w30 is most certainly BMW LL-01 approved.

It's a European car formula that's made in Germany and it's commonly referred to as "German Castrol" or "GC" by enthusiasts.

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

Castrol Syntec (now called EDGE with SPT) in 0w30 is most certainly BMW LL-01 approved.

It's a European car formula that's made in Germany and it's commonly referred to as "German Castrol" or "GC" by enthusiasts.

Ow-30? I've never seen that on the shelves. I was referring to the once commonly found on walmart and autozone shelves. But thanks for letting me know I might try it out for my next oil change

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by xxxjecxxx

every 5K Mobil 1 0w-40 check your local walmart I found them for $6.5 a quart.

I've been doing this for the last 60K on my 06 325i with pretty aggressive driving and have not had a single issue. Car runs great. I'm sure you can go more than 5K on this oil but It's my personal worry free preference.

At 6.50 a quart, I can see why you change so often! The walmart down here is around 7.75 a qt -.- luckily I found a guy for 38 bucks for 6 qts. Aka a case I tried looking for 0w-40 in a gallon but they don't seem to exist where I've been searching. Does your local walmart sell it?

[VTECaddict]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

Ow-30? I've never seen that on the shelves. I was referring to the once commonly found on walmart and autozone shelves. But thanks for letting me know I might try it out for my next oil change

I see it at Autozone all the time? Never seen it at Walmart tho. I always hit up my Autozone and O'reillys when they have the oil change specials. 5qts for ~$30. Usually comes with a filter but I just get one for my parent's cars or something.

[jzchen]

Nobody finds it strange that it used to be Castrol Syntec, then they came out with a new Castrol EDGE. Then they moved the EDGE name to the Syntec. It sounds like a marketing scheme if you ask me....

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by VTECaddict

I see it at Autozone all the time? Never seen it at Walmart tho. I always hit up my Autozone and O'reillys when they have the oil change specials. 5qts for ~$30. Usually comes with a filter but I just get one for my parent's cars or something.

Hmmm maybe I haven't looked hard enough. I usually see the 5w-30 and 10w-30 only

[3_runner]

Every 5k... I just go to the dealer and buy the oil and filter.

[Volasko]

Using factory BMW oil 12-13,000 km's or 7500-8125 mi. I get my oil analyzed by Blackstone labs and they have confirmed this is a good range. Anything less you are just wasting your money.

[FCBuff]

Originally Posted by kiwi29

How is my post misleading him. LL01 has a major importance if you want to keep your car running at peak. The last I checked, castrol "syntec" which is now known under castrol edge doesn't have the approval of BMW LL-01 or and BMW approval. Its his personal choice if he wants to use it but without that approval it must mean that it doesn't show a good enough record to be approved.
Yes the factory says change it from 12k-25k but if you wait that long and you drive hard, good luck. I GUARANTEE that he will burn oil if he waits as long as the computer says to change it and not to mention the sludge build up will be bad. The oil will come out blacker than anything you've seen (I know from experience)
I just told OP to avoid non LL approved oils such as the castrol syntec you've mentioned.

Ugg, I see why many before me hate "which oil to use posts".

LL-01(read Long Life) is mostly about the oil holding up under long drain intervals that BMW pushes. It is wise to use it during warranty so as to avoid problems with warranty claims. I stick to oils with these specs as well, most of us do.

Yes Castrol Syntec's new name is "edge with Syntec" or some such marketing bullsh$t.

If you read my post clearly, those oils I recommended are all LL-01 spec'd. Note, I did not recommend Castrol edge with Syntec 5w-30. It is not LL-01 approved and is not a good choice, it is too thin. It is not the same product as BMW 5w-30 (which is made by Castrol).

Castrol Edge with Syntec 5w-40 and 0w-30 are most certainly LL-01.
the 0w-30 is only found at Autozone and apparently Pepboys.

Personally FWIW, I prefer, and have switched to M1 0w-40.

I did not recommend he wait "12k-25k". I did recommend changing on the 1/2 interval or 7.5k-10k miles.

I should not have said anything about HTHS >3.5 or ACEA A3/B3. If he new what that meant he wouldn't have asked which oil to use in the first place.

[kiwi29]

Originally Posted by FCBuff

Ugg, I see why many before me hate "which oil to use posts".

LL-01(read Long Life) is mostly about the oil holding up under long drain intervals that BMW pushes. It is wise to use it during warranty so as to avoid problems with warranty claims. I stick to oils with these specs as well, most of us do.

Yes Castrol Syntec's new name is "edge with Syntec" or some such marketing bullsh$t.

If you read my post clearly, those oils I recommended are all LL-01 spec'd. Note, I did not recommend Castrol edge with Syntec 5w-30. It is not LL-01 approved and is not a good choice, it is too thin. It is not the same product as BMW 5w-30 (which is made by Castrol).

Castrol Edge with Syntec 5w-40 and 0w-30 are most certainly LL-01.
the 0w-30 is only found at Autozone and apparently Pepboys.

Personally FWIW, I prefer, and have switched to M1 0w-40.

I did not recommend he wait "12k-25k". I did recommend changing on the 1/2 interval or 7.5k-10k miles.

I should not have said anything about HTHS >3.5 or ACEA A3/B3. If he new what that meant he wouldn't have asked which oil to use in the first place.

I didn't know before that castrol edge at those numbers were LL approved. I do apologize if I came off as a douche but I didn't understand how my post to the OP was misleading in any way.

[Efthreeoh]

I just hate to do this, but heck, it's traddition around here to contantly have an OCI debate going, so why not.

OP, I have probably the highest mileage E90 here, or a close second. I just went over 198,000 miles this week. My average OCI (oil change interval) is 17,500 miles. I've only used BMW's oil and filter as a kit shipped from Tischer BMW (getBMWparts.com).

My other two BMWs a 1989 E30 was running fine at 256,000 miles when I sold it and I followed BMWs OCI for it too, which was back in the day, about 10K - 12K miles. And a 1997 Z3 (1.9 L) which is at 155,000 miles and an OCI around 9K - 11K miles.

Decide what is best for you, but BMWs OCIs are not unreasonable.

[Amini77]

4-5k the computer says 15k..definitely don't do that lol

[centexE9x]

Listen to theses guys above. After my time working on/for BMW I'm a firm believer that the oil change intervals are way too long. It's only my own personal opinion, but I think that's why oil leaks are so common on these vehicles. The oil just stays in there way too long and build up acidic properties that harden all the rubber seals. Sure the vehicle will last just fine changing the oil as BMW recommends though (some say as high as 19k when the CBS data is reset)