HOw often do u change oiL?

jake89714 · 01-09-2010, 08:41 PM

I was wondering how often u guys change oil... BMW says that u can use for 12000 miles.. DOes not sound right to me..

what u guys think

DJKhan85 · 01-09-2010, 08:46 PM

I change between 5k and 7.5k miles. Depends on the weather and free time. So far with this car i'v changed when I hit 7k then again at 10k and then again at 15k. I will have the dealer change my oil soon at around the 20k mark. I like changing my own oil and since I drive alot, it gives me a chance to do a quick inspection on the suspension, chasis, etc.

chromisdesigns · 01-09-2010, 09:04 PM

one or two changes between "scheduled" changes on the car computer. Works out to about every 6-7K miles.

lopealle · 01-09-2010, 11:13 PM

sounds like a plan for me

Amir87 · 01-10-2010, 02:19 AM

3 months/ 3,000 miles. Whichever comes first.

NaTuReB0Y · 01-10-2010, 02:32 AM

every 5,000 miles.............................$50 DIY

ENINTY · 01-10-2010, 06:04 AM

About every 17,000 miles.

742 · 01-10-2010, 07:09 AM

And the oil wars begin again....

You will find two main camps. One follows the BMW CBS (about 15,000 miles or a bit less). The other splits it in half (7,500).

The first camp maintains that BMW knows what they are doing and points out that oil related failures are not occurring.

The second camp maintains that BMW is pushing the envelope too far to cut costs, and that oil related failures won't show up until the cars start to get high mileage. The VW/Audi 1.8T sludge debacle did not become apparent until the engine had been in service for 7 years, to show one example.

A third small camp does very frequent changes in the belief that the N54 is exceptionally hard on oil. There is very little hard data to support any of these camps, since in spite of all the noise very few are posting oil analysis results.

Whatever you do, use oil with BMW LL01 approval. For practical purposes that means oil from the dealer, Castrol Syntec 0W-30 or Mobil 1 0W-40. The European approach to oils is different that your father's Buick, and for us what matters is the BMW LL01 specification. The quack lube places won't have it.

Ryan323i · 01-10-2010, 08:43 AM

7,500 miles or 1 year. This is recommended by both my independent BMW shop and the Bentley repair manual.

Bobble · 01-11-2010, 06:45 PM

Yep around 7K depending on the time I have. Istart thinking about it around 6 or so and plan my time accordingly so I can do it.

srcstc · 01-12-2010, 06:17 PM

If you own the car and want it to last, change your oil more often.

Gavin@MMW · 01-12-2010, 06:20 PM

when ever the car tells me too

hubble bubble · 01-13-2010, 05:10 PM

I did a break in service at 1,500 km (almost 1,000 miles), 12,000 km (7,500 miles) and just booked it for next week - I'm at 22,000+ km (14,000 miles).

How about transmission and differential? Who is following the old BMW schedule (break in service, then every 30,000 miles)

I335 · 01-13-2010, 05:45 PM

I change my oil about every 5K and I changed by tranny (MT) and diff oil at about 10K - just because I didn't want the break-in oil in there...

deletedelete · 01-13-2010, 05:53 PM

Ive never even thought to change the trans fluid. Im only at 7k, maybe at like 50k ill have it changed. But bmw says i will lose the trans warranty since its a closed system.

Oil changes should probably be done every 7500. It cant hurt anything and can only help. $50 wont break the bank.

nemith · 01-15-2010, 03:59 PM

So right now I am at ~9,000 miles and the car want to go another 9,000 before it's first maintenance (or April, 2010).

I don't baby my car either. She got some babying when i drove it off the lot to the first 1,500 miles, but I drive rather spiritedly.

Anyone else hear of a car wanting to wait this long? Will BMW service it before the car says it's ready?

I am defiantly in the camp of 3mo,3,000 is a complete rip off and is unnecessary, and I will even say 5,000 miles is a little soon for good synthetic oil, but 18,000 freaking miles seems like an eternity away.

Bcube · 01-15-2010, 04:39 PM

My monitor display will initially read ~18K after a CBS reset. In reality, it actually counts down to zero closer to ~20K. For my piece of mind, I do interim 10K mile oil changes.

Figure807 · 01-16-2010, 02:15 AM

7k miles. I changed it every 3k for a while, but noticed the oil still looked very clean, very few particles.

bmw6953 · 01-17-2010, 12:32 AM

I change it every 3-5k depeding on how hard i drive , but I have noticed that at 3k oil still seems to be in good condition regardless. I would say every 5k should be sufficient.

hun77777 · 01-17-2010, 12:40 AM

every 5k

AlanAZ · 01-17-2010, 07:17 PM

7.5K miles.

Paolino · 01-20-2010, 04:03 PM

10k miles is a good interval......

in europe the average is 15k miles.

01-09-2010, 08:41 PM	#1
jake89714 First Lieutenant 51 Rep 393 Posts Drives: 2007 335i coupe Join Date: Sep 2009 Location: NOrthern VA iTrader: (1)	HOw often do u change oiL? I was wondering how often u guys change oil... BMW says that u can use for 12000 miles.. DOes not sound right to me.. what u guys think
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01-09-2010, 08:46 PM	#2
DJKhan85 Major 24 Rep 1,190 Posts Drives: 2011 4dr 6mt Golf GTI Join Date: Jun 2009 Location: Boston Massachusetts iTrader: (1)	I change between 5k and 7.5k miles. Depends on the weather and free time. So far with this car i'v changed when I hit 7k then again at 10k and then again at 15k. I will have the dealer change my oil soon at around the 20k mark. I like changing my own oil and since I drive alot, it gives me a chance to do a quick inspection on the suspension, chasis, etc. __________________ 2011 VW GTI 4dr-6mt-Sunroof-Nav-Xenons OLD: 08 335i AW/CR/Poplar 6mt-ZSP-ZPP-ZCW-iPod-iDrive-PDC-Style 230s w/FK 452-Dinan LSD
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01-09-2010, 09:04 PM	#3
chromisdesigns Lieutenant Colonel 45 Rep 1,754 Posts Drives: 2008 BMW 335i sedan Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: San Francisco iTrader: (0)	one or two changes between "scheduled" changes on the car computer. Works out to about every 6-7K miles.
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01-09-2010, 11:13 PM	#4
lopealle Resident Black Guy 251 Rep 2,302 Posts Drives: Lion Join Date: May 2009 Location: Federal Way, WA iTrader: (2) Garage List 2006 M5 [10.00]	sounds like a plan for me
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01-10-2010, 02:19 AM	#5
Amir87 Gruppe Titan 262 Rep 2,839 Posts Drives: 08 E92 SG/Coral Join Date: Sep 2007 Location: NC iTrader: (37) Garage List 2008 E92 335i [10.00]	3 months/ 3,000 miles. Whichever comes first. __________________
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01-10-2010, 02:32 AM	#6
NaTuReB0Y Powered By 36DD 337 Rep 7,369 Posts Drives: 2006 E90 Join Date: Jul 2005 Location: Inland Empire iTrader: (12)	every 5,000 miles.............................$50 DIY __________________ 2006 E90 330i Jet Black \| 20" WORK VS-XX \| FK452 \| H&R Sport on Koni Yellow \| REMUS QUAD
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01-10-2010, 06:04 AM	#7
ENINTY Banned 172 Rep 3,415 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Sport Join Date: Jun 2006 Location: Virginia iTrader: (0)	About every 17,000 miles.
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01-10-2010, 07:09 AM	#8
742 Major 13 Rep 1,187 Posts Drives: E90 325i; F10 528i; 2002tii Join Date: Apr 2006 Location: PA iTrader: (0)	And the oil wars begin again.... You will find two main camps. One follows the BMW CBS (about 15,000 miles or a bit less). The other splits it in half (7,500). The first camp maintains that BMW knows what they are doing and points out that oil related failures are not occurring. The second camp maintains that BMW is pushing the envelope too far to cut costs, and that oil related failures won't show up until the cars start to get high mileage. The VW/Audi 1.8T sludge debacle did not become apparent until the engine had been in service for 7 years, to show one example. A third small camp does very frequent changes in the belief that the N54 is exceptionally hard on oil. There is very little hard data to support any of these camps, since in spite of all the noise very few are posting oil analysis results. Whatever you do, use oil with BMW LL01 approval. For practical purposes that means oil from the dealer, Castrol Syntec 0W-30 or Mobil 1 0W-40. The European approach to oils is different that your father's Buick, and for us what matters is the BMW LL01 specification. The quack lube places won't have it.
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01-10-2010, 08:43 AM	#9
Ryan323i Captain 22 Rep 844 Posts Drives: 2015 320i xDrive Join Date: Feb 2007 Location: Columbus, OH iTrader: (0)	7,500 miles or 1 year. This is recommended by both my independent BMW shop and the Bentley repair manual. __________________ 2015 320i xDrive \| Imperial Blue Metallic/Black SensaTec \| Sport Package \| Lighting Package \| Moonroof \| Heated front seats Past BMWs: 2006 330i, 2000 323i
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01-11-2010, 06:45 PM	#10
Bobble Major 56 Rep 1,232 Posts Drives: Whatever POS the wife leaves Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: SoCal iTrader: (1)	Yep around 7K depending on the time I have. Istart thinking about it around 6 or so and plan my time accordingly so I can do it.
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01-12-2010, 06:17 PM	#11
srcstc Major 82 Rep 1,365 Posts Drives: 2016 Camaro 2SS Join Date: Sep 2006 Location: NJ iTrader: (9)	If you own the car and want it to last, change your oil more often.
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01-12-2010, 06:20 PM	#12
Gavin@MMW Brigadier General 406 Rep 3,879 Posts Drives: MMW Supercharged E90 328i Join Date: Nov 2009 Location: 818/805 iTrader: (18)	when ever the car tells me too
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01-13-2010, 05:10 PM	#13
hubble bubble Captain 17 Rep 680 Posts Drives: 2008 335i Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Calgary, AB, Canada iTrader: (0)	I did a break in service at 1,500 km (almost 1,000 miles), 12,000 km (7,500 miles) and just booked it for next week - I'm at 22,000+ km (14,000 miles). How about transmission and differential? Who is following the old BMW schedule (break in service, then every 30,000 miles)
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01-13-2010, 05:45 PM	#14
I335 Brigadier General 123 Rep 4,249 Posts Drives: '08 335i Coupe Join Date: Jan 2008 Location: New England iTrader: (11)	I change my oil about every 5K and I changed by tranny (MT) and diff oil at about 10K - just because I didn't want the break-in oil in there...
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01-13-2010, 05:53 PM	#15
deletedelete Major General 361 Rep 5,873 Posts Drives: m Join Date: Nov 2008 Location: usa iTrader: (14) Garage List 2013 e92 M3 [0.00] 2011 e93 M3 (sold) [0.00] 2009 335xi (sold) [0.00]	Ive never even thought to change the trans fluid. Im only at 7k, maybe at like 50k ill have it changed. But bmw says i will lose the trans warranty since its a closed system. Oil changes should probably be done every 7500. It cant hurt anything and can only help. $50 wont break the bank. __________________ ---> Click For xi/xDrive Suspension Compatibility List <---
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01-15-2010, 03:59 PM	#16
nemith Second Lieutenant 29 Rep 219 Posts Drives: 14 BMW 335xi M-Sport EBII Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Denver, CO iTrader: (1) Garage List 2014 BMW 335xi M-Sport [0.00] 2009 335i xDrive [0.00]	So right now I am at ~9,000 miles and the car want to go another 9,000 before it's first maintenance (or April, 2010). I don't baby my car either. She got some babying when i drove it off the lot to the first 1,500 miles, but I drive rather spiritedly. Anyone else hear of a car wanting to wait this long? Will BMW service it before the car says it's ready? I am defiantly in the camp of 3mo,3,000 is a complete rip off and is unnecessary, and I will even say 5,000 miles is a little soon for good synthetic oil, but 18,000 freaking miles seems like an eternity away.
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01-15-2010, 04:39 PM	#17
Bcube Been there, wrecked that. 18 Rep 547 Posts Drives: '07 E93 335i Join Date: Jul 2009 Location: SoCal iTrader: (0)	My monitor display will initially read ~18K after a CBS reset. In reality, it actually counts down to zero closer to ~20K. For my piece of mind, I do interim 10K mile oil changes. __________________ -Brian ~199K miles. I -still- don't fear my 335i.
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01-16-2010, 02:15 AM	#18
Figure807 Power without control is no power at all... 15 Rep 190 Posts Drives: 335i 6spd Blk/Blk Join Date: Oct 2009 Location: Honolulu, Hawaii iTrader: (1)	7k miles. I changed it every 3k for a while, but noticed the oil still looked very clean, very few particles. __________________ 2009 335i Coupe 6MT Blk Sapphire / Blk Leather 2007 328i Coupe 6MT Blk Sapphire / Blk Leather Sold 1985 Toyota Corolla GTS 5MT 1.5-way Slvr / Blk Sold 1987 Toyota Corolla GTS 5MT KAAZ 2-way Blk / Blk *Sold
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01-17-2010, 12:32 AM	#19
bmw6953 Second Lieutenant 22 Rep 257 Posts Drives: 2006 325i Join Date: Oct 2008 Location: california iTrader: (0)	I change it every 3-5k depeding on how hard i drive , but I have noticed that at 3k oil still seems to be in good condition regardless. I would say every 5k should be sufficient.
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01-17-2010, 12:40 AM	#20
hun77777 Brigadier General 198 Rep 4,647 Posts Drives: SG E92 Join Date: Nov 2007 Location: Seattle WA iTrader: (58)	every 5k __________________ SGE92TT......................... 12.331 Sec @ 117.89 Mph............................POWERED BY l BMS DCI l HELIX IC l FORGE DVs l RR OCC & CP & SCOOPS l AR 3" DPs l AE QUADs l BLISTEIN PSS10 l P3 VENT GUAGE l VISHNU PROCEDE V5 AUTOTUNE l Lots of Window Stickers
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01-17-2010, 07:17 PM	#21
AlanAZ Captain 40 Rep 818 Posts Drives: E90 325i sport manual Join Date: Aug 2009 Location: Scottsdale, AZ iTrader: (4)	7.5K miles.
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01-20-2010, 04:03 PM	#22
Paolino 100% italian 1 Rep 23 Posts Drives: 335i sedan Join Date: Jan 2010 Location: ATL iTrader: (0)	10k miles is a good interval...... in europe the average is 15k miles. __________________
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