[beh-em-veh-808]

Originally Posted by e90wraith

E90 Oil Change (DIY)

I

I do not see the pix anymore. only a small white square with a red "X". Have the pix beem removed? Or do I have wrong settings on my browser?

[beh-em-veh-808]

Awesome that you didn't need to raise the car!!! Does your car have Sport Pack?
I'd like to try that also. However, by visual inspection, my car seems just too low to reach in there. My E91 is 328iT has Sport Pack; the car seems really low. I'm 5-11 and 155.

Originally Posted by bonifp

Great posting, BTW. The trap door was clutch.

Just changed the oil, on my 335i E90, after 2087 miles. Put in 6.5 qts, drove for almost 10 miles, and it shows low by 1/4 of the scale. Based on other postings, I'll drive it a little more, before adding the rest of the 7th quart.

Didn't need any ramps or jack or stands. I was able to reach the trap door & drain plug, from the front of the car. I'm 5'9" 170lbs. Some of you guys may need to hit the gym a little more often.

[beh-em-veh-808]

Originally Posted by s4iscool

if you jack the front up, you willget more oil out. I poured in 7quarts, and the car reads a tad over the 1st Max line.

Do I understand you correctly? if you jack up the front, basically tilting the front of the car up, more oil comes out???

So, BMW did NOT design/locate the drain pug at the "lowpoint" of the oil pan?

That means when the BMW Dealer changes the oil, and uses the hydraulic lifts to raise your car, they leave more oil in the pan?

This seems counter intuitive. Can others validate?

[nyc3r]

picture links are broken

[JeeZues]

Thanks OP...
I just did my first oil change at 4000km using BMW filter and German Castrol 0w-30 (LL-01 approved)
I let the car drain for 15 min. I only needed 6L. I measured the oil that came of the car and it was almost the same amount. Car computer says oil is at the correct level.
I used the Rhino ramps and I was hardly able to fit under my 328i (with sport package)

[khafner]

you can change the oil filter without changing the oil. Use new O-rings and lubricate with oil before putting the cover back on. You can not pre-fill the filter area with oil. It will just drain into the engine. If you remove the filter cover before changing your oil the oil will drain into the engine and make removing the filter easier and cleaner. The small o-ring blocks that hole when you cover is installed. I'd stick with LL01 or 04 oils. That way there can be no warranty issues. Amsoil does sell a LL04 oil.

Re: ramps. Those cheap metal ones are dangerous. I'd not use them. They have broken on me. they slide awfully, and you can roll a tire off them if they are at all bent. A safer bet is a short piece of 6x6 lumber that you cut a ramp into. They do not slide ( due to increased surface area) are slightly lower so they don't get hung up on things and they won't roll. It is safe to let a tire hang off one side. I'd always use something for safety like a tire under the vehicle etc so that I am safe if anything were to happen. I once pronounced a guy deceased who had his car on a jack that slipped off. He was on a creeper and when the vehicle came down the creeper broke his neck.

A simple way to figure how much oil to put in is to just pour in 7 qts. If you then take your 7 empty containers and leave them upside down and collect the remaining oil you'll have 100-200 cc of oil That means you put 6.9 qts in your bmw - exactly what bmw wants.

[ironic]

^ good write up khafner

[rloyola0426]

subscribing

[BrunoT]

I think it certainly couldn't hurt to change it at 3,000 miles. And if you are the type who puts 250,000 miles on a car, it's not a bad idea at all.

However, while those of us who've owned more than one BMW can certainly attest to the high cost of maintenance and repairs post 50K miles, how many here have actually bought and kept one until the engine cylinders and moving parts literally failed from wear? It seems to me that it's the electronics, catalytic converters, exhaust, radiators, clutches, transmissions, water pumps, belts, and other items not affected by oil change frequency that seem to break before the car is really really old. The guts of the engines seem pretty solid.

I would suspect that over 90% of new E90 series BMW's are sold/traded in before the first owner has to worry about that type of long term wear.

[742]

Originally Posted by brucec32

I think it certainly couldn't hurt to change it at 3,000 miles. And if you are the type who puts 250,000 miles on a car, it's not a bad idea at all.

However, while those of us who've owned more than one BMW can certainly attest to the high cost of maintenance and repairs post 50K miles, how many here have actually bought and kept one until the engine cylinders and moving parts literally failed from wear? It seems to me that it's the electronics, catalytic converters, exhaust, radiators, clutches, transmissions, water pumps, belts, and other items not affected by oil change frequency that seem to break before the car is really really old. The guts of the engines seem pretty solid.

I would suspect that over 90% of new E90 series BMW's are sold/traded in before the first owner has to worry about that type of long term wear.

Well said.

Oil change intervals are just the tip of the iceberg for those of us who want to run this car to high mileage while maintaining high reliability. But as you point out, the majority of the current owners are not interested in that process.

It will be intersting to see how these forums change in coming years.

[///M_owns_you]

Originally Posted by tiga901

Great write up...BTW, my mechanic friend told me that the BMW oil is made by the same people that makes Mobil 1. So he told me that it would be perfectly okay to use Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic oil. As for the filter, I guess it should be OEM.

Thanks a lot....I think I will do the same and change oil at about 2500-3000 miles. It looks easy enough to DIY. An then do a 5K interval after that.

uhhh noo, he told you wrong, its Castrol....it even says Castrol on your oil cap right on your engine cover buddy. The BMW oil containers even say castrol on them!! And to those of you who are very concerned about yoru cars well being, then change your oil every 3,000 with full sythentic oil

[Jaws]

Originally Posted by ///M_owns_you

uhhh noo, he told you wrong, its Castrol....it even says Castrol on your oil cap right on your engine cover buddy. The BMW oil containers even say castrol on them!! And to those of you who are very concerned about yoru cars well being, then change your oil every 3,000 with full sythentic oil

And to add to this, it is Castrol European formula, not NA formula (not the Castrol you buy off the shelf at the local Wal-mart).

[calvino]

does anyone has used Castrol SAE 5W-40

this is what it says in the Castrol page:

Engineered specifically to meet the Volkswagen engine warranty requirements, exceeding VW 502 00 and 505 00. Exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer's warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended. Porsche approved and also exceeds European ACEA: A3, B3, B4, MB 229.3, MB 229.1, BMW LL-98. Meets the engine protection requirements of Volvo, BMW, Mercedes Benz and ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.

[BassDude]

This thread is too cool . . . To bad I will never delve into such task

[scottp999]

For the 335 turbo engine I would use the castrol 0W-30. Look at Castrol's write up on it:

Castrol SYNTEC 0W-30 European Formula is engineered to meet the Mercedes Benz 229.5 specification. The 0W-30 viscosity grade is ideal for winter conditions where low temperature pumpability is required. A unique, low-temperature formulation provides exceptional pumpability in cold weather and allows for unaided engine starts down to -40°F. Exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer's warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended. Exceeds European ACEA: A3, B3, B4; VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01; MB 229.1, 229.3, 229.5; BMW LL-01; GM-LL-A-025, GM-LL-B-025 and the engine protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/gener...tentId=6006933

It exceeds BMW LL-01. I think I saw a post on this thread that it meets LL-04. It also mentions turbo charged engines.

[roppongicorolla]

Thanks, I used this as reference for a recent oil change. The hardest part was getting 7 qts of Castrol 0w-30, there were only 5 qts available locally and I had to call all over houston to find 2 more bottles.

The work itself barely took over 30 minutes. I had some problems with the oil dripping onto the plastic underbody, which would later create a puddle on the driveway to make it look like there was a leak. Back up on the ramp, no leaks. Will be sending a sample to Blackstone to compare to the oil BMW drained at 18k miles. This time I changed the oil at around 7.5k miles.

[DHarold]

I just changed my oil (1526 mi) with BMW oil and filter.

(07 328i SP, 6MT)

It should have been easy with the nice little trap door to help you find the drain plug, the cool top-of-engine filter, but...

I have two comments:

1. Beware the awful mess when the oil runs down toward the back of the pan, then drops on the plastic lower engine cover and drips all over your garage floor. I had to spend an additional hour to remove the bazillion 8mm hex screws, take the cover off and clean up the mess. Not to mention the half quart of dirty oil on my garage floor. I have never had such a problem with any previous oil changes on any car I owned, and I have been changing my own oil since I could drive.

I think it is caused by draining the oil with the front of the car higher than the back. Next time I will try it with the car nearly level.

So then I put 6 qts in and check the level -- and it says full. A day later it decides it is now a half qt low. Trustworthy electronic dipstick! 7 qts came out!

2. My local dealer (Austin, TX) charges an outrageous amount for the BMW oil, about $8 / qt even with the BMWCCA discount. Total cost for oil and filter was nearly $90. Next time: mail order the filters and find GC 0w-30.

[Snaffoo]

Is it best to have the car level or with the front end up only when doing an oil change? Or does it not matter? Looking to buy the rhyno ramps and needing to know if I should buy 2 or 4.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Snaffoo

Is it best to have the car level or with the front end up only when doing an oil change? Or does it not matter? Looking to buy the rhyno ramps and needing to know if I should buy 2 or 4.

Rhino ramps specifically state you should not use them to lift all 4 corners of the car.

Lifting just the front is fine.
There may be a small amount of oil you dont get out because of this, but thats ok .

[Autobot]

So, I'm stuck. I have been trying to get the oil filter cover off for what seems like an hour now. Never have I ever had this much of an issue. I am taking it off clockwise just like the little arrow on it says to. Any thoughts? Could the arrow thats on there be going the wrong way?

[777ER]

Originally Posted by Autobot

So, I'm stuck. I have been trying to get the oil filter cover off for what seems like an hour now. Never have I ever had this much of an issue. I am taking it off clockwise just like the little arrow on it says to. Any thoughts? Could the arrow thats on there be going the wrong way?

clockwise direction tightens it...

Turn it counter-clockwise...

bavauto.com sells a oil filter removal socket which may help.

[Autobot]

Thats what I thoguht but there is a little arrow on it that goes clockwise