[Persian Whisperjet]

Coming up on an oil change and the local club does not have a DIY session scheduled any time soon. I am thinking about Rhino ramps for the princely sum of $44 on Amazon, but then of course then the car will not be level. Anyone have any reason to believe that will be a problem? Thanks, James

[AustinMsport]

I'm not expert but for what it's worth I think you will be OK. I've changed oil this way numerous times on my other cars with nothing negative ever happening. I plan to change my oil in the 335D this way after my free maintenance runs out unless I hear something bad.

Will be interesting to see what others say.

[Mik325tds]

Might want to spend the extra $25 and by a pair of jack stands like those:
http://www.harborfreight.com/3-ton-s...nds-61196.html
They always come in handy.
In order to get the car in level, you can drive up the ramps with your rear wheels, then slide in a low profile car jack from the side of the car behind the front wheel to jack up the car at the center jack point. You can then use the jack stands to set the car down on the side jack points.
This gives you plenty of room to work under the car.

Pelicanparts has some good photos on where the jack points are:
http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/tech...ur_Vehicle.htm

[kiel_dafo_kenyg_as]

Originally Posted by Persian Whisperjet

I am thinking about Rhino ramps for the princely sum of $44 on Amazon, but then of course then the car will not be level.

That will leave ~ 1/2 liters in the pan. Not such a big problem.

For the price of the ramps you can buy an electrical pump and suck the oil out via the dipstick tube. The pump is powered from the + / - posts in the engine bay. No spills, no oil in the shirt sleeves. I'm using it for more than 10 years now. I can highly recommend it.

[kbsilver]

I second the topsider type of oil changing. Take advantage of one of the few "newer' cars to still have a dipstick.

If you have access to a compressor, I recommend this one. Holds 3 oil changes worth of oil before it needs to be emptied. For the 335D you will however need to make a custom suction tube as the longer one that comes with the topsider is too large in diameter to use. I got some poly tubing from home depot (think it was sold as ice maker supply tubing) which worked perfectly with one of the extra fittings that came with the extractor.

http://www.harborfreight.com/6-1-4-q...tor-46149.html

[Mik325tds]

Of course, that'll do the job with much more convenience . However, I always felt that more of the sediment was flushed out using the bottom drain. But that could be a matter of beliefs.

[Yozh]

I'm also for a bottom drain. To make a job easier, one can opt for a Fumoto oil drain valve. Makes a job much easier and less messy.
http://www.qwikvalve.com/fumoto-f-10...e-p-16154.html
or
http://www.qwikvalve.com/fumoto-f109s-valve.html
and no adapter needed. The nipple one will need an under tray lid modified, but is nice to attach a hose to.

If your car is not level, you may have up to 1.0l to 1.5l of oil left.

[Pierre Louis]

I use an oil extractor like this on my German cars, which I believe were designed for this. The oil filters are removed from above for the same reason. I can't be bothered jacking up the car, removing the undercarriage shield etc. when I can extract more/most of the oil from above through the dipstick. Its good to have a dipstick! Electric pumps are fine when they work.

PL

[kiel_dafo_kenyg_as]

Originally Posted by Mik325tds

I always felt that more of the sediment was flushed out using the bottom drain

May I show you why I prefere the dipstick method?
Have a look at the pan. You'll see that the area around the drain hole is raised. This is because the threading for the plug requires some "meat". What do you think leaves more sediment in the pan? Draining via the plug or sticking a suction pipe into it from above?

Okay, you may say that's not a BMW pan but the drain hole physics is pretty much the same on any oil pan (more or less).

[Timujin]

As long as it's level when you are adding oil after drainage.

Stay warm.

[kbsilver]

Originally Posted by Mik325tds

Of course, that'll do the job with much more convenience . However, I always felt that more of the sediment was flushed out using the bottom drain. But that could be a matter of beliefs.

Yep only a belief. As whiteblue already indicated, the topsider removes MORE oil than the drain plug method. I have been changing my own oil on BMWs for 15 years. When doing the drain plug method when I refilled it would always be a little over the full mark. When I use the topsider, when I refill it's at the full mark. I'm adding the same amount of oil in both cases, but obviously more is removed in the topsider method.

[montr]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

Yep only a belief. As whiteblue already indicated, the topsider removes MORE oil than the drain plug method. I have been changing my own oil on BMWs for 15 years. When doing the drain plug method when I refilled it would always be a little over the full mark. When I use the topsider, when I refill it's at the full mark. I'm adding the same amount of oil in both cases, but obviously more is removed in the topsider method.

Me too. I have been using a TopSider for over 12 years, first on an E39 528i and now on the E90 335d. I like the convenience of doing the oil service from the top.

One tip. I used black electrical tape wrapped around the tube inserted in the dipstick to mark to length where the tube is fully inserted and touch the bottom. If you go to far, the tube will turn around and you are not able to drain fully the pan.

[Mik325tds]

I'd be all for the TopSider method for the convenience. Next time I'll drain the oil with the drain plug and then see if I can suck out a considerable amount of oil through the dip stick. That would prove the point for me.

[m9bm]

This is extremely helpful.

A question though on bottom vs top:

Through the drain plug, wouldn't more sediment be likely to drain through gravity vs a pump through the top?
It would seem that a topside oil change would leave more at the bottom, even if more oil is removed?

I'n not an expert though.

[montr]

Originally Posted by m9bm

This is extremely helpful.

A question though on bottom vs top:

Through the drain plug, wouldn't more sediment be likely to drain through gravity vs a pump through the top?
It would seem that a topside oil change would leave more at the bottom, even if more oil is removed?

I'n not an expert though.

I do not think there are sediments at the bottom of the oil pan. I do the oil change with the topsider while the oil is warm. The oil filter should catch all sediments.

[bdwyer]

If its not level, you are probably going to make a mess with the last bit of oil. It is not going to drip straight out, but rather go with gravity to the sides of the oil pan and drip all over the undercarriage cover. Ask me how I know...

[CO335D]

Originally Posted by montr

Me too. I have been using a TopSider for over 12 years, first on an E39 528i and now on the E90 335d. I like the convenience of doing the oil service from the top.

One tip. I used black electrical tape wrapped around the tube inserted in the dipstick to mark to length where the tube is fully inserted and touch the bottom. If you go to far, the tube will turn around and you are not able to drain fully the pan.

Out of curiosity, how long is the tube length that's fully inserted and touching the bottom of the pan?

[montr]

Originally Posted by CO335D

Out of curiosity, how long is the tube length that's fully inserted and touching the bottom of the pan?

It is about 30 inchs

[Persian Whisperjet]

Update: I changed the oil over the weekend using the Rhino ramps I got on Amazon ($40 postpaid on Prime). The ramps' gradual rise was just right for the base 335d although lowered cars might have an issue. I changed the filter and put in ~7.8 quarts (not liters) of Mobil 1 ESP oil.

[Mik325tds]

Originally Posted by kbsilver

Yep only a belief. As whiteblue already indicated, the topsider removes MORE oil than the drain plug method. I have been changing my own oil on BMWs for 15 years. When doing the drain plug method when I refilled it would always be a little over the full mark. When I use the topsider, when I refill it's at the full mark. I'm adding the same amount of oil in both cases, but obviously more is removed in the topsider method.

Update. The above statement is not true. On my last oilchange I drained all oil through the oil pan plug. Then tried using a topsider (30" of fridge water tubing) in order to find out if there is any additional oil to be sucked up. Nothing. Just a gurgling sound. However, I was able to suck out about 1 oz of oil that pooled in the oil filter housing.
Maybe someone else can do the reverse experiment: Use the topsider first and then see if more oil can be drained from the bottom. Please post results.

[montr]

When I had my E39, someone did a similar experiment, drain plug vs topsider with dipstick. The conclusion was that both techniques extract about the same amount of oil. A difference of 1 ounce is small considering the oil pan has 256 ounces capacity.

Myself, I use a topsider for convenience.