[Fortyb]

I changed my oil yesterday and did not wait until the BMW specified oil interval of 15000 miles per oil change are until the car lets you know... I put atleast 6000 miles on the car since Bmw last changed it and put Castrol Syn in. That oil was blacker than my car, i never did believe the oil that is ran in these cars can last that long anyway...So i dropped in Mobil 1 5w30.

Change your oil at least every 6000 miles if you love your ride.

[AddictedToBavarian]

A lot of people here will disagree, but I'm with you. I'll be doing 5,000-7,500 intervals.

[Peakrunner]

I agreed to changing it about 6000-7500max. Bmw will also change you oil after 12mo. have past since your last change under the maintenance program.

Since I have a few modes of transportation to choose from I don't always exceed the OBC timer.

[FCBuff]

M1 5w30 Does not meet BMW LL01 specs and is a light weight 30w oil.

I agree with you that changing at least every 7,500 is a good idea. I do it every 5,000

However, if you want to use M1, I suggest using the 0w40. It is much better product, and retains the BMW LL01 specs. All 5w30's are not created equal. Most are geared toward fuel economy.

BMW's 5w30 and Castrol 0w30 are the other two that would be most often recomended. Note Castrol's Syntec 5w30 is not the same as BMW 5w30.

[JamesM3M5]

Originally Posted by FCBuff

M1 5w30 Does not meet BMW LL01 specs and is a light weight 30w oil.

I agree with you that changing at least every 7,500 is a good idea. I do it every 5,000

However, if you want to use M1, I suggest using the 0w40. It is much better product, and retains the BMW LL01 specs. All 5w30's are not created equal. Most are geared toward fuel economy.

BMW's 5w30 and Castrol 0w30 are the other two that would be most often recomended. Note Castrol's Syntec 5w30 is not the same as BMW 5w30.

All true. Use ACEA A3 and BMW LL01 approved oils only.

[achien]

if you track your car, you will need to change after every meet (don't even wait for 5,000 miles).

15,000 miles is only a general guideline, it assumes most people will put on light driving on the road.

Originally Posted by Fortyb

I changed my oil yesterday and did not wait until the BMW specified oil interval of 15000 miles per oil change are until the car lets you know... I put atleast 6000 miles on the car since Bmw last changed it and put Castrol Syn in. That oil was blacker than my car, i never did believe the oil that is ran in these cars can last that long anyway...So i dropped in Mobil 1 5w30.

Change your oil at least every 6000 miles if you love your ride.

[Saintor]

Change your oil at least every 6000 miles if you love your ride.

I love my ride and I will continue to change it once a year or CBS prompted, as supported by the total absence of trend of failures with 13 years of data.

[ceb]

If you change your oil based upon oil color then you should change it with every fill-up.

You guys are the darlings of the oil industry and the reason why places like Iffy lube stay in business.

You bitch and moan about putting 91/93 octane in your cars yet waste much more money with completely unnecessary oil changes.

Ignorance is bliss.

[ctuna]

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

[Kolyan2k]

color doesn't mean anything...... and m1 5w30 is kinda wrong oil since its not really synthetic, not because its not stamped by BMW

I change oil when ever I feel like it and have free time.....every 5-8k I guess

[gary88]

Had my oil changed yesterday right at 7500 miles since last doing it.

[mashimarho]

Any downsides or side effects to doing it every 6k miles vs 12k?

[ndog14]

Originally Posted by Kolyan2k

color doesn't mean anything...... and m1 5w30 is kinda wrong oil since its not really synthetic, not because its not stamped by BMW

I change oil when ever I feel like it and have free time.....every 5-8k I guess

What this guy said.

Oil is not done by color but viscosity. And non-synthetic is not kinda wrong, it is wrong. Only run synthetic in them. I use BMW oil, its only $1 more per quart then Castrol. $6 more a year? Maybe $12 if I drive a lot? Scream into a pillow because I don't care.

[VTECaddict]

i change it myself about every 7000-8000 miles. but like others said, color is not an indicator of the oil's life.

autozone and oreily's sometimes have M1 0w40 or Castrol 0W30 on sale. I just stock up when they do. comes out to ~$4-5 a quart.

[Tom K.]

Originally Posted by ndog14

What this guy said.

Oil is not done by color but viscosity. And non-synthetic is not kinda wrong, it is wrong. Only run synthetic in them. I use BMW oil, its only $1 more per quart then Castrol. $6 more a year? Maybe $12 if I drive a lot? Scream into a pillow because I don't care.

Currently $5.94 per quart from Tischer.

http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...egoryID=138022

Tom

[Kolyan2k]

m1 0w40 is 5 bucks at Walmart

[galahad05]

Originally Posted by mashimarho

Any downsides or side effects to doing it every 6k miles vs 12k?

Cost and time, is all.

Benefit: Probably a marginal improvement in the wear-prone areas of the engine (parts of valve-train, piston wrist pins, bearings). Maybe a bit less wear on the cylinder walls. Very marginal, though.

If you have a turbo(s), frequent oil changes could help there somewhat more than the engine....

[xG35c]

Originally Posted by Peakrunner

I agreed to changing it about 6000-7500max. Bmw will also change you oil after 12mo. have past since your last change under the maintenance program.

Not anymore they won't (at least not for free - CBS only).
Any synthetic oil changes more frequent than about a year or 10k miles are a waste of money and resources!

[ES_TRADER]

Sorry to post again here but I thought I'd get a quicker response to
My question since I first posted it in a 6yo thread

Just changed my oil and have 2 questions now.

I was able to get the oil filter cap/housing off just by hand. Car came from factory like this and first change.4500 miles.

It was tough but i have death grip so i got it loose without tools. First question is, can I just hand tighten it back? Or does it have to to torqued?

I drove about 4 miles after and didn't see leaks so it shouldn't leak then, right?

Second question is I poured in all 7 qts and it's showing a tad below max line. Why am I reading that people are getting max readings pouring in 6-6.5 qts?

I have a 7.5 qt drain pan and when oil was out, it was filled to the every top of the brim. Even moving the pan from under the car caused me to spill alot which took longer to clean than the actual change.

[ASBSECU E93]

if the oil for a car is the life blood...what is the harm with frequent oil changes at intervals of 5k after the break-in period? newer oil has less debris and has not started to degrade...show me data where too frequent oil changes caused engine harm...

[Norcal_335i]

Originally Posted by ASBSECU E93

if the oil for a car is the life blood...what is the harm with frequent oil changes at intervals of 5k after the break-in period? newer oil has less debris and has not started to degrade...show me data where too frequent oil changes caused engine harm...

amen to that!!

[Norcal_335i]

I change mine every 5k. I seem to sleep better at night when I do.