 |
 | Home | Contact Us | FAQ | Search & Site Map | Link to Us |
 | Sign In | Join | Other 45 Sites in Network |
Car Forum / BMW Cars / April 2005Oil changes and Oil sensors
Hello. I bought my very first car, a BMW 6 Convertible. I love it. Now, I've gotten about 3000 miles on it, and from what I've been reading, I should change the oil in my car every 3000 miles. The car manual says nothing about it. And there's also an Oil sensor with iDrive that tells me if the car needs new Oil. The oil sensor hasn't gone on. So... do I change the oil in my car? Or do I wait til the sensor goes on? It's not like I'm trying to save a few bucks on oil, I just want to do what's right for my car. Thanks! > I bought my very first car, a BMW 6 Convertible. I love it. > Now, I've gotten about 3000 miles on it, and from what I've been > reading, I should change the oil in my car every 3000 miles. The car > manual says nothing about it. Did they make 6 Series 50 years ago? 'Cause that when I last remember 3000 mile oil changes.  Signature*Husbands should come with instructions Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. Uh-uh. He's probably in America and there they like to change oil every 3000 miles, irrespective of what any silly old manufacturer or trip computer might say.. :-) DAS SignatureFor direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling --- [...] > Did they make 6 Series 50 years ago? 'Cause that when I last remember 3000 > mile oil changes. > Uh-uh. He's probably in America and there they like to change oil every > 3000 miles, irrespective of what any silly old manufacturer or trip > computer might say.. :-) Yeah, although just about the only places still touting the 3K mile oil changes are the likes of Jiffy Lube. One would have to be out of their mind to buy a $70-80K BMW and then take it to these good-for-nothing grease monkeys at JL for oil changes. :) I'm thinking the once-a-year or every 15K mile OCI might be OK if good quality synthetic oil is used, although a lot depends on one's driving patterns. I'd probably go ahead and do it every 7.5K like John, but that's just because I'm an oil freak. I change the oil on my A4 1.8TQ every 5K miles, but that thing only has a 3.7qt oil sump and I tend to drive it pretty hard. Cheers, Pete > I'm thinking the once-a-year or every 15K mile OCI might be OK if good > quality synthetic oil is used, although a lot depends on one's driving > patterns. I'd probably go ahead and do it every 7.5K like John, but that's > just because I'm an oil freak. I change the oil on my A4 1.8TQ every 5K For an interesting read, see the "Synthetic Oil Life Study": http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html Granted, it's only one data point, but the highlights from this site are: * A simple filter change and associated top-off oil goes a long way towards extending oil life (it's the top-off oil that helps the most). * Engine wear appears to decrease with oil age. There's some evidence that frequent oil changes increases engine wear, although it's unclear (to me) if the increased wear is actually significant. SignatureDarryl Okahata darrylo@soco.agilent.com DISCLAIMER: this message is the author's personal opinion and does not constitute the support, opinion, or policy of Agilent Technologies, or of the little green men that have been following him all day. > For an interesting read, see the "Synthetic Oil Life Study": > > http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/oil-life.html Yup, I'm very familiar with this study and I know the guy who performed it from another message board (BITOG). > Granted, it's only one data point, but the highlights from this site > are: > > * A simple filter change and associated top-off oil goes a long way > towards extending oil life (it's the top-off oil that helps the > most). Yeah, if you have to add a quart of oil every 1K miles, you could practically go on without ever having to change your oil. :) Unfortunately (or maybe fortunately), my 1.8T doesn't consume any noticeable amount of oil between oil change intervals. > * Engine wear appears to decrease with oil age. There's some evidence > that frequent oil changes increases engine wear, although it's > unclear > (to me) if the increased wear is actually significant. Possibly because at every oil change you make the engine run pretty much dry with no oil pressure for the first couple of seconds until all the new oil is properly distributed around the engine. It helps to prefill the new oil filter with oil. But yeah, whatever the wear that it causes, it's most likely insignificant in the grand scheme of things. Regards, Pete > Uh-uh. He's probably in America and there they like to change oil every 3000 > miles, irrespective of what any silly old manufacturer or trip computer > might say.. :-) > > DAS You know that is not true. I guess American bashing is just too much fun to resist... -Fred W Though it's a bit of a tease (certainly not "bashing)" I am afraid that a lot of the posts in this NG and the Chrysler one I follow do suggest there's a lot of it (3000-mile changes) about. DAS For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling --- >> Uh-uh. He's probably in America and there they like to change oil every >> 3000 miles, irrespective of what any silly old manufacturer or trip [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > > -Fred W First of all, changing oil at 3000 mile intervals is rather outdated. Oil has been changed dramatically since that old rule of thumb, and it lasts much longer these days. This is due to in part to the fact that your car carries 7 quarts of oil, whereas most cars carry only 5 quarts. You get an extra 40%, and this translates into longer change intervals. Second, doesn't BMW take care of that for you under the warranty program? I thought that BMW did all of the routine maintenance under the warranty. The idea being that BMW wouldn't take on costly maintenance if it didn't have to, therefore they must know that there isn't any maintenance required. Basically, they know that the oil lasts a long time and they don't need to change it, so they offer to change it free every time it is needed. Third, the car keeps track of your driving habits and what the car is asked to do, and it uses this information to determine when to change the oil. The system works pretty well, and it is safe to trust it. Don't worry, be happy. > Hello. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > on? It's not like I'm trying to save a few bucks on oil, I just want > to do what's right for my car. Thanks! > First of all, changing oil at 3000 mile intervals is rather outdated. Oil > has been changed dramatically since that old rule of thumb, and it lasts [quoted text clipped - 12 lines] > to do, and it uses this information to determine when to change the oil. The > system works pretty well, and it is safe to trust it. Don't worry, be happy. Yeah, what Jeff said. Except, if I just dropped the cash for a brand new 6 series, I'd change the oil once (at my own expense) in between each of the on-board computer's "recommended" intervals, (and don't reset the counter) which usually work out to be somewhere around 15k miles. Since you anticipate the service reminder coming on at 15k (and BMWNA picking up the tab for that one), you do yours at 7.5k, 22.5k, 37.5k, etc. Y Oil Changes MV, -Fred W > Except, if I just dropped the cash for a brand new 6 series, I'd change > the oil once (at my own expense) in between each of the on-board > computer's "recommended" intervals, (and don't reset the counter) which > usually work out to be somewhere around 15k miles. Why? Do a search on synthetic oil. Or - have a sample of your oil analysed at 7500 miles. And again at 15,000, or whatever. If it's showing problems, then you're right. Otherwise you're simply throwing away money. Signature*Women like silent men; they think they're listening. Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. Nope. It's cheaper than the psychiatrist's bills that might arise as a result of anxiety. DAS For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling --- [...] > Otherwise you're simply throwing away money. >>Except, if I just dropped the cash for a brand new 6 series, I'd change >>the oil once (at my own expense) in between each of the on-board [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 15,000, or whatever. If it's showing problems, then you're right. > Otherwise you're simply throwing away money. To have an analysis done would probably cost as much as just doing the oil change (yourself). There is some evidence around that suggests shorter intervals for the first few cycles, I guess until the engine breaks in and then I suppose the internal parts wear slower and contaminate the oil less. Perhaps a happy medium might be to just change the filter and top up the oil at that previously mentioned time frame. As I said, YMMV, -Fred W And I always thought that the decision whether to top up was made on the basis of the oil level seen after checking the dipstick. DAS SignatureFor direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling --- [...] > and top up the oil at that previously mentioned time frame. > > As I said, YMMV, > -Fred W > And I always thought that the decision whether to top up was made on the > basis of the oil level seen after checking the dipstick. > > DAS Yes, that's right. And after replacing the oil filter is a real good time to check that oil level on the dipstick and top it up. I just didn't mention the dipstick part because it seemed so obvious. -Fred W > > Or - have a sample of your oil analysed at 7500 miles. And again at > > 15,000, or whatever. If it's showing problems, then you're right. > > Otherwise you're simply throwing away money. > To have an analysis done would probably cost as much as just doing the > oil change (yourself). You only need the analysis done once - to satisfy you the oil is still ok at the change point. Signature*He who laughs last, thinks slowest. Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. >>>Or - have a sample of your oil analysed at 7500 miles. And again at >>>15,000, or whatever. If it's showing problems, then you're right. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > You only need the analysis done once - to satisfy you the oil is still ok > at the change point. Ah, OK. Gotcha. That's not a bad plan. -Fred W "Malt_Hound" > To have an analysis done would probably cost as much as just doing the > oil change (yourself). You only need to do the UOA once, maybe twice (once at 7.5K and then at 15K) to see if changing oil at such an interval is not doing harm to your engine. Once you establish that, you don't need to do more analyses. Regards, Pete > "Malt_Hound" > [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Pete Thanks Pete. Yeah, Dave set me straight on this analysis stuff. Sounds like a reasonable plan. -Fred W > Thanks Pete. Yeah, Dave set me straight on this analysis stuff. Sounds > like a reasonable plan. > > -Fred W Hey Fred - you might want to check your computer's clock, as your last 4 posts are dated 4/13 & today is still 4/9 (last time I looked. Tom >>Thanks Pete. Yeah, Dave set me straight on this analysis stuff. Sounds >>like a reasonable plan. [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > Tom Thanks again Tom, and sorry about that. I have no idea how that happened... I did watch "12 Monkeys" last night on TV. Maybe it was some of that bizarre time travel gone wrong again? -Fred W > Thanks again Tom, and sorry about that. I have no idea how that > happened... I did watch "12 Monkeys" last night on TV. Maybe it was > some of that bizarre time travel gone wrong again? Naw - it's the new series of Dr Who... Signature*A fool and his money are soon partying * Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. I'm with you Fred, there is no need to change the oil more often that the maintenance schedule calls for, with the POSSIBLE exception of the very first change where the goal is to remove any tailings that might be missed from the flushing during manufacturing. I wouldn't even worry about that because part of the expense I paid for the car in the first place is the process that is expected to remove these tailings. I have faith that the people building this stuff 1.) know what they are doing, 2.) take pride in doing what they do, 3.) have very rigid standards to build to, and 4.) the people selling the stuff that I pay extra for will fix it if the people in 1, 2, or 3 fail in their job for whatever reason. So, the bottom line is, if anybody is more anal than I am, they might want to change the oil at the half-interval mark on the first oil change, but the oil and the metals are designed to specifications that allow the oil to be used at least as long as the oil change interval. Even if one thinks that 15,000 miles is too long, the engineers that come up with these numbers do it for a reason, and they have to bite the bullet if the numbers are wrong. In any case, changing oil ar 3,000 miles is way too often, especially in these days when the mantra of the environmentalists is that we are running out of oil. > > Except, if I just dropped the cash for a brand new 6 series, I'd change > > the oil once (at my own expense) in between each of the on-board [quoted text clipped - 6 lines] > 15,000, or whatever. If it's showing problems, then you're right. > Otherwise you're simply throwing away money. You will find a wide range of opinions. I believe you'll see in your maintenance manual that oil services are every 15,000 miles or one year, whichever comes first. Since BMW pays, I personally feel the 15,000 mile may be a stretch for financial reasons on BMW's part even using a good synthetic oil but that's my personal choice. And I love sensors except when they don't work. I do a change every 7,500 miles with BMW doing every other one free. On a new car, I'd pay the $100 now and have your oil and filter (especially) changed now but then that's a personal idiosyncrasy of mine regarding engine break-in. > Hello. > [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > on? It's not like I'm trying to save a few bucks on oil, I just want > to do what's right for my car. Thanks! <snip> > So... do I change the oil in my car? Or do I wait til the sensor goes > on? It's not like I'm trying to save a few bucks on oil, I just want > to do what's right for my car. Thanks! Forget the stupid sensor, just reset it when needed. Do like me, use Mobil 1 synthetic, and change the oil and filter about every 8,500 miles, and forget about it. -- Cliff Personally, the first oil change from a brand new car would be 3000 mile (5000km). Regardless what the dealer or trip computer might say. My theory behind this is, every engine, no matter how good the build quality, the internal mating surfaces will have some imperfections from brand new. Therefore the first few thousand miles will have them shaved off, smoothed down on their own. The filing will all gone back to the oil (hopefully). But doing that oil change, it get rids of those nasty filings. Not sure if anyone agrees with me, but that's what I would do. >Hello. > [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] >reading, I should change the oil in my car every 3000 miles. The car >manual says nothing about it. When I acquired my new car in 2001 (German BMW competitor), the first new car in years, I found that there was no instruction to change oil after 'running in'. This marque had previously recommended a change at 1500 km/900 miles, something also included in the service booklet. This requirement had continued with this brand long after others had dropped it, so I was really surprised and a touch concerned. However, having spoken to an old-school service technician at the dealer's, I accepted it. Even he said that he had reluctantly come to accept the new ruling, that the engine does not need it. Change oil if it makes you happy and saves you a psychiatric bill. Otherwise it's a waste of money and time. DAS For direct contact replace nospam with schmetterling --- > Personally, the first oil change from a brand new car would be 3000 > mile (5000km). Regardless what the dealer or trip computer might say. [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > >[...] > When I acquired my new car in 2001 (German BMW competitor), the first > new car in years, I found that there was no instruction to change oil > after 'running in'. > This marque had previously recommended a change at 1500 km/900 miles, > something also included in the service booklet. > This requirement had continued with this brand long after others had > dropped it, so I was really surprised and a touch concerned. However, > having spoken to an old-school service technician at the dealer's, I > accepted it. Even he said that he had reluctantly come to accept the > new ruling, that the engine does not need it. I'd say that modern machineing is such that there is little or no bedding in needed, therefore no 'swarf' etc generated. > Change oil if it makes you happy and saves you a psychiatric bill. > Otherwise it's a waste of money and time. Yup. It certainly does no harm. Signature*Windows will never cease * Dave Plowman dave@davenoise.co.uk London SW To e-mail, change noise into sound. |
Reply to this Message |
 Sign In
 Join
 My Latest Posts My Monitored Threads My Blog My Photo Gallery My Profile My Homepage Start New Thread Enable EMail Alerts Rate this Thread
|
©2008 Advenet LLC Privacy Policy - Terms of Use
This website includes both content owned or controlled by Advenet as well as content owned or controlled by third parties.