Oil Changes

[X5FX]

Will BMW allow you to change the oil more frequently than the 15k miles they suggest under the free service?

[cmyX6go]

Originally Posted by X5FX

Will BMW allow you to change the oil more frequently than the 15k miles they suggest under the free service?

Sure, if you pay for it.

[X5FX]

Yes, I understand that....what I meant was free oil changes.
I guess the anwser is NO.

I would guess they probably charge $100 or more....I'll just take it to the closest speedy oil change.

Is it a synthetic?

[cmyX6go]

Originally Posted by X5FX

Yes, I understand that....what I meant was free oil changes.
I guess the anwser is NO.

I would guess they probably charge $100 or more....I'll just take it to the closest speedy oil change.

Is it a synthetic?

No, I've tried to worm my way in for an appointment before all my bars are gone, the most I've gotten away with is one bar left.

It is synthetic, don't remember the number off hand.

[AzNMpower32]

Originally Posted by X5FX

I would guess they probably charge $100 or more....I'll just take it to the closest speedy oil change.

Is it a synthetic?

Yes, it is synthetic oil, probably 5W-30 but read your owner's manual to be sure.

Stay away from Jiffy Lube! Try and do it yourself before heading off to a reputable indy shop. Provided your stealership charges about $80-100, its not too unreasonable considering that buying the motor oil yourself will set you back $35-40 anyway, plus filter.

[JCL]

BMW can't require you to use their oil, or use them for service, but having said that they can require you to meet their oil spec for continued warranty coverage of the powertrain. 8 quarts of synthetic long life oil that meets their rather detailed spec is just as cheap at the dealer as anywhere else, from my experience. Add an OEM oil filter, and you may as well just get the dealer to change it, it isn't much more than the cost of the oil and filter. Watch out for the difference between an oil change and an oil service at the dealer, as an "oil service" includes a lot of additional checks and has a higher price tag. Whether or not those checks are worthwhile at the 15,000 mile point, they definitely aren't worth it at a mid-way oil change.

I wouldn't go anywhere near a quicky/speedy/jiffy lube type place with a new vehicle under warranty. Spend the $80 or so at the dealer.

There is another point, that years back BMW used to recommend an annual oil change for low mileage vehicles. They then moved that to every two years in some owner's manuals. Not sure what yours says. There is an inconsistency between the recommended change interval, and what is covered by the maintenance plan. The maintenance plan specifically states that it only includes oil changes when the lights call for them. In years past, BMW had covered annual oil changes for low mileage vehicles, but only if the customer insisted, ie on an exception basis. Even then, some dealers wouldn't do it. My dealer will do a 14 month oil change, or at least they did on my current fleet of low-mileage vehicles. Some here have exploited the difference between the maintenance plan and the owner's manual, others have not been successful. It is worth asking your dealer if they will do a 12 month oil change if you haven't reached 15,000 miles or the green lights all out.

[X5FX]

how often are you changing the oil?

[JCL]

Not sure who the question is to, but I'll take a shot.

I am changing the oil evey 15 -18 months or so. At that point I have up to 16,000 km (10,000 miles) on the X5, and far less on the other two vehicles (My almost three year old Z4 has less than 15,000 km).

I am not worried about the BMW oil change interval being too long in miles or kilometers. I think it is fine, but that is just my opinion. Yes, it seems long compared to the good old days. I also think that 7500 miles is too frequent as an automatic rule. You have an 8 quart sump (which doubles the life of a 4 quart sump), you have modern synthetic lubes, and you have extremely low exhaust emissions (which means less byproducts of combustion to contaminate the oil).

I avoid the question by ensuring that I change the oil regularly based on the amount of time the cars sit, which is harder on them than driving them IMO. If I did 15,000 miles of highway driving, without any ambient temperature extremes, I would run the oil that long. For towing, dusty conditions, or lots of city use I would shorten it up.

I also think that the filter can last that long, but I would ensure that I only used an OEM filter as I would worry about an aftermarket filter disintegrating if left too long.

Get ready for lots of opinions, it is an oft-debated subject here and on other BMW boards.

Jeff

[rayxi]

My dealer will do 12 month oil changes if it comes up before the indicator triggers as long as there are 2 or more bars left. If there's only 1 bar left they'll make you wait. Quite reasonable policy IMO.

[chaseatl]

At 8,000 miles I had to add a quart of oil.

Mine just reached 11,034 and the Service Due message appeared. When I go into the Service area under Information in Idrive, it has a Yellow Caution Symbol stating Service Due. It still states 4,900 miles left though.