Dumb question, here goes.....
 

I have a 2004 X5 4.4i engine.
Can I just change the oil filter and not lose all
the oil?
Oil filters are inexpensive. 9 quarts of Mobil 1, not-so-much.

On my 528 wagon M54, it's easy.

I like to do an interim oil filter change halfway through the OCI.
Always install new filter, just like to see if it's dirty or not.
If it's worse than expected, I do an oil change then.

Thank you.

Ive done it on the M62 engine. The oil filter housing sits higher than the oil in the sump, so it won't all leak out. It's a good idea after some engine work. You can also send an oil sample out for analysis if you want to quantify the life left in the oil.

The N62 has the oil filter on the oil pan.
My inline 6/ M54 engine has the filter up high.

Don't want to try removing the N62 filter if I'm going to get 9 quarts of
oil draining out.

Why don't you drain the oil into a clean container and reuse it after you replaced the oil filter?

Ummmmmm, I already thought of that.

Thanks for the idea :D

Filter drain plug doesn't drain it all,only about a liter or so.

Just remember that oil is cheaper than steel.

I change my oil at most every 10k miles depending on the type of driving I do.

Even 9 qts of oil can get contaminated quickly if the engine is not running at the proper temperature and/or the vehicle has not been driving far enough to properly warm up the oil. 9 qts of oil can take about 3 times longer than the engine to come up to temperature.

I buy my oil on sale at Advance Auto when they have oil change specials for 5 qts of Castrol and a filter for $30. They do not have filters for our vehicles, so I get a filter for another car or one for a family or friends car.

If you want to run Mobil 1, Walmart usually has the 5 qt jug for like $22.

Think about it, if you change your own oil every 10k miles, this is only 10 times over 100k miles and this is like $700 depending on what you are paying for oil and filter.

yeah, just my thought, but I never understood reusing a fluid that is not that expensive. its insurance against potential problems. I have to say it sounds very cheap to replace just a filter OR if you just wanna investigate something potentially with the oil/filter, just change it all out anyhow.