BMW Oil Change Schedule

[Dr K]

A friend of mine is selling her 2000 BMW 323i Sedan (70,000 mi). A comment she made about oil changes led me to check the recommended BMW schedule: first change at 15K, then 30K between changes. No change for transmission or differential fluid for 100K miles. Am I missing something or are they nuts? What about the metal that's picked up in the oil and fluids? I know there are a lot of BMW owners on this board, and I'd like to hear your impressions. Is this only because BMW now pays for routine scheduled maintenance and wants to (1) save money, and (2) "encourage" owners to buy new cars when theirs dies at 102,000 miles?

Peter

[cmartin]

Once its out of warranty, what does BMW care?

[Jase007]

Kind of talked about this here (http://www.dorkiphus.net/porsche/showthread.php?t=13100&highlight=lifetime+fluid). You know, the thread that ended with your apology to BMW owners :)

IMHO ... The only people that really follow the BMW rec'd intervals are leasees and new-car-every-2-year types.* Why TF would they care. :)

*cars with new extended service intervals you mentioned.

[BobNovas]

BMW diff fluid is "lifetime" filled. The only way you can get it out is to suck it out the fill hole. Basically, lifetime filled means that when the diff fails, that was its lifetime.

[wludavid]

Bob, the very latest BMWs (e60 and e90) only have a fill hole for the diffs, but the "lifetime" fill began in 1998. So 98+ cars still have the drain hole. Or, do as I do and don't have the half-shaft seals replaced, and just fill the diff as necessary. I figure I'm on about 30k change schedule. :)

BMW now recommends 100k auto tranny filter change/flush.

And the oil services are supposed to be at 15k intervals.

Mike Miller, a BMW CCA tech guru/auto journalist/Shop owner, recommends a schedule found here (http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=3804).

My own impressions? That the truth lies somewhere between Jiffy Lube's 3k mile mantra and BMW's lifetime/15k intervals.

For example, in the early 80s it was SOP to change the diff oil every 40k miles. There are A LOT of used diffs from back then. And that was when the diff was filled with dino oil. Oils have gotten much better in 20 years, and it's not really a stretch that modern lubricants can go 2x or 2.5x what a comparable dino oil could 20 years ago. And yet, Mike, who's a smart cookie but a bit of a fuddy-duddy, is recommending that we change our diff oil at 30k -- 10k LESS than BMW recommended when it wasn't even paying for it!

Y(diff)MMV.

[SRISER]

Mercedes has about the same interval. For the AMG it is 10k for oil changes. My car has 8 quarts of some super Mobil 1 crap. Like I told the guy on Saturday when I brought the C55 in for an oil change at 5k, I sure feel better about changing it and spending a few bucks than having to replace a hand built motor for thirty grand because I was cheap.

What is really cool is that the dealer comped me the oil change. Nice eh?

[Blur80]

My 06 BMW has 16k on it and the on board computer tells me not to change it for another 2500 miles. BMW provides "free" maintenance and says it won't change the oil until the on board computer says it must be done. It's driving me crazy.

[Rick Lee]

I change the oil in my E46 every 5k miles, Mobil 1. Will be doing auto tranny fluid and filter this weekend. My car has 60,400 miles on her and about 25 miles left until the Inspection II lamp comes on. I don't care what BMW recommends. They ain't maintaining my car and by the time I'd have problems for following their maint. intervals, my CPO warranty would be up.

[VaSteve]

Hmmm... I actually have been following the factory maint schedule. I won't once the warranty is up.... I like the car, but it's just a car..unlike the Porsches. If something breaks, I'll fix it or buy a different car. I'd figure the CPO car you bought was maintained exactly like mine by the PO. As much as it may pain you...nuttin you can do...

[NO H2O]

I've owned and maintained numerous E46s and E39s, and have always done engine oil changes every 5000-7500 miles with Mobil 1 (in between and after the free service intervals) and first break-in change around 1500 miles.

With regard to automatic transmissions, I've seen a friend's 328i get lumpy around 100K (never serviced), and I strongly suggested that she start putting away money into a tranny fund.

There is a good (but pricey) OEM refurbish program at ZFlife2.com. Unfortunately her car was totalled, so we didn't get to find out what would have happened to the transmission, but the good news is that she used the fund and the insurance settlement to get a super low mileage E46 replacement with 3.0L engine and even more bells and whistles.

Steve
Baltimore

[Rick V]

Well my BMW has 225 on the clock, I change the oil every 3k. I'm runnning Castrol GTX, since it is Dino, I change it. I change the tranny (5spd) and diff. every other year. Screw the recomended scedule. When the second little green light goes out, so does the old oil.
Beths MB has the same stupid scedule. I change hers about every 5k. It has 9qts of M1 in it. I changed the lifetime trans fluid at 60k, did the diff as well. Her car doesn't get the thrashing that my cars take. Beth even thrashes my cars, she just pussyfoots around in hers, there are streets here named after her.....................one way.
Engines today are made of better material (in general) than the cars of old, tolerances are much tighter as well. Oil has come a long way as well. The engines today will last a longer than the old stuff, simply because of advances in the tech. dept.
Are you thinking of joining the ranks of us BMW owners? If you refer to them as Bimmers, you should stay away from them.
PS Chris Bangle is a flaming idiot who should take his GM mindset back to GM where he belongs and return the BMW to what it was.