looking for oil change advice

[robinsonbimmer]

I have owned my 2000 528i wagon for about 4 1/2 years now. I love my car but I am now having some concerns. I have less than 68,000 miles on it and recently had a local auto mechanic I trust do an oil change. He used synthetic oil as I requested but did not reset the change oil lights. Now my service engine soon light keeps coming on and the oil change light is now red. Could they be related? Or does my problem come from the horrible quality of the gas my husband has been using for the last 3 months?

I am hesitant to take it to the local foreign car mechanic. Last summer, he was supposed to replace only 3 belts that had broke and took the liberty to also replace the expansion tank and tell me that my car has been running without coolant for months. The tank he claimed was the coolant tank just so happened to be the concentrated cleaner tank. I am also hesitant to take it to the local dealership for fear of being told of needing major repairs that may not be necessary.

I love my car and have babied it for years since I want to keep it for at least 5 more years. Any input or ideas from more experienced Bimmer owners out there?

[jvcajita]

I must see pictures of your wagon! i too have a 2000 528iT. But to the question at hand, I will let you based from experience.

Oil Change Issue: They are very much related. The sensor needs to be reset. The oil change sensor goes by the odometer reading not the actual condition of the oil. If you plan on using this mechanic for your oil changes in the future and he doesn't have any plans to buying a reset tool, I suggest you buy one. I bought one that was similar to this. http://cgi.ebay.com/BMW-PEAKE-R5B-OIL-INSPECTION-RESET-TOOL-1987-2000_W0QQitemZ270120209805QQihZ017QQcategoryZ43998 QQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Also do keep in mind that getting any type of synthetic oil isn't a piece of cake. It also depends on your OCI (oil change interval). If you follow those green bars, which goes a thousand miles per mark, I suggest BMW labeled oil for novices (it's blended by Castrol by the way). But if you want it done right, there is effort needed to look for Castrol Syntec THE EURO FORMULA 0-30W at your local Autozone. The hard part about finding GC (German Castrol) is that your local Autozone won't even know if they have it stock. The oil has the same stock number as US blended Syntec 0-30W. So if you call ahead of time and ask for the Euro Formula, they'll say they don't have it. I had gone around to 5 different Autozone locations whom all said they didn't have. 3 out the 5 had them on their shelves. For more info on GC, check out bobistheoilguy.com.

As for the replacement on the belts, I must say your belts broke early (below 68K i assumed). But one thing for sure about our e39s is a very unfortunate cooling system. Once one component is replacement, the rest are soon to follow. I'm suprised he only changed the expansion tank. I would've suggested to get the radiator, water pump, and thermostat to be replaced as well. Reason why the cooling system is faulty is because of the numerous plastic components in the system. For example, the radiator is not made of all aluminum. The sidings are made of plastic.

You said it yourself. You babied your car for years. BMW components may be expensive if you bought them from an indy shop or the dealer. Go to realoem.com/bmw and buy it yourself. Go to ebay to get a CD manual of your car (which is like $5). If you or your husband can't do the labor yourself, go to that local mechanic you go to. But at least, The resources I gave you saved you at least 40***37; of the parts cost.

P.S. Please tell your husband not to put anything else below 91 octane. 89 and below doesn't only build up more "gunk" in your engine valves, but it also promotes more gas consumption. I suggest 91 and above and also to gas up at gas stations where more people pump up. This is so because more mobile gas tend to not have water deposit.

[Ågent99]

bump