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DIY Oil change at 49.9k

3K views 4 replies 5 participants last post by  madurodave 
#1 ·
Bought my 05 CPO in Dec 08 with 41k. My wife drives the vehicle in start/go traffic in NJ and now has 49.9k on the odometer.

I was given the maintenance records showing that it had 15k, 30k, and 41K k oil changes/maint.

I've done all my past oil changes on everything from motorcycles, VW's, Chryslers, etc.
Never a problem, so I wanted to do it myself since a year has gone by since last oil change. The last oil change was supposedly in Oct 08 at 41k when the dealer took in the car before I bought it.

Here's what I found today when I changed it myself. Large clumps of sludge and visible
dirt particles at the bottom of my drain basin. The oil filter was deformed and filthy with dirt particles. I'm now wondering if the oil in fact was changed at 41k.

I'm glad I did not wait the additional 6k miles to change the oil with the
service indicator.

Should I change it again as a precaution to see if more sludge comes out? I think so.

So as I lesson, I would definitely change the oil immediately after purchasing any used car from a dealer.
Sorry so long winded.

Greg from New Jersey
 
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#3 ·
I run a BMW LL-01 approved oil(Mobil 1 0w-40) in my truck and I change it every 8000-8500 miles. Blackstone UOAs show that the additive package is almost completely depleted by that time.
 
#4 ·
Bought my 05 CPO in Dec 08 with 41k. My wife drives the vehicle in start/go traffic in NJ and now has 49.9k on the odometer.

I was given the maintenance records showing that it had 15k, 30k, and 41K k oil changes/maint.

I've done all my past oil changes on everything from motorcycles, VW's, Chryslers, etc.
Never a problem, so I wanted to do it myself since a year has gone by since last oil change. The last oil change was supposedly in Oct 08 at 41k when the dealer took in the car before I bought it.

Here's what I found today when I changed it myself. Large clumps of sludge and visible
dirt particles at the bottom of my drain basin. The oil filter was deformed and filthy with dirt particles. I'm now wondering if the oil in fact was changed at 41k.

I'm glad I did not wait the additional 6k miles to change the oil with the
service indicator.

Should I change it again as a precaution to see if more sludge comes out? I think so.

So as I lesson, I would definitely change the oil immediately after purchasing any used car from a dealer.
Sorry so long winded.

Greg from New Jersey
I assume the oil changes were done at the dealer under the warranty. If not, perhaps synthetic oil was not used. The 41k change seems suspect under the warranty unless it was done under the 1 year interval. Typically oil changes are done every 15k. Maybe do another o.c. after 5k
 
#5 ·
If you saw a lot of sludge, I would personally perform another oil change. Drive your X3 until it is fully up to temperature. Then let it cool and change it again.

Do another change around 4k miles since you don't drive your X3 far based on your mileage/times between changes. hat alone can build up sludge. Try to get it out for a good drive weekly if possible!
 
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