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E63/64 DIY: BMW 650i / 645Ci Oil Change and Check Control Reset

286K views 122 replies 65 participants last post by  Patiorick88 
#1 · (Edited by Moderator)
OK guys here is my first E64 DIY. Hope it helps.

BMW 650i / 645Ci / E63 / E64 Oil Change and Check Control Reset DIY (Do It Yourself) - with Pics

Disclaimer: I am not a BMW technician. This article is provided freely for entertainment purposes only and does not come with any warranty. Use the information in this article entirely at your own risk. Wear eye protection while doing any oil change -oil is HOT. NEVER work under a car that is hoisted by a hydraulic jack only. Failure to use jackstands or to use wheel chocks could result in serious injury or death. Ensure the car is on a level and stable surface.

The pictures below show a 2006 650i cabriolet with units in kilometers, US cars will have units in miles. The procedure for a 645Ci, 550i, 545i should be relatively the same. Part numbers are based on information available at time of article creation. Check with your dealer to ensure the correct filter and synthetic oil is used for your application.

I tried to include enough detail for the first timer DIY'er, the experienced DIY'er can probably make do with the pictures and bolded text only. If this is your first oil change it should take about 1 hour, an experienced DIYer can probably finish in less than 30 minutes.

A. Supplies you will need to pre-purchase from the dealer or online:

Oil Filter Kit - includes: filter element, 2 O-rings, drain plug crush washer (~ $15)
For E63/E64 650i - BMW Part #: 11427542021 (also applies to: E60 550i, E65/E66 750i/760i)
For E63/E64 645Ci - BMW Part #: 11427511161 (also applies to: E60 545i, E65/E66 745i)

9 Liters of suitable BMW LL-01 approved synthetic oil (~ $5/Litre)
Examples of approved oil:
  • BMW 5W-30 synthetic oil (available at the dealer - Part # 07510017866)
  • Mobil 1 0W-40 synthetic oil - European Formula (available at Advance Auto, some Walmarts and many other locations. At Canadian Tire/PartSource in Canada)
  • German Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (Available at most AutoZones and at some Walmarts in Canada) The bottle MUST say "Made in Germany", do not use "Made in USA" Syntec.

B. Tools Required:

24mm socket - for filter housing (6 point preferable to prevent damage to plastic housing)
8mm socket - for filter cover
8mm hex socket - main drain plug
6mm hex socket - filter housing drain plug
Torque wrench capable of 10Nm and 25Nm (5 lb-ft and 18 lb-ft)
Ratchet wrench for sockets
Large 10+ quart oil drain pan - careful, many drain pans are not this large
Rags / shop towels
(A) Floor jack with jackstands or (B) Rhino ramps or (C) standard ramps with 2x10 "starter" boards
Wheel chocks

C. Optional:

Disposable gloves are a good idea
Needle nose pliers or jeweler sized blade screwdriver to remove O-rings
Funnel
Large zip-lock freezer bag for filter element disposal



D. Before you begin:

According to the BMW TIS (shop manual), engine oil temperature must be greater than 70°C before changing. Go for a ~10 minute drive and watch the oil temp gauge at the bottom of the tachometer. Note that oil takes a lot longer to warm up than coolant. Warming the oil speeds draining and also helps suspend any particles/sludge that may have settled in the bottom of the oil pan, which will then be removed with the drained oil.

E. Oil Change Steps:

1. Raise front wheels

A) Ramp method
Drive the car up onto Rhino ramps. If you have standard metal ramps, use 2x10 boards in front of the ramps to avoid scratching the bottom of the front bumper. It is not recommended to use standard ramps on hot asphalt; they will sink into the soft surface. Some people like to use rubber floor mats under the ramps to prevent the ramps from slipping. (see IMAGE #2)



B) Jackstand method
Putting the car on jackstands requires lifting from the center jack pad under the front of the car. Most jacks are not low enough to reach this center jack point. A second jack or a set of small ramps will be required to allow access to the center jack point.

First raise the front of the car by using a jack on one of the front side jacking points. (see IMAGE #3) Use a second jack to raise the car at the front center jack pad (see IMAGE #4). With the car held by the front center jackpad, place jackstands under the two front jacking points and lower the car slowly onto the stands.

Don't forget to engage the parking brake and chock the rear wheels and NEVER work under a car supported only by a hydraulic jack.





2. Remove the oil filter access cover with an 8mm socket
Located in the plastic undertray midway between the front wheels. Use an 8mm socket to remove the 3 screws and completely remove the cover from the undertray.

TIP use a creeper or large foam mat when working under the car. A sheet of cardboard also works.



3. Place the oil drain pan under the main drain plug
Have a few rags or shop towels ready under the car in the event of some oil spillage.

TIP It is a good idea to put on rubber gloves for the next step.

4. Remove the main drain plug using an 8mm hex socket
Loosen the plug with the ratchet (1 turn). Remove 8mm hex socket from the wrench. Holding the 8mm hex socket with your fingers, continue loosening the plug. When the plug is completely unthreaded keep upward pressure to hold the plug against the engine block then quickly pull the plug to the side to avoid getting hit by the heavy stream of HOT oil. ** Warning ** the oil is very hot and will burn you if you are not careful. Use eye protection. Use a rag to wipe any oil off your hands and to clean up the drain plug and socket.



5. Remove the oil fill cap on top of the engine to aid the draining of oil



6. Remove the oil filter housing drain plug using a 6mm hex socket
Approximately ½ a quart of oil will drain from the filter housing. This oil is also HOT.

7. Wait for oil to completely drain - at least 15 minutes
Failure to wait for the oil to fully drain may result in an overfill when you add oil. You want as much of the dirty oil out as possible.

If the crush washer (copper in color) is not attached to the main drain bolt, it may have stuck to the engine block. Remove it once the oil has drained.

TIP go grab a beer while you wait for the oil to completely drain.

8. Remove the oil filter housing using a 24mm socket
If the filter element does not come out with the housing remove it from the engine. Be careful, the filter element is HOT.

TIP I put the element into a ziplock bag and seal it before discarding since the filter retains a fair amount of oil that will seep out later. I had to pull fairly hard to get the filter element out of the plastic housing. Wrap the bag around the element before pulling it off.

SIDE NOTE: In my case the undertray opening was not quite large enough allow easy removal of the plastic filter housing. I removed one of the speed clips used for the cover screws and pulled back on the undertray while removing the filter housing. (See IMAGE #06)

9. Replace O-rings, crush washer and filter element
Lube the new large filter housing O-ring with oil to aid installation. Remove and replace the large filter housing O-ring. Note the position of the O-ring before removing it.

Drop in the new oil filter element into the housing with the lettering side up. Make sure you push down hard enough to lock filter into the bottom of the housing.



Remove the crush washer from the drain plug and place the new crush washer on.

Replace the small O-ring washer on the filter housing drain plug with the new small O-ring that came with the filter.

TIP I like to use a small blade screwdriver to remove O-rings. Small needle nose pliers will also work. Take care not to damage the plastic threads on the oil filter housing.

10. Reinstall the oil filter housing
Torque to 25Nm (18 lb-ft) or whatever value is written on the bottom of your housing. Clean the exterior of the housing before installing.

11. Re-install the filter housing drain plug
Torque to 10Nm (7 lb-ft). Clean the plug before installing.

12. Re-install the oil drain plug
Torque to 25Nm (18 lb-ft). Do not over tighten this plug and ensure it is clean before installing.

TIP Once you feel the washer begin to crush you will not need to go more than an additional ½ turn. 18- lb-ft requires very little force.

13. Wipe clean the filter housing and drain plugs
Ensure they are clean so leaks can be detected after the next step.

14. Add 8.5 liters of oil to the engine
TIP I place 2 shop towels around the filler hole to absorb any oil that misses the hole. You can also use a funnel during this step. Make sure the funnel is very clean before use.



15. Replace oil filler cap
Ensure it is fully locked before starting the car.

16. Start engine and run for a few minutes
Make sure you have cleared any towels or tools from the engine bay before starting the car. Turn off the engine immediately if you see any oil warning lights. You may see a warning within the first 10 seconds but that should go out almost immediately.

17. Stop the engine and check for leaks under the car
If no leaks are detected replace the oil access cover under the car.

18. Lower car and check oil level
Remove wheel chocks and drop the car so it is level. Start the car and use the iDrive system to check oil level. Car must be running. Reading may take a few minutes to complete.
Press the {MENU} button
Press the iDrive controller to open the iMenu
Select {Service}
Select {Service Requirements}
Select {Engine oil level}







If more oil is required turn off the engine, add oil and replace the filler cap. Restart the car and check levels. Repeat as necessary. To give you an idea of how much oil to add, each green bar in the check oil screen represents 1/5 of a litre. Add a full litre if no green bars are showing.

DO NOT OVERFILL. If you get an "oil level too high" message you have to go back under the car and drain some oil using the oil filter drain bolt. Running with too much oil can damage the engine.
 
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#29 ·
I did an oil change using another forum. I used a purolater filter for 12.00, 8 1/2 QUARTS not liters of Mobil 1 5W-30, it says made in USA from domestic and imported components. Now I am worried that I put wrong oil in car, is this going to affect me at all. I have read so many different ways and oils to put in these cars. And also, is it true that a 2005 645ci will allert you if you put too much oil in the engine. I tried looking for the forum on how to properly check your oil in this car. Before starting car today I checked dipstick and it was over full mark. Any help do I can have peace of mind. Thanks all.
 
#30 · (Edited)
The 645ci holds 8ltr of oil with the oil filter. If you have put 8.5 ltrs in with the filter then you have over filled by 0.5ltr.
when you checked the oil did you do it 10 mins ish after running the engine fro a short period to allow the oil to dissipate through the engine.
What a 0.5 ltr in excess will do, I am not certain, but the easiest way would be to remove the oil filter drain it and then return back into the engine. this will remove a reasonable amount of oil to get you back to 8 ltrs
Mobil 1 is an excellent oil and is used by BMW rebranded as I understand. I do not think it will damage your car as I have been using it for years in my 6er
 
#31 ·
+1 I would drain some oil using the drain bolt in the oil filter housing. You don't want to drive around with too much oil since the crank splashing into the oil will cause oil foaming and this can lead to bearing failure.

I don't think using non-BMW-LL01 approved oil is a big deal since you used an approved weight (5w30). BMW recommends LL01 approved oil to allow their crazy-long 14K mile oil change intervals. If you change out the Mobil 1 5w30 oil at the normal 5K to 7K interval you should be fine.

Quarts and Liters are almost equal. 1L = 1.057 quarts.
 
#32 ·
I put 8.5 quarts in, that is 8.04 liters, I thought the car called for 8.5 liters. I drove the car and checked the dipstick after about ten minutes of sitting and it was halfway between the marks. If it was over filled would there be a warning that the oil was too high? I know there is a low oil warning. Thanks again
 
#33 · (Edited)
Good to see the level dropped after a drive.

Both the 645 and 650 will display "Oil level at the minimum" message on iDrive if the oil level drops to minimum or below. I think only the 650i has the "Engine oil level too high" warning, based on what I see in the owner's manual for the two models.
 
#40 ·
I can't believe I never saw this forum before..all I can say is thank you for all you input on DIY on a 650, I had no idea this info was out there!
 
#42 ·
The brake rotors and pads DIY is here.

The brake pad reset procedure is exactly the same as the oil, you just reset on a different icon. If the numbers are positive then that is the mileage until the pads need replacement. If your numbers are negative before and after the reset keep trying the procedure a few times. I have had cases where it took 2 or 3 resets before it actually "took". You should see a positive number around 32,000.
 
#44 ·
hi,
thanks for this DIY, i've just changed the oil, then reset service indicator.
I put mobil1 10w40 in there, but the engine is a bit noisier (valves) then it was with castrol 5w30 :-(
I'm gonna give it 2 weeks, then I put castrol again, let's see what's happen.
 
#45 ·
Check your levels, sometimes if there isn't quite enough oil in there, the lifters make a lot of racket.
 
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#49 ·
Hi, great piece. I have serviced my car and reset the relavant overdue warning lights. However there are 2 that you havnt mentioned and I cant seem to reset these. One has like a double s on top of each other next to a car and the other related to an periodic exhaust check. I cant seem to reset these as it offers no option to reset them. Any ideas how i can clear these would be great.
Thanks
 
#50 ·
The double S is state emission inspection reminder and is not reset like the other check control / CBS warnings. Only areas that have state required inspections have this enabled on the car.

The date for the inspection is set in iDrive. I would try moving the date into the future which should remove the warning: iDrive > Service > Service Requirements > Status > Emissions Inspect or State Inspection > Set Service Date > change the date.
 
#53 ·
Well you learn something new every day. I just realized there is a "secret" oil dip stick on E63/E64 650i motors. This is not mentioned in the owner's manual and I just found this thing after 2 years of ownership.

Located here:
 
#54 ·
I wonder why it's almost kept a secret. I always wondered how accurate the digital oil level read was. Good job finding it and thanks for letting us know sir.
 
#55 ·
There was an article in a recent Roundel that talked about the digital oil meter. It's the same (simple) technology used by aircraft to detect fuel levels. Basically two open air capacitors sit in the oil and measure the capacitance. When there's oil on them, it's one level, when there's air, it's another. They also use this measurement to detect when the oil needs to be changed. Over time, the oil degrades and the capacitance will change as well. It's not as complex as we all made it out to be. This is proven technology from many decades ago.

I still think a dipstick would be nice, though.
 
#58 ·
#59 · (Edited)
Engine capacity is 8.5quarts or 8.0L according to the manual. I would drop in 7.5 quarts to be safe, start the car then top-up as required.

That is the correct oil in your link.

I can't tell if those will fit since I don't see any model info, but the filters in the link are cabin air filters and they are the better charcoal type. You need two of these and they install under the hood near the windshield. (your link includes two filters)

There is an additional engine air intake filter. Part # 13717521023 for the 650i and 645Ci.

Here are the instructions for installing the engine air filter. There are a few DIYs for the cabin filters in this section. You can also check out the bottom of my brake pad DIY which shows how to remove the cabin filters to get to the brake fluid reservoir.
 
#60 ·
Thanks Yorgi! You're awesome! Is there any specific brand of brake fluid you prefer? And I recently changed my brakes, when I went to reset the service interval in my iDrive, it did the whole -15000 and -9000. I checked out the sensors before I put them back on with the new brakes and they looked perfectly fine. I'm ordering new ones today so hopefully that'll take care of the issue but I can't imagine what could be wrong with the ones that are already on there...:dunno:
 
#61 · (Edited)
I've never had the -15000 problem happen to me but it seems like it's almost always a bad sensor. I would also try the reset several times, I have seen people say it took several attempts before the reset finally took.

For brake fluid I like Ate Typ200 and Ate SuperBlue the best. They are the same fluid with the Typ200 gold in colour and SuperBlue is blue. I alternate between the two so I can tell when new fluid is coming out at the bleed valve. Ate is a semi-racing fluid though but works fine on the street.

I also like Pentosin Dot4 brake fluid. I use this on my 6er or wife's car if I am out of Ate.
 
#62 ·
I am having difficulty with the large o'ring mating with the motor. My motor side mating surface is very thin (I am assuming the oring sits on the plastic flange of the filter housing and mates flush with motor). It doesn't appear to fit inside the motor housing so my guess is the torque wrench might be over torquing? Thoughts?
 
#63 ·
I am having difficulty with the large o'ring mating with the motor. My motor side mating surface is very thin (I am assuming the oring sits on the plastic flange of the filter housing and mates flush with motor). It doesn't appear to fit inside the motor housing so my guess is the torque wrench might be over torquing? Thoughts?
 
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