oil change??

I just recently purchased my x5 after having a toyota camry for 6 years. I live in Canada, and in my camry i would change the oil every 5000 km, but now bmw techs say that I dont have to change my oil for 25000 km, they just told me to book an appointment when the green bars are about to run out...how is this possible 25 000km on a single oil change?

Two reasons :

1. It's a MARKETING MYTH : One reason for consumers to select or not to select a brand of cars is SERVICING COST. So car companies will try to reduce the servicing cost per 100,000km by extending the servicing cycle from 10,000km a few years ago to 25,000km in order to encourage people to choose their brand....

2. Most luxury cars use good oil and engines can last longer with good oil => 25,000km

I don't believe in 25000km and change engine oil every 5000km. It's easy to do it yourself every 5000km and I change oil and filter every 10,000....

The engine runs much smoother that way

Good luck

Don't agree that it is a marketing myth, but everyone gets to have their own opinion

If BMW was doing this to lower their cost of servicing, and there was a resulting impact on engine life, then you would see higher costs for extended warranties, and lower lease residuals. Neither has happened over the past few years, and there aren't stories floating around of medium to high mileage BMW engines that are bagged. If you are driving in a category that could be called 'severe service' then halve the distance.

IMO, 5000 km oil changes are no more required than spark plug changes or tire rotations are required on a regular basis.

The X5 likely has twice the sump capacity of the Camry, and that in and of itself doubles the distance (based on the ability of the oil to maintain particles in suspension, and on the quantity of additives present).

Secondly, modern high-tech engines are running much cleaner than previous generation engines. Note the emissions levels. Byproducts of combustion are the biggest contaminator of oil, and there are a lot fewer of them.

Now, whether you want to go to 25,000 km/16,000 miles or not, is pretty much up to you. BMW don't believe you will harm your engine. Many here do. Whichever you choose (including something in between), remember that BMW also suggest a 12 month cycle for changes, which the lights don't indicate. A few drivers, but not all, are doing 25,000 km in a year (and if they are, they are likely a lot of highway miles). I think it is more important to change the oil and filter every 12-15 months, assuming that is less than 25,000 km, than it is to worry about the distance travelled.

BMW requires the use of Castrol SYNTEC.

This oil combined with engine design and an annual oil change give you the protection for the added range

Originally Posted by x54.4blue

BMW requires the use of Castrol SYNTEC.

This oil combined with engine design and an annual oil change give you the protection for the added range

Not true. BMW recommend Castrol Syntec, due to their marketing partnership. There are other oils that meet the BMW spec. Also, there are multiple versions of Syntec, and not all of them meet the BMW spec. Read the spec, not the brand label.

The point is that with high quality oil you can go 12,000+/- miles between oil changes.

The simple answer is yes 25,000km between changes is possible, but it does depend upon fuel grade and driving style. My last Skoda had VW's variable servicing on the diesel unit that powered it and could go for up to 37,000km, or two years, between servicing - provided you used the right oil and drove sensibly. If you used the wrong oil, or drove harshly, that interval dropped to a mere 16,000 km.

My current X5 - a 2005 European 3.0 Diesel Sport Auto has just passed the 16,000km point and only three of the five green bars have dropped with two to go, plus the ambers. Dealer tells me the current versions can go up to 29,000km between changes.

It all depends upon oil type being correct, type of journey, length of journey and driving style. Short journeys, or stop start journeys will shorten the interval. I do a fair bit of motorway driving and don't use a lot of right foot to get it going so expect 25,000km at least. We also have much cleaner fuels in Europe which reduces the amount of rubbish in the oil, therefore extending service intervals.

Engineering tolerances have improved enormously over the years in line with the improvements in oil technology. Let's face it, not too many years ago 'running in' meant low revs, careful driving and no exceeding of about 90km/h for 1600km. Now it's not above 75% power/revs and 130km/h.

In Canada, we just purchased a new X3 and the dealer told us the first service appointment for a check and oil change would be at 20,000 KM. I questioned them on what seemed to be a very high number in my mind and was given two reasons. 1) tighter manufacturing tolerances than most vehicles. 2) In combination with tighter manufacturing tolerances, the vehicles come from the factory with, and are spec'd to use, Synthetic oil. The higher quality (and more expensive) oil than what most manufacturers call for and people use makes a big difference in how long you can go between changes.

I have a February 2005 built X5 and changed the oil at 3,000 miles. Like the Frams guy says, " pay me now or pay me later". I feel much better that the old oil is out, and I'll change the oil now once a year.

okay whoever said that a car can go 25k miles with out an oil change was waiting for ur engine to f up so they can charge like 2k to fix.i hear that mobil 1 5w-30 and castrol full edge synthetic 5w-30 oil are the best oils for the 3.0i engine.as for oil changes i think that the magic numbers lie within 5-7k miles.depends on whether i have the time to do it.my last comment is DOES ANYONE KNOW HOW TO RESET THE OIL SERVICE IN THE MID????I HAVENT GOTTEN AN ANSWER AFTER MULTIPLE POSTS