E92 oil change with pictures

Great write up. Oil changes are about all I feel comfortable doing nowadays. I miss lying on the driveway trying to replace a clutch in sub-freezing weather.....ummmmm maybe not.

Originally Posted by RGBiMMER

I took my car to an indy for my 1200 mile break in oil change. I bought the oil and filter from the dealer. My indy guy said, "did you get the synthetic filter." I told him this is what they gave me and he said that is fine but there is a better one from the dealer. Does this make sense to anyone?

How was the oil? Did you see anything on the oil?

Great post!

I'm surprised the filter looked so worn...

Originally Posted by icuc

How was the oil? Did you see anything on the oil?

I told him to keep it if he saw anything I should look at so I didn't get to see it. He did say it was darker than it should be for 1200 miles and it was good I changed it.

Originally Posted by RGBiMMER

I told him to keep it if he saw anything I should look at so I didn't get to see it. He did say it was darker than it should be for 1200 miles and it was good I changed it.

I will have my oil sent to analysis to see if they find anything.

Originally Posted by icuc

I will have my oil sent to analysis to see if they find anything.

Let me know how those results come back.

Originally Posted by RGBiMMER

I took my car to an indy for my 1200 mile break in oil change. I bought the oil and filter from the dealer. My indy guy said, "did you get the synthetic filter." I told him this is what they gave me and he said that is fine but there is a better one from the dealer. Does this make sense to anyone?

Pick up a set of left handed screwdrivers and metric Vise Grips, you'll need them to install that synthetic oil filter.

Originally Posted by RGBiMMER

I told him to keep it if he saw anything I should look at so I didn't get to see it. He did say it was darker than it should be for 1200 miles and it was good I changed it.

Good oil often gets dark quickly, it's doing its job and cleaning up the carbon and other guck. Color doesn't tell you the oil is bad unless it's milky or other than amber.

I thought I'd add a couple of notes:

The socket for the oil drain plug is 17 mm.
The drain plug goes back in at 18 ft-lbs which is about 215 in-lbs or about 24 N-m. (This is such a low torque, you can probably only find a 1/4" torque wrench that will work well.)
The Tischer oil filter wrench (the big silver cap) uses a 27 mm socket. (Which is quite large, btw. You may not have one.)

And here are the manual pages that cover how to check oil level after you're done.

Originally Posted by ProfessorCook

The drain plug goes back in at 18 ft-lbs which is about 215 in-lbs or about 24 N-m.

24.404723100000002 N-m, IIRC.

Excellent DIY and well illustrated, but if I lived close to DSX I'd let him do it...quite a messy job with too many "O ring" technicalities IMO. DSX's capable technicians could handle the job as I chatted with him in the waiting room and passed haggis recipes to the Englishman and recommend unique ingredients -- The English will eventually get the taste of it. Images of rubber gloves always frighten me as I have a particularly aggressive Urologist. He should have been more sensitive about these issues.

If your doctor is using gloves like those, you need to find a new doctor.

Guys over 40, if you don't have a doctor give you a DRE and check your PSA every year, you could be making a huge mistake. Trust me on this one.

The O rings are easy. Doing the job yourself is satisfying. Having a cold one after is pleasant. Reserve the talents of a guy like DSX for jobs more demanding of his considerable talents.

Originally Posted by ProfessorCook

If your doctor is using gloves like those, you need to find a new doctor.

Guys over 40, if you don't have a doctor give you a DRE and check your PSA every year, you could be making a huge mistake. Trust me on this one.

The O rings are easy. Doing the job yourself is satisfying. Having a cold one after is pleasant. Reserve the talents of a guy like DSX for jobs more demanding of his considerable talents.

Is DSX qualified for the DRE and PSA checks? Maybe if we provide our own gloves?

Interns and MD's are bad enough... I don't care if DSX is qualified, he's not checking my personal exhaust!

(Man has this thread gone downhill in a hurry.)

Originally Posted by wh00sh

Is DSX qualified for the DRE and PSA checks? Maybe if we provide our own gloves?

Originally Posted by ProfessorCook

Interns and MD's are bad enough... I don't care if DSX is qualified, he's not checking my personal exhaust!

(Man has this thread gone downhill in a hurry.)

DSX has access to an air compressor and associated tools. In my book that makes him forever disqualified, even if his office wall is covered floor-to-ceiling in sheepskins. (Or goatskins.)

(Downhill and picking up speed. )

Originally Posted by Zooks527

24.404723100000002 N-m, IIRC.

Reported to the significant figure police.

Originally Posted by ProfessorCook

I thought I'd add a couple of notes:

The socket for the oil drain plug is 17 mm.
The drain plug goes back in at 18 ft-lbs which is about 215 in-lbs or about 24 N-m. (This is such a low torque, you can probably only find a 1/4" torque wrench that will work well.)
The Tischer oil filter wrench (the big silver cap) uses a 27 mm socket. (Which is quite large, btw. You may not have one.)

And here are the manual pages that cover how to check oil level after you're done.

Since I use the BMW TIS, I'll go with what it states: 25 N-m for both the drain plug and oil filter cap.

And since the dealer's service coupons and my oil changes never seem to agree on dates, we have settled for a straight $88 charge for oil service only.

Originally Posted by Zeichen311

Reported to the significant figure police.

Hey, didn't we have this dance in this thread? http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=608007

Posts 14 -> 22.

1/29/2013 UPDATE: The above feed was excellent in helping me do my first oil change on my 2011 328xi. I would like to add some things.
(1). Jacking up the car was the most difficult part of it(and it was not bad at all). I recommend using a wood block on the jack(esp for the rear) and for the jack stands. The points on the car for jacking are square and plastic, the the rear had no specific jack point, so I used the frame. This required the wood block as the car is so low.
(2). The washer indeed was stuck to the oil pan and needed some gentle persuasion with a small screwdriver.
(3). The drain plug is 17mm.
(4). The car drained 6 quarts and took the same amount of oil(mobile 5-30W).
(5). The car had 7500 miles, but the oil was "mud" like. I couln't imagine waiting for the prescribed 15,000 mile change.