First Oil Change on 3.0i

The DIY is great especially the picture for the drain plug, I'd hate to get that wrong. One question I have is do people find they get more fluid out if they raise both the front and back of the car so it is level when the oil drains?

Originally Posted by ggd4971

Thanks for the write up

i did my first oil change and was able to reset service intervel

For those who wants to know more about the oil, filters and resetting service intervel on 2005 X3 3.0 :

BMW recommended oil

The oils listed below meet BMW's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines.
BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:

Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30

Use only oils with an API rating of SM or higher.

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

Oil Filters

Mobil 1 Model M1C252
Champion Model P8170
Fram Model CH8081

Resetting service interval

Look on the instrument clusteryou will see 2 buttons in the lower centre part of the dash,

1) Make sure the ignition is swiched off, press and hold the left button and turn the ignition on to the first position keep holding the button down until you see the display change

2)Lift you finger and press and hold again untill reset appears ( normally after aprox 5 seconds ) it will also flash, once this happens lift your finger again

3) Then press and release straight away, this should reset the service indicator.

you may want to print this off prior trying to reset .............................. just to make it easier to follow

---------------------------------------------------
EJ

Does this reset the Oil Service Interval only or the Inspection Interval as well?

Originally Posted by Zedfor

Does this reset the Oil Service Interval only or the Inspection Interval as well?

Both.

You have to be careful to reset the right one.

As you know, the OBC routinely displays the service which is closer to coming due.
Not sure which order they present themselves during the reset procedure, could be random,
but if you see Inspection Reset? come up you have to decline the reset and wait for Oil Service Reset? to display.
(Unless of course you are doing the Inspection yourself too.)

Good info, will be doing it this weekend.

Newbie Thank You....great photos tell a big story to a little project. Thank you again.

Originally Posted by littleE46

The DIY is great especially the picture for the drain plug, I'd hate to get that wrong. One question I have is do people find they get more fluid out if they raise both the front and back of the car so it is level when the oil drains?

I always do, this is the best way to get most of the old fluid out of the oil pan. If it's tilted like in the pictures in th first post, then you may have as much as a quart of oil left in there.

Here are my contributions to this thread:

1. Raise the vehicle but level it in order to get the most used oil out of the pan.
2. Use only LL-01 approved oils. The OP used Mobil 1 5w-30 which is not LL-01 approved. There is a difference especially for proper operation of VANOS.
3. Do not use LL-04 oils, these are not to be used in US in gas engines due to the high sulfur gas we have in the US. LL-04 is only to be used in diesel engines.

I recently completed my first DIY oil change on my '06 X3 and I thought I'd share my experiences.

I used to hate the big mess that resulted from changing the oil on my Land Rover Discoveries, as the side-mounted drain plug created an oil-fountain that was hard to predict, and the spray distance difference from start to finish was larger than my collection pan's diameter. A real pain.

So, I recalled I had an electric oil change pump I purchased a while back for my boat, but never installed. It's a Reverso brand, reversing DC oil change pump. I mounted it on the lid of a 5 gallon bucket, and put a cigarette lighter plug on a long wire. It looks a lot like Reverso's ready-made unit:



With a fairly small diameter dip tube, it sucked all of the oil out in about 6 minutes. After changing the filter and refilling the engine with oil, I was able to reverse the pump to put the waste oil back in the containers. I don't know that the dealer will take it back, but I know Walmart will.

I also have a Tempo Oil Boy fluid extractor on my boat, that a friend gave me. I works beautifully! I changed the oil in my sailboat's little diesel in about 15 strokes of the pump, all 4 quarts. The tool really works well, handles well, and stores well. It's also quite cost effective.



http://www.tempoproducts.com/2004/pump.html

While it appears Tempo has discontinued the product, West Marine sells the exact same item for $80.

http://www.westmarine.com/webapp/wcs...classNum=10440

When it was generally available as a Tempo product it could be had for about $55. Oh well! Still a lot less than an electric pump, which costs over $400.

http://reversopumps.com/oil-change-s...cket-gp-311bkt

Any of these will make the oil change much quicker, easier, safer and cleaner. The convenience will mean you won't put it off! Now I'll actually change the oil in my lawn mower, chipper, air compressor, etc., etc.

For oil, I see the OP used Mobil 1 5W30. While the recommended BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is 5W30, the recommended substitutes do not include the OP's choice, but rather, for Mobil 1, the 0W40, per this excerpt:

"BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:

• Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
  
• Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
  
• Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
  
• Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30"

Here's the BMW doc:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

I used the BMW oil at $8.52 from the dealer. The dealer supplied filter kit was $18. Next time, it's Mobil 1 0W40 from Walmart at $6.54, and a filter from my local NAPA store for $12. - a $13 savings.

Further, I don't think it's necessary to change the filter housing O-ring every single time. If you remove the sump plug, then certainly use a new copper crush washer. (If you don't have one, you can anneal the used one by heating it to cherry red (evenly) and quenching it in water).

So, oil change interval? I'm thinking 6,000 miles or so.

I was unable to figure out how to reset the oil change service reminder separate from the inspection reminder. If anyone can please clarify that I would appreciate it!

Cheers,

jv

For those of y'all who are curious: Bosch supplies the oil filter for BMW. Picked one up today at Advance Auto Parts. Same kit, same appearance, made in Germany. A few bucks cheaper than the dealership, plus convenience for those who aren't close to a dealership.

Thanks! Bosch 72202 is $12.99 at Advance Auto Parts. I have Amazon Prime, which is 2 day free shipping, and there it's $11.35, minus a $2.00 rebate making it $9.35. It's a mail in rebate good through 10/29/2011 for up to four filters.

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

For those of y'all who are curious: Bosch supplies the oil filter for BMW. Picked one up today at Advance Auto Parts. Same kit, same appearance, made in Germany. A few bucks cheaper than the dealership, plus convenience for those who aren't close to a dealership.

great find!!!

and be careful of the drain, the oil comes out like a gusher sideways! I had it up on a lift and totally missed the oil catch tank and made a mess!

Originally Posted by fivepointnine

great find!!!

and be careful of the drain, the oil comes out like a gusher sideways! I had it up on a lift and totally missed the oil catch tank and made a mess!

Hmmm, my 3.0si has the oil coming straight down. It is a fast flow!

Originally Posted by jviss

Thanks! Bosch 72202 is $12.99 at Advance Auto Parts. I have Amazon Prime, which is 2 day free shipping, and there it's $11.35, minus a $2.00 rebate making it $9.35. It's a mail in rebate good through 10/29/2011 for up to four filters.

Whole kit for less than $60 delivered.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E83-X3-...ngine/ES10355/

Originally Posted by madurodave

Hmmm, my 3.0si has the oil coming straight down. It is a fast flow!

Don't forget that the 2007+ engine has the drain plug on the base of the pan,
whereas the 2004 -6 has it more traditionally located on the curved part of the base.

So that makes the difference in how it comes out - all over your hand, or right up your arm.

Flow rate should be similar.

There needs to be good protection from shearing off the drain plug by objects in the road/trail,
and that's easier to provide for when the drain plug is on the back edge of the pan as opposed to more directly underneath.

The 2007+ likely has a more rigid aluminum shield there and/or a smaller cutout for access.

Originally Posted by codog2

Whole kit for less than $60 delivered.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E83-X3-...ngine/ES10355/

another great find

Originally Posted by Supercourse

Both.

You have to be careful to reset the right one.

As you know, the OBC routinely displays the service which is closer to coming due.
Not sure which order they present themselves during the reset procedure, could be random,
but if you see Inspection Reset? come up you have to decline the reset and wait for Oil Service Reset? to display.
(Unless of course you are doing the Inspection yourself too.)

I followed the reset procedure but now when I restart I only see the "Inspection" show up with the milage counting down. I may have reset everything but how do I confirm. Is there another way of checking to verify or is it simply what the OBC displays as the next item due?

Thanks,
Vipz

Haven't changed my oil yet but are the ramps necessary? Can I get under there without them?

Originally Posted by codog2

Whole kit for less than $60 delivered.

http://www.ecstuning.com/BMW-E83-X3-...ngine/ES10355/

Wow. Great find. I just spent $80 for the dealer to do mine. When I added up the $9/qt price for Mobil 1 0w40 + filter delivered...well, it was getting very close to the dealer price.

However, my dealer is 30 miles away...so 60 miles / 20mpg = 3 gallons of gas, or another $12!

I would need to buy ramps at $40 and a new oil drain pan as my current only holds 5 qts. Didnt pull the trigger, so went to dealer.

ok, enough babbling.

Although it can probably be done without, the ramps make the job much easier. A valuable asset for anyone that would even consider working on their own vehicles.

i asked my service department about 0w-40 last time i took my car in for a different issue and they said nope just good old synthetic 5w-30

"Mobil 1 0W-40 is recommended for all types of modern vehicles, especially high-performance turbo-charged, supercharged gasoline and diesel multi-valve fuel injected engines found in passenger cars, SUVs, light vans and trucks.

Mobil 1 0W-40 is especially suitable for extreme conditions, where conventional oil often may not perform."

Word for word from the mobile1 site, 1 use 0w-40 in my 2.0T and mobile1 5w-30 in the x3.

Just want to point this out there for any1 considering changing their own oil and choosing between the different grades.

Originally Posted by niceguymr

We have a 2008 X3 and I'm fixing to do my first oil change ever (not the first for the car, just MY first time doing it). Here's a picture underneath the car. I presume that the little square plastic cover with the red arrow is to access the oil drain plug, no? Not the rectangular cover with the green arrow.

Someone please correct me if I'm wrong before I drain the wrong fluid. I'll be doing my oil change this weekend.

Does that cover pop off from the front or rear? Will a standard screw driver do the job?

Originally Posted by blndfayth

i asked my service department about 0w-40 last time i took my car in for a different issue and they said nope just good old synthetic 5w-30

"Mobil 1 0W-40 is recommended for all types of modern vehicles, especially high-performance turbo-charged, supercharged gasoline and diesel multi-valve fuel injected engines found in passenger cars, SUVs, light vans and trucks.

Mobil 1 0W-40 is especially suitable for extreme conditions, where conventional oil often may not perform."

Word for word from the mobile1 site, 1 use 0w-40 in my 2.0T and mobile1 5w-30 in the x3.

Just want to point this out there for any1 considering changing their own oil and choosing between the different grades.

Your service department is wrong. 0W-40 is the only Mobil 1 that has BMW LL01 approval.

Tell us more about this mobile1 oil you are using? I've never heard of that one.

Just to fan the oil debate fire, as long as you are changing oil in between CBS changes, Mobil 1 5W-30 synthetic will be just fine. Many owners use the same oil.

If you are strictly going to follow 15k mile oil changes, I guess it is safer to stick with LL01 oils - then you can put blame elsewhere when you get sludge problems due to extended oil change intervals.

Just my 0.02!

Mobil 1 5W-30 does not meet the BMW HTHS spec, which has nothing to do with how long your OCI is.

Do you have any evidence that following BMW's OCI recommendations with a LL-01 oil leads to sludge? I have 3 BMW's, all follow the BMW OCI, none have even the slightest trace of sludge or deposits.

The same tired pictures of a valve train covered in elephant snot do not count as evidence. That is caused by antifreeze leaking into the oil.

Thanks for a very specific instructional post. The photos and description were of high quality.
Tim

Originally Posted by AzNMpower32

For those of y'all who are curious: Bosch supplies the oil filter for BMW. Picked one up today at Advance Auto Parts. Same kit, same appearance, made in Germany. A few bucks cheaper than the dealership, plus convenience for those who aren't close to a dealership.

is Bosch different or better than Mann?