Oil change every 7500 miles???

I have 24K miles on my 2001 325i and still have some 7000 miles left before Inspection 1. I was thinkng of getting an oil change down at this point of time (i.e 7500 miles after my 1st oil change at 15K miles). But, my dealer says that its not required. Of course, I am sure that BMW must have performed a zillion tests before recommending that oil change is reqd. only every 15K miles. But, I still believe that its cheap insurance to have a mid-point oil change...i.e. every 7500 miles.

Just want to know if you guys are following the OBC for the oil-change intervals?

I know that this subject has been discussed a lot of times before on various boards, but just want to convince myself based on your answers.

thx

Yes, most of us would recommend an oil change before 15k miles. I personally would recommend one immediately after break-in, and then every 3-4k miles afterwards.

check the E46 FAQ for more info.

--Andrew

Personally, I think that a change every 4000 miles with synthetic is a bit much, but 7500 certainly would be more reasonable. At the same time, BMW wouldn't say 15000 miles unless they had extensive testing and data to support it. Go with your gut instinct.

I disagree. I had synthetic in my GSR integra for seven years and I changed it every 3-4K miles. I met the Castrol rep and he recommended changing this often and if cost is an issue non-synthetic every 3K would be better than synthetic every 15K. The problem is not thermal breakdown of the oil, but dirty oil. I just did my first change on my '02 330Ci after 2K and it was dirty.
I've been told that BMW made the service interval 15K mi to make it seem like their cars are less expensive to service.
I agree that it would be better to use non-synthetic oil and change every 3K mi then synthetic every 15K. Personally I think it's worth changing every 3K with synthetic, that's what I am going to do.
But it's your car.
You make the call.
-T

Whatever you are comfortable with. Other than lubricating, part of the oil's job is to trap and contain harmful contaminants and particles. Obviously, the more often you change your oil, the better. I, personally, am not comfortable with BMW's yearly/15,000 mile interval. I'll change mine about every 5000 miles using synthetic oil (changed initially after break in at 2000 miles...every 5000 miles after that). You should be fine at every 7500 if you plan keeping the car for a while...if not, simply do it when they tell you.

I keep reminding people that it is not the oil that is the issue but the oil filter.

I ignored BMW's recommendation and changed the oil/oil filter each 7,500 miles.

Guess what? The first batch of oil filters could not handle the long oil period and had to be redesigned.

It does not hurt to be on the safe side and change the oil earlier than recommended.

perhaps there are many of us the just cant believe a 15k oil change...

i changed it at 2k and will do it every 5k...being that i drive only 10k a year ... every 6 months still seems like a long time between changes

used to the 2-3k change routine...and the 140k celica that did not burn a drop of oil liked them changes...

I (along with some assistance from TD) changed my oil (for the very first time) at 2k. I plan to change it again at around 8k (half the distance between 2k and 15k), and then again every 7.5k or so.

It's the least we can do for our beloved bimmers.

And besides, it's cheap insurance.

The oil's job is to lubricate, period......end of sentence. The fact that there is dirt and particles in the engine and the oil flows through it will naturally pick up this "stuff" and carry it around to various places and leave it (possibly where you don't want it) In order to prevent this an oil filter was designed to fit in the "flow" and trap as much as it can. Not all the oil flows through the filter all the time so it can take awhile for some of this "stuff" to make it to the filter. Two things important here, the cleaner the filter the more it can do what it is there for (to filter ....that is why they call IT a filter and not the oil) so Dave is right and it should be changed way more than 15,000 miles. If other car makers are recommending 5,000 to 7,500 and they are using the same oil, then what makes BMW so different?? Answer.....they aren't, they
are counting on people not keeping cars long enough to care. I would never consider leaving oil or filter on my vehicle that long unless I lease and am not planning on buying it in the end!!
The best thing you can do for your car that is a minimal investment is to keep clean oil in it, it will run better and cooler too. Can I hear an amen

Amen!

It makes no sense to cut corners with the oil and oil filter. For a few extra bucks per week, rest easy.
Mike

How about just changing the oil filter every 7500 miles?

Would that do any good?

Brian

I do mine every 5000. I agree with most of sjs comments but Oil is for more than lube. It draws heat off the engine and aids in cooling as much or more than the water/antifreeze.

It is good cheap insurance. You paid $$$ for the car, don't scrimp now.

AMEN!

Originally posted by in_d_haus
I do mine every 5000. I agree with most of sjs comments but Oil is for more than lube. It draws heat off the engine and aids in cooling as much or more than the water/antifreeze.

It is good cheap insurance. You paid $$$ for the car, don't scrimp now.

AMEN!

I know that as the last sentence of my post will show, I was actually trying to make the point (somehow missed) that the oil
is not a filter and does not filter and I agree with you about displacing heat (I could use some right now for this flame )
As far as just changing the filter and not the oil that is like washing your car and not cleaning the interior

Hey where are you at in Seattle ?? My bro lives in Edmonds and my mom is in Lake Stevens (my grandfather is under the weather) she moved over the mtn. to stay with him for awhile,she lives in Moses Lake.

BMW designs their cars to meet a certain expected life, lets say 100k miles. By chaning the oil at their recommended intervals of 15k you should, on average, be able to meet their expected life, whatever that is. BMW is in the business of selling new cars. If they made cars that lasted much, much longer than their competition, they you would have no reason to buy a new car. You'd just keep driving the one you have. And then they'd lose profit. As with any product, you design it to meet a certain set of criteria, life being one of them. And you always try to design to that life and not to exceed or fall short of it.
Saying that, I'm chaning my oil at 7.5k intervals. I don't want to change it too soon, or I may burn oil continuously by not letting the engine break in (pure speculation coming from the VW group).

I change my oil about every 7500. I figure, with a near $40,000 investment, what difference does $50 per oil change make? I know it may not be necessary, but it makes me feel better.