08 X3 Oil Change Interval

I know the subject has been discussed at length in previous threads but I believe it important enough to share my experience and thoughts:
Changed the oil & filter at 3K Mi last weekend; what came out of the crankcase was truly alarming, especially to a guy who has done all his own services on 8 BMW's since 1972 (Tii).
The drained oil was thick, black and ugly and the filter looked as if were ready to disintegrate. Since I couldn't find Castrol 0W30, I refilled with their 5W30 as suggested in the owner's manual and replaced the filter with a K&N from Bavarian Autosport.

My conclusion:
15K OIL CHANGE INTERVALS ARE JUST PLAIN CRAZY AND THE BMW PEOPLE WHO SUGGEST SUCH SHOULD BE HORSE-WHIPPED.

I hope this will be helpful to those who are on the fence about 15K intervals.
As for me, 3K is, and always has been, the magic number.

bobkap

Should I really care if I lease???? I really dont think so... Why should I even incure the extra expense? I am not trying to be cocky, btw. I am just hoping for a counter argument.
thx

14U,
I always treat my leased vehicle as my own; just maybe I'd want to purchase it at lease end if the situation and circumstances were favorable.
Also, I have a certain peace of mind knowing the vehicle I'm driving is up to snuff in every respect.
To each his own, my friend, how can you argue with that?

Originally Posted by 14U2NV

Should I really care if I lease????

If you are turning the car in before the end of the warranty, no.

If following the manufacturer recommended OCI shortens engine life, it is not your problem.


People can do what ever they want with their own cars.


If you plan to keep your BMW past 100,000 miles I recommend used oil analysis at regular intervals. Once you get the results back, you can pick an reasonable interval for your situation. Oil changes every 3,000 miles are often an unnecessary expense. I won't go as far as to say they are never too often. Synthetic oil should last a lot longer though.

If my oil was in bad shape after 3,000 miles, I'd want to know why. There could be something going on that would greatly impact engine life.

Originally Posted by bobkap

...Changed the oil & filter at 3K Mi last weekend; what came out of the crankcase was truly alarming...bobkap

Forgive me for not being familiar with your car if it was mentioned before but do you mean the initial 3k miles (as in brand new X3?) or 3k miles from your last oil change? I always though that you should change the oil on a new car at 1k miles. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

I also want to point out that I treat my lease vehicles as if they were my own. Proper break-in period, all scheduled maintenance intervals, premium gasoline, etc... Although, I might be a little more relaxed with the break-in period this time. I mean, I'm paying for my mileage right? Why should I throw away 1,000 miles driving like a grandma? I'm not going to throttle it by any means but I might not be so scared to go over 4 or 5k RPM this time around.

Originally Posted by Rob V

I always though that you should change the oil on a new car at 1k miles. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

That's mostly marketing from the lube companies.

I've already posted what I'd do if our X3 wasn't on a 2 year lease. I'm tempted to pull an oil sample and send it off anyway. Our X3 has about 3,800 miles on it now.


BMW's recommendation is to wait until the service indicator counts to zero or 1 year from the in-service date, whichever comes first. BMW also recommends you stay under 4,500 RPM and 100MPH for the first 1,000 miles.

There is a good chance a BMW tech can look at the DME memory and tell if you've exceeded the recommendations. Something to think about before you redline your new X3. Hate to see you spin a rod bearing and then have the claim denied.

Originally Posted by Rob V

Forgive me for not being familiar with your car if it was mentioned before but do you mean the initial 3k miles (as in brand new X3?) or 3k miles from your last oil change? I always though that you should change the oil on a new car at 1k miles. Maybe I'm wrong on that.

I also want to point out that I treat my lease vehicles as if they were my own. Proper break-in period, all scheduled maintenance intervals, premium gasoline, etc... Although, I might be a little more relaxed with the break-in period this time. I mean, I'm paying for my mileage right? Why should I throw away 1,000 miles driving like a grandma? I'm not going to throttle it by any means but I might not be so scared to go over 4 or 5k RPM this time around.

Rob,
This was the first service.
Every one of my past newly purchased BMW's (8) had 1200Mi stipulated as the first oil service. Granted, synthetic oils probably impacted this to some extent but break-in is still break-in as evidenced by BMW's X3 break-in "recommendations". Another concern too is ester-based synthetic oil being hygroscopic as opposed to mineral oil which is not; water vapor is a by-product of gasoline combustion.
bobkap

Originally Posted by Andrew*Debbie

There is a good chance a BMW tech can look at the DME memory and tell if you've exceeded the recommendations. Something to think about before you redline your new X3. Hate to see you spin a rod bearing and then have the claim denied.

From what I recall on spun rod bearing issues with 01-03 M3's, the DME records events over redline. But not when they happened. i.e. there's no date/time stamp. Not sure if it records current mileage.