JL said:Searching through the archives didn't bring up any relevant information, but I wanted to know if I ought to change my oil before 15K miles, and if it's necessary to do so.
I've been told that BMW's (or their oil filters) are built so that we only need to do it every 15k miles, but it seems kinda weird to me. I plan on driving this car for many years, and I want to make sure that I take good care of it.
Thanks for any help that you guys can provide.
John
No offense taken, Hack. I don't check the boards that often, so I may miss those posts, and I apologize for asking what is apparently a redundant question. It's just that checking the archives didn't bring up any relevant information, and I hoped that the more knowledgeable people could help me out.The HACK said:
No offense, but this question gets asked a few millions of times already and each time it's asked there's 2 schools of thoughts: Change it according to BMW's recommendation because BMW can't be wrong, or change it more regularly because you can't trust the manufacturer because they're trying to nickle and dime you to death.
If you don't feel comfortable with their oil change interval, change it regularly. It's only oil changes and what POSSIBLE HARM can it do to your car?
The HACK said:Also if you plan on modifying the engine (chips, exhaust, cold air intake, turbo...whatever) do plan on changing your oil more often than the factory recommendation. Modding your engine usually results in either higher combustion temperature or letting more air in/out thus more contaminants in/out of your engine.
I change mine every 7,500 miles myself with BMW synthetic.
nate328Ci said:
In our cars, the 323/328s, the OBC calculates the oil change interval using the engine temperature data and all such factors. Later cars use only fuel consumption information, and we all know that modified intakes result in better milage. I believe my Dinan software claims better mileage, I think it is true.