The BMW/Castrol synthetic oil should be fine for 15,000, but the lights are a better indicator. I split the difference and change every 7500 miles. If you have a brand new car it's probably a good idea to change the oil, filter, and diff fluid at 1200-1500 miles just to be certain no small metal shavings/flashing managed to remain from the factory or break in. YMMV

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?

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

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Re: Re: Oil change question

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?

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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.

But what you're saying is true that if I really don't feel comfortable with BMW's recommendation, then I should just change the oil.

As has been said, there are two schools of thought. In reality there is no reason to change synthetic oil that often. In fact Mobil 1 used to advertise that the oil was good for either 25,000 or 30,000 miles. So 15,000 is nothing. In jet engines (where synthetics were first used) they aren't typically changed at all. They just add as needed, which isn't very often.

Then there is peace of mind, and that says to change it as often as you like. It only hurts your wallet.

For reference, my friend has a '95 E36 M3. t has been tracked a good bit, and driven not hard, but with enthusiasm. He has only srviced it from new in accordance with the service lights and now has over 105,000 trouble free miles.

Only thing to think of, if you are still within your warrnaty period I would use BMW oil and filters. Just to avoid any complications.

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.

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.

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.

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It also seesm to count cold starts. Someone noticed on their M3 that every cold start cost 25 miles on the service count down.

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.

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