Maintenance program and mid-cycle oil changes

[M_Six]

I've been doing mid-cycle oil changes on my BMWs since I've owned them. Mine have always been CPO vehicles, so I paid for every oil service. My dealer will reset the counter after every oil service, too. Since I was paying for them and got the oil changed every ~7500 miles anyway, I didn't care. But now my Z4 is under the Scheduled Maintenance Program. It's going in today for a mid-cycle service. If the dealer resets the counter, don't I get screwed out of a free oil service in 7500 miles?

Does anyone else's dealer reset the counter after mid-cycle services?


Or am I the only one who brings it to the dealer for mid-cycle services?

[Steve P.]

I might get beat up on these forums for saying this, but why take them in for mid cycle service? I realize you want to protect your vehicle from damage, but don't you think BMW engineers have a better feeling on what is required? To me mid cycle service is a waste of time and money. With that said, if a vehicle is being stored for some time, I would consider doing a mid cycle oil change to get fresh oil in the system.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by Steve P.

I might get beat up on these forums for saying this, but why take them in for mid cycle service? I realize you want to protect your vehicle from damage, but don't you think BMW engineers have a better feeling on what is required? To me mid cycle service is a waste of time and money. With that said, if a vehicle is being stored for some time, I would consider doing a mid cycle oil change to get fresh oil in the system.

One thing that really pushes me to do it with the Z4 is the lack of a dipstick. I can't even look at the oil to see what shape it's in. And honestly, I can easily afford the oil service. I can't see that it hurts the engine but I can easily see where it would be beneficial, so why not do it and have a little peace of mind?

As far as BMW engineers go, I have two words - plastic radiators.

[dyerkes]

I change my oil every 4k miles. Dirt is ingested into your engine via the intake and trapped in the oil. The air filter and oil filter do a reasonably good job of trapping some of the impediments, but but no means all of it. Grit in oil becomes an abrasive which wears on parts over time. While I'm not questioning the intelligence of the BMW engineers, I'm baffled as to why they are one of the only car companies that enjoy having to change oil every 15k miles. Since it takes me no more than 15 minutes to change the oil, and it's not all that expensive for the oil and filter relative to the replacement cost of parts and labor for repairing worn engine components, I hedge my bets on being safe.

David
2005 Z4 3.0i SMG

[chickdr]

Originally Posted by M_Six

I've been doing mid-cycle oil changes on my BMWs since I've owned them. Mine have always been CPO vehicles, so I paid for every oil service. My dealer will reset the counter after every oil service, too. Since I was paying for them and got the oil changed every ~7500 miles anyway, I didn't care. But now my Z4 is under the Scheduled Maintenance Program. It's going in today for a mid-cycle service. If the dealer resets the counter, don't I get screwed out of a free oil service in 7500 miles?

Does anyone else's dealer reset the counter after mid-cycle services?


Or am I the only one who brings it to the dealer for mid-cycle services?

Interesting on the reset. I got my car used in May. It had 9600 miles on the clock and the last oil change was done at about 4500 miles. The cars age is right at 3yrs. I took it in for service and they did a "yearly" oil change even though the mileage counter said 1200 miles to next service. I also asked about the brake fluid since it was 3yrs old and they changed it for free. They did not reset the counter. I drive around 2000-2500 miles a year and they told me to come back in when the counter says to and they will do another oil change under the plan and reset the meter. As long as is wasn't with in 2 months they said BMW would not have an issue with this.

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by chickdr

Interesting on the reset. I got my car used in May. It had 9600 miles on the clock and the last oil change was done at about 4500 miles. The cars age is right at 3yrs. I took it in for service and they did a "yearly" oil change even though the mileage counter said 1200 miles to next service. I also asked about the brake fluid since it was 3yrs old and they changed it for free. They did not reset the counter. I drive around 2000-2500 miles a year and they told me to come back in when the counter says to and they will do another oil change under the plan and reset the meter. As long as is wasn't with in 2 months they said BMW would not have an issue with this.

I asked them to not reset the meter this time and they didn't. Maybe that's par for the course when it's under the maintenance agreement. Like I said, all my other BMWs have been straight CPO where I was paying for the service anyway. So all is good now. The Z comes back tomorrow. In the meantime, I get to play with a new 528i loaner.

[lo-tek]

Originally Posted by M_Six

One thing that really pushes me to do it with the Z4 is the lack of a dipstick

My '06 has a dipstick. When did they pull the dipstick from the S54?

Edit: Ah you have the non-M. My '03 Z4 had a dipstick so the question remains

[M_Six]

Originally Posted by lo-tek

My '06 has a dipstick. When did they pull the dipstick from the S54?

Edit: Ah you have the non-M. My '03 Z4 had a dipstick so the question remains

No dipstick. Just that stupid button on the dash which tells you that the oil is ok.

[dyerkes]

That's odd, my 2005 3.0i has one. I guess not having a dipstick is in line with not changing your oil but every 15k.

David

[CalRick]

They are correct in not resetting the indicator for the annual or mid term oil changes - there are other services performed (primarily changing the cabin air filter) during the official "oil service" when the indicator gets reset.

Only the 06 on non-M Z's have lost the dipstick - that's part of the archetecture of the new N series engine. Seal everything up so there are fewer places for nasty gases to leak out of. The new E89 series Z's are completely dipstick-less.

[nichu]

For those who change their oil on there own, what oil brand and weight do you use? And when responding, please state M or non-M.

[reRESERVEDFX]

Castrol or Mobil 1 SAE European formula either 5W-30 or 0W-40

[scotch1217]

There are a number of decent synths you can use if you do your own servicing...I'm using Mobil One 5w30. Chemically speaking, its right on par with the BMW service oil. Avoid quaker state and castrol. Couldn't tell you why but they just seem to split sooner than the mobil. Royal Purple works just fine, but way more expensive and really not that much gain. However, I am in a non-M, so take from that what you will.

[vachss]

Originally Posted by reRESERVEDFX

Castrol or Mobil 1 SAE European formula either 5W-30 or 0W-40

Make sure whatever you use is BMW LL-01 rated. Mobil 1 0W40 is, but I didn't think that their 5W30 was.

[aerobod]

Originally Posted by nichu

For those who change their oil on there own, what oil brand and weight do you use? And when responding, please state M or non-M.

I use the only specified oil for the Z4M - 10w60 (Castrol Motorsports TWS)

[jmillet]

Originally Posted by nichu

For those who change their oil on there own, what oil brand and weight do you use? And when responding, please state M or non-M.

This is what BMW NA says about recommended and/or approved oils for all Bimmers:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx
I use Castrol TWS 10W-60 in my S54 powered M machine.

[thekurgan]

You should get one free change per year, regardless of how many you pay for yourself. I personally don't go more than 4500-5000 miles without changing the TWS 10w-60

[trsbmw]

On the S54 (M coupe) Castrol TWS 10W-60 every 7.5k miles.(considering the lubro moly 10W-60, but have not heard of any experiences / analyses of it yet, and the only reason I would think of switching is because of Lubro Moly's reputation,, still not quite enough to make me switch though...)

On M60 (530i) and N62 (X5) Lubro Moly 5w-40 every 7.5k miles..

The only way to truly validate your oil choice and change interval is to have a used oil analysis performed.. check out www.blackstone-labs.com for that.. Anyone who claims one oil is better then another without having an analysis done is really just guessing.. And, on top of that, driving conditions and styles are infinitely variable meaning that one oil could possibly be a better choice for one person and not another.. Bottom line, get your oil analysed..