I have a 2002 325i I just baught used, 32,000 miles. I took it in for an oil change 5000 miles ago, the service tech. said the oil change is good for up to 15,000 miles. After 5000 miles, the oil is picth black. How can I go another 10,000 miles with balck oil...Any Ideas?
Is it synthetic or dino oil? If its dino oil, you probably should change it. If its synthetic, ask what type. Most, if not all, synthetic oils come out of the bottle "picth black."
"bfd" wrote
No, they don't. But on the other hand, an oil changing its color does not necessarily mean that it must be replaced.
And as far as the OCI, time is a factor, too, not just miles, so the OP needs to take this into account.
Pete
Where did you get that wild one? Fresh synthetic...black???
Someone needs to stop wearing very dark sun-glasses when they change their oil.
Simple. You should not. Change it at 5,000 miles at your own cost and avoid problems.
You'll find that the engine for this car requires fully synthetic and the BMW service interval is 15,000 miles. I've had my 330 since new four years ago, done 60,000 miles, serviced it every 15,000 miles at the dealers and guess what? - no problems!
You really didn't need to change the oil then either. Your car would be running just fine with no more problems than you've had if you had left the original oil that came in the crankcase. You'd have saved 4 oil changes!!
People reading/posting in this thread may not be aware that Fred has been arguing for more frequent changes in the "E39 Change Oil Myself?" thread.
In any case, engine problems due to oil sludge buildup generally show up later in an engine's lifetime than 60K miles.
FloydR
The colour of the oil is not a reliable indicator as to whether it should be changed.
Do you really want to know how far you can go between oil changes? Get a used oil analysis done at a lab like Blackstone Laboratories (no affiliation, just a happy customer). They'll send you a free collection kit in the mail. They will use a plasma spectrometer and what's known as total base number analysis to determine scientifically how much life there is left in the oil you send them.
After an experiment or two, you'll find out scientifically how far you can go, and avoid the religious wars in automotive discussion groups like this one.
bobistheoilguy.com is a great site you should check out.
What? You couldn't see my tongue in cheek online? ;-)
Color of oil doesn't mean anything. If it is synthetic oil I Would do an extra change at 7500 miles. Should be good for many miles.
*I* could, but the newbie OP might not have been able to!
Floyd
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