E39 Change Oil Myself?

Yes I know what you have got. Other and newer models have a counter and a date warning.

There's a simple procedure (on 2001 and sub cars) that

I have done this and the service milage automatically extended by some 4000 miles on a Mercedes but I have not tested this on the BMW because I leave the system to tell me when to service.

These engines are fitted to many models. My X5 and Range Rover have the system whatever engine is fitted as do other models in the BMW range. Just because your particular model does not does not mean other models are the same.

You base your arguement on only one or two models in a vast range. The light system is being phased out as new models are introduced.

BMW Condition Based Servicing

A number of BMW models now feature Condition Based Servicing, (CBS), an evolution of the innovative BMW Service Interval Indicator.

CBS works by employing sensors to constantly monitor parts subjected to wear and ascertain the extent to which servicing is necessary. This data is then saved and stored in the vehicle's remote control. Using a KeyReader, BMW Service

Yes I know what you have in the USA and have said so. The USA is only a small part of the World.

Take it any way you like. It's a fact. Ignore it if you wish.

Yes they have.

Oils have improved. What consumer

VW and Audi cars from the Golf upwards with diesel engines, the petrol engines having around 20,000 mile intervals, all with a two year over-ride. Also many GM Vauxhall/Opel cars such as the Astra and Vectra. Hardly exotic or rare cars. Click on a number of models in the drop-down box on this Vauxhall link to start with

formatting link
formatting link
formatting link

I find the Lexus 470 to be excellent. Also on a smaller scale the Nissan Primera is very under-rated as a 3 series rival in dynamic terms even though it is front wheel drive. In my experience the Primera is a far more rewarding drive than an Audi A4. You may scoff, but the Ford Mondeo we have here is absolutely excellent as a drivers car but is outsold by the BMW 3 series. BMW are large volume cars in the UK and most of Europe and not quite the exotic product you think they are in the USA. That is not to belittle their generally excellent qualities including dynamics and long service intervals.

Huw

Reply to
Huw
Loading thread data ...

Reply to
Fred W

Yes. The 0w/30 Mobil 1 is not actually approved for latest BMW engines. The

0w/40 is perfectly acceptable. This is not a result of the viscosity but because the chemistry of Mobil1 at the 0w/40 viscosity happens to be superior and it meets higher standards. Other brands may differ and indeed do.

Huw

Reply to
Huw
[...]

My E39 (1997) has that too.

Just below the first green light there is a clock icon which illuminates for time based service items - AFAIK just every other year for brake fluid and coolant...

A
Reply to
Alistair J Murray
[...]

I know, scary 'spensive stuff too...

...but *much* cheaper than the 'box.

Had a good chat with the workshop boss who reckoned that the ATF is realisticly good for 120-160k so a change now should be good for another

10 -12 years... [...]

So there is still some level of bore and journal wear rather than stuff reaching the end of its fatigue life...

...and worth renewing.

:)

I guess these are low revving and low specific output.

15,000 miles does not seem ambitious at all...

A

Reply to
Alistair J Murray

There are a number of on-line and mail-order companies that specialize in BMW parts. Bimmer magazine has a great collection of advertisers and a good place to start. Roundel is the BMWCCA magazine and truly outstanding (membership $40/yr). Many dealers give a discount to BMWCCA members.

For a start

formatting link

OEM and Mann are both good filters.

R / John

Reply to
John Carrier

There are a number of mfrs who make BMW filters: Mahle, Mann, Hensgt, Bosch, Meyle and others. For my 1990 E34 535i, 5spd, 105K, my local auto part store sells me Mahle OX41D oil filters and gasket/o-ring kit for $3 each when I buy 10.

For parts, I've had mix success with bavauto. You may want to check out

formatting link
and
formatting link

Reply to
bfd

Further, ultimate garage is having a sale on oil filters for BMW:

formatting link

Reply to
bfd

SNIP

< Never-ending volley of opinions>

SNIP

And to think this started in response to changing the oil in a 2003 530i.

R / John

Reply to
John Carrier

Thanks John and bfd. I ordered some Mann filters from bvauto.

Ambrose

Reply to
ambrose88

Assuming your box does not fail due to general wear or component failure beforehand. But let's not be pessimistic ;-)

Of course. Everything wears out eventually. Truck engines are built strong and can be rebuilt, replacing worn parts, many times during a lifetime. If it was cost effective a car engine could be rebuilt in the same way but modern engines generally last the life of the car if reasonably maintained and driven.

The piston speed can be as high as a smaller high revving engine though and the torque output can be phenomenal.

It is not. It is well established and around half the interval of some competitive cars.

Huw

Reply to
Huw

Forget the last paragraph. Can you deny any of the other evidence including that contained in the links provided?

Huw

Reply to
Huw

Best prices online for WorldPac parts are at

formatting link
(no affiliatin, just a past customer)

Reply to
Fred W

In case you didn't figure it out, I have withdrawn from the competition. Without any reference to your links (you never gave one for your car's newer service interval system), I acknowledge before all that is holy and those poor fools who followed this thread that your piss stream spanned a greater distance than mine.

Happy?

R / John

Reply to
John Carrier

No, because I have the facts. I cannot post picture details of the modern service system although I will copy the full text from the BMW web site down below. Although I have and have had cars with the mileage countdown system I am not sure if it has the full system with key reader. It probably has but is of no direct consequence to me. The X5 was built in the USA.

START A number of BMW models now feature Condition Based Servicing, (CBS), an evolution of the innovative BMW Service Interval Indicator.

CBS works by employing sensors to constantly monitor parts subjected to wear and ascertain the extent to which servicing is necessary. This data is then saved and stored in the vehicle's remote control. Using a KeyReader, BMW Service staff can download this information to provide an accurate analysis at any given time. This means that until such time that wears progresses to defined limits, no service or maintenance work is required.

The savings are measurable in terms of both time and outlay.

CBS is not a feature on all BMW models please ask your BMW Dealer for details. END

Huw

Reply to
Huw

I beat you to the quiting line... ;-)

Reply to
Fred W

I think the whole point of this thread is whether or not you believe BMW's service intervals are in your "interest."

On the one hand, some will argue that BMW interest is in selling you cars and that a "lifetime" is up to about 100K. After that, you need to get rid of your car and buy a new one. If you fall in that camp, then things like "lifetime" fluids, 15,000 oil service intervals, and changing coolant every 5 years/100K miles is all you need. Of course, there are examples of cars following this maintenance schedule lasting

200K, 300k or maybe even more.

In contrast, there are some, like me, who believe BMWs should last

300K. The majority in this camp will go "beyond" what BMW requires and change our oil every 3-5K (dino)/7.5-10K (synthetic), bleed our brakes every year or two; flush coolant every 2 years, and change tranny (manual) and differential oil every 30K. It should be noted that even if you did all of these things, there's no guarantee that your car will last 300K

For those who think those in the second camp, are "excess" and these owners, like myself, are nothing but paranoid, you may be right. Then again the cost of doing these things, especially if you do it yourself is pretty minimal in the scheme of things.

Reply to
bfd

You must be kidding, right? If it doesn't last at least 200,000 miles without undue wear these days, then it is not much of a car. Of course BMW's reputation rests partly on the quality and longevity of its engines and they cannot and do not gamble this reputation by getting their customers to compromise the vehicles by substandard servicing.

If you fall in that camp,

You may think they should but actually very few, if any, manufacturers design cars to last that long. Even at 20,000 miles per year consistently it will take 15 years to reach 300,000 miles. Now I am not saying that no BMW will reach this milestone *but* it is probable that it will be commercially driven vehicles such as taxi's that will do so, serviced as needed and no more. The extra oil changes of 5000 mile schedule will have negligible effects on longevity because the standard schedule is performed well before the oil degrades to the point where it causes accellerated wear. In fact it is probable there will be more wear in the first minute after an oil change than with many thousands of miles of running even with oil that has beed in service for upwards of 10,000 miles.

I am well aware that this is beyond the comprehension of committed sceptics such as described below but, ho-hum......., such is life.

The majority in this camp will go "beyond" what BMW requires and

That is indeed the case. There could be all kinds of non-lube or indeed lube related failures. In fact for the vast majority the rest of the car, both mechanically and cosmetically, will likely fail in some way before this point. It requires a very committed owner indeed to have the patience to run a car for 300k. Even if the car was run at a high annual mileage for 200,000 miles it is likely [though not writ in stone] that the second, third or fourth owner will not keep up this hectic pace with the old crock.

If it makes you feel good, do it. The car is just a lump of metal and plastic and *it* will certainly not appreciate it. It has no feeling or concience. I'm sorry if this comes as a shock to some people. It may come as an even greater surprise that *I* feel the same way and get satisfaction from early servicing of a car and some kind of guilt if I overshoot by only a few miles. The difference is, maybe, that I am under no illusion that it does much except make *me* feel good and that given a bit of luck [we all need luck with mechanical things] all my cars are capable of outlasting my patience with them.

Huw

Reply to
Huw

That you for succinctly summarizing my point. And furthermore, those that do change their own oil, even twice as often as BMW recommends will go home with more money in their pockets than those that bring it to the dealerships per schedule.

Is it "recreational"? Perhaps. I actually do find it to be therapeutic to do work on my own cars. Is that a bad thing? I think not. But it is not recreational to the extent that it is done without purpose.

Wasteful? Not green enough? Too destructive to the shared, fragile environmental ecosystem? So is driving any car in the first place. Should we all walk or drive bicycles instead of driving? Where does one draw a line about what is "necessary" vs "unnecesary" when it comes to autos?

Reply to
Fred W

Prove it! I say there will be no significant difference in the longevity of either vehicle. I don't have to prove it because I follow the manufacturers recomendation while you wish to modify it and therefore should justify your lack of faith in the manufacturer and its product.

No, not a bad thing.

But it is not recreational to the extent that it is done

No, just rather wastful use of your time and energy but no more so than arguing the toss on Usenet.

So is driving any car in the first place.

When it comes to maintenance then it is necessary to follow the manufacturers recommendations and unnecessary to second guess them and do much more. There, that was easy, wasn't it? The bottom line is that if you have so little faith in the honesty, integrity and engineering of the manufacturer, then why buy and run their product when there is so much choice of more conservative, less avant-gard manufacturers? The whole essence of a BMW is that it is avant-gard.

Huw

Reply to
Huw

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.