E39 Change Oil Myself?

The filter housing is located at the front top center of the engine, just behind the radiator shroud. It has a black plastic cap with a 36mm hexagonal fitting on it (requires a 36mm wrench or socket). The filter is a replaceable unit within the housing. The filter kit comes with a new O-ring for the filter housing cap (fits in a groove just above the threads. There's also a replacement washer for the oil drain plug, located on the engine sump passenger side (it faces to the fight looking forward). The plug requires a 17mm socket or wrench.

It's a little awkward, but you can do this using ramps or jack stands to raise the car. Much better if you have a lift. It's a 15 minute job. Mobil 1 is fine and approved by BMW: 5W30 for the E-39. 0W40 is okay too.

OBTW, don't drain your transmission by mistake (sounds stupid, but if it can be done wrong, someone will). The trans drain faces straight down.

Yes, you can change the oil yourself. Having said that, I see no reason to argue the point with the engineers.

If you gotta ask ...

The local oil change joints will want to use their own stuff. I suppose you could inquire about them using your stuff instead of theirs.

If you used the recommended synthetic oil there is no advantage in changing the oil and filter before the service indicator says it's due.

Modern engines running synthetic lubes do *not* require the frequent changes of yesteryear. Trust the technology, it works.

A

If you can find one of these oil change joints, you can suck up the oil through the level check tube. Don't worry about the filter every other time.

BTW doesn't yours tell you when it wants a service?

Even if I want to keep the car for 200K+

Ambrose

Yup.

The service indicator has a pretty good handle on the badness being bone to your oil. It logs, at least, cold starts and fuel burned and will suggest an oil change after very different mileages if you do long cruises, mountain blats or short shopping trips... In every case the oil will still be in spec with most but not all of its additive pack used up.

If you do a very low mileage you might want to change the oil with the other fluids every other year or annually if its all short trips.

It seems that changing transmission fluid more often than BMW's schedule is wise for a keeper but the SI is your friend for other service tasks.

A

Agree. I change my transmission AND differential fluid every 30K or so miles using a good synthetic like Redline or Royal Purple.

So you're saying that you are comfortable with 15k mile oil changes? I'm not, ...on *any* car that I own. The whole "extended" oil change thing stems from manufacturers trying to reduce the mainetenance costs for their new models. Yes, oil has come a long way, and yes, the engineers have done a fine job in design, but 15k miles is just too long in my books. 10k? Maybe if highway miles only, but 7,500 is a good timing for mixed driving (city / highway).

Just out of curiosity, at what interval *do* you change your oil at?

So you just knew how to do it intuitively the first time, Jeff? A beeter answer might have been:

"If you gotta ask ... get yourself a repair manual. Bentley's are about the best."

Except that the Jiffy Lubes of the world are not likely to have either Mobil1 0W40 or BMW brand synthetic (recommended oils) or the proper filters for BMWs. Personally I would do the oil changes myself and forgo the quick-lube places as they have been known to do some really stupid things on occasion. Like overtightening the drain plugs and stripping them out or leaving them loose. It's definitely worse on your engine running with no oil (after it spills out on the road) than running too long on old oil... ;-)

OK, I don't get it... Why do you *not* trust BMW engineers to tell you when to change the transmission and diff oils (never), but trust them completely when it comes to the engine oil? Is it the wizz-bang electronic timer that gives you such trust?

I've got a secret to share with you: It's in the best interest of BMW to have your engine wear out earlier. I'm not talking prematurely, that won't happen from extending your oil changes. But instead of running, say 300k miles, you might only get 250k. That would please BMW greatly since they would get to sell you (or someone) a car 50k miles sooner.

Would that extra 50k miles be worth the cost of more frequent oil changes to you?

BTW, I personally don't think that Royal Purple is all that great. I've read some negative things about viscosity breakdown in testing and that should never be an issue wity full synthetic oils. Redline is good stuff though.

While the rate of degradation of ATF is very low it is not zero.

30k seems a bit premature but I am considering changing my ATF around 100k as it is probably less bother just doing it than having it tested...

My understanding of how modern synthetic lubricants work is that they have a capacity to absorb combustion products and are effectively good as new until exhausted; they do not suffer the viscosity drift with use of mineral oils.

Provided the oil is changed *in* *time* it will perform just as well as if it is changed early.

That 50k is most likely BTW, I personally don't think that Royal Purple is all that great.

I use what ALPINA recommend and change it when they recommend - it's working so far.

A

Fred W writes:

Are you sure it is still 4 years? There are no coolant changes listed on the maintenance schedule for my 2003 Z4 and the dealer indicated that it is now "lifetime".

Tom K.

Yikes, "lifetime" coolant! Does you Z4 have plastic radiator, thermostat housing and coolant reservior too? Sorry, but I wouldn't live with "lifetime" coolant, especially when the stuff in your car, Valvoline Zerex G 48 hasn't changed since 2003! Expect to replace your radiator, thermostat housing and coolant reservior sometime between

60K-80K as the plastic gets brittle and can break.

Look again in your service manual. I've got the same engine and it's every

4 years since manufacture date.

Auto trans was lifetime fill for a while. It's now 100,000 miles.

BMW also now says you should change the oil every year, even if you haven't hit the service interval. While the oil retains its lubricating qualities, its additive package gradually deteriorates. Anecdotal evidence (that's inconvenient evidence) has indicated a lot of sludge builds up if you follow the lights (lots of M62 engine owners find this out early as they check oil pump bolts).

BMW has a vested interest in appearing low maintenance and also keeping the cost of 50K/4yr free maintenance low. They have little interest in assuring the engine will demonstrate the traditional (for BMW) lifetime of a quarter million miles. Quite honestly, I sometimes wonder if they care at all about the long-term customer ... They're too busy chasing the next one (not unlike the cellular phone world ... another ball of wax).

R / John

What year is your 3.0 liter?

For my 2003, page 4 of the Service Manual lists the following mileage/time interval services:

Brake Fluid - every 2 years Oxygen Sensor - every 100,000 miles Spark Plugs - every 100,000 miles Auto Trans - Change ATF every 100,000 miles

As part of Inspection I, the cooling system is checked and coolant is topped off if required - but not changed.

I didn't believe it either until it was confirmed by the service manager at the dealership where the car was purchased and has been serviced. Needless to say, the fluid will be changed at 4 years, and the manual transmission will get Red Line at about 40,000 miles - but it won't be paid for by BMW.

Tom K.

Oddly enough BMW are sold worldwide, not just in the USA, and service is certainly not 'free' elsewhere but the extended servicing has been established for many years now.

Perhaps they were profiteering previously. I have never changed coolant at less than five years or 100,000 miles and the systems have never frozen or corroded.

Obviously longer intervals are adequate for all transmissions and there is no evidence that transmissions now fail sooner than previously.

Do you expect browny points?

Who cares what brand is used? It is not important.

I figure for $6-7/quart, its not

Man! You need to get a life. Changing oil according to recommended schedule is important but anything else is just recreational.

Huw

The plastic appreciates coolant changes? That's a novel concept.

Sorry, but I wouldn't

It is a hybrid acid technology coolant designed to provide protection over a very extended period. They are probably changing the formulation on an on-going development basis, but be that as it may, there is no reason to change it at less than 100,000 miles or five years and it is probably good for many years after that.

Expect to replace

If that is the case then that is surely the time to replace the coolant. Unless you are trying to make us believe that it is the lack of coolant changes that causes the plastic to degrade? LOL In fact plastic tanks have been used for many years now in both cars and industrial applications and the failure rate, in my experience, is at least as low as for all metal systems. There could be exceptions with both types of course where poor design is responsible for failure but I have not come across any.

Huw

How many buy a new car and run it to 250k? 0.1%? How many cars these days are scrapped because the engine fails?

Mine has no mention of a service interval but it is a year old and this may have changed recently. Yes, the fluid is good for an average of over 100,000 miles at which point it does apparently degrade to an unacceptable degree. The transmission might still last another 50 to 100k miles but it seems sensible to change the oil when it is due. An actual transmission failure might be due to factors other than good lubrication though.

Every two years elsewhere. This is clearly indicated by the dashboard computer if the time limit is hit before the mileage limit.

Anecdotal evidence is just that. Not reliable and changes for the more dramatic with each repeat telling down the line.

Then buy something else with the low service intervals you crave. A leading edge high technology BMW is obviously wasted on you.

Huw