2004 BMW 530i oil change interval

[surfmountie]

Sorry if this is repetitious, but my new 530i calls for oil changes at 15000 miles or at least every 12 months. As I've always changed oil and filter at 3500, this sounds like a longer period than prudent.
I know the synthetics have changed things, and BMW says they have improved their engines to the point that additional changes are unnecessary.
What are your thoughts?

 

[Alan]

Doesn't BMW have a lawsuit against them concerning customers who followed the book and got locked/sludged engines?

 

[Whimsey]

If you're leasing the BMW and don't plan on keeping it then the 15,000 mile OCI will get you through the warranty. Assuming you lease for 3/4 years and don't drive over 50,000 miles. If you're going to keep it why not do 7,500 mile/6 month OCI's. That should afford you good protection and longevity. Does the dealer provide "free" oil changes every 15,000 miles and if so what oil do they use? I believe that maybe a year ago somebody did an UOA on their BMW using dealer or factory oil for about 15,000 miles and the oil was really beat up.

Whimsey

 

[Matt89]

quote:

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Doesn't BMW have a lawsuit against them concerning customers who followed the book and got locked/sludged engines?

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This pertains to a company (either BMW or Mercedes) that didn't specify synthetic meeting certain requirements in the owner's manual. So, they weren't 'following the book' even though they thought they were.

15,000 miles or one year should be no problem for a top-quality synthetic. Unless you are delivering pizzas, 15K in one year presupposes a fair amount of highway driving.

 

[joatmon]

Whimsey nailed it. Even IF you are leasing, consider that you, a family member or friend may want it at the end of the lease. So, change at 8k into the free change that the dealer does.

The BMW is very easy to change. It has the best oil filter location possible, right at the top, front of the engine on the inline 6. So, you can do it yourself without a lot of hassle. Get a filter (~$10) and 7 quarts (~$4 each) at the dealer.

Also, the leasing dealer is obligated to buy back most leased cars at lease end. So, returning a leased car in great shape puts you in a better bargaining position for your next car should it be another BMW.

Hope this helps,

Jack

 

[crossbow]

Matt,

Don't forget the recent issues with VW/Audi. I hear there are other lawsuits pending on other manufacturers with 10+ intervals.

Main reasoning being they don't hammer in the point that the 10k+ intervals apply to "lite driving...aka mostly highway". 90% of consumers usually fall under the "severe" driving conditions, which involve much shorter OCI's.

Maybe after enough companies get sued, they'll change the OCI's to reflect severe as normal, and normal as "lite".

 

[Dr. T]

Yes, BMW has a flexible service interval based on type of driving, number of cold starts, etc..

Secondly, these engines run much cleaner than US engines I have had experience with ie. higher quality.

But, you do need to use a synthetic. For eg. BMW 0-40 (Castrol R) should be able to do 10-15k mi. quite readily. In my experiece, the BMW Synthetic 5w30 can't handle 10k mi. intervals. However, 3500 is a waste of time/resources.

In other words, my recommendation with a 200k mi. BMW: Use an A3-rated 40 weight...eg. 0-40 or 5-40 for the req'd intervals and the engine will last a very long time....

 

[joatmon]

BMWs OCI is based soley on the number of liters of gasoline consumed. In fact, with some hand gymnastics you can actually see how many liters of gasoline remain to be consumed before the oil change is recommended.

Our old 528e was sold last year with 197k on it. It never consumed a measurable amount of oil, only used a litlle when it had leaky seals. Oil used? 0W30 and Mobil 1 10w30, some 5W30 BMW syn, and a little Schaeffer's #703, a 10W30. All these oils seem to work very well. I usually changes at a 5k interval. I think that the engine will go 300k. At 197k, it still got 26 MPG overall and literally ran like new.

BTW, the reason I went to 0W30 Mobil 1 early in its life (~40k) was that I heard a little noise at startup, even though it was garaged. The 0W30 Mobil 1 stopped it right now, and I never experienced that statup noise again.

Of course, my experience is no indicator or predictor of what will happen to you.

Jack

 

[Audi Junkie]

Either Mobil 1 40 weight produkt should serve you well. I prefer the Mobil 1 Truck and SUV 5w40 oil. If you don't want to change the filter or pay for someone to do it, you could maybe drain it at 7500 miles leaving the filter on. My '95 BMW 325 had a canister filter, pretty easy. I have seen pics here of 5w-50 Syntec at every 10k and the engine was spotless. That is a possible oil for you if you drive very hard and or don't like Mobil.

 

[Cary]

The used oil analysis on this board have shown that the BMW Synthetic oil has a bit of trouble making the factory interval. Also, in speaking to my local BMW mechanic, he has told me that people that have been following the 15,000 oil change interval with the factory BMW 5w30 synthetic have been experiencing very loud valvtrains at 100,000 miles and some failures of lifters, cams, etc..

His suggestion, mine, and as others have stated, change the oil with the factory synthetic or a good synthetic (Mobil 1 0w-40, BMW LL approved) every 7,500 miles. Piece of mind, better resale value, and not wasting by doing changes every 3,000 miles.

BTW, as others have mentioned, your motor is about the easiest motor in the world to change oil on. I can do my wifes 525i oil in less than 20 minutes, this is from the time I walk into the garage, until I am back in the house.

 

[Dr. T]

Having owned my 1994 BMW for 7 years and 190k mi., I seriously believe the engineers did their work when designing the dash computer OCI (and there's more to it than just the quantity of fuel consumed).

It's just that what happens after the design room is the problem. From what I've seen, the North American BMW Synthetic 5-30 can't hold the mustard when it comes to such an OCI. They don't use this oil in Europe. They're using Synthetic 0-40 and 5-40's.

I'm currently using Syntec 5-50 to clean up my engine. I've only been comfortable up to 5k mi. thusfar due to it's observable condition and the desire to clean the engine with fresh oil...but hope to get it to the full 10k. Stay posted.

 

[Cary]

Dr. T,

Couple of other points on the OCI for BMW.

1) I agree with you that the oil sold to the NA market is not up to par. I think that Mobil 1 0w-40 would likely be fine for the full OCI.

2) BMW upped the OCI from about 7500-9000 miles in the mid 1990's to 13000-15000 miles that is presently is. As you know there have been no significant changes to the motors (exclusing the Motorsport motors) from 1992-2003, with the V-8 and I-6 motors changing slightly in spec but not significantly. Obviously the new V-8 has some more changes than in previous years, but still not significant.

3) Running oil to 9000 miles is one thing, I have no concerns. Going out to 15,000 without a used oil analysis worries me since the oil may for various reasons not make the distance.

Cary

 

[Joe1]

If it is a lease that you plan on turning in, 15k intervals will be fine. If you plan on keeping it for the long term, I'd have the oil analyzed before going 15k. If you decide on the 15k interval, be sure to purchase a top quality synthetic rated for extended drains.

My friend has a 2003 540 that is a lease. He always turns his leased vehicles in and has never had any oil related issues with the extended drain intervals. His 540 usually needs makeup oil during the extended 15k interval. In his case, he purchases store brand 5w30 to add. His reasoning is "Why should I pay 5 dollars a quart when the car is going to be surrendered after the lease."

 

[Losiho]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr. T:
Having owned my 1994 BMW for 7 years and 190k mi., I seriously believe the engineers did their work when designing the dash computer OCI

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Seems like the oil change computer in BMWs has been upgraded and/or is more sophisticated than when my parents owned an E30 318is. It had 5 green lights which would extinguish as the mileage increased, finally a yellow and red light would light up to inform you that the service is due/overdue.

These 5 lights would always, no matter how the car was driven, go out after 2,000km. 5 x 2,000 = 10,000km.....surprise surprise, the standard oil change interval for almost all cars here in Australia. When we quizzed our BMW service department about it, he told us it was a gimic and the lights would always go out in 2,000km intervals.

Oh and btw, the BMW "synthetic" 5w30 is re-badged Castrol TXT Softec (Group 3). Same oil that's available at any Jaguar or BMW dealer down here.

 

[JohnnyO]

My dad had a 2000 740iL, and just went by the OLI, and after 94,000 miles it still didn't burn a drop or make a bit of noise. Then too, a bunch of other expensive stuff either broke or went bad which is why he traded it on a Cadillac. That V8 held about 12 or 14 quarts of syn too, so I don't think a 15k interval is unreasonable on that engine. After dad's experience, my take on Beemers is that they are great cars so long as they're on warranty.

 

[Dr. T]

Yeah, mine is the stupid 5 light thing too. But, mine seem to go off at about 2k mi. intervals (not kilometers) leading things to about 9-10k depending on number of cold starts. So that would take things to 15-16k km! They use the 5-30 in Aus? Hmmm.

The weird thing is that I too can usually predict the intervals...

I agree re: the interval increase without improving the oil (same BMW 5-30). One local BMW dealer here began recommending the BMW 0-40 synthetic (Munich derived) and another has Motul 0-40 synth. in the parts dept...

Another point in case: OEM manuf. are only concerned with making it thru the warranty period with the least amount of service (cuz now they pay for it) and building in a planned replacement. Loss of the "build 'em like a brick s**t house mentality" forever

 

[jaj]

Dr. T

BMW must use a number of strategies for their service indicator lights. My 2003 M5 uses exactly 3250 litres of fuel between service lights, or 650 litres per light. I've tracked it over a period of months against the pump reciepts from the gas station. The only factor is fuel consumed.

That said, I change it more often than the factory recommends. I use TWS 10w-60 in the summer and Mobil 1 0w-40 or BMW 5w30 in the winter. The TWS only has a TBN of 8.5, and is only SJ and ACEA A3/96, so it's not a "LongLife" oil. Sort of a "good time, not a long time" thing...

Cheers
JJ

 

[joatmon]

quote:

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Originally posted by jaj:
Dr. T

BMW must use a number of strategies for their service indicator lights. My 2003 M5 uses exactly 3250 litres of fuel between service lights, or 650 litres per light. I've tracked it over a period of months against the pump reciepts from the gas station. The only factor is fuel consumed.

That said, I change it more often than the factory recommends. I use TWS 10w-60 in the summer and Mobil 1 0w-40 or BMW 5w30 in the winter. The TWS only has a TBN of 8.5, and is only SJ and ACEA A3/96, so it's not a "LongLife" oil. Sort of a "good time, not a long time" thing...

Cheers
JJ

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Amen. Now the OCI is based on fuel consumption only. Again, you press the right buttons and it'll tell you how many liters are left in the countdown.

Jack

 

[joatmon]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr. T:

.....

Another point in case: OEM manuf. are only concerned with making it thru the warranty period with the least amount of service (cuz now they pay for it) and building in a planned replacement. Loss of the "build 'em like a brick s**t house mentality" forever

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I offer an opposing viewpoint. BMW dealers do very, very well selling CPO (certified pre-owned) cars. Guess where they get them? Yep, one's they leased 3 or 4 yeard earlier. The entry level BMW to many folks is a CPO BMW. BMW and their dealers spend a lot of time promoting this and a CPO car will bring $3 - $4k more than a non-CPO car. Looking at recent BMWs versus their American and Japanese competitors leads me to believe that BMWs are still better built. Ever see the unibody on an X5. That's the car I want my wife and 2 children in for safety reasons. The in-line 6 is really well built. From my understanding, they won't punch the current 3.0 liter out to 3.6 liters as once was rumored because it would weaken it a bit. The Z4 project manager in Greer told me the X7 was cancelled becasue of safety concerns. They just couldn't make it handle like a BMW should. Overbuilt? Yes! Bullet proof? Nope! It the electronic gizzmos that kill most BMWs.

Just one guy's opinion. Yours is just as valid.

Jack

 

[Cary]

Jack,

Take a look at the constant complaints about the CPO cars in Roundel and you will see a different picture. (Roundel is the BMW Car Club of America Magazine, not affiliated with BMW NA). Many people have written in after finding out their cars in no way met the CPO requirements (repaints, crash damage, etc.). Basically BMW's CPO program is a way for dealers to take a used car, and provide a $2000 extended warrantee for $4000.

Also, there is no issue with the motors making it to 100,000 miles with 15k oil changes as speced by BMW. What there is an issue with is how well they run and those motors getting to 300K+ miles like regularly happened with the cars that BMW and Mercedes used to make.