Annual Oil change

[foose]

I have a 2006 BMW X5 3.0i that I rarely drive. It has been 1 year and there's only 1,800 total miles on it. 60%City 40%Highway

The car is due for it's annual oil change and I'll be doing it myself with Mobil 1 5W30 Fully synthetic/ MANN filter because I dont trust the stealers around here.

My question is since I have such low miles and not even one green bar has disappeared from the service indicator. Is the oil still good? How long do you think I can still run on it?

 

[ProStreetCamaro]

Honestly I wouldnt drain that oil till i had at least 3,000 on it. Thats a waste of good oil in my oppinion. But if you break it down the cost of 1 oil change is vurtually nothing so do what you think is right. I dont think it matters either way.

 

[Hammer]

You should really change your oil once a year even if the mileage is low. Wouldn't hurt to change the oil anyway to get the break-in particles out. But one thing...Mobil 1 5w30 doesn't meet your BMW specs. The HTHS viscosity of that oil is too low at around 3.1cSt. BMW requires oil with a MINIMUM HTHS of 3.5 and highly suggest using an oil that meets BMW-LL04 in that car. Now, Mobil 1 0w-40 European formula meets the HTHS requirement and IIRC, meets BMW-LL01 which should be good enough. Another oil you should see if you can find is Pennzoil Platinum Euro formula in 5w30 as it meets both the HTHS and LL-04.

Hammer

 

[cmhj]

I'd do an OC once a year, regardless of mileage, due to condensation issues.

 

[Pablo]

I'm 100% convinced any strong oil could do this 1 year OCI with no problem. I would do a used oil analysis and stretch it to 18+ months, or just bag it and change at 12 months.

 

[lostwrench]

Don't forget the oil filter is made of "paper". I would not go more than one year on it. I would change it and the oil.

 

[Curious Kid]

I'm not sure the OLM takes into account regional weather behavior - like thermal cycling of ambient air and humidity, etc. Unless one's engine is air tight, a few have mentioned around here that condensation still presents itself when the vehicle/engine isn't in use. Anyone care to prove or disprove this? As for myself, I suppose it's possible, but in relatively small amounts...nothing which the occasional weekend drive wouldn't take care of. The lack of blow-by byproducts during such periods of sitting would lesson the impact of having a little moisture in the case, but that also is nothing more than an unproven opinion.

As for changing the oil, I also feel that M1's 5w30 night not be the best grade to use. I'd be sure to check the requirements of your engine so as to stay in line with the OCI that the "monitoring" system is spec'ed for, if nothing else for ensure ample protection. My father's 9-3 saab also requires M1's 0w-40 for it's system, which I think registers some 24 months after an oil change! Definitely over 18 months anyway, so he says.

Take care.

 

[ericthepig]

+1 Pablo.

Take it for regular evaporation runs (nice 30-40 min drives).

Personally I wouldn't be using Mobil 1 reg. line for this (and I've used Mobil 1 a long time). I'd use Mobil 1 0w40, or any Amsoil extended drain oils. And I would indeed take it to 18 mos.

Do dipstick sample UOA once at 1 yr if you need peace of mind that your method is not mad. (But I say it's not needed if your using the oils recommended above. Your situation will not challenge them.)

 

[ericthepig]

Slight correction - not "any" Amsoil. As Hammer pts out above, it needs to meet BMW specs. Ams. Euro formula meets those I believe, but I'm not sure if it's been thru the spec process with BMW (which I understand can come down to a costly formality).

 

[Bobert]

You could easily go 2 year OCI if you wanted. I believe your X5 has a fairly large sump around 8 quarts. I'd run it out to 18 months minimum.

 

[Bob Woods]

If its still under warranty do what ever needs to be done to meet your warranty requirements.

 

[salesrep]

Agreed. 2 years ya think?

 

[mfisher1967]

Must be nice to own a BMW and only need to drive it 1800K a year. Do you have a motorcycle?

 

[foose]

Quote:

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Must be nice to own a BMW and only need to drive it 1800K a year. Do you have a motorcycle?

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Thanks guys I'll go with Mobil 1 0w40 if I can find it at the local PepBoys/autozone. If not then I'll roll the dice and bring it to the stealer.

I drive a '89 acura legend as a daily driver with close to 150,000 miles. Engine is still running strong its just everything else thats falling apart.

 

[glenncof]

Check the manual for BMW's LL-04 requirement. Also verify the correct weight, I would guess 5W40 or 0W40 without knowing.

I'm no BMW expert but I think the LL-04 may relate to after-treatment devices related to exhaust.

Find a list of approved oils from BMW. I see Valvoilne 5W40 Synpower and Maxlife Synthetic (5W30, 10W30) as saying LL-04 but what does that mean to BMW. Meets requirements is different than certified.

My notes say Mobil 1 0W40 Euro is not up to LL-04, only LL-01.