Break-in oil change debate

LDB

LDB

Joined
Nov 11, 2009
Messages
1,799
Location
Houston(ish), Texas
The unsolvable debate, change oil soon after purchase or wait for the OCI to say do it. I was going to wait, partly from doubting its necessity with today's engines and partly from cheapness. The local Christian Brothers just announced an oil change special for $14.99, eliminating the cheapness argument, so I'm going tomorrow and get it changed. I'll have ~425 miles or so at that point, enough that any wayward particles should be removed. And small side benefit going forward I'll have July 4th every year as my oil change reminder.
 
The factory fill oil typically contains a number of additives (usually metals to coat the engine) so give them time, as given in the manual for OCI, to do the work they were specced for.

If the oil is on sale now, go ahead, buy it and stow it in your garage or in a closet somewhere. Or pick something up on the next sale - or heck, on Amazon. I've seen brick and mortar oil stores in my city shut down saying they just can't match Amazon's margins or prices.
 
There really doesn't need to be a debate. Probably 98% of passenger vehicles either say NOT to change it early or say nothing about early changes. They simply say "change it when the reminder says to". Contrary to popular/wrong belief, automakers don't program their engines to die from oil-related failures a month after the warranty expires. They actually want them to last and if they say changing the oil at 10k miles won't hurt, they'll have data to back this up.

If you want to change your oil at 450 miles, go for it. If you want to change full-synthetic engine oil every 3000 miles, go for it.
 
I would question the quality of the products used in a $14.99 oil change. Even on clearance you cant get 5 qts of synthetic oil and a filter for a modern engine for that kind of money. I think the engine would be better off with the factory fill and OEM filter staying in it.
 
Here goes, I dump my FF as soon as I get home from the dealership.
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If you are changing oil this early, you could probably pour castor oil into the sump and it'd run. After all if that was the lube ww1 aircraft used (so their pilots had to take medicine to not soil themselves whenever they flew) ..
 
I should maybe add that I drive about 3,000 to maybe 3,500 miles per year. I would change again then unless the OCI surprised me and suggested it sooner.
 
This was my logic. I bought a brand new 335i in 12/06.

I asked the service mgr at the time, should I do an oil change at 1,200 miles? M cars I know, have a sticker to do it.

He asked me did you buy this car or lease it? I said I bought it.

He then said, well, if it were mine, I would do it. It may not serve any purpose in reality, but I would. If it were leased, well, it's not your car so why bother with things that are extra and possibly not needed?

I then asked any chance I can get a discount? He said sure. We'll put it in the computer.

So, even though BMW covered oil changes 1x per year, I always did an interval one. And got charged $71. At the time, that was cheap, it tended to be in the $110 ballpark (in 2007!).

So I would do one...
 
I would be concerned with the filter for an oil change that cheap. I'd rather have a really good filter and cheaper oil on a new engine breaking in.
I change my own for that reason. I want quality oil and a top notch filter.
 
LDB said:
The unsolvable debate, change oil soon after purchase or wait for the OCI to say do it. I was going to wait, partly from doubting its necessity with today's engines and partly from cheapness. The local Christian Brothers just announced an oil change special for $14.99, eliminating the cheapness argument, so I'm going tomorrow and get it changed. I'll have ~425 miles or so at that point, enough that any wayward particles should be removed. And small side benefit going forward I'll have July 4th every year as my oil change reminder.
Click to expand...
I'll have ~425 miles or so at that point, enough that any wayward particles should be removed.Thats what the oil filters job is,to remove wayward particles!!
 
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