So I have a 2019 540i with 33k mikes that I plan to keep for at least three more years. The maintenance spec is 10,000 miles for oil change interval realistically I wanna shorten that to 5000. Am I overthinking this? I don’t really drive aggressively and it’s a mix of around town and highway. But I feel like it’s the cheapest insurance and my specialized mechanic can do the change for about $100. Seems to me like very inexpensive insurance for the engine. Thoughts?
Newbie question on BMW OCI
- Thread starter java
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CleanSump
Site Donor 2022
33k miles and you're going to trade it off in 3 years? Just do the 10k or 1 year. Anything more is a waste of money with no return on investment.
It's a $40K to $50K car. Don't scrimp. 5K OCIs. 20K OCIs would be shameful.
Scott
Scott
You might decide to keep it longer or sell it to a friend.
My 2000 528i oil monitor seemed to like changes at about 20,000 - 24,000 km (12,500 - 15,000 mile) intervals. The shop foreman at the BMW dealership advised changing the oil at half that interval if I wanted to keep the car for the long term. I changed the oil at half the recommended interval but didn't reset the oil monitor when I did so. That kept the service monitor on track otherwise.
I kept the car for 20 years and finally sold it to my nephew. And the shop foreman bought a car just like mine for his wife because it is one of the more reliable recent BMWs.
My 2000 528i oil monitor seemed to like changes at about 20,000 - 24,000 km (12,500 - 15,000 mile) intervals. The shop foreman at the BMW dealership advised changing the oil at half that interval if I wanted to keep the car for the long term. I changed the oil at half the recommended interval but didn't reset the oil monitor when I did so. That kept the service monitor on track otherwise.
I kept the car for 20 years and finally sold it to my nephew. And the shop foreman bought a car just like mine for his wife because it is one of the more reliable recent BMWs.
I'd split the difference and do it every 7,500 miles if it helps you sleep better at night.
The other thing I did on the "in between changes" was not change the filter. The filter is designed to go the whole interval so there's no need to change it at the half way point.
Which makes this an excellent chance to start doing DIY changes. Using the very best oil, it wouldn't cost you anything like $100. My 528i took about 5 liters (or quarts) without a filter change, so at most $35 for oil. [I suggest you spend the difference on pizza and beer.]
If you're uncomfortable with removing the drain plug, get a vacuum apparatus. Though I suppose this is one of the BMWs without a dip stick. If so you'll have to get advice from someone else on whether you can and how to do it that way.
I'm old school so I always removed the drain plug. A word to the wise however - get a torque wrench. My 528i had an aluminum oil pan and you really don't want to over-torque the drain plug and strip the threads.
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5-7.5k.
Move to LL01 oils instead of LL17FE.
Move to LL01 oils instead of LL17FE.
That's what I do on my Touareg. The filter is absolutely massive. I think it could do 20,000 miles no problem but it's easy to change and I barely push my fuel filter that far.
I’ve been using the LL01 0/20 weight.
My thinking is changing more frequently is cheap insurance and helps me sell the car privately.
There is no LL01 0W20.
LL01 is only in 5W30 or 5W40.
Ok
The manual states 0/20 or 0/30.
Feels like 5/30 is fine for year round use.
The dealer had been doing the service.
My independent BMW shop uses penzoil and mobile 1. He suggested 5/30 moving forward.
LL01 is not regular 5W30. Be careful there. Mobil1 doesn’t make LL01 oil. Ditch your mechanic. He should not touch your car.
Search this forum more and read on LL01 subjects.
Pennzoil Platinum Euro L is LL04
Yes, but I highly doubt that mechanic is referring to that Pennzoil. He is talking M1, and no M1 is approved for BMW. So, I think he is just using ILSAC oils.
Enthusiast Auto Group
enthusiastauto.com
They are M car specialists. He didn’t specify which brand they would use in my vehicle but they have a strong reputation in Cincinnati.
Ask him which oil they would use. Mobil1 doesn’t have any BMW approved oils except Super3000 which is impossible to find and not anything special.Enthusiast Auto Group
They are M car specialists. He didn’t specify which brand they would use in my vehicle but they have a strong reputation in Cincinnati.
Pennzoil has Platinum Euro 5W40 LL01 and Pennzoil Platinum Euro L 5W30 that is LL04.
I always used 0W-30 LL01 approved oil in my BMW. I had the main oil changes (as opposed to the in-between changes I was doing) at the BMW dealer while it was under warranty. I think the BMW dealer used their own (not quite as good) 5W-30. The enthusiast sites at the time referred to the BMW oil as Softech. When it got out of warranty I did all the changes myself with 0W-30 oil.
There is no LL01 0W30 unless you are using LL01 FE (Fuel Efficiency). TPT 5W30 is LL01 which means high HTHS (that is what matters from protection and wear stand point).
Since 2018 BMW excluded 0WXX from LL01, LL04 approvals.
If you are referring to Castrol Edge 0W30 it lost approval in 2018. I personally wouldn’t use non approved oils in N20/26, B46/48/58 engines.
In older, absolutely.