BMW 5W30 -- 17K Miles -- 13 BMW 335i w/ N55

[barlowc]

Some history… The vehicle is a 2013 BMW 335i xDrive. I purchased it Certified Pre-Owned in 09/2015 with 19,378 miles. The original owner purchased it in 04/2013. The first oil change was done at 10,806 miles in 06/2014. The second oil change was done at 19,351 miles in 08/2015, just prior to my purchase of the vehicle. Both of those were performed by the Dealer and I imagine they used Genuine BMW High Performance Full Synthetic 5W-30.

This is my first BMW and, while not feeling entirely comfortable doing so, I did what the Dealer told me to do… I ran it until the Condition Based Service (CBS) computer told me it was time for an oil and filter change. That didn’t come until 36,241 miles which means I ran this sample for 16,890 miles.



Current fill… The oil and filter change was performed by the Dealer from which I purchased the vehicle. The service invoice shows filter part # 11-42-7-566-327 (which I believe is a Mann HU 816) and oil part # 83-21-0-390-323 (not sure if that's Castrol or Pennzoil) noting 5W-30 weight.

While this report shows that an extended interval is doable, my initial inclination is to back-off to BMW's current recommended interval of 10,000 miles. That recommendation went into effect for 2014 model year vehicles produced July 2013 and later. My 2013 was built only a couple months earlier and has the same N55 engine used through the 2015 model year.

 

[zeng]

The used oil is holding up very well indeed.
Is the gas at 30 ppm sulfur?
I would concur computer's 17k mi OCI is very doable afterall .......

 

[UltrafanUK]

Although this UOA result indicates the engine is OK with a longer OCI, in the longer term a 10K OCI would be a safer option. The main risk of a longer OCI in this case would probably be to the turbo bearings and it's very difficult to figure out from a UOA if they are subject to increased wear from the extended OCI or not.

Odd to see Manganese in a UOA result, anyone know which bearings or additive that is associated with ??

 

[CX5Pete]

Wow that is impressive.

 

[ryanm8]

The oil held up surprisingly well. Do you do mostly highway miles?

Still, I would back off to 10k miles since even BMW knew 15k was pushing it.

 

[addyguy]

I will never understand people who buy expensive cars, and then run bulk dealer oil to 17k.

Should have gone with your instinct...oil survived, but that's about it.

 

[nickolas84]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I will never understand people who buy expensive cars, and then run bulk dealer oil to 17k.

Should have gone with your instinct...oil survived, but that's about it.



Like the instinct is good for what? Meassuring oil and coolant temps? cold starts? fuel consumed? hours with the engine on? Load and RPM on the engine? All these and others are stuff the oil indicator has built in. The instinct will only missguide you if anything.

Compared to universal averages this is a great UOA. Even iron is much better on a per mile base. Change nothing, just trust BMW as you did.

 

[Gasbuggy]

impressive. LOL @ blackstone saying to add miles.

 

[B320i]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
I will never understand people who buy expensive cars, and then run bulk dealer oil to 17k.

Should have gone with your instinct...oil survived, but that's about it.


Yes, "bulk dealer oil" that happens to be manufactured by Shell, presumably with that PurePlus business everyone here is frothing at the mouth at. LOL

The factory interval is perfectly fine for this person, although whether on a case-by-case basis (i.e. short-trippers) really remains to be seen. It would be interesting to see UOA results over the long-term with such an interval being used, or whether the engine starts making odd noises or not.

 

[nickolas84]

You need to understand that (unless setup is otherwise) the interval is dynamic. In my car I can go close to double the distance if I do a lot of highway mileage compared to mostly city. If you put your car on a track it could ask for an oil change in under 1000 miles.

From my experience, and for my Opel (extrapolating) the oil indicator can ask for an oil change as early as few hundred miles of non stop, hot weather truck driving and as late as 30.000 miles if I do a lot of highway driving. That is kind of a maybe 50 times difference depending on conditions. In a word it is "smart" and will not let you run your oil past it's usefull life.

Trust your car company and its mechanics. They know what they are doing. Your instinct has no value here.

 

[steve20]

Chris--thanks for sharing.
What I have noticed with our GM cars is, straight highway driving = 1% per 100 miles. Winter commuting style driving is maxed out at 3% per 100 miles. I've never driven at more than 3%/100miles, even in the nastiest winter drive 4 miles shut it off in the am. PM is drive the same route back and shut off, X 5 days/week.
FWIW, I concur with the 10K max interval
Steve

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: nickolas84
Trust your car company and its mechanics. They know what they are doing.

Is it the same company that decided to cut down the OCI to 10K miles just the following year? Why did they do it if they supposedly knew what they were doing before?

 

[KL31]

Well they aren't going to make as much money if the oil and car can go so long and still be good.

Probably why they went back to 10k.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: KL31
Well they aren't going to make as much money if the oil and car can go so long and still be good.

Probably why they went back to 10k.

In the US, all dealer maintenance is included during the warranty period. And after that, you are not required to use the dealer for maintenance, so BMW is not guaranteed any of your money regardless of interval.

 

[camrydriver111]

I was curious about how much total iron is suspended inside the engine.

86 ppm in 6.5 L oil capacity is a total of 0.559 g of iron. If it were a solid cube of iron it would have 4.1 mm sides.

 

[nickolas84]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: nickolas84
Trust your car company and its mechanics. They know what they are doing.

Is it the same company that decided to cut down the OCI to 10K miles just the following year? Why did they do it if they supposedly knew what they were doing before?



Maybe they did it for marketing reasons... if that is what the customer wants to feel better, if that is something the customer is willing to pay for no problem and increase the revenue and profit from servicing etc. The opinions on this thread is proof of that. If it was for an actual mechanical reason they would change the OCI for previous model years as well. Like they did for the oil type of older M cars for example, those with the n/a engines. Also it is good to have an inspection of the car every 10K miles regardless of OCI. VW in Europe has changed the service scedule for most cars, so that you have an inspection every year, even if the oil is changed every second year (depending on conditions).

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: nickolas84
if that is something the customer is willing to pay for no problem and increase the revenue and profit from servicing etc.

Again, the customer does not pay for service in the US during the 4-year/50K mile warranty period. And post-warranty, most people don't use BMW dealerships to service their cars.

 

[nickolas84]

You would be surprised to find how many go to BMW dealers. Do not judge by the users here. BITOG is not the average car owner. plus the actual cost for BMW for oil and filter really is peanuts.