change oil how often?

Hello all...

I am new to this board and also a potential new owner of 2002 325i. I am in the market for one, but it seems it's hard to find one with manual tranny. Anyhow, I was wondering, why is that the oil change interval on a BMW is so long. My friend's 328i went without a oil change (according to the service indicator) for about 15,000 miles!!!! What happened to change oil every 3000mi. I know BMW specs call for synthetic oil ( I think...) but 15,000 miles seems ridiculous. Any opinions on this and how often do you guys change oil? Do you go by the service indicator on the computer?

PS: Can't wait for the new car....BMW's are truly the ultimate driving machines :)

Steve

Yes you are correct- the oil only needs to be changed about every 12-20K miles according to your driving habits. I don't know why this is but I can say that it is a testament to BMW's extraordinary commitment to being better than the other cars rolling the planet. My brother's 540i only goes about every 8K miles between oil changes.

I go by the indicator, as should you. By the way if there is any chance you can change your order to a 330 I would highly recommend it because having driven both I consider the 330 more than worth the price gap :D :D :D

Later dayz

Do not go by the indicator suggestions of 10k+ intervals. I change the dino oil every 3k. If I had synth, I would change every 5k.

dude i talked to my dealer about it when i bought the car and he told me to go with the service indicator. I also checked with a few other auto guys i know and hte agreed that the computer knows best:D

I would NEVER drive my car that long w/ out changing the oil... it has nothing to do w/ how good the engine is, it's asimple fact of maintinence... the engine's heat will slowly break down the oil, the oil carries combustion by-products, and sometimes particles.
Synthetic resists breaking down and maintains it's viscocity better, so you can stretch it longer, but to go 10k+ on 1 oil change would need you to drive like my grandma...

Originally posted by ultimatedriver7
dude i talked to my dealer about it when i bought the car and he told me to go with the service indicator. I also checked with a few other auto guys i know and hte agreed that the computer knows best:D

That's funny. All the "auto guys" I know would never play with their car following the indicator. I'm with s0yb0mb on this.

Changing the oil is not just about maintenance when a car is new. Current thinking is to leave the 1st oil change to the recommended interval (15K or whatever the computer says). This is about getting your engine well and truly bedded down. That doe NOT happen in the 1st 1.5k miles. If you keep changing your oil too frequently, your engine will not loosen up as quickly (you MUST promote engine wear). As a result og this, things will be stiffer for longer, and in the long run you will get premature failure of some parts due to the higher stress load.

Once this 1st change has been done, I would then double the recommende frequency (so every 7.5K).

My lights only last around 5-7k.... I change it with synthetic when it says so.

You can't calculate oil deterioration by mileage alone. 3000 highway miles does not equal 3000 city miles. The SI indicator system takes several variables from your engine and essentially designs a maintenance program custom-tailored to your driving habits. Ignore it if you wish, but it's a waste of money to do so.