[dneier164]

Just got my 2011 E92 335i xdrive back from a dealer servicing and they reset my oil change interval to 20,000 miles from now. Seems a bit far out. What is the typical interval? I thought 12,000 miles was standard.

They used 5W-30 synthetic and a new filter. Shouldn't extend the oil's life expectancy....right?

[Delta0311]

I do mine every 5-6k miles. Most people on here do the same.

[135Pats]

4-5K. Doing oil today actually and this OCI ran a touch longer, 5.5K almost on the nose.

20K is absurd. Realistically 10K is probably just fine.

[SwissCheeseHead]

7.5K miles for me. Full Synthetic. I DIY the oil changes in between the dealer's oil changes, at least until my free maintenance is up. Then I will change it to 5K miles.

[b328xi]

yeah, its strange, I noticed this after my free maintenance is up.. even the time interval for oil change is 2 years (was previously 1 yr). I asked the SA and they said they do this now but should still do the oil change yearly..

another reference, i have a bmw mechanic guy who suggested 7.5k miles or yearly.

[dneier164]

Spoke to the dealership who said the oil change interval is simply reset and an internal sensor determines the proper change interval as time goes on and the oil needs to be swapped. Will keep an eye on it as the miles rack up.

Thanks for the replies!

[gray boy]

what happens when the oil has excessive mileage on it.
dirty oil doesnt cool, doesnt clean, and clogs the pvc system quicker.
change filter? is there evidence of oil on the housing? when i checked my filter at 30k it was half clogged with carbon (prob from blow by) just saying they prob never changed my filter.
after driving remove the oil fill cap and watch the smoke come out of the hole,, this is result of blow-by in the crank case which contains various elements from combustion. the oil has to keep this in suspension (the part that goes thru the filter)
as stated - most change by 8k or so.

[ken1137]

LOL! BMW extended the oil service from 15K to 20K ! I always do mine about 5K, at worse 7K if I do not have time.

[pepsih]

I do mine every 5k miles!

[Venom692x]

My SA insists I'm wasting my money if I do it before BMW's interval. Although I have a 328 so the naturally aspirated engines are easier on oil than their turbocharged counterparts.

[cgrizzly888]

I change mine every 7,500 miles.

[derrick603]

IMO, BMW's OCI is perfect for maximizing BMW's profits by balancing the cost of free oil changes and warranty repairs. You're probably more interested in balancing the cost of oil changes and engine wear, so adjust accordingly. I prefer to do one oil change between BMW's recommendations.

[parabola]

I do it once a year, which is less than 5-6k miles.
I wouldn't push it past 7500 miles, especially if you do lot of city driving and short trips.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by dneier164

Spoke to the dealership who said the oil change interval is simply reset and an internal sensor determines the proper change interval as time goes on and the oil needs to be swapped. Will keep an eye on it as the miles rack up.

Thanks for the replies!

It's a bit more complex than that. The OCI is determined by the previous OCI the CBS has recorded, and then augments the calculation by several different variables such as things as cold starts, engine warm up and running temperatures, fuel mileage, and the oil quality data from the oil quality sensor.

[Monster900]

Originally Posted by cgrizzly888

I change mine every 7,500 miles.

^ This

[climax_e92]

I change mine every 4k. Probably a waste but i only do it that soon because i get free Castrol oil. I only have to buy the oil filter.