[MFKN3]

Only took 30mins and wasn't a scheduled change. Changed both the oil and oil filter on the 335i.

Last change was back in May 6,500km ago. Used 6.5L of Catrol Edge Sport 0W-40 and the old oil was black.

Interestingly, the other moring my car was on a gently slope and i-drive said add 1 litre of oil, but after warming up, i-drive said oil was back at max. I had the shop do the last oil change and ever since then it had run slightly hotter than it used to. Today only 5 litres drained out. Now topped up with 6.5L it is running cooler and i-drive says oil level is fine.

After only 5 litres drained out, makes me wonder if the shop didn't put in enough last time and if my car also went thru 0.5 - 1 litre which is possible.

Doesn't seem like the electronic meter is very reliable.

[systech]

I too got an low Oil warning message after parking on a banked slope shortly after startup.

After next start, no such warning.

As a minimum it seems that the oil level sensor assumes that the vehicle is level.

[vman69]

Where do you buy your castrol oil from ?

To do a oil and filter change are you guys buyin the filters direct from dealer and oil ?

[MFKN3]

Oil you get from Repco or Supercheap. Ranges from $60-70 per 5L and the filter was from the dealer @ $30 and includes new filter o-rings and drain plug washer.

The filters are $10-12usd in the US. I paid $170 for the pollen filter here which is a rip. I suppose bmw know everyone needs to replace these items, so they take advantage where ever they can...

[WOPALX]

Originally Posted by xsboost

if my car also went thru 0.5 - 1 litre which is possible.

My car decided after about 40,000km to use a litre of oil. Has not used another drop and I'm at 51,000km now.

[MFKN3]

I've heard it is normal for these cars to go thru a bit of oil, some worse than others. Perhaps it's all in my intercooler... still waiting for BMS to release their catch can kit

My mechanic knew 6.5L were to go in, but it's just weird that it ran warmer and only 5L drained out after only 6,500km. I did it on rhino ramps as per the DIY and it appears that the sump wouldn't be affected by a slight incline; so i'm sure it completely drained. I only drove 1/2 way up the ramps anyways. I'm leaning towards the mechanic not using enough oil last change.

[dcg71]

nice work mate, I think I'll start doing my own own oil changes between services too. Did you reset the service indicator, or is it not due yet?

[MFKN3]

Thanks mate. Nah, I didn't reset it as it wasn't a scheduled service. I get the shop to do the scheduled services so the book gets stamped (warranty/resale purposes). Funny though, i-drive is saying the next service is 32,000km away which makes it over 38,000km between oil changes

When I picked up the filter, the dealership agreed that is too long and apparantly BMW have reduced the intervals on the new models.

My car also has no pollen filter or spark plug service info on i-drive, but manual says every 3rd service or something like that

[MFKN3]

DIY Oil change cost $120 which is a small price to pay imo. Would be even cheaper for the guys who use 5W-30

[dcg71]

isn't there a separate oil service reminder to the scheduled service reminder though? Or am I just making this up?

[samchuang33]

Just thought i share something, my 5000k non-schedual oil change costed me $278.05 from stealership. They used Ultra Extra 5-30 BMW LLO4 oil on it which cost $159.25 exc GST. There was another charge for 'COVER' which i think is the filter for $53.03. Labour was $40.50.

Ouch, very nasty. They dont miss u alright.

[Scooterman]

I will change mine out this w/e. I used to do it on all my cars until probably the last 2 but agree the scheduled service interval is too far re oil.

What did/do you do with used oil and filter?

[MFKN3]

Ouch Sam, but that sounds about right from a dealer. A few people get their filters for just over $10 from the dealers, not in brisbane though. I might order 6 of them from ECS Tuning for about $90-100 shipped.

My used oil is still in the oil bottles sitting in the garage. You can take it to service stations or dumps and dispose of it there, for a small fee. I drained my filter and tossed it out.

[John_01]

Good synthetic oil is expensive. It is still going to be around $200 for oil and a genuine filter even if doing it yourself.

Its not cheap, but I think it is justified if you want your keep your car for a reasonable length of time. From what I have read, how often you change the oil early in the cars life makes the biggest difference to engine wear.

[MFKN3]

My changes cost $100, but if I used the standard 5w-30 it would be $65-70

How often you guys doing it? I figured every 5,000-6,000km??

[John_01]

Is that castrol SLX profession Longtec @$65-70? Where from? How about the cost of the filter? Mobile 1 0W40 is generally over $90 per 5 litre, and my car seems to take 6 litres.

I am probably going to do it every 6 months for the time being while the car is new. I already did the first change at 2,000km, around 3 months from delivery date. For normal driving, I'd generally let it go up to 10,000km once the car is broken in. If you are going to drive it hard, I think 5 - 6,000km change intervals make sense. I am not an authority, they are just my thoughts.

[MFKN3]

Those are Castrol Edge Sport prices. Filter from dealer is ranges from $12-$30 or imported for $10-15.

These cars take exactly 6.5L. I have found the electronic oil meter isn't great, so if you put in 6L, you may need to top up before your next change.

[VGR00]

I know Synthetic oils are pretty good for at least 20,000klms these days and BMW have faith for even longer however an engine runs so much quieter and smoother with fresh oil every 15,000klms so this is my maximum between changes. I have free scheduled services for 2 years on my car so ultimatly I'm not too fussed if I have to pay for a couple of oil changes in between.