[toxicnerve]

Originally Posted by bape

will check the idrive when I next get in... it looks like everyone has different service intervals.

As said before it's all condition based servicing.

If you drive the tits off your car all the time then you will need to get it serviced more frequently than someone who drives more moderately. The car basically monitors how it's driven and I believe there's also a sensor that looks at the condition of the oil (not 100% sure on this though).

That being said, even the person who drives moderately will need to get the car serviced every x thousand miles or within a particular timeframe (be it one or two years, I don't know).

[xenon]

Other than time-based stuff (brake fluid, microfilter) the only things monitored as such are brake pads and emissions.

The condition-based servicing simply monitors the fuel consumed. After every 3000 litres consumed (or whatever) it's time for a service. If you're pottering about on long journeys that comes much later in distance and probably time than banging off the red line around a track every weekend. It's that simple and, when you think about it, quite a good idea.

There is no "sensor" that monitors oil "quality" which isn't really a finite measurable.

[bape]

Originally Posted by toxicnerve

As said before it's all condition based servicing.

If you drive the tits off your car all the time then you will need to get it serviced more frequently than someone who drives more moderately. The car basically monitors how it's driven and I believe there's also a sensor that looks at the condition of the oil (not 100% sure on this though).

That being said, even the person who drives moderately will need to get the car serviced every x thousand miles or within a particular timeframe (be it one or two years, I don't know).

yup just checked the idrive and it had a yellow triangle next the the brake fluid with 06/2010. hope this doesnt cost too much to change!?

[dar2008]

Originally Posted by bape

yup just checked the idrive and it had a yellow triangle next the the brake fluid with 06/2010. hope this doesnt cost too much to change!?

I'd highly recommend you to PM Anneka at Harold Wood,... she certainly made it worth my while travelling a little further than my local dealer for this service

[G82Dude]

The CBS I believe is effectively based on the amount of fuel consumed by the engine, plus a few other bits.

I think that you can actually show the amount of fuel in litres to the next service somewhere on the dash by pressing some buttons with the ignition off and then on/then off then on or something like that...

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by bape

yup just checked the idrive and it had a yellow triangle next the the brake fluid with 06/2010. hope this doesnt cost too much to change!?

LOL You have a £57K plus M3 and you're concerned about a £60 (ish) brake fluid change?!?! That's not even a tank of petrol!

[bape]

Originally Posted by uke92dude

LOL You have a £57K plus M3 and you're concerned about a £60 (ish) brake fluid change?!?! That's not even a tank of petrol!

I didn't have a clue roughly how much it'd cost thats why I was worried! Panic over

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by bape

I didn't have a clue roughly how much it'd cost thats why I was worried! Panic over

Well, it might be special fluid, coz it comes out of a bottle with an M on it, so beware!

[toxicnerve]

Originally Posted by xenon

Other than time-based stuff (brake fluid, microfilter) the only things monitored as such are brake pads and emissions.

The condition-based servicing simply monitors the fuel consumed. After every 3000 litres consumed (or whatever) it's time for a service. If you're pottering about on long journeys that comes much later in distance and probably time than banging off the red line around a track every weekend. It's that simple and, when you think about it, quite a good idea.

There is no "sensor" that monitors oil "quality" which isn't really a finite measurable.

There a number of conflicting posts about the presence (or lack thereof) of an oil condition sensor.

What makes you so sure there isn't one?

[SteveF1]

Anyone got a rough idea how much an engine oil change at a dealer would be. Cars four years old this year, due a change of oil in August but I want to supply my own Fuchs oil (should cost me £85). What would BMW charge me for this and a oil filter?

[opdare01]

The UK doesnt have the 4yrs/50k maintenance?

[BGM]

Originally Posted by opdare01

The UK doesnt have the 4yrs/50k maintenance?

hahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha hahahahahaha

no.

[G82Dude]

Originally Posted by SteveF1

Anyone got a rough idea how much an engine oil change at a dealer would be. Cars four years old this year, due a change of oil in August but I want to supply my own Fuchs oil (should cost me £85). What would BMW charge me for this and a oil filter?

That would probably be more than a dealer would charge for oil (Castrol/Shell, etc). Get some Comma; half the price. OEM filter is about £8 off eBay. Maybe a tenner from a dealer and about £45 to change it and the oil... Oh and you will probably need a micro filter too (and maybe brake fluid, that's normally every 2 years).

[xenon]

Originally Posted by toxicnerve

There a number of conflicting posts about the presence (or lack thereof) of an oil condition sensor.

What makes you so sure there isn't one?

Nothing listed on realOEM. Plus how would such a sensor work? What would it measure? Would it measure the viscosity (for which it would have to compensate by temperature)? Or would it measure metal contaminents held in suspension?

I wouldn't put my mortgage on it but I can't see what statistic one would measure in order to determine oil "condition" and even if there is one how it would be practically measured.

[HighlandPete]

Even our humble VWs use oil quality sensors...

This LongLife service regime has been made possible due to the development of new Volkswagen engines with the latest technically advanced LongLife oil. These engines use built-in sensors that continually monitor the oil quality, making it possible to enjoy reliable and confident motoring for up to a maximum of 20,000* miles or 24 months

HighlandPete

[xenon]

Sounds like marketing flannel. What is oil "quality" and how does the "sensor" measure this somewhat vague quantifiable? What is "oil quality" anyway?

It's bollocks. An optical sensor could conceivably measure for contamination but oil breakdown can really only be measured using a chromatograph.

[creepy coupe]

I think Hella make one that works using ultrasound, Delphi were developing one a while back.

[xenon]

I suppose an ultrasonic sensor could measure for metal in suspension within the oil. Perhaps that's what they mean by "quality"?

Edit - Quality Sensors are available, I just read, that use a capacitive measurement for contamination. Fair enough - oil quality is the amount of shit in it as opposed to the oil breaking down chemically.

So there you go.

[HighlandPete]

I remember reading about it years ago when first introduced, measures viscosity among other things.

Here's one current explanation.

Bosch GmbH Multifunction Oil Condition Sensor
Bosch is developing a multifunctional oil sensor that will determine oil level and oil condition. The oil level information will allow the oil dipstick to be omitted from the automobile.

Monitoring the engine oil condition is primarily intended to optimize oil drain intervals. However, it also provides increased insight into the actual state of the engine, which enables the possible detection of approaching engine failures or change in lubricant quality. The oil condition sensor will constantly measure the oil’s viscosity, permittivity, conductivity and temperature. The measured viscosity and permittivity (or dielectric constant) are the primary values supporting the oil condition evaluation. Commonly, chemical oil deterioration is associated with an increase in viscosity, whereas mechanical wear (shear) and fuel dilution lead to a decrease in viscosity.

A novel microacoustic device determines the viscosity. This device utilizes the piezoelectric effect to electrically excite high-frequency mechanic (or acoustic) vibrations at a sensitive surface. When this sensitive surface comes into contact with the oil, the electrical device parameters, such as oscillation frequency and damping, are changed according to the oil’s mechanical properties, especially viscosity. Thus, the viscosity can be electrically detected by measuring these parameters. In contrast to conventional viscometers, which are commonly used in laboratory applications, the microacoustic sensor does not contain any moving parts. Furthermore, due to its small size, it can be easily incorporated into the multifunctional oil-level and condition sensor.

Bosch’s multifunctional oil sensor is suitable for spark-ignition and diesel engines.

HighlandPete

[HighlandPete]

Originally Posted by xenon

I suppose an ultrasonic sensor could measure for metal in suspension within the oil. Perhaps that's what they mean by "quality"?

Edit - Quality Sensors are available, I just read, that use a capacitive measurement for contamination. Fair enough - oil quality is the amount of shit in it as opposed to the oil breaking down chemically.

So there you go.

I'm aware a lot of VW drivers use the Time/Distance regime as 'sludge' messes the variable regime.

HighlandPete

[toxicnerve]

Ah you lot beat me to it.

There are oil quality sensors available, I believe they generally check for contamination or variance from "spec". They don't, however, report a full breakdown of what is in the oil etc just whether it is "good" or "bad".

I knew I wasn't talking BS earlier as I distinctly recall reading something about it a little ago. IIRC some are based on conductivity and others are capacitance based (which I guess in boils down to the same thing, how much contamination is present in the oil). Also, it seems plausible to have an optical sensor which looks at the "clarity" of the oil.

[tmarshall57]

Most of my miles are motorway (M6/M1) and this results in 21/22000 mile oil change intervals.

The oil is permanently black so I assume CBS is based, not on oil opacity, but simply on average journey length, speed, RPM? - all of which (other than RPM?) can be calculated by the OBC.

In relation to earlier posts I have provided my own oil and been charged in the region of £80 or so for an oil change/filter/standard scope/oil disposal.