Time to change oil?

[skyetripper]

I have done 8000mls since the beast was last serviced by a dealer, but I still have three green indicators showing. At this rate, the oil will have been in for 16k miles by the time it gets changed (too long me thinks!!)

Anyone got any experience (UK) of having interim oil changes by garages other than the stealer i.e. does this impact on warranty?

[veilside02]

have them change the oil (Using the BMW Oil and filter for your year M5), and then just don't reset the service lights, they will not be able to tell.....The indicators will have the oil be changed every 15,000 miles, I change mine every 3,000

[wiggis]

Originally Posted by skyetripper

I have done 8000mls since the beast was last serviced by a dealer, but I still have three green indicators showing. At this rate, the oil will have been in for 16k miles by the time it gets changed (too long me thinks!!)

Anyone got any experience (UK) of having interim oil changes by garages other than the stealer i.e. does this impact on warranty?

Not too hard to drop the oil out yourself if you buy a couple of ramps and one of those oil drain cans from Halfords. There is a little flap on the plastic shield underneath the front of the car which reveals the drain plug when flapped out of the way. Just make sure not to overtighten the plug when you put it back together, and make sure you've got a decent supply of fresh oil before you start - oh, and don't lose the copper washer in the dirty oil.

Arguably, you could leave the oil filter in place for the full 16,000 miles if you can't be bothered to change it - I would argue that changing the oil is more important than changing the filter during an interim change, and you get around any potential issues with manufacturing date stamps on filter elements. If you do want to change the filter, it isn't hard provided you've got the right sized socket for the filter cap, and a torque wrench to make sure you put it back right.

The advantage of you doing the work is that BMW cannot possibly know that you've done it, you'll feel really smug at how much cash you've saved, and I don't know about you, but I personally believe that draining the oil through the drain plug probably removes more crud than the 'sucking it out through the top' method which BMW seem to use these days.

[skyetripper]

Thanks for the advice, I just wanted to be sure that there aren't any hidden trip wires that might let the dealer know that someone else has been in there! - any ideas how much oil the beast takes?

[Nabio]

7 quarts from empty, well 7.1 I guess but it consumes (it's pretty oil-hungry) about 1 quart for every 1000 miles. This is true especially if you are a MY 2000 or below with the older piston ring design.

[ozaristov300]

If I was less of a technopeasant I would just point you at the board entry from a very clever fellow member (mubarak) that says:
" You CAN reset your service indicator, as follows:

1. Get in the car, close the door, buckle the seatbelt.
2. Push in the clutch pedal and hold it to the floor
3. Press the left hand dash button (the one that resets your odometer) and hold it down
4. Put the ignition key in the key slot, and turn it gently (very gently) until the dashboard lights come on - the key will not click - if it clicks you've gone too far and you have to start again. Hold the key in this position. In five seconds or so, the dash will display "SIA" and some other characters. Do not proceed until this happens.
5. Release the dash button (and only the dashboard button) and then press and hold it again. In another 5 seconds or so the display should begin to flash "RESET?" Do not proceed until this happens.
6. Release the dash button and push it again to confirm. You won't need to hold it - the display should change immediately and your service indicator will display five green LED's."

I can confirm the procedure works perfectly on a MY2002 M5.

Likewise, here is my ficticious (partially at least) version of DIY oil change from an earlier post:

1. Order 2 * 5 litre containers of Castrol TWS Motorsport from local truck dealer. Wait 2 weeks.
2. Head home with your precious liquid cargo and incredibily cheap genuine BMW oil filter you picked up from the stealership on the way there.
3. Once home, drive up onto the ramps and jack the rear up to ensure the vehicle is level.
4. Cut the side out of an old 5 litre oil container and slide it under the front.
5. Unscrew the flap in the undertray and undo the sump plug.
6. Attempt to undo the last couple of threads of the plug by hand, scalding yours fingers with hot oil as you drop the plug into the container and watch as it's consumed.
7. Quickly reach into the hot oil and grab the plug with your other hand. Head inside and apply burn cream liberally to both hands.
8. On return you will notice a long trail of waste oil running out from under the car. This is because you used a 5 litre drain pan whereas the sump holds closer to 7 litres. Wipe up excess furiously with old rags.
9. Go back inside, sit down and consume about 3 fingers of scotch to calm your nerves. Cop wack to the back of the head from wife for sitting on the sofa while wearing oil stained pants.
10. Return to garage with new found enthusiasm. Gain confidence as you swap out the old oil filter without incident. Wish all cars were this easy.
11. Smugly pour 5 litres of new TWS into the oil filler, without a funnel and not spilling a drop. Find more rags. You forgot to replace the sump plug.
12. Weep gently as you wipe up about AUD$75 of precious fluid and consign it to the rubbish bin. Kick dog on return.
13. Curse as your attempt to replace the sump plug results in dropping it into the waste oil again. Drain the 5 litres of now cooled waste oil into the now empty 5 litre container of new, quite expensive oil. Salvage the sump plug, wipe it clean and return it to the sump.
14. Tip the 2nd 5 litres of new TWS into the oil filler, this time using a funnel to overcome the shaking hands. Stop every litre or so and check again that you tightened the sump plug.
15. Clean up and go inside to order another 5 litre container. Unfortunately they've now closed for the weekend. Sob openly as you realise you have to drive to your mother-in-laws' tomorrow in your wife's family truckster. The drive across the mountain in the M5 had been the only saving grace of the trip.
16. Consider again whether the AUD$500 quoted by the stealership to do the oil change could be justified.

[skyetripper]

Sounds all too familiar!!

[mr_bock]

I will do a 'just oil' change in between the official changes. Maybe about 8K miles. I have been using Mobil 1 at 10k to 15k intervals in my other cars for many, many years!!!! 3K seems like Jiffy Lub hype. Just my $0.02.

[Cemessi]

The M5 takes 7.5 litres

[E55AMG2]

Originally Posted by veilside02

have them change the oil (Using the BMW Oil and filter for your year M5), and then just don't reset the service lights, they will not be able to tell.....The indicators will have the oil be changed every 15,000 miles, I change mine every 3,000

Mine goes about every 7500

[jclyman]

Originally Posted by Cemessi

The M5 takes 7.5 litres

Your car must be the Antarctic version of the M5 ... mine only takes 6.5 litres (as per the manual).

Of course, that hasn't stopped the $tealers from overfilling ...

[gsfent]

I did my last change at 7500. It didn't look bad, but was ready for fresh oil. I always do filter at the same time. Pretty cheap insurance. Using M1 0-40. I will try to remember to do a lab analysis on the next change.
Regards,
Jerry

[verhagke]

Originally Posted by Cemessi

The M5 takes 7.5 litres

Hmm, I thought it was 6.5L