<e36> oil change interval

["Tom Newton" <thnewton@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

kmcguinn@domain.elided wrote: 

>New to the list (and to BMW) and have a question about the Service 
Indicator lights.  What is the general opinion of the miles between oil 
change?  Is 7-9K acceptable or is it better to do it yourself every 5K?

Thanks.
Kevin96 328is<

Kevin: 

If you "bought" the car and intend to keep it for a while, I would not 
rely on BMW's dubious free service intervals which were initially 7,500 
miles and now I beleive they have ballooned to a whopping 10,000 miles. 
I would do the oil myself once bewteen the interval if it's 7,500 or 
twice if its 10,000. Another words make sure you've got fresh oil/filter 
every 3-4k miles. Hey, it's your car!

On the other hand, if you are "leasing" the car (like I am with my '97 
M3), there isn't much incentive to go beyond just bringing it in for the 
free 10,000 mile service interval -- The only incentive I have is this : 
PURE GUILT. I tend to 1) feel sorry for the engine when I hit the red 
line if the oil is pitch black, and 2) feel sorry for the poor soul who 
will become the second owner of the car etc... Lets face it, the damage 
you WILL cause by driving hard for three years with 10,000 mile 
non-synthetic oil changes is not going to affect you that much, but it 
almost certainly is going to affect the car's future.

To be fair, I'm sure there are specific performance benefits (which may 
not be noticable if you don't push the car much) which you could 
experience by keeping the oil fresh. So that should also be a 
consideration.... its your call.

Tom Newton
'97 M3  - will "buy" my next bimmer

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