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BMW 3-Series and 4-Series Forum (F30 / F32) | F30POST > Technical Forums > Mechanical Maintenance and TSBs: Break-in / Oil & Fluids / Servicing / TSBs and Service Bulletin > 15,000 mile oil change interval???! Did I wreck my engine?
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      08-19-2014, 10:48 PM   #1
richie_s
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15,000 mile oil change interval???! Did I wreck my engine?

This is the first car I've purchased and cared for by myself. I've had my 335i xdrive 6 speed manual for a year and two months now, and it's only had ONE oil change at 14,000 miles...
Yes, just one. I know it's bad, but I was honestly afraid of voiding my warranty by getting an oil change done at 7,000 miles or so. I now know that that's not the case.
Since the oil change, I've driven about 3,000 miles. My car now has 17,000 miles on it.
I feel incredibly stupid for letting my car go that long without an oil change, especially since we had such a rough winter up here in the northeast. Temperatures reached as low as -5 degrees F. (-20 C)

My driving style is pretty easy on the oil though. I let the car warm up before I even think about getting it anywhere near 3,000 rpm and most of my driving is cruising in 6th gear. Very minimal stop and go traffic. I'm stuck in stop and go traffic for about 15 minutes on weekdays.

I opened the oil filler cap today and wiped it with a paper towel just to check up on the oil. It was mostly muddy brown liquid with a little bit of burnt powdery ash. I didn't find any sludge from the small bit of engine I saw through the oil cap.

I also noticed that my car feels a bit more sluggish than usual. I rarely floor my car, so I could tell that it felt different from when it was brand new when I did it recently.

Anyone know what's up with my engine? Is it all sludged up?
Help me out! I feel like shit. This is my very first car that I purchased and I don't want it to sludge up just because I didn't care for it the right way.
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      08-19-2014, 10:57 PM   #2
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There are plenty of threads regarding the oil change interval.

It varies between countries, heck even in Europe they have 24 month intervals!

Synthetic Oil has properties that keep it lasting longer, and that usually oil needs to break down a bit for it to be effectively working first of all.

But early oil changes are not really an issue either.
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      08-19-2014, 11:43 PM   #3
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You should be OK. BMW has an oil condition sensor in the sump (a Continental Temic). The principle of how these gizmos work is explained here - http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...s-oil-analysis, and here - http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...filter-sensors.

You can't tell much by looking at the oil filler cap. Condensation often collects there when the engine cools, particulalry in cool or cold weather, and that can give the oil film on the inside of the cap the milky or muddy appearance you noted.

By the way, I assume you've got a '13 or earlier model year that is on the 15k mi oil service interval.
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      08-20-2014, 12:01 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m6pwr View Post
You should be OK. BMW has an oil condition sensor in the sump (a Continental Temic). The principle of how these gizmos work is explained here - http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...s-oil-analysis, and here - http://www.machinerylubrication.com/...filter-sensors.

You can't tell much by looking at the oil filler cap. Condensation often collects there when the engine cools, particulalry in cool or cold weather, and that can give the oil film on the inside of the cap the milky or muddy appearance you noted.

By the way, I assume you've got a '13 or earlier model year that is on the 15k mi oil service interval.

Yup, the 2013 model year oil change intervals suck. I'd love to have the 10,000 oil change interval so I could get an oil change at 5k miles and a free one 5k miles later.

And how do I know that my engine isn't full of sludge? Is there anyway to tell without disassembling my entire engine?
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      08-20-2014, 09:34 AM   #5
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Quote:
Originally Posted by richie_s View Post
Yup, the 2013 model year oil change intervals suck. I'd love to have the 10,000 oil change interval so I could get an oil change at 5k miles and a free one 5k miles later.

And how do I know that my engine isn't full of sludge? Is there anyway to tell without disassembling my entire engine?
If anything sludge is usually a result of severe oxidation of the oil caused by very high heat. You mentioned a lot of cold wx ops. Sludge, I believe, rarely occurs in today's synthetics.

If you're really concerned about BMW's oil change interval, you could start to do used oil analysis. For folks new to the process, Blackstone is a good start because they try to interpret the results for the owner http://www.blackstone-labs.com/. I'm not a big fan of their commentary, but they are a start. Small books have been written on how to interpret uoa results.

Or, you could read this thread about BMW's oci's in Europe - - and relax.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=894011

Do not do 5000 mi oil changes. A total waste and totally counterproductive.
http://papers.sae.org/2007-01-4133/
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      08-20-2014, 06:48 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by m6pwr View Post
If anything sludge is usually a result of severe oxidation of the oil caused by very high heat. You mentioned a lot of cold wx ops. Sludge, I believe, rarely occurs in today's synthetics.

If you're really concerned about BMW's oil change interval, you could start to do used oil analysis. For folks new to the process, Blackstone is a good start because they try to interpret the results for the owner http://www.blackstone-labs.com/. I'm not a big fan of their commentary, but they are a start. Small books have been written on how to interpret uoa results.

Or, you could read this thread about BMW's oci's in Europe - - and relax.
http://f30.bimmerpost.com/forums/sho...d.php?t=894011

Do not do 5000 mi oil changes. A total waste and totally counterproductive.
http://papers.sae.org/2007-01-4133/
Would 7,000 miles be more reasonable?
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      08-20-2014, 08:23 PM   #7
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If you can't resist the impulse to shorten the factory 15k oci, then do an interim oil service at 7500 mi. Can't hurt. Won't help. Use the same oil/filter as used in factory oil service. After your car is out of warranty, you could adopt the current factory oci of 10k mi oci's. By that time, BMW will have switched to Shell (aka Pennzoil in U.S. for top tier oils) and you could use Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5w40 (BMW LL-01 approved) in your BMW, a really stout oil. It may become the regular service fill for BMWs under the Shell/Pennzoil partnership.
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Last edited by m6pwr; 08-20-2014 at 08:41 PM..
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      08-26-2014, 01:41 AM   #8
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First Oil Change Lab Report

See my Lab report on my first oil change and my tread on this to decide for yourself. [ATTACH][/ATTACH]

The IRON # is way too high to let the FIRST oil change go for 10K, better yet even 5K in my opinion.
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File Type: pdf BMW 435i FIRSYT OIL CHANGE RESULTS BLACKSTONE LABS.pdf (225.7 KB, 1108 views)
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Last edited by jewels; 08-26-2014 at 01:50 AM..
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      08-26-2014, 09:45 AM   #9
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I did my first oil change my self at 7,500 miles. It is very easy on the F30 compared to my old car (Acura RSX Type -S) as the oil filter is right in the front of the engine. I am 100% positive you will not void your warranty if you change the oil your self. On my RSX I use to change the oil (Synthetic) every 3K because I always had it at high RPMs . When I purchased my car and found out that oil changes were done at 15K, it did not sit well with me at all so I changed it my self at 7.5K. I will continue to change the oil my self every other oil change for as long as I own my F30.

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Originally Posted by richie_s View Post
Would 7,000 miles be more reasonable?
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      11-30-2014, 09:40 AM   #10
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Trust me your car is going to have way more problems related to other issues as it ages regardless of whether changed the oil at 10k or 15k. You'll be getting rid of it before major engine failure hits due to manufacturer suggested oil changes.

Synthetic oil is quite durable and letting it run 10 or 15k won't be a problem under average driving conditions The weak link isn't the oil. It's the filter. Any oil will get dirty after short period of time. The job of the filter is to keep out engine damaging particulates. If the filter gets saturated it doesn't work that well. You likely could change the filter at 6k and oil and filter at 12k.

If you have an xdrive I'd worry about transfer case oil. I'd swap that every 2 years assuming a 15-20k/ year drive distance. Lifetime oil? No freaking way.
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      12-11-2014, 10:41 PM   #11
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I wonder if we change the oil change interval via coding will the dealer honor it??
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      12-12-2014, 08:54 AM   #12
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I wonder if we change the oil change interval via coding will the dealer honor it??
No.
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      12-12-2014, 01:21 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Socom View Post
No.
Even after this??

Quote:
Originally Posted by Jason View Post

"BMW Revises Recommended Oil Change Intervals to 10,000 Miles for 2014+ Models"

BMW has changed its long time recommended oil change mileage intervals for all 2014 models and beyond. The changes apply to all vehicles produced from July 2013 on.

Previously, BMW recommended a 15,000 mile / 24 month Condition Based Service interval, but as of July 2013, the new basic interval will be every 10,000 miles / 12 months. This applies to both gasoline and diesel models.

The Z4 roadster, M5/M6 and ActiveHybrids have some special recommendations, which you can see in the announcement and charts below.
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      12-13-2014, 01:11 PM   #14
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Originally Posted by d1saster View Post
Even after this??
That's correct. They read your key to determine the service due but there's a chance you may sneak by them. I'd you're on the older interval just pay for an intermediate change. Personally I would not be surprised if your car was recoded by BMWNA for the new interval via SW update.
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