Personally I would worry about an extended interval like a year or 15000 miles for a filter change. Having worked in an oil change previously, I've seen the Mercedes canister filters come into the shop where the filter element itself has clogged, deteriorated and broken apart inside the canister. Literally we were fishing out a stew of paper and oil. It's likely that under periods of high demand that the filter bypass is used, and later in the filter's life the bypass gets used more often as the filter clogs and can't flow as fast. I realize the need for a filter bypass valve, but if regular filter changes can decrease the need for it's use, I will not hesitate. Given the tight tolerances in the motor, any debris that's not getting caught by the filter could be cause for shortened engine life.

I will likely halve the interval that is recommended in my Mini when I get it, and given that today's oils can handle the kind of duration that is expected of them by the manufacturer, I will swap a filter, top off the oil, and call it a day. Call it insurance, or an investment in the future. If however you're on a lease or don't expect to have your car for a number of years, then you have nothing to worry about.

 

Sean, when you said "top off the oil," does that mean you drained the oil, filtered it out and put it back in? Or did you actually replace it with fresh new oil?

 

Ralph Schomp in Littleton, Colorado has treated me well. I'm 170 miles away and early on miscalculated when my first oil change was due. I drove down there to find out I wasn't nearly due (according to my OBC) for an oil change. They did it for me anyway for free, washed my car and sent me on my way. I've also made a few phone calls about CELs (cold weather issues) and they have been very helpful. I read horror stories about dealers...my experience is just fine. Of course, I do my own oil changes now, rotate my tires, and a bunch of other stuff. Brake job coming up in the Spring. I would probably be doing all of this stuff on my own even if they were right next store.