Again ... find just ONE MINI engine that has failed by following the BMW recommendations ... then we can talk about oil filters

 

when you start thinking about these things it will haunt you.
even that brown ikky coolant.

if it bothers you, just change it. oil filter can be hand for almost
nothing from www.outmotoring.com in fact, i ordered that along
with my 03's st fan cover thingie the other week.

btw, target now has those Mobil1 qt bottles 5w30's for $4.02 a pop.

 

My oil changes were roughly 8000 miles apart. But after adding my oil cooler, I'm going to start to change the oil more offten. The oil inside the cooler won't drain with the rest of the oil since the oil line is lower than the drain plug. More frequent changes will help keep all the oil more uniform in wear.

 

that ain't the point... I plan to keep my car beyond the BMW life expectations. Oil changes are cheap insurance, (along with changing out the rest of the drive train fluids). The bean counters beat out the engineers, (as always).

Motor on with 12-15k miles on your oil. Life is good, keep a grin on your face.

It costs me $33 to change my oil, (using the good German Castrol stuff. Not the US Syntec, or Dino cracked flavors. The Euro's aren't using the US Syntec, and can get higher mileage out of the true "full" synthetics).

 

It's up to you. I am in the group that changes the oil more frequently. I will be going to the amsoil oil and using the oil analysis service to really determine what's the true life of my oil and when it needs to be changed. Theres my 2cents.

 

I'll provide you with the references from the other oil thread although I know it wont make a difference. Read closely ... by doing more oil changes than needed, there is emperical evidence you are prematurely wearing out your engine ...

If you haven't read it yet, read this http://neptune.spacebears.com/cars/stories/mobil1.html

 

Can anyone give evidence of one single MINI engine that has blown up because of excess oil changes. Come on people, just one.

Forgetting to put the drain plug back in doesn't count.

 

I know its pointless, just like the TTAC author says, to try to convince ppl otherwise so ... I'd rather spend my money on something else ...

 

I figured that would get a rise out of you Chowsie.

 

Hey, there is another thread where someone has black oil at 13K miles and wonders if thats normal.

Hmm, aint all OIL black coming out of the ground

Maybe I oughta go tell him he made a HUGE mistake and should have changed it every 3K like the Jiffy Lube pp?

What do you think?

 

I'll give it a read... Like a fine wine, Oil must age to get better eh???

 

Well, I shudder to think of the look on his face if he was running a diesel. Talk about sludge!

This all reminds me of the old days. When we were crossing the desert areas (Mohave, Monument Valley etc..) on our bikes we used to switch to a heavier weight oil like 20W50 figuring it could handle the desert heat better. I remember in Monument Valley it was 105 degrees at 10 in the morning on one of my trips. Turns out that after testing (by one of the bike mags) the heavier weight oil actually caused the engine to run hotter. Working harder to move the oil around I think and added work means added heat.

 

especially the "full" synthetic stuff....

(Peace bro!)

 

Chow4us, first let me say I think you are wise beyond your years and respect the arguments that you have presented in trusting BMW's engineering and recommendations.

However here is a link to a shop where I live. The website is not pretty but if you scroll down to the bottom you will see this shop's take on the BMW service intervals with pictures as proof enough that oil filters are not capable of handling the duration.

I have not used this shop yet as my car has only 2500 miles on it. So have no experience with their expertise per-se, however the ops manager is a neighbor of mine who drives various years of BMW's as does his entire family.

http://europeanautospecialist.net/Service.htm

 

Thank you.....that's just priceless.

 

From link above


Thats really bad.

I do the long change interval and have never seen any deposites on the filter at all. Just oil. It would appear that something else is wrong with that engine. If mine did look like that I think I would change every 1000 miles .

Nik

 

Yes I agree the photos on the site are extreme's and I am sure there is probably some serious neglect that has taken place, either by the owner or the Dealership servicing the engines in the photos. However, they are engines coming out of "BMW Factory Service".

Oil changes are one of the only ways we can see (with our own eyes) how our engines are doing. So better to see for your own eyes than to risk it...IMO.

 

amen bro!

 

Looks like someone poured dirt in the engine! There is no way that this is "normal" operation.

With an engine filter looking like that, I think that it would be time for a rebuild!

Once again, the site is advertising rather than providing empirical data. It even says that they can't prove it only that you should. I don't really buy it.

 

You know, he's got a point. Chows only does factory recommended oil changes, and he was able to buy a Cayman with the savings!

I need to do a re-read on the one about causing more wear by changing the oil!

 

my oil change that im going to do when it gets a tad warmer is
only going to cost me like $26-7. mobil1 x5 ($4 each) and $6
filter from outmotoring.

 

The question is not how long will the oil last. The synthetic oils can easily last 20k miles without significantly breaking down. But oil accumulates crap over time. That is the issue. If I decided for some reason that I would go the full length of time between an oil change that BMW recommended, I would be sure to change the filter after 5k and then every 2k after that. The more crap in the oil, the less effective it will be as a lubricant.

 

Yes, those pics of oil filters looked but but my simple rebuttal is ... Do you not think they gave the worst examples because of one simple reason ...

They are in the business of selling you oil changes ... duh.

Funny, years ago, I read, do an oil change every 3K miles but change your filter every other time. Now I'm hearing change your filter and just add oil!

Times change

Eric, DO reread what the SAE report said as well as that long term test.

BTW, for the RECORD.

I changed my oil at 5K miles ... and it was still yellow (for whatever that meant) at an independent BMW shop. I asked them and they said ... waste of money. Do it at 10K. They were GLAD to change it as 5Kwink: That is when I changed my mind about synthetics.

 

Speaking of profit, does it really make any since at all that the oil manufacturers, the auto parts companies, and the dealerships are really trying to save you money and or the environment by engineering "longer lasting" oil/parts?

Who are we kidding? Car's today don't last 10 years. (personal experience has proven that point over and over)

The point the photo's drive home, worst examples or not, profit or not, they are examples of what can happen when you soley trust the dealership with your engine.

 

No offense, but what kind of crap cars are you buying that you can't make them last ten years?? Maybe if you were talking about something from GM in the early 80's it would be different, but anything from the recent past - especially the imports - should make it ten years with no major problems.