Beer Magazine

Wait this is a negative that you don't have to pay for service every month? That doesn't make sense.

The oil change thing is BS. EVERY Euro brand goes well over 3700 miles. My buddies 911 is a 20,000 interval and he pays for service. An E55 was 15,000 and our VWs are at least 10K. We've just been shamed with our schedule and/or quality of oil used to make more money in service.

baksdak

I didnt say it was a negative, all I was trying to explain is that if you want to have something like your oil changed more frequently, you cant. You have to go by what the car says.

If I was leasing a car, I wouldnt have a problem with this. However, if I was owning for a long while, I would want to change it more often. (Just as many BMW owners do)

Being a Euro brand has nothing to do with it. It is the type of oil you use. Mobile 1 Synthetic in BMW's case. All oils will have different lives in different motors.

Falcons023

But...why do you want to change the oil more frequently than necessary? The oil technology has advanced so much that some oils need not be changed for 15000 miles.

If you bought a new car...and going through breakin period, i can understand. What are the advantages for changing the oil more frequently?

Beer Magazine

That's just it, many people are stuck in 1950. Why would BMW try to ruin every car they make? To save a few dollars? Why would Porsche Recommend a 20,000 mile interval to people who paid 100K for their cars? To ruin that too?

Let's be real. The 3,000 mile interval is left over from 1950 and cars and technology have moved beyond that. You can pay and change your oil every day, that doesn't mean it's the best idea.

So you bought a BMW and you want to pay for an oil change, there is nothing stopping you. But the car keeps track of oil quality and recommends when it needs to be changed. If you don't believe BMW, Mercedes, Porsche, VW, Audi and all of them that the oil lasts more than 3,000 miles...who are YOU getting your information from.

I can't see why any of them would risk long term issues to save a few hundred.

san~man

BMW's use Castrol German synthetic for their maintenance oil changes, not the regular off the shelf stuff. Not Mobil 1 for sure.

Also, oil change interval is 1x per year, but if you're an owner and not a leaser I would/and did change the oil more frequently.

baksdak

Well, it sounds like I am in the minority on here then with more frequent oil changes. I just think it is better to be safe. I do mine every 5-7,000 miles depending on how aggressive I am driving. I figure since it is a very cheap thing to do, why not? I have not had a chance to get an analysis done through Blackstone, but when I do I will go by what this tells me. It is the only thing I would trust...

I have seen many BMW owners get an oil analysis done which is the only real way of knowing how much life is left in the oil you pulled out of your motor. When getting it done after going 15-20,000 miles it is showing no life and putting excess wear on the motor.

bobistheoilguy.com is a good source, some of you should check it out.

breaker05

I have the 2010 Anniversary which as MSRP at 44,950 if I remember correctly. I used USAA car buying service for a 2010 G37S loaded non-anniversary, but when I got to the dealership they talked me into, (well I fell in love with the red interior), the Anniversary one and they gave it to me for $40,275.

That is the same car as mine just a different color so I don't know how much they will budge on it. One other thing which may have helped me was I bought an '09 from them less than a year prior to buying this one. Best of luck to you and it's a sweet car!

You can check my gallery to see the '09 but be warned it's not something you want to see everyday.

danno62

Mike Miller the Tech Editor for Roundel (BMW Car Magazine) and other BMW specific mags follow a general theme on BMW's current "less is more" service program.

Up until BMW started covering these maintenance costs the schedules were much different. The minute (and let me tell you, advances in fluids and machines didn't and hasn't happened in a minute) BMW decided to make the 4 years/50,000 miles free of service cost, the service intervals went down and the actual items being service dropped like a rock. Miller and others will tell you BMW, or any car, for that matter, needs more service. They warn against owning any BMW when its out of warranty, especially if it is a relative newer model, raised on the minimal maintenance schedule.

I can tell you the resale value of BMW's drop like a rock, partially because of this. People don't (want to)/can't afford the very high costs of fixing a BMW, especially one that's had minimal maintenance.

Nothing is free including less maintenance and less or no maintenance costs - you just pay for it later, when the after market shuns your product because reliability has been compromised. I've owned a 328i, 330i, 335i sedan, 335i coupe and a 135i coupe....I've owned one Infinite, my current G37X...the value, in my eyes, is with the G. I will no longer pay $8k to $12k additional as a snob tax for a BMW. Do BMWs track a little tighter - yes, might they get a tad bit better MPG - yes....but the G already out performs my necessary driving skills, so why would I need more car?

And speaking of cost, my brother in central Illinois was just quote $189.00 for an oil and filter change on his 128i convert with 14,000 miles. Even though his maintenance computer was flashing "CHANGE" the dealer wouldn't do it for another three weeks when the car had its first anniversary...yes, that's a whole other story for a later date. They are not cheap to own and operate.