[DaveDBD]

Am I the only one who still does an early oil/filter change between 500 and 1000 miles at my cost?

[Blue Sky]

I do.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by DaveDBD

Am I the only one who still does an early oil/filter change between 500 and 1000 miles at my cost?

Curious why you do this since it's not a BMW recommendation...

[DaveDBD]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

Curious why you do this since it's not a BMW recommendation...

I do it on all new cars to remove initial metal wear and leftover materials from casting.

BMW service recommendations are to prevent warranty claims, not long life of the engine.

Thus the addage to never buy a used or off lease BMW since most owners only do the free 10k mile changes.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by DaveDBD

I do it on all new cars to remove initial metal wear and leftover materials from casting.

BMW service recommendations are to prevent warranty claims, not long life of the engine.

Thus the addage to never buy a used or off lease BMW since most owners only do the free 10k mile changes.

Ok. Interesting. Never heard of this and never done it in 25 years of new cars of various brands. Thankfully having an EV makes it a moot point for me now. So by not doing an oil change at 500-1000 miles you’re degrading the life of the engine but not degrading it enough that it would cause an issue within the warranty period?

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

Ok. Interesting. Never heard of this and never done it in 25 years of new cars of various brands. Thankfully having an EV makes it a moot point for me now. So by not doing an oil change at 500-1000 miles you’re degrading the life of the engine but not degrading it enough that it would cause an issue within the warranty period?

I think this is more of a consideration for people who purchase (rather than lease) their vehicles and have an eye on longevity. The reason why manufacturers no longer use actual break-in oil is two-fold: Today, lots of people lease and would not bring them back at the initial 1k mileage for service. The break-in oil with minimal detergents, resulted in an ungodly amount of slug building up in them, which they then had to repair under the lease warranty. In comparison to a couple decades ago where the majority of people purchased the vehicle and had a vested interest in bringing them back for service to prevent long term damage. 2) Manufacturers want good CAFE mileage gas numbers. The people who determine these values, do not ask for a car from the manufacturer. They buy them off the lot as a phantom buyer. If these cars had break-in oil in them, the mileage would be very poor, and thus affect their CAFE mileage data, costing them dearly. So, they put high lubricating oil in them out of the gate, in case cars get purchased for auditing purposes by government agencies. This is GREAT for their numbers, but not necessarily what's best for the engine.

There’s a very interesting YouTube creator, whose family spent years in the racing industry. He’s an engineer with a focus in the field of tribology, the study of friction, wear and lubrication. He takes a VERY scientific approach to oil monitoring and analysis. One of the best videos I’ve seen on the topic of changing oil during a break in period, in a modern car, is perhaps this one:

[AiredaleDad]

Originally Posted by DaveDBD

Am I the only one who still does an early oil/filter change between 500 and 1000 miles at my cost?

Already planning on doing it once the break in 1200 Miles is done. Since I am out of the US with a US Spec car I don't get the free first oil change anyway. I do get a 50% discount on oil changes.

[LVBMW]

Originally Posted by ToddRGuy

I think this is more of a consideration for people who purchase (rather than lease) their vehicles and have an eye on longevity. The reason why manufacturers no longer use actual break-in oil is two-fold: Today, lots of people lease and would not bring them back at the initial 1k mileage for service. The break-in oil with minimal detergents, resulted in an ungodly amount of slug building up in them, which they then had to repair under the lease warranty. In comparison to a couple decades ago where the majority of people purchased the vehicle and had a vested interest in bringing them back for service to prevent long term damage. 2) Manufacturers want good CAFE mileage gas numbers. The people who determine these values, do not ask for a car from the manufacturer. They buy them off the lot as a phantom buyer. If these cars had break-in oil in them, the mileage would be very poor, and thus affect their CAFE mileage data, costing them dearly. So, they put high lubricating oil in them out of the gate, in case cars get purchased for auditing purposes by government agencies. This is GREAT for their numbers, but not necessarily what's best for the engine.

There’s a very interesting YouTube creator, whose family spent years in the racing industry. He’s an engineer with a focus in the field of tribology, the study of friction, wear and lubrication. He takes a VERY scientific approach to oil monitoring and analysis. One of the best videos I’ve seen on the topic of changing oil during a break in period, in a modern car, is perhaps this one:

Great info. I will check out that video also.

[DaveDBD]

Originally Posted by LVBMW

So by not doing an oil change at 500-1000 miles you’re degrading the life of the engine but not degrading it enough that it would cause an issue within the warranty period?

Exactly.

As said in the video, initial wear occurs with iron, copper and aluminum in the oil that is removed with the first oil change around 500 miles, subsequent oil changes showing greatly reduced levels.

Also, change oil every 5k to 6k miles, not 10k to 12k miles. Just tell service department to not reset the oil life monitor and you will still get the BMW free changes.

[CiprianS]

Originally Posted by DaveDBD

Exactly.
Just tell service department to not reset the oil life monitor and you will still get the BMW free changes.

I did not get this one.

[Vitoco]

Nope you are not, the ICE in my hybrid is at 1250 miles now so it will get done next week.

[Blue Sky]

I have done early oil change at home at some really low mileage, like 100 - 250 miles. The surface of the oil in my collection pan had an unnatural sheen to it from I suppose microscopic metal flake. I was really glad to have done it. I also did the transmission and differential. I also changed the diff fluid on my C6 Corvette a short time after fitting the largest ratio that would fit in the casing because the wearing in of the new gears produces metal flake.

I have sent out oil for analysis to places like Blackstone Labs, though mainly for a health check after some kind of failure (cooling, duct or air leaks) or for a used car I purchased, like the CPO 2014 M5 lease return I got with 1600 miles on it, just help fill out my understanding of the condition its in.

[DaveDBD]

Oil and filter was $317.

It uses a new type of oil.

[ToddRGuy]

Be really diligent regarding the cost of the oil change. I’ve seen a lot of outrageous prices. I can say that my BMW dealer in Ohio has a really fair price. Use this as leverage!

[CiprianS]

ToddRGuy, I also see that price at my dealership, but I see nowhere mentioned the oil filter for it. Does that price include the oil filter?

But this seems to be the Valued Service which is for older cars as far as I remember.

[RichardInCA]

I can’t imagine the filter not being included in an oil change…I’m also thinking that there may well be local differences between markets (eg labor cost etc) but who knows?

[CiprianS]

Originally Posted by RichardInCA

I can’t imagine the filter not being included in an oil change…

Me neither but who knows?

[DaveDBD]

7 quarts 0W-12 at $26@.

filter $30

labor $70

misc $5

tax $25

Doing it yourself would be about $170 with BMW oil and filter.

[tsbrown]

Originally Posted by DaveDBD

Am I the only one who still does an early oil/filter change between 500 and 1000 miles at my cost?

I've owned (not leased) nothing but BMW's from new for nearly 30 years and on only 1 car did I have this done. It was my E90 M3 and it was the required break-in oil and diff fluid change at 1200 miles.

For that car, it's in the owners manual that it needs to be done and I was reminded to bring it in when I returned home from my Spartanburg PDC delivery. It's to flush leftover metal particles from the manufacturing and ensure piston rings are properly set. I believe they used a different oil/diff fluid when it was manufactured and replaced it with the standard recommended oil (0W 60 racing oil IIRC) and diff fluid, but I can't be sure as that was 15 years ago.

I've had at least 4 BMW engines (usually 3L I6) to 60k miles from new in that time and no issues by skipping the break in oil change (except on the V8 M3). I think if you follow BMW's recommended 1200 mile break-in procedure you should be fine, but an additional oil change probably doesn't hurt.

BTW, I drove that M3 from the 1200 mile break-in service directly to Mid-Ohio for a CCA HPDE where I proceeded to thoroughly explore the performance capabilities, regularly hitting the 8300rpm rev limiter. What a car that was, kept it to 72k miles.

[ToddRGuy]

Originally Posted by CiprianS

ToddRGuy, I also see that price at my dealership, but I see nowhere mentioned the oil filter for it. Does that price include the oil filter?

But this seems to be the Valued Service which is for older cars as far as I remember.

Attachment 3657500

Yes, they changed the filter. It’s in the work order.

[CiprianS]

ToddRGuy, I just asked at my dealership, and exactly how I suspected the $119 does not apply in this case.

You are lucky with those prices there in Ohio.

[DaveDBD]

I found where 0W-12 is optimized for in city auto stop/start driving.

Wonder how the engines will hold up with predominantly highway driving…