Cars House

Okay so... I just got my first BMW and it says that i have to do my oil change every 12,000 miles ????? :confused: :eek: is that normal?? lol, i've never heard of that! Also, does anybody know what oil they use at the bmw dealership or whatever? :help

While the manual may say to change your oil every 12k miles, it probably isn't a good idea.

The rate at which you change your oil should be based on how old/many miles the engine has on it, what type of oil has been used in the past, and how often the oil was previously changed.

I've heard people say that Amsoil is good to go still at 12k miles, so maybe that's a possibility, but from what I've read and learned lately, I would say that with a new 2004, Mobil 1 every 8k and an oil filter every 4k should work well.

Anyone, please feel free to correct me, but this is what I've taken away from the latest round of oil discussions.

Mobile 1 0w-40 is a good weight and I still change mine around 5k-6k miles.

I ran 15w-50 last summer and thought it was too think. I noticed a slight power increase and easier starts when I dumped 5w-30 for the winter.

5w-30 in the winter
0w-40 for the summer

The only BMWs that need 10w60 is M5 and S54 engines...

Oil is religion, so that's just my opinion only... YMMV

i would have to agree with the count here, i just put in mobil 1 15w50 and the starts are a bit harder, hopefully it'll get better as we get some warmer weather. ticking in autocross is gone, but that may just be the extra oil (7 full quarts).