BMW oil change procedure rant

[PT1]

Well Pete...sounds like you are almost all the way there..to doing all your own oil service. I am all the way there after paying idiots way too much money to do incorrect service work on my car/truck/motorcycles/boats/snowblowers/lawnmowers etc.

What else has to happen before you just do it yourself? I had a guy break off the drain plug in one of my porsches into an aluminum oil pan that has to be ordered from Stuttgart (3 weeks later) on a "free" dealer oil change. That did it for me......almost....until it happened again in my truck at a lube stop. Then that did it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

PT1, lol! Yeah, the only thing standing in the way of me doing my own oil changes is inconvenience - not having a driveway and having to dispose off the old oil - there is always a risk of making a mess in the process. I'll definitely give it a try though. Otherwise I'll feel bad about spending the money on MityVac.

 

[PT1]

You local auto parts should take the oil for no charge. My city picks our up and uses it to heat a garage I think. But you should be able to find a spot to jack up your car with a floor drain or like you said a fluid extractor will do the trick. Then you can suit yourself and save a few $$.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I know I can take the old oil to an auto parts store. I was just saying that I don't want to dirty the car by spilling it somewhere while I transport it there. I'm not sure how good the MityVac is at holding onto that used oil while I drive it around in the back seat. I guess I could pour it into another canister.

 

[X72]

In January, I changed the oil in my sister's 06 325i. I put the car on ramps and drained the oil. It took me a while to loosen the plastic canister on top of the engine with a strap wrench. Next time, I will get the correct canister socket which will be a while since I will let the filter be changed by BMW during the maintenance period and I will just change the oil at my expense at a 6 month interval. I did notice that about 1/2 quart drained out after I loosen the oil filter.

The canister has 2 O-rings in this car.

The car had consumed one quart of the BMW Castrol oil and was 1/2 quart low on the dashboard electronic check of the oil level. I changed to Mobil 1 0W-40 and is still on max after 2500 miles. I think the engine is breaking in and the fresh oil both contributed to decreasing oil consumption.

 

[Auto-Union]

Nice job on doing your sister's car. My thinking on the BMW service was anual fall/winter dealer changes with BMW LL synthetic, but a drain and refill of dino 15w-40 at some point after theat. Maybe the 6-8 month point or a matter of weeks before the upcoming change as a "flush", leaving the old filter in place. I know 15w-40 is not BMW approved, but will work greeat up to 6000-8000 miles.

 

[mdv]

On the E39's I do exactly what the original shop did.

That way the oil is draining while I go to work on the filter.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Quote:

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On the E39's I do exactly what the original shop did.

That way the oil is draining while I go to work on the filter.

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But that is not what the shop did. That was my whole point. They first drained the oil, put the drain plug back in, and then untightened the oil filter housing and replaced the filter.

 

[Mr Nice]

Pete,

Too bad that I moved, but if I still lived in Miami/Doral, you could come over and do the oil change at my house. No need to let someone work on your car.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Heh... thanks for the offer anyway.

I'll find a way to get it done myself.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Quote:

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I know I can take the old oil to an auto parts store. I was just saying that I don't want to dirty the car by spilling it somewhere while I transport it there. I'm not sure how good the MityVac is at holding onto that used oil while I drive it around in the back seat. . . .

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That's exactly the reason I went to a Topsider oil extractor. I used to transport the old oil in one of those plastic drain pans with a cap on it, so you could unscrew the cap and pour the oil into the recycling bin.

But in 2004, the pan began to leak as I was draining the oil from my car . . a steady stream of oil from the cap. Thank all the ancient pagan gods it started to leak before I put it in my trunk!

The Topsider is metal, essentially an 8-quart gas can. You take off the bicycle pump and the extractor tube, screw on the metal caps provided, and pop it in your trunk. I've been using mine since the debacle in 2004, and no problems (other than having to lube the seals in the bicycle pump, but that's not a leak problem, and easily addressed).

Failing that, I'd guess, you can wrap the Mityvac in a couple of thick garbage bags and load it into your trunk.