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      04-29-2012, 10:30 AM   #27
JNoSol
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Drives: 750 MSPORT & E90M3
Join Date: Feb 2012
Location: Kansas City

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I complete the first oil change on my 2011 535i and 2012 X5 at 6k miles myself. On both cars, the oil drained thick and black. BMW recommends oil changes every 15k, or base on driving condition. However, I change the oil between recommended intervals (using 6.5qt of BMW oil and BMW oil change kit).

Some do the first change earlier (1,200 miles or so), which I agree might be counter-productive. The synthetic oil needs time to build up the lubricant film on the metal.

As for BMW recommendation right or wrong? They can't be far off, but what worries me is the recommended oil change intervals for the turbo models are the same as the non-turbo models. If oil changes weren't free for the first 50k miles, you can bet the recommended intervals would be shorter (more oil changes = more money in dealership's pocket). My buddy has a Nismo 370z, the dealership recommends Castrol Syntec oil changes every 3,750miles. The 370z's non-tubo charged motor runs cooler than the N55, so why such shorter oil change intervals? You guessed it, there's no free oil changes at Nissan.

I'm not a lubricant engineer, but all I know is thick/black oil = bad. Turbo charged engine = runs very hot and burns oil. Staying with the 15k oil change intervals is not going to hurt your engine, it just reduces your engine's performance "slightly" when the oil gets thick. Just my 2 pennies!

Last edited by JNoSol; 04-29-2012 at 10:43 AM..
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