[Wgosma]

Originally Posted by B58togo

If you say so.

I've always gotten a better read by talking to the owner and understanding their fundamental car knowledge and gauging how well they've taken care of all aspects of the car. I'd rather buy from a true enthusiast who has done all his own work with receipts for parts than from someone who has a stack of dealership receipts post warranty, and doesn't care if some flunkie at the dealership is changing his oil. And with all the $59 and $69 oil change "specials", who knows what some of these dealerships are pumping into your crankcase.

Nice 328, BTW.

+1....I've been driving Bimmers for 15 years, I buy used single-owner cars, DIY a good deal of my own work, have Blackstone test the oil, etc.. 6 months ago I sold my 2000 528i (E39), I have all service/repair/parts receipts from birth and summary of that in excel spreadsheet/PDF to show buyer. The guy who bought my car said "I wish there were more sellers out there like you'. I got top dollar for the car and the buyer new exactly what he was purchasing. The pre-purchase inspection he had a shop do showed NO differences in condition compared to what I put forth - easy sell, satisfied buyer.

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by cfm56d7b

$99 is well within the territory to let the dealer perform the oil change.

Agreed. $99 oil change and a car wash sound good to me. I would do it at that price.

[BP340]

Around $120 I think here in Atlanta. I let the dealer change it, as there is no damn dipstick and if the dealer screws up they cover the cost. My previous BMW had a thermostat recall I think, and the dealer replaced it and did not put the clamp back on the coolant hose. OTW to the airport for vacation the hose popped off. I had to fill it up with the coolant I could get at the gas station and limp home. Dealer picked up car, flushed, etc., at no cost to me while I was out of the country. I think a local shop would have scoffed at the cost, repair, etc., so I always do fluids, etc, at the dealer.

[F30ed]

Around $36: $22 5q Castrol + MANN filter, all from Amazon. Have receipts.

I did not account for 0.4q from another 5q that I bought long time ago, so if you add that in for accuracy, it would make it ... about $38? Damn, now it looks expensive.

[natesi]

Guys, is the BMW LL certification really necessary?

Can't we just pick up some 0-20 Mobile 1 synthetic and maybe change it every 7K or so? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-1-0...-5-qt/17034374

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by natesi

Guys, is the BMW LL certification really necessary?

Can't we just pick up some 0-20 Mobile 1 synthetic and maybe change it every 7K or so? https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-1-0...-5-qt/17034374

I don't think the LL certification is necessary unless you plan to let the oil actually LL --> (long life) i.e. >10k miles OCIs. Most people on here seem to have 7-8k OCIs, so most good brand oils that meet the BMW specs should be fine IMO.

[bavarianride]

To OP, 5L BMW Twinpower LL01FE 0w30 for your 4-cylinder + BMW oil filter is $62 shipped online.

$80 oil change@dealer is not bad. Most dealers with bmw value service charge $95(including tax), and at times there are $25-$30 coupon from BMWNA to knock price down to $65-70, which is not bad at all.

[deviantspeed]

Our local dealer went from $70 -> $100 now with the online coupon now. I'd rather them do it to avoid any potential warranty disputes later on.

Funny VW was charging $80 with online coupon and mentioned the BMW coupon, they actually lowered the price after that to $70. Oh well, times change, prices go up... yay.

[chowser51]

They normally charge $100 or $80 for a 3-series with coupon. Not sure why just for the 3-series. I haven't done my own yet on my current car. On my last two E90s, it would cost me around $60 for the filter and Mobil 1 (which I usually grab on sale).

I haven't put my F33 on a lift yet to look underneath, but I'm sure it'll be as easy as the E90.

[Rebound]

Originally Posted by RMachuca3d

Thats still less than 60$ (8$ per quart, 2 quarts needed)

So what? Honestly, a person who runs a garage has to pay the mechanics for eight hours a day, whether they're busy or not. They pay rent, pay for tools, lights, taxes... so no, I don't expect them to do an oil change for the cost of an oil and filter. They have a business to run!

[Rebound]

Originally Posted by chowser51

They normally charge $100 or $80 for a 3-series with coupon. Not sure why just for the 3-series. I haven't done my own yet on my current car. On my last two E90s, it would cost me around $60 for the filter and Mobil 1 (which I usually grab on sale).

I haven't put my F33 on a lift yet to look underneath, but I'm sure it'll be as easy as the E90.

I've changed oil on my F33. Very straightforward. There's a small plastic screw on the splash shield which lets you access the oil drain bolt. Per spec, you're supposed to replace the bolt at each change but I replace every other change. Be sure to use a metal NOT plastic washer and torque to spec, which is 18.4 ft-lbs for the N55 (6-cyl) engine.

If you have a jack and not a lift, you need an ULTRA-low profile floor jack. A low-profile jack won't work.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by Wgosma

+1....I've been driving Bimmers for 15 years, I buy used single-owner cars, DIY a good deal of my own work, have Blackstone test the oil, etc.. 6 months ago I sold my 2000 528i (E39), I have all service/repair/parts receipts from birth and summary of that in excel spreadsheet/PDF to show buyer. The guy who bought my car said "I wish there were more sellers out there like you'. I got top dollar for the car and the buyer new exactly what he was purchasing. The pre-purchase inspection he had a shop do showed NO differences in condition compared to what I put forth - easy sell, satisfied buyer.

Wow that is really cool. So how many miles did u put on your E39? How much was total out-of-pocket repair + maintenance since out of warranty? And top dollar means, say, $7k?

[Wgosma]

2000 528i 5-sport M-Sport: (pre facelift)

84K on the clock by original owner-car was 16 years old, I paid $4.5K. Sold 2 years later at 115K miles for $4.3K (bit above KBB PP price).

I DIY: new Vanos seals, front pads/rotors, rear pads, oil changes, tires. Very clean car; did take bit of time for a buyer to appear who wanted the manual tranny car- but he snapped it right up.

[kern417]

Last time i went to the same dealer i was under warranty but the slip indicated that it was more than $100. I would just ask to make sure that a. that's the entire quote and b. they won't try to charge you for other items. If it's a regular 10k mile service i think other items are included in the service at an additional cost.

Another shop i've gone too and recommend is MWorks.

Let me guess, the $300 quote came from Enthusiast Auto

[md222]

On the subject of oil changes, is the general rule for BMW every 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first? I've read about "intermediate" oil changes...under what circumstances is that necessary?

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by md222

On the subject of oil changes, is the general rule for BMW every 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first? I've read about "intermediate" oil changes...under what circumstances is that necessary?

If you plan on keeping the car, the enthusiast intervals would be every 5k.

[trilltx]

Paid $110 through the dealership in November

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by md222

On the subject of oil changes, is the general rule for BMW every 10,000 miles or 12 months, whichever comes first? I've read about "intermediate" oil changes...under what circumstances is that necessary?

10k or 12 months is just fine. Only if you track it or suffer from paranoia would you have to change it any sooner. That said, I change mine at 8k, not because I am paranoid, but because my OCI is set at the old interval of 17k so I just cut that in about half and reset the CBS every other oil change.

Talking about prices, I have never paid above $100 incl tax - dealer or indy.

[Gr-Racing]

I change oil every 5k Wal-Mart for the oil and amazon for the filter $36 bucks every other oil change

[md222]

Originally Posted by redEYEjedi

If you plan on keeping the car, the enthusiast intervals would be every 5k.

Originally Posted by adhrp

10k or 12 months is just fine. Only if you track it or suffer from paranoia would you have to change it any sooner. That said, I change mine at 8k, not because I am paranoid, but because my OCI is set at the old interval of 17k so I just cut that in about half and reset the CBS every other oil change.

Talking about prices, I have never paid above $100 incl tax - dealer or indy.

Thanks. I only put about 6k miles on my car each year so I was trying to understand the interplay between miles and time. Essentially I would be changing my oil every 6k miles if I did it annually.

[redEYEjedi]

Originally Posted by md222

Thanks. I only put about 6k miles on my car each year so I was trying to understand the interplay between miles and time. Essentially I would be changing my oil every 6k miles if I did it annually.

Based on your amount of driving to time, I think annually would be a good approach.

[viajealmundo]

Originally Posted by Gr-Racing

I change oil every 5k Wal-Mart for the oil and amazon for the filter $36 bucks every other oil change

Do you trust your Walmart? I went there ONCE with my E90. They did the whole thing and then realized they used the wrong oil.

Needless to say I never went back...