[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Poochie

Yes, as far as I know, only ISTA has the option for the maintenance. To be honest, the dealer can easily check the counter also, if they really want to help. It's there for them, not us and not that difficult.

If you do get it ISTA or you want me to tell you where dealer has to look, PM and I'll guide you where exactly it's located.

I emailed my indy shop owner couple of days ago, he mentioned something like "We can however scan the modules and see how many oil changes the vehicle has had in its life", might be talking about the same thing. I'll try to get ISTA working when I get some free time, hopefully the ENET cable hasn't gone bad sitting in the trunk for about a year. Will PM you to point me towards the counter. Thanks, really appreciate it.

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

I emailed my indy shop owner couple of days ago, he mentioned something like "We can however scan the modules and see how many oil changes the vehicle has had in its life", might be talking about the same thing. I'll try to get ISTA working when I get some free time, hopefully the ENET cable hasn't gone bad sitting in the trunk for about a year. Will PM you to point me towards the counter. Thanks, really appreciate it.

Yes, it's the same; the ECU doesn't save exact dates, just a dummy counter.

But if they're willing to do it, let them and save yourself the trouble. As long as they reset it, the number changes each time.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Poochie

Yes, it's the same; the ECU doesn't save exact dates, just a dummy counter.

But if they're willing to do it, let them and save yourself the trouble. As long as they reset it, the number changes each time.

You mean as long as oil service reminder is reset in iDrive? Does the counter get reset to zero in any case?
Also, as it will just be a scan and I won't be modifying anything, it shouldn't leave any trace for the stealership to void my warranty? I could also just visit my indy and have him do it for me.

[Poochie]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

You mean as long as oil service reminder is reset in iDrive? Does the counter get reset to zero in any case?
Also, as it will just be a scan and I won't be modifying anything, it shouldn't leave any trace for the stealership to void my warranty? I could also just visit my indy and have him do it for me.

No, as long as you don't save the changes, it doesn't affect anything.

Anytime you reset the oil light, brake fluid, pads, ect, the counter changes, regardless of the method used. It's there so the car has a record, there is nothing nefarious about it.

The dealer can see it very easily, if it's really bugging you, ask them to interrogate the counter. It takes a few mins and they have the proper equipment to do it without a hassle. Seems like they owe you that much.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by Poochie

No, also long as you don't save the changes, it doesn't affect anything.

Anytime you reset the oil light, brake fluid, pads, ect, the counter changes, regardless of the method used. It's there so the car has a record, there is nothing nefarious about it.

The dealer can see it very easily, if it's really bugging you, ask them to interrogate the counter. It takes a few mins and they have the proper equipment to do without a hassle. Seems like they owe you that much.

I'll get it done when I go for my next service, I'm sure they will find it out for me. I'll at least know if the oil change was done. If it wasn't then I'll get the blackstone analysis done to figure out if something unusual is going on. Thanks

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

I'll get it done when I go for my next service, I'm sure they will find it out for me. I'll at least know if the oil change was done. If it wasn't then I'll get the blackstone analysis done to figure out if something unusual is going on. Thanks

Keep in mind that if the owner did an interim oil change (i.e. at 10k), the counter most likely would not have been reset until the dealership oil change at 20k. That is how I and many others do it when we do mid-cycle oil changes. In that case it won't show up in the system, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

[ian332isport]

Originally Posted by jackstrath

Just out of interest what does that cost you guys in the USA?

I use Millers Oils for oil analysis in the UK.

http://www.millersoils.co.uk/services/oil-analysis

It’s about £25 for a single test kit, or about £33 for two kits. Comes with everything you need, including a postage paid bag to send the sample in.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Keep in mind that if the owner did an interim oil change (i.e. at 10k), the counter most likely would not have been reset until the dealership oil change at 20k. That is how I and many others do it when we do mid-cycle oil changes. In that case it won't show up in the system, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen.

So whenever we change the oil ourselves and reset the oil change warning it does not change the counter and there is never a record of it? In my case, the counter would have been set to 1 when the oil change was done at the dealer at 20k miles even if the guy changed it himself at 10k?

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

So whenever we change the oil ourselves and reset the oil change warning it does not change the counter and there is never a record of it?

If you reset it yes, but most people who do a mid-way oil change during the first 50k complimentary maintenance period do not reset the counter so that the counter goes "as usual" and then at 17k or 20k, etc they go get their "complimentary" oil change from the dealer who then resets the counter.

Even post-complimentary maintenance, I do a 8.5k oil change without resetting the counter, then when the CBS light goes off at 17k miles I do a second change and *then* reset the counter. Rinse and repeat.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by thatBimmerBloke

In my case, the counter would have been set to 1 when the oil change was done at the dealer at 20k miles even if the guy changed it himself at 10k?

Yes, if it happened as I mentioned in my post above, then the guy probably changed the oil, did not reset the counter but the dealer did when the oil was changed at the CBS-mandated 20k for a count of '1'. Just mentioning this potential caveat in case you check the count, see a '1' and then conclude that the oil definitely was not changed until 20k. There is really no solid way to tell whether the previous owner did a 10k change unless he reset the counter.

Another caveat is that I don't think the system allows the counter to be reset too early even if you performed the service, but I am not a 100% sure about this point. Perhaps someone else can chime in and confirm/refute.

[thatBimmerBloke]

Originally Posted by adhrp

Yes, if it happened as I mentioned in my post above, then the guy probably changed the oil, did not reset the counter but the dealer did when the oil was changed at the CBS-mandated 20k for a count of '1'. Just mentioning this potential caveat in case you check the count, see a '1' and then conclude that the oil definitely was not changed until 20k. There is really no solid way to tell whether the previous owner did a 10k change unless he reset the counter.

Another caveat is that I don't think the system allows the counter to be reset too early even if you performed the service, but I am not a 100% sure about this point. Perhaps someone else can chime in and confirm/refute.

Got it, thanks! I'm sure he would've been getting the warning past 10k miles and hopefully he did the oil change and reset the warning.

[thatBimmerBloke]

So I heard back from the folks at Blackstone labs and seems like there is nothing out of the ordinary indicating anything to be concerned about. I got the sample from the dealer at around 6.5-7k miles, not sure if not following the guidelines for taking the sample impacts anything but seems like despite that the oil didn't have any unusual accumulations.