Are You Changing Oil Too Often? You'll Be Surprised By These Lab Results! BMW Oil Analysis PART 1
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- čas přidán 3. 07. 2021
- Analysis of three used oil samples in my quest to find the perfect oil change interval.
NOTE:
A few things I forgot to mention in the video:
1. I've never needed to add oil between changes. This engine doesn't seem to burn or leak a significant amount of oil.
2. Regardless of how much you drive, the oil should be changed once per year to remove moisture and contaminates. OR SHOULD IT? Check out Part 2 for the test!
3. Every motor is a little different depending on its health and how it has been maintained. The results gathered in this video may not be repeatable in all BMW M52 engines.
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Oil Analysis Video PART 2: • Oil Quality After Two ...
Oil Analysis Video PART 3: • Change Oil Or Just Kee...
Oil Change Video: • BMW Oil Change - Easy ...
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*Disclaimer*
Due to the litigious world we live in, I have to make this statement:
I cannot guarantee against improper use or unauthorized modifications of this information. The creator of this content assumes no liability for property damage or injury incurred as a result of any of the information contained in this video. Use this information at your own risk. I recommend safe practices when working on vehicles and or with tools seen or implied in this video. No information contained in this video shall create any expressed or implied warranty or guarantee of any particular result. Any injury, damage, or loss that may result from improper use of these tools, equipment, or from the information contained in this video is the sole responsibility of the user and not the creator of this content. - Auta a dopravní prostředky
Check out my other Oil Analysis videos:
Part 1 - BMW 5k, 7.5k, 10k comparison: czcams.com/video/z1ZJJyfph4M/video.html
Part 2 - BMW Two Year Oil comparison: czcams.com/video/7hJU112oUg8/video.html
Part 3 - 300k mile Toyota Yaris Oil Analysis: czcams.com/video/caBVbGYHB4k/video.html
Part 4 - 208k mile Jeep Grand Cherokee Oil Analysis: czcams.com/video/4HWGCX9sWpw/video.html
In my former life I was a lubrication engineer (tribologist).
Particles in nature are usually of negative electronic charge and tend to 'clump' together (agglomerate) into larger and larger sized particles ... based on time. Most engines made earlier than about 2010 are built upon the 20 µM (micrometers) specification - defining the MOST DAMAGING PARTICLE SIZE in an internal combustion engine; many of the newer designed engines have a lesser/smaller sized particles-in-oil specification.
Modern lubricating oils have added detergent, a chemical compound that alters the electronic surface characteristics of the particles. Such Detergents become 'used up' based on the time the oil is in service/operation.
Secondly, the more modern engines have 'weaker' (less springy) piston rings (done to artificially improve gas milage). This allows MORE blow-by of the piston rings (and oil) to become 'settled' and deposited as 'carbon' behind and on the wrong side the piston rings and IN the ring grooves ('lands') of the piston. This build up of carbon can promote ring sticking (or 'stuck rings') leading to adverse cylinder wall wear, The remedy is:
1. if the vehicle is driven predominately at normal steady state, highway speeds, with the cruise contol engaged, with little stop & go intervals in between .... consider to change oil and 'quality' oil filter AT (or before) the manufacturers recommended change-out recommendations
2. If predominantly in stop and go conditions, and you're always accelerating and decelerating (aggressively) .... consider to change the oil at ***HALF*** the recommended interval to help ensure that your piston rings dont become stuck due to carbon build up in the piston ring grooves.
Constant oil changeout - ON TIME , .... (or at half time intervals for 'stop and go') - ...... is VASTLY CHEAPER than an engine rebuild or 'new' vehicle.
For myself I typically get 200 - 300k+ miles out of a well made engine. (FWIW - I never buy a new design 'engined' vehicle, until it proves itself to be itself in **long term** driving conditions to be long-term-reliable).
Lastly, avoid 'beating' the engine with rapid acceleration/deceleration, 'especially' including those times when the engine is BELOW normal operating TEMPERATURES.
Hope this helps. ;-)
That was most helpful and much appreciated.
That feels about.
The last one is critical.. Before you venture near red line, have the engine at full operating temp.
I am an Amsoil fanatic and only change my oil (signature) every 25k miles. I do have a 2 micron Amsoil bypass filter installed.
Oil when changed looked almost new.
engines are happy to be beat on as long as they are at proper operating temperature.
My personal experience with oil changes is to take whatever the manufacturer says and divide that by 2 seems to do the trick.
Do you do that with the rest of the service schedule?
That's a good thing to do since the manufacturer gives OCI for normal driving and most of us fall into the severe use category which is half as you do. Oil changes are cheap, engines are not.
Good advice.
What are you trying to achieve?
well i wouldn't nessasarly say half but yah im leary of going much over 5k miles on any vehicle. but also let the vehicle tell you what it wants. if burn oil then going to long probly. if its black as night may want to change more often to tho im awear sum vehicles nearly instantly turn oil black.
In order to decide on oil change intervals, you have to consider your driving conditions. The deterioration of the oil is dependent on how many cold starts you perform, and on whether the engine is run up to operating temp each time you run it. If you tend to run short errands with a delay between trips, your oil will deteriorate more quickly. During warm-up, acid and water vapor is created during this period. If you get the engine all the way up to temp, most of the water vapor evaporates and blows out the tailpipe. The acid that occurs during the warm-up process just collects in the oil, contaminating it. Also a consideration is whether you do much driving in excessively dusty conditions. To simplify all this, if you drive 200 miles on the highway, your engine will get more wear during the first 2 minutes of warm-up than it will during the 200 miles of driving. All of these factors are why it is difficult to have a single hard and fast rule about intervals. Also, if you are using synthetic oil, it is more resistant to deterioration. Also, if your engine is turbocharged, this is very hard on the oil, much like the effects of large amounts of steroids on a human body. If you talk to a mechanic, they will invariably tell you that turbocharged engines nearly always have a shorter life than non-turbo versions of the same engine. A engine -oil analysis is a really good way to measure the best interval for oil changes for your own type of driving, but it doesn't tell you much about your neighbor who has a different pattern of use. BILL
What about those cars whose running per month is not more than 400 - 500 miles ? Which engine oil is suitable for such cars, synthetic or non-synthetic?
Exactly 👍
@@husainzaidi1527 Synthetic is still best for everything as it doesn't oxidize & break down like regular oil. However, short trips, especially in cold weather is hard on the oil & engine and to say for sure if you should change the oil, you need to send a sample to the lab & add the TBN (total base number) test to see whether the oil's TBN number drops below 1 which indicates the oil is getting to where it can no longer neutralize acids in the oil. Also, the test will show if there is fuel & water in the oil which would be the result of frequent short trips. If you don't drive your car much and don't want to spend money on lab test, just change the oil often with regular oil (or whatever your car calls for) and call it a day, following the severe service schedule in your owner's manual.
@@Blondul11 a hybrid Broke My Wallet??? A regular one is expensive enough to fix i dont want to imagine a hybrid lol.
@@husainzaidi1527 My 2 cents worth, synthetic. Let engine warm up a few minutes before moving. This is important if you live in a cold climate of country. That is if you want engine to last a long time.
Well, i am the sucker that owns a n52 and changed religiously at 3k mi intervals along with the Mann filter. The thing sits at 178k mi and still pulls like a freight train. Enjoyed your vid thoroughly.
Local euro mechanic here advised every 6k KM (so ~4k miles) for n52 engines... cheaper than internal engine work!
I do 4-5k with penn. Platinum euro 5w40. Engine looks like new Everytime I open it up.
I have a 2006 330i with the n52. I changed my oil every 12k- 15k (I did do oil analysis to confirm safety)until I hit 200,000 miles. After that every 10k, now I’m at 254,700. The car needs some work but nothing on the engine. It fires right up and runs great. If you do oil analysis for long intervals I don’t see a problem with longer OCI.
Yes you are I changed every 10k and my two older vehicles have lasted 250k and over 300k
I do 4k miles OCI's on my 04 Jaguar XJR with Liqui Moly Hi Tec (good for 25k miles but...LOL) 😂 she seems to be putting out every ounce of the factory 400 lb ft torque ❤ take care of your car and she will take care of you 😁
I always do my oil changes at 5-7k miles and I’m glad to see I was right in my suspicions.
Yep, 4-5 k on my Jeep, my 2011 SRT Challenger once a year right before winter storage, only drive 2k a year on it. I feel oil and filters are cheap.
10-years is a good interval. I prefer not to ever do oil changes or oil filters and simply top up oil level when needed. Previous petrol Mercedes cars ran 250,000 and 137,000 miles with no oil changes and still were running smoothly when sold. Present BMW X5 diesel SUV no oil changes for 3-years. Heavily used on a daily basis yet still running smooth as silk.
@@Globetrotter-1 lol waat?
@@wagyubeef925 True....I believe oil, oil filters and cabin air filters definitely don't need to be changed often and especially not at stupid frequent intervals! As long as you maintain oil levels then there is no problem running cars daily for many years and racking up high mileages. I also never do car services on any of my vehicles. It's just not necessary and saves a lot of money in the long run.
@@Globetrotter-1 lol
I recently had an oil analysis performed by LN Engineering and while the ppm of all elements examined were in the good range, they encouraged doing a “dual” sample test in the future (sending a bottle of the brand new, unused oil before it went in along with one when it came out 5,000 miles later) in order to know the exact levels of all the original additives, etc. before and after. They said this gives an more accurate picture of what the engine is doing.
@@johnchapman7719 BS
I 100% with that decision otherwise they don't really know the baselines starting points
k @johnchapman7719 = if your car has a dipstick [computerized in Audi display] would you stick a rod (like a long bicycle spoke) where you fill the oil in that case?
How does an oil analysis company not have that data on file merely by you telling them what product you're using?
@@aluisiousI can only guess that there might be very subtle fluctuations in amounts of individual additives over time, and using the exact oil you started with would be the only way to guarantee a really precise measurement of the changes that were caused exclusively by your specific engine (and not the oil manufacturer). Formulations are constantly evolving.
You will NEVER hurt an engine by putting fresh oil and filter . NEVER . I do every 5000 kms . Cheap and fun .
If your engine has break in oil, pulling out early COULD damage your engine.
Waste of money
@@M40450 Use conventional (mineral) engine oil and change it every 25k kilometers, best advice to increase the lifespan of the engine.
@@nicotoscani8270 1950s yes . 1000 kms today is fine .
@@M40450 The enjoyment time with my son working on the car , is worth every penny . $50 bucks IS cheap . Your mom queefs out her birthday candles .
After all my research, I have settled on 10,000km interval with full synthetic. I have also adjusted the intervals to match multiple of 10s on odometer, easy to remember. My next change is at 240,000km 😊
I'm with you on this one! 10k is my go to for changing oil in my audi's too! liqui moly the more expensive version of it not the green one but the dark blue one with the german lq................ writing on it, and it quiets my engine down slows down my oil consumption(too lazy to swap my pcv valve on my 3.0t engine to lower the oil consumption in these engines) and I'm a happy camper for over 12 13y with no engine issues(and i'm a maniac the way i drive and the 450hp i have at my foot pedal)
You can do once a year when you do average distances, circa 12k km a year. Mechanic who did last service in my diesel Mazda put next service in 11k miles, which is 17k km or in one year. It seems 17k km is average mileage in my country, which is suspicious. I would do it quicker, but won't make the milage, so will do it in 12 months.
10k is the sweet spot imo.
Engine oil looks absolutely cooked by 15k which is the most common oem service interval these days.
Every engine is very different my friend. Do an oil analysis of your own at 5k then 7.5k miles then if it looks good 10k
10Km is a reasonable oil change interval IMO IF it's FULL synthetic.
I change the oil not for the car but for my ' mental health ' win win.😅.
Well, if that's all it takes, you're ahead of the game. Much cheaper than meds.
Polluting the World because of lack of education!
mental health is a pathetic liberal term
Thanks for adding the values in km’s and € as well :)
You're welcome! Just trying to make things clear for as many people as possible.
It is amazing that the one's who know less are the one who will put out information which they are in the dark about.
I have 17 Jeep Grand Cherokee 3.6 L V6. Because I live in an area that is over 100° (sometimes towing a small RV) in the summer and below 0° in the winter. I stick to 5000 to 6000 mile oil change intervals.
Thanks for the video!
Consider to evaluate the highest allowed grade sccording to the user manual, I mean preferring 20W-40 to 20W-30. Living in hot environment really stresses oil molecules.
Good for you for keeping that E46 in such good shape. My first brand new car was a 2000 328Ci that I opted for European delivery on. I drove it for 13 years before buying an X3. That E46 was a GREAT car and probably the last the great BMWs.
Many tests have shown that the cheaper Walmart Brand Super Tech full synthetic oil is as good & sometimes better than any other oil,... I think cheaper oil changed more often is better than high end oil taken to limits.
I use the Costco store brand synthetic. It’s $4/qt. So far, no issues.
I fully agree with you. When you have clean oil you have a clean engine, no carbon deposits and less wear. That's my thoughts.
@@Ricky-eo5ym
Yep
Totally agreed especially if you can do it yourself
Supermarkets buy their oil from somewhere, I would expect it comes from a fairly big name for the huge quantities needed by them.
I love that you redline it everyday. A man that enjoys his car.
And it loves me back (I hope)
I'm the opposite, rarely go over 2000rpm😅.
Occasional Red lining of engine helps the life of the Engine. Keeps the Engine clean.
At red line engine speeds the alternator spins two to three times faster. Those bearings in the alternator will have a short life. As well the brushes and slip rings wear out faster. Is it good for the engine at those high speeds, I doubt it. Low revving diesels will get over a million miles and racing cars about five hundred miles to a thousand miles before rebuilds. Speed wears things out. Just my 2cents.
The alternator will have a short life span? How short? It's lasted 24 years and 290,000 miles so far.
Great video.. thanks for posting your results. I usually do oil changes every 5,000 miles (8,000 km).
Quality air filters and change intervals that take into consideration the environment and road conditions are important too, as well as replacing degrading engine coolant and thermostats to effectively provide optimal engine temps in ALL seasons. Spark plugs, fuel filters, fuel choices all play a big part in the overall picture. There is a lot more to this!
Valid points... More to the story than simple oil changes...
Could you please explain why it is important to have the optimal operating temperature in an engine in different environments or temperature fluctuations? Specifically regarding oil.
Several reasons: Engine internals all perform best at optimal temps, thus the need for the thermostat. Also condensation inside the engine often winds up in the oil, and that means getting the oil above the boiling point long enough to remove it via PCV and other actions. Consider exhaust and cat converter too, short hops here and there don't get it, generally.@@armando9293
@@armando9293Heat kills(degrades) everything, wether it be "excessive" heat in oil, coolant, bearings, lubricants of bearings, anything. Everything that was "engineered" to operate in an engine, was "engineered" with specific "tolerances" in order to operate "optimally"; when these tolerances are "exceeded", normally by excessive temperatures, those temperatures start to "break down" lubricants, which causes temperatures to rise in moving parts, which causes "friction", which causes heat of those moving parts, which increases the temp of the lubricant,... Its an "engineered" operation where everything needs to function and operate within they're "designed" perameters, and when they dont, you have problems; so yes, proper maintenance and "preventative" maintenance is mandatory for the longevity of the engine as a whole. Hope that helps.
I have a 2003 BMW Z4 I bought brand new. I have changed my oil and filter every 7500 miles since new with Mobile 1 full synthetic 5W-30. At 112,000 miles I pulled the valve cover to see what it looked inside. Saw no obvious wear. Everything was clean with not a sign of any sludge. Timing chains and gears didn't appear to show any wear. Think I am good to go for as long as I want to drive it. Don't drive this car hard and it is always garaged. Been a great car.
How does that equate to how long of a time on oil changes?
@a-framewedge it shows that with good oil, 7500 miles between oil changes works out ok. Think that's related to the subject.
Thanks for the info. I have a 07 328xi and Ive been doing 7500 mile changes regularly. Im approaching the 300k mark as well.
Sounds like you've been doing it right then! Keep it up
Was the transmission or diff fluid ever changed on your car? I have a 2008 528i at 175k and would love to get it to 250k but my worry is that trans fluid was never changed and it's too late to do it now
@@mattgalvis I didnt change trans fluid until like 225k miles....wish I would have done it sooner. Was fearful myself. Still working but do have hard shifts going into 3rd and 5th now. I have not done diff fluids but need to. Just about to roll over to 270k now.
I had a 1981 BMW 320I and changed the oil at 21000 miles. I used AMSOIL and it came back good at 21000 when I had it analized. I sold the car with 187000 miles and it still looked like new inside when I checked the valve adjustment.
Really cool that you put also metric references to the video... I am from Germany and have troubles comparing the Numbe4s during watching a video...
Great video.....The lab tests really add a good perspective and credibility. Many videos out there just keep talking stuff about the topic without actual measurements, tests or analysis of any kind to back it up. Very few of them show numbers like you did. Proper way to do it, keep it up 👍🏽
Thank you! I really appreciate that. I just wanted to find an answer once and for all, and it only cost $90 for all 3 tests. Wish I had done it 10 years ago.
Oil analysis alone doesn't give the complete representation of the engine internals. For that, look at the videos where the engine was actually taken apart to see the sludge, varnish, and condition of the oil control rings. czcams.com/video/3rqRhxF0Jwo/video.html
True, but I'm not about to disassemble my engine at nearly 300k miles just to check for sludge. These tests are the next best thing and will definitely let you know if there's a problem.
@@EndlessMoneyPits Yeah, everyone should do whatever makes them feel good. I personally go with "Your car will last longer if you change your oil sooner" and I especially like the videos where you can see inside the engine. czcams.com/video/ttGQW217wTM/video.html
It's reassuring that they still cap the time interval at 1 year - if the car isn't driving far enough in a year to reach the oil change distance interval, it will be doing short and/or infrequent trips. I think this is why the Severe service schedules usually mention long periods of idling: you're racking up hours on the oil but it's not accounted for by the odometer.
Not only hours, cold engine hours that accumulates water and unburnt fuel.
My mom's gasoline had almost 10% of gas in OIL 😨😨😨 because the new Euro 6 engines have heavy idle warm cycles that let gas go in the oil sump.
I think BMW says 2 years is okay on oil that meets the LL/01 requirement, but 1 year is the general rule because oil absorbs moisture over time.
@@EndlessMoneyPits Yeah but I need to change oil every 4 months in my mom's car cause the Euro6 + GDI dilutes the oil heavily, it's a chore.
@@dimmacommunication You just need to let it warm up properly so the gas will evaporate just like the moisture
@@PalpatinesPlumber It does warm up perfectly actually , it's just that GDI probably is the cause 😥
this car looks absolutely mint! congrats bro
Thank you very much
(part 1 and 2) excellent videos and well taught study.
On older japanese cars (1989 and 2001) I used to do the non-synthetic oil changes every 8000-11000km, all my 4 engines (including 3 turbo engines) did not have any issues and made it to 300 000+km being red lined intelligently everyday.
That's awesome, I don't think we can expect that from many modern cars. Thanks for watching!
It’s the same with an 1985 toyota mr2 i used to drive. It reached 325 k miles,and losing very little oil.Gave the car to a friend,and it’s still running good(340k).
What meant by red lining intelligently?
@@spoiler9112 To me it means : when engine is hot only, not non stop, and no downshifting braking (I dont mind changing brake pads/rotors)
and also allow complete cooldown before shutdown, either way, that served me well with my engines and transmissions
@@spoiler9112 as in not bouncing it off the box at idle, in an unloaded condition, just to impress your boys.
I've done this same test using the same lab with my 2014 Mazda CX-5. I run Pennzoil Ultra Platinum 0w-20 and the lab has reported the oil is still plenty good at the 7.5k mile mark, which is about what I average per year in driving. The lab did say the Pennzoil Ultra Plat tests show it was more than capable of a 10k oil change interval in my Mazda. YMMV.
I just replaced the oil with Castrol Edge Euro formula which is supposed to be good for 15k miles. I will probably send in a sample at 10k first and see how it looks.
Just fill in pure water 🤣🤣🤣
@@EndlessMoneyPitsis it still good at 10k?
We will see...
Thank you for sharing it, sir.
Awesome video, it's really interesting to see a conclusion drawn by literal laboratory samples. Keep up the nice content!
Thank you
I was previously inclined more toward 5K change intervals. It's great to have actual data, because it turns out to be a money-saver. Driving conditions can vary, but it's good to know that longer intervals are probably not the best choice.
the reason 5k changes are best is because it give you margin of error. If you forget or things happen, an engine is far more forgiving of a 6k oil change opposed to a 8 or 11k oil change
I've always changed engine oil with the realisation that oil is the engine's life blood.
The cleaner the oil, the healthier the engine.
Oil isn't just a lubricant and I'm shocked by the number of people who think it is and don't understand why it has additives. 🥴
The first oil change on a new engine is the most critical. As it wears into place, that is when the most metal particles occur.
I changed my oil at 1,000 miles when I bought it new.
I then change about ever 6-8k miles. My oil never goes down (maybe 1/8 qt in 7k), and it's clear at 50K miles.
@@mutteringmale Indeed and you do right too.
3000 kilometers the manufacturer recommended before the 1st oil change in my car, but I only ran it 1500. "No, no, no" they said down at the dealership. "It's alright for another 2000 at least" "No, no, no" I said "It's my car, do you want the business or not?"
Unfortunately, a serious injury has prevented me from changing my own engine oil and filter so it's down to my service agent to carry out the task on my behalf. This causes a little consternation with them because I always change it long before the manufacturer recommends it be changed.
I also mark the oil filter before I hand the car over because, having once worked in the auto trade, I'm aware of the little cheats that occur, and not always changing the oil filter but charging the customer for a new one is something I'm familiar with.
They ain't tried to swindle me yet.
@@Dylanesque Yup, I forgot the part of asking for you filter back, which is the law btw, they have to return the parts they exchanged. I tell them "I like to run analysis on my filters" so they don't feel like I'm calling them crooks, which many are not.
I caught my Toyota dealership screwing me that way. Most Toyota dealerships are crooks anyway, I should never have gone there.
@@mutteringmale I'm presently running a 2018 Impreza but prior to this I had KIA because I liked everything about the cars - looks, comfort and drive - just not the agent/dealership. Negligent to slipshod at best. They even tried to worm their way out of a paint warranty repair *AND* after they'd crashed the car or drove another car into it when it went in to be assessed for that warranty work, denied any of their staff was responsible.
Except...before I leave any car with any mechanic/agent I always make sure an employer does a 360 visual inspection. After all, if you take a courtesy car it is inspected by all parties concerned prior to it leaving the premises.
However, the damage caused to the KIA was eventually repaired but by some weird made up contract to cover up the damage caused on their forecourt.
Long story short, the car had been dismantled to some degree to enable repair but not reassembled correctly and the same paint issue returned within a matter of weeks.
They didn't seem concerned and as the weeks rolled by without any sign the problem was going to be corrected, I decided to change the car altogether. With the Impreza I am fairly happy. I would be happier if it wasn't an automatic but, as the wife is fairly rough with a manual, I guess it's a small sacrifice.
I have no experience with BMW but I am a long-time Mazda person. I've always gone 7500 mi on oil changes and used quality synthetic oil and OEM filters. Just recently bought a new mazda3 with skyactiv GDI engine my first GDI. From what other Mazda enthusiast tell me I should not go beyond 5000 miles on my oil changes on this engine because of carbon build up. But I'm firm believer in the Italian tune-up which means revving up to near or at redline occasionally to burn off carbon. I think if you're running to redline everyday in that BMW, you must be doing something right to achieve that mileage and have that oil analysis result.
I agree, a good motor should be able to handle going to the redline. I don't do it until the car is fully warmed up from 30-45 minutes of driving, but I do it almost every time I drive the car. I think it keeps the engine healthy. And if anything goes wrong, it will be during a redline run, not on a road trip or your morning commute to work. Thoug, I've never actually had anything go wrong during a redline run that I can think of.
I got 440,000 km out of a Mazda engine from new with 6000 mile changes. The clutch went but the engine never burned oil
the carbon issue is actually going to affect the valves, which the Italian tune up won't do much to prevent. They actually recommend running some sort of anti-carbon GDI fuel additive through every oil change, and filling up with some type of premium fuel with the extra high concentration of detergents every so often. But you're gonna have carbon problems eventually unless it also has port injection, and you will have to get the intakes walnut-blasted every few years to clean it out.
@@theredscourge Mazda sells their "deposit cleaner" which they r ccomend every 10k. It's 70 bucks a pop.
@@JohnBoulding every oil change or every 10k sounds quite expensive, but I suppose it depends on what the long term cost is of doing it less often. If I had a GDI engine I'd probably try to get away with doing it every 2 or 3. Fortunately, I have both port and direct injection on mine.
Routine sampling is wonderful. Added value, peace of mind, and a headsup. Actually it pretty cheap insurance. Same my 2016 5.0 at 75k on the truck, 8500 miles on mobile 1 synthetic, and a Motorcraft filter. Results were freaking beautiful, especially since I have lab experience. Thanks for the video!
Man. Thank you for this excellent experiment!
Your approach gives a lot of credibility to that level of engine protection.
Here in Australia we mostly hear about oil change intervals of 10,000 KMs. Your research gives me some reassurance that this is enough. Thankyou.
In Germany most professionals would also recommend oil changes between 10.000 and 15.000 kilometers. I personally also prefer 10.000 km, especially after this video.
In Germany today, most car manufacturers prefer to sell another new car sooner than they used to in the past. Hence, changing oil frequently is not recommended. Bear in mind that in the past there were less cars on roads, less traffic jam conditions, and people would walk locally instead of driving to the near shop
Also here in Australia, I run 316 Sprinters and E6 and E7 Mack’s, I change oil on both at 33K. . . . One sprinter is nearing 1 million and we get and expect we’ll over 2 million from our Mack engines. In near 45 years operating our Mack’s have never had an engine failure
@@stevel1451 you're obviously doing something right. I once heard an earthmoving equipment owner say "oil is cheap compared to mechanical repairs". Must be right. 👍
I would say it depends very much on your environment. In a hot dusty desert area you want to change more often. Also the oil type is different between hot desert or cold arctic temperatures.
Also don't forget that cold wet climates can introduce excess moisture into the oil that can mess with lubrication.
@@fatmanchew909 Never heard about that. As soon as the oil got warm i expect the moist to evaporate. Oil thinning by diesel on the other hand is a well known problem.
Where/how do you think dust is getting into your oil?
@@WeighedWilson It is passing through the air filter and then passing by the piston rings into the oil. Same way you get a diesel thinning of your oil with lots of short distance driving.
Highway/city driving are totally different too
Super cool video. I love data oriented stuff like this. Subbed.
Based on just the data you showed, you need to run two oil intervals of 7,500 miles and compare them. On both oil changes send the filter with them and have them do a particle load test.
One more thing. Have you thought about doing these tests with Shell Ultra Helix 5w-30? The filter youre are using is phenomenal, and a very good choice for BMW.
Very interesting! I agree with this in general but looking at engine oil analysis almost every day I have noticed something I don’t like, even during the short intervals. There is lots of copper present which is usual for M52 and M54 engines. I see this on oil samples of M52/54 engines regularly. The copper value is even higher than iron and there is already lead from the bearings visible! In my experience, these engines can use a slightly higher viscosity oil. A 5W-40 with a higher HTHS-Value can make life easier for the bearings. Personally I tend to recommend oils with an HTHS of 4.0-4.5 mPas for these engines in 5W-40 or 0W-40 viscosity at an interval of up to 6,000 miles / 10,000 km depending on driving conditions. According to these analysis a longer interval of up to 7500 miles should be fine for you.
Impressive mileage though, the engine seems to be quite healthy in general, which is no surprise. You don’t seem to drive short distances on a cold engine, that’s usually the main problem for these engines.
I hope this can help you :)
Kind regards from Germany!
Yes you are right, these engines love 5w40 or 0w40 oils, 5w30 is just a bit too thin, especially if you drive your car hard.
@@mohamadhamad770 Agree 100% Lighter oils recommended by the manufacturer are for optimum fuel mileage, not engine lifespan.
I try to change my vehicles oil every 7000 kilometres. Why? Well modern engines are made to much finer tolerances than in the past. Bearing clearances are much tighter. The oils used are consequently much lighter and often very specific. Any contamination will quickly cause problems. The engines are in far less resilient than old engines with heavier oils. Result their are many modern highly complex quality engines e.g. Toyota Landcruiser 200 that fail very early requiring replacement. Oil is cheap filters are cheap air filters are cheap.
@@rosewood1 it is not tolerance but clearance. Clearance in engines are just the same for the last 90 years. Lubticants have changed, that is all. Is lower viscosity better? Not at all. Can an engine run at lower viscosity when a low viscosity lubricant is stable ? Yes.
As I also is from Europe, actually Sweden, I hope you can shed some light on my "problem". I have bought a 2011 F25/X3 30d 190 kW, with 246,000 km. Till now the oil has been changed quite exactly at every 30,000 km!
Now I have changed oil, so the last interval was only 18,000 km.
This time I put in 5W-30, but would 5W-40 have been "much" better at this mileage?
I don't drive much, but maybe I can save some parts of the engine.
I know, there are other much bigger problems regarding diesel engines... 🥺
I have our oil changed every 4K miles (every 6 months on our pickup which is about 1K miles). I also change the front and rear differential, transfer case and transmission flush every 30K miles. The radiator is back flushed and new antifreeze is installed every 3 years.
New belts and hoses every 50K miles.
Damn, i only change oil every 6k miles. Do nothing on others, engine last 230k miles, to the junk yard, it went
@@MrQuay03 230K miles?
Because of the maintenance that I do on my vehicles, I can easily get 350K to 500K miles out of them.
@@Doc1855 yeah, i know. But i only drive 10k miles per year. 500k miles would be 50 years of driving, that's like owning 1 car for my whole life.
Thank you for the stellar km conversions. Everyone should do that for the international audience
Thanks for watching!
Very well presented. Great information. Thanks
Hello David....you are doing everything right, you will enjoy your BMW for a long time. Here in Germany, BMW is trying to recommend an interval of 20,000 km to the owners, which of course is complete nonsense, BMW knows very well that this means the early certain death of the engine, applies to Mercedes and Audi as well. Here we recommend an oil change every 10-15,000 km, or every 7000 km for short trips.
Thank you, and I completely agree. The recommended intervals for fluid changes set by BMW only make sense from a marketing standpoint and will not maximize the life of the components. They have changed their priorities significantly over the last few decades.
@@EndlessMoneyPits Unfortunately, it is also in Germany to convince people how important an oil change is, that the oil is the most important fluid in a combustion engine. Unfortunately, the time when premium manufacturers were serious is over.
That's because they *only* care about first owner, who typically has his BMW for 3-5 years - at that point car has something like 50-80 thousand km, if more then with correspondingly more highway driving, is fresh, looks and drives close to new and so still has good resale value. Second owner will drive it for a few more years and probably will have no problem with it, too - -> it's the third guy who will buy it, 6-8 year old, with over 200K km, who will pay the repair bill - but he is probably someone from one of Eastern EU countries, where with cheap labor and some "Good analog" parts he will fix it and sell it down the road in no time.
BMW as a company has 0 concern for those guys. They know their brand image has no "reliability" in it for many years now - and that their clients, people who buy new premium cars and trade them in after few years, don't care about it anyway. Just need to make sure that design of new models allows instant recognition that this is a *new* BMW - so that nobody would confuse the guy driving it with some cheap-ass with an old model falling apart.
@@ivankuzin8388 In most cases you are right, although the third-party owners here are mostly people from Turkey, not only, but in the majority and that applies to all German premium brands this is no longer the case with the new models...it is a shame that the land of the first car is now gradually losing its place in the world through unbelievable arrogance on the part of the leadership.
@@emausderratsuchende5447 Something happened in the 90-s, or, rather, everybody knows what had happened, same as with (e.g.) Nokia - the leadership and power in boards of companies went from being made up of local guys with background in Engineering and Manufacturing to international MBA types with experience in Finance. "Greed is good", quarterly profits is all that matter, those types.
I'd say German cars are still good, compared to any competition, as long as one remembers that longevity was not in mind during design process.
The 10,000 mile sample is interesting and I would guess that some of the lighter molecular weight fraction has been removed (leaks or combustion?). This would be one way to simultaneously get the flash point to drop and viscosity to increase. Running at very high temperatures may help to drive that fraction off too. My diesel uses full synthetic too and the recommended interval (7500 miles) felt too long as the oil was extreme thin and dirty. I was not able to measure surface tension (helps with lubricity) but I felt like the viscosity was just too low. Since then I have not let the interval go longer than 5000 miles. Before I retired from Chemical Engineering I worked for a company that made surfactants (dispersants) so I know a little bit about that chemistry. Basically, high temperature and oxygen will contribute to components breaking down in the oil. Thanks for sharing the results (had a couple of E39's BTW).
This was a great study
Thanks for this!
Really good info! Thank you for sharing!
Thank you for watching
I giggled at the "kilometerage" part. Lol. Great video and thanks for all the info! Cheers.
Lol, I crack me up. Thanks for watching!
its technically correct lol, mileage in spain is "kilometraje" and "kilométrage" in french, and english has some influence from both, so that is how you ought to say it lol
Great video and I appreciate the time and effort for analysis.
Thank you. I often feel like I'm putting too much time into these videos so it's good to hear they are appreciated. Thanks for the encouragement.
@@EndlessMoneyPits you inspired me to change the oil on my W124 ‘94 E220 Benz coupe after 7,500km (5000 miles). Oil was dark n dirty due to start stop daily driving transporting clients. There was absolutely no way I would wait until the recommended 18,000km next service interval by dealer mechanic. I always do oil n filter change mid service, but NOW, I’ll make it every 6,000km. Oil bottle was cheap $18 Castrol 15W40 semi synthetic and $11 oil filter. It’s satisfying taking care of our vehicles ✅ our cars are like time capsules are with so few on the road it affords us unique exclusivity. Happy beaming in your Beamer!
Glad to hear that! I may not have mentioned that I mainly drive this car on the highway and don't do much City traffic. If I did, I'm sure I would need to change the oil more often. Either way, oil is much cheaper than a new motor, so do whatever it takes to keep that beauty in the road!
Interesting video and comments about this subject. I've been doing oil and filter change on my 4.0 Wrangler motor on a 4000-7000 miles / year or time. It's not had any problems with over 250000 miles. Always use synthetic oil. Having oil testing with Blackstone Labs results. Told it's showing less than normal wear signs. The same with my 3.6 in testing I'm running up to 10000 miles but normally 7000-9000 miles on filter and oil. This motor is running harder than the 4.0 is just in regular conditions.
Excellent, thanks. I got my 1987 BMW 325e Coupe, with the M20 2.7L 'Eta' engine, up to roughly 350k miles. When I finally sold that car, it was going strong and still using about 1 quart of 20W50 oil each 1,500 miles, same as it did when I bought it at at about 200k miles. Not bad, especially considering that I was using Walmart house-brand conventional oil. I changed it every 5,000 miles. I used that car the same way as you, and I took really good care of it. I wasn't doing anything weird with the viscosity, the factory recommended that heavy oil for those engines - and it obviously worked.
Always did my oil changes at 15.000km, then I bought my dream car, an MK5 R32 and started to do 10.000Km oil changes. I think this is the best service interval for daily use.
if the car running mostly in the city, the engine is running more, but the mileage is very low, so, that means 15.000km in the city means more than about 20.000km outside, that's too much, so, if the car running only in the city, 10.000k is a better value.
@@adrianturi4433 that's for sure, my car only gets driven in mountains or highway, I left big cities life many years ago :)
@@adrianturi4433 Spto on.
exactly on 15.000? WOW so you stop on motorway and change oil exactly when it reach 15.000 or 10.000??? WOOOOOOW never met a guy like this!! usually people have a word "about" but this guy soooo strict!!
U shud do 3-4k 🥹🥹🥹
Thank you for sharing this experience. FWIW I see no reason to ever omit a filter change when changing oil. It’s inexpensive and adds minimal additional effort to the project. My ten cents.
ANYTHING BUT F R A M !!!!
@sandybarbee8401 I change oil at 3K and filter at 6K. The filter doesn't load up. Use high quality filter.
@@mefobills279
Sounds like a plan...
Words of wisdom.
@@sandybarbee8401Fake news, Fram is used by millions of people without issue. You’re buying slander marketing from like 50 years ago.
I do my oil changes at 4000-5000 Km (about half that recommended by the manufacturer) in my 1998 Honda Accord V6 and 2002 CR V. I use synthetic oil and Honda oil filters. Never had any engine issues. The CR V uses maybe 500 mL between oil changes. No rattles on start up cold or hot with either. I think I’ll continue if anything I could I decrease the frequency but won’t. It’s still cheap insurance.🎉
David, I very much appreciate this video. It opened up my knowledge of engine oil analysis. I will use the same lab you used when I have my engine oil tested. Thank You sir for the entertaining and educational video. Keep up the good work. Have A Great Day! 🛻🚚🚛
I'm happy you enjoyed it! Am currently working on more videos like this.
Thanks for the best oil change U Tube vidio out there. Retired and only drive 4,000 miles a year but have the synthetic oil changed every 9 to 10 months for my 7 year old SUV just as it gets close to halve a quart low on dip stick.
Thanks for watching!
Great video, thanks for sharing. For me oil and filter changes are cheap, engines are expensive, I so will continue with changing both at 10,000 km (6,200 miles) and using full synthetic (but I will run longer than 1 year). This approach certainly isn't optimal, but it is a safe 'no regrets' strategy IMO. That said, it's great to be able to compare your results, so thanks again for that.
Very informative video. It does seem the 10,000 miles motor oil change interval is a little too long for this particular BMW. The 5000 miles and 7500 miles motor oil change intervals seem to be about the same, so 7500 miles interval is sufficient for this BMW. This vehicle is a BMW 3 series and this German sedan has a good reputation for reliability and performance. Plus the engine of this particular BMW is not loosing motor oil, so it is a well-maintained engine. It does have 260,000 to 275,000 total mileage during the tests. Yet, this vehicle seems to be able to handle 7500 miles motor oil change interval. Which is amazing. Previous and current owner has done a great job maintaining the engine and the BMW 3 vehicle overall. Thank you for a great analysis.
Thank you! I've owned this car since 2007 and have tried to take care of it as well as possible. I love this car. Working on a 15-year e46 review video right now.
I wouldn't go further that 6,000m in any car, with good oil & cheap filter, good oil with good filter then then maybe 8,000m BUT NOT 10,000m. I've always used Magnatec with cheapish filter no more than 4,500m.
Great info. Thanks
I have a 10 years old gmc truck and i changed the engine oil once a year in the fall and never had engine problems. I do about 5,000 Klm a year. I uses full synthetic dexos oil 5w30.
In a real E46, you will effectively change the oil every 3000 miles anyway, b/c you will leak out a quart ever 500, so you can treat it as a total loss oiling system. The real interval to worry about is the oil filter.
That is why they mount the oil filter at the top of the engine. It is cheap and easy to replace and takes about the same time as filling washer fluid.
That assumption is incorrect. Adding a quart of oil five times, does not equal a total loss oiling system. Adding new oil only dilutes the existing contaminated oil, so 100% of the contaminated oil is never removed. Send in a sample of your oil for testing, and you will have a truthful answer.
A “real” E46? Someones a hater.
Just change your gaskets for Viton ones instead of OEM and you'll no longer be leaking so much oil.
@@magicoddeffectits not the gasket. Its the kow tension single oil control rings in the M54 instead of the traditional 3 piece ring in the M52/M52TU. When the single ring wears over time, a significant gap is present, allowing oils to pass through. In a 3 piece design, the gaps are closed by the other rings.
Seen this beaut around town! 275k is impressive indeed. I've got a '99 328i with the same excellent M52TU. Read many threads on oil changes but can't recall a single one on this engine.
I run Mobil1 0w-40 @ 10k intervals. After watching, I'll reduce to 7.5k and set the car's change interval to reflect.
Thanks for the excellent analysis on this. Earns my vote for Jan '23 ride of the month 😉
Hey there, small world! Yes, these engines are great and definitely worth taking care of. It's already been 15 years and I plan to keep my 328i as long as possible. 7.5k seems like the ideal interval if you drive regularly. I hardly ever drive now that I'm doing CZcams full time so I'll be changing the oil once a year instead. I'll be doing an oil change video using a vacuum pump though the dipstick pretty soon. Thanks for watching and feel free to say hi if you ever bump into me.
I have a 2012 VW GTI w/ 69k miles. YES you read that correctly. Still almost daily driven, i just never go too far! I used that same Castrol Edge till factory warranty ran out. Good oil, easy on the wallet. 7500 was my interval, Mann filter every time. She now gets full synth LiquiMoly, since I've tuned & modded the car.
I have a 2009 A4 3.2 with 75k… yOu ReAd ThAt RiGhT
I have a 2011 GTi, 123k miles.
Everything was awesome until it reached around 105k.
Have you done compression tests?
Vacuum readings?
Have you checked the timing chain slack?
Did you check if it has the revised timing chain tensioner?
Walnut blasting the valves?
DSG servicing?
I have a 1991 Nissan Maxima with 130k miles 😂
I work from home, but when I drive, I floor it.
I change the oil every 9 months with regular conventional 5w30 and whatever cheapo filter combo they give me at autozone for $25 including oil. I hardly put any miles haha, more just so the oil does not go acidic. I also add half a bottle of Lucas high mileage oil stabilizer for the oil leaks because even if I pay, these mechanics are dumb and will probably destroy the car trying to change the oil seals and gaskets. It's like they all forgot how to work on old cars.
Transmission fluid every 3 to 4 years with Valvoline maxlife atf. Never changed the filter because it's not serviceable
@@Brandon-uy1uv Is it a 3.0 or 3.5 engine?
@@psiturbo engine is the vg30e
3.0 v6 engine, 4 speed auto transmission
Finding this interesting. In I have a 255k mile n52 530xi. My local bmw dealer told me 10 years ago, when I bought the car. Change the oil at 1/2 of the recommended interval. So 7500 miles. Best advice ever. mostly interstate 40 miles to work
Cool to find this video in my timeline. Have used the same oil (Castrol Edge, except for diesel engines in a bronze bottle) for abt. 5-6 years in all three family cars - BMW with the N57 (190kW), Audi with the ASB engine (171kW) and Mercedes with a 2 litre 4cyl 98kW engine (don't know the engine code). So far I've changed the oil at maximum 10 000 kms (I know I should do better) - along with the filter always - and no engine problems on the cars (all are mid-200 000 kms, strangely enough). Also - I don't think there's any downside to replacing the oil filter as often as you want - and OEM Mahle filters cost EUR 8 for the Merc and the Bimmer and abt. EUR 15 for the audi - so you're not really saving much. Also - am slowly gathering up video footage of an oil change I do with 3 types of extractors - and the "usual way" - to determine if the hands-down ease and comfort and speed and cleanliness and (well) safety of changing with an extractor pump is warranted. Thanks and greetings from Latvia.
Interesting testing results.
The core question is: "How often is too often?" (and the inverse).
The quality of synthetic oil far exceeds that of conventional oils of just 20 to 30 years ago. In most manuals I have read, the manufacturer's recommended periodicity of oil changes depends upon driving conditions. At the same time, if your engine goes bad they get to sell you another engine...or maybe even a new vehicle. All that said, I simply can't imagine driving conditions would not warrant needing a oil change
I rebuild engines, so let me key you in on something everyone overlooks. Just because the oil doesn't break down in 10K miles doesn't mean that you don't accumulate dirt particles in the oil over that time. You turn the oil into sand paper and the abrasion ruins the pistons, the walls, valve stems and ports. Don't keep oil in your engine longer than 5 to 6K
@@TechieTardthanks for this! I went in at 500 miles for the break in period on a brand new Tacoma and the looks I got was like I had boogers coming out of my nose. Now I’m at 1100 and going in this weekend for the 1000 mile break in period….Im just gonna hold my head high lol.
Changing the oil is one of the most satisfying feelings
Keeping coolent clean will too
I drove a 1.6l Kia Soul 2100 miles per week for my courier job, 99.99% state highway/interstate. Spent its whole life between 55-70mph with very little exceptions, with the terrain flat as a pancake
I religiously changed the oil at 5000 miles before testing the oil with the same company you used, paying the extra money for the TBN to determine if i can go longer between changes
Apparently my engine was doing so good i was cleared for 15,000 mile oil changed with all the numbers being stable, just didn’t want me to push it past that just in case. I stopped testing the oil and just kept changing it at 15k.
Idk if it matters that i used Royal Purple oil but the car is still running strong with 400k on the clock. I’m very glad i tested the oil, as it saved me a lot of money in oil changes
It must be the gentle highway miles. For normal city driving, probably best to change oil somewhere between 7,500 - 10,000.
Nice findings and good job preserving an e46 in great condition 👍️
Also 5w-30 seems to be good enough, I give synthetic 10w-40 to my e46 as it offeres better film strength and wear protection, as HTHS ~3.5 of 5w-30 is regarded to be on the edge (10W-40 HTHS ~4.4) and other benefits like higher oil pressure. The benefit of faster 'engine through oiling times' at engine start of 5w oil begins at -10°C and below to make a difference compared to 10w, if you live in an area where winters are cold. Funfact: There is a reputated german engine rebuild company who declines warranty, if 0w-20 is used in a rebuilt engine, although it is within BMW specifications.
Thank you!
higher viscosity does not makes more oil pressure... on the other hand lowers oil flow
A remanufactured engine is not on par with a new engine, so using 0W20 will not have the same protection properties. In my 2022 engine, I have immediately switched to 5W30 full synthetic for 'severe service' use with the turbo. I need data to prove the 0w20 is appropriately effective. 0W30 is promoted to achieve better fuel economy, however, I am more interested in long term service, than short term fuel savings.
Great vid. I give my 325 a 5w40. And changed it on 10000km based on common knowledge. It is nice to have it backed up. (5w30 was loosing oil quite a lot)
The bearing clearances are probably looser on the rebuilt engines they sell. Outside of ambient temp, Thats the major contributor to oil weight choice.
With modern direct-injection engines you can't really drag out the oil changes too far because the oil gets fuel deluded that being said my old 98 pickup I've taken to 20,000 miles on Amsoil and the oil was fine but it's port fuel injection. my GT i change every 2 years about 2k-4k miles it dont get driven as much. cool video i love Blackstone labs!!
I love your car, and it still seems to be in great shape!
Thank you. I do what I can to take care of her.
Interesting. Thanks for upload.
If oil has twice the dirt inside at 10k miles compared to 5k miles, it means that oil is doing its job just as good at 10k miles. But, since there's more dirt in it at 10k, it's more abrasive on engine components. Oil isn't going bad, it's just getting dirty. Means it's good oil.
If the "dirt" is smaller than tolerances and properly suspended it is not really abrasive; at least not any more than normal operation would be. The oil filter is a critical component.
That's a really good point.
That is correct. Oil never really goes bad, it just gets contaminated. This is why I run 3 oil filters on my Ram Cummins. 2 bypass oil filters and the factory oil filter. They claim you can run the car indefinitely on one oil change if you can keep the contaminants out of it.
With my filtration system I can safely go 25k miles but I choose to change the oil @15k and filters every 30k miles.
@@mikerobinson8734 So you are one of them idjuts who filter your oil? Why do you think they have them fancy *bypass* valves? Because the actual *filter* ain't important! Dirt don't matter!
@@mikerobinson8734that’s an interesting setup, nice.. if only additional filters was normal, imagine how much could be saved on purchasing oil as frequently across millions of cars (plus, help the planet etc)
Filters, cheap
Oil, insanely expensive
My bmw 545i has always had oil changes every 5/6000 miles and also gets redlined a few times a week. I’ve often found regular oil changes at this interval to prolong any vehicle I’ve owned
Very interesting. Cool vid! ❤
Prius Gen 2, 345 000km now.
The engine is known for oil consumption.
I change oil every 6-8Tkm and have still almost no oil consumption.
2 times I added hydraulic lifter cleaning additive before the oil change for 500km.
Thank you for your experience and test!
I 'm doing 67 Nova 283 oil and filter change after 4 yrs of use in about week:) I drive it like 20-25 times a yr around my area for a few miles warming it up to take the wife to store and back and some local cruising. Had it for 26 yrs now, no issues. knock on wood :P
Wow, cool car! I believe on those older cars the oil should be changed every 3k miles or once a year, but I'm not 100% sure. Four years is a long time... Hope everything goes well!
I work in a restoration shop in California,in old cars change the oil yearly if its under 2 thousand miles over 2 thousand every nine months, lots of water and gas built up with the kind of gas out there in use
Very interesting video
I plan to do mine once a year, which ends up at around 7.5k miles. Reassuring to hear it'll probably be good for a couple thousand miles more anyway.
Once a year should be fine for you unless your motor has any problems that would cause the oil to get contaminated faster. These are great motors when maintained well, it's just everything connected to them that seems to fall apart.
All depends on your driving conditions. Is it all highway most city or is it split. Your oil gets contaminated with fuel soot carbon and other crap. Oil is cheap. Engine are very expensive. Look up Irv Gordan and his Volvo. Over three million miles. Oil and filter changed every three thousand miles. Best oil is clean oil
Arthur is right! If you do short trips water will contaminate your oil. Your oil fill cap will have a white film on it. Check out "Scotty Kilmer"
I recently changed my Chevy truck engine oil after 6 long years even the day I changed it still didn't reach 6,000 miles yet. I read from internet they recommended to replace the oil in every 6 months doesn't matter how many miles, is it true? Please advise.
Thanks for replying. That makes sense about the lifters. I find you need to rev the engine to keep the lifters working. Short journey or filing ends up ticking.
I’ve just acquired an old E90 with 155k miles. It burns a bit of oil (1qt every 2k or so) so I suspect the long oil change intervals have taken their toll in its early life.
We have a similar service here in the uk operated by Miller Oils, it’s about £45 for the test. I don’t do much mileage but will be sending off a sample each year for analysis.
Thank you for the 'Miller Oils' suggestion for the Uk. I got a 2003 E60, petrol 520i 6 cylinder automatic last year, 103k miles which is pretty low for its age (MOT history online matches the mileage along with service history). When I got it, the oil was horrendous, the service history shows it was serviced based on mileage, oil was 5 years old! I do not do many miles, just 4k in the last year, I prefer 'once a year' minimum oil service and half what the 'book' says for mileage intervals. I will certainly be using Millers to get the oil checked when I change the oil next, it is turning dark already, I think I will change it a few times this year, hopefully get it to stay 'cleaner' looking for longer eventually.
Fantastic analysis!
Thank you. I am currently running these tests again with better oil. I think we can get to 15k - 20k with good results.
Remember that different engine designs treat the engine oil differently. Also, temperature and standard traffic conditions matter too. Your car seems to be very happy with its life. Thanks for the video!
I agree. If your engine has turbos, the oil frequency should be greater than an NA engine.
I have owned my 2005 ZHP E46 330i since new, despite having almost 289,682KM (180,000 M) on the odometer she drives as great and smooth as the day I drove her off the dealership lot. I change my oil and filter every 4,800KM (3,000M), Liqui Moly Special Tech 5W-30 LL-01 and MANN filter.
Other than a few sets of spark plugs, all coolant hoses replaced at 161,000KM , upper and lower pully/tensions & matching serpentine belts all is still factory!
I average around 14.03 KM/L (33 MPG U.S.)
Greetings from Switzerland
I bet your motor will last forever with that kind of care! I didn't buy mine new but I've had it since 2007 and will hold onto it as long as possible. These cars are definitely worth the effort. Thanks for the comment and hello from Oregon, USA!
I can't believe the youtube algorithm recommended your channel now. I've been wondering about this same situation for years. 2 years too late, but thanks for the video.
This video got almost no views for two years, then it suddenly became my most popular video. I do not understand the algorithm.
I have an 04 325xi and I have always changed my oil between 3000 miles on conventional oil and 5000 on synthetic oil. I do run a little over the 5000 mile on synthetic if I don't have the money to change at that time but never go over 3000 on conventional oil. Having a clean engine is so important to the life of your motor.
I think 3k for conventional is too often. Consumer reports disassembled taxis in NYC at 60k miles, with no wear at 6k intervals, for oil changes.
You should have gotten the added TBN test. It will give you more of an idea on how much life the oil has left in it. That's the most important part of extended drain intervals.
Remember, new cars has smaller engines and usually use full synthetic, so 5k is a joke now for oil change. My 2018 forester is at 170k miles and at 15k miles oil change with no issues.
a rare video where I can enjoy the content without feeling too much dragged.
Good stuff. Interesting.
My wife’s Mercedes M272 3.5L V6 has had 10K+ intervals it’s entire life and now has 323K miles with zero mechanical issues- mobil1 15W50
Nice to see some scientific evaluation of the oil on the same vehicle driven the same way. The 5-7 k interval seems to be the way to go. My Land Rover manual says 15k between changes but I do it every 5. Too expensive to replace or repair an engine.
Science yields falsifiable conclusions.
This is merely calibrated measurement.
i have 1,235,000 miles on my c-13 cat engine in my semi truck,475 horse--only thing i have ever done is overhead at 600,000 mile and replaced one injector--it uses one gallon of oil between oil changes--i change at 10,000 miles,15-40 oil--out of maybe 15 trucks it is by far the best i have done--it was a cat factory rebuild long block--they are just going to start making this motor again for semis--awesome motor-great power to weight,great fuel mileage
Great video! Sample analysis can be a very helpful tool!
Thank you
I think the biggest problem with extended oil changes is that a lot of car owners think that means you don't have to lift up the hood between oil changes. Of course nothing could be further from the truth. A lot of modern engines naturally consume significant amounts of oil because they were designed with looser fitting piston rings to reduce friction and save gas. Your BMW may not consume much oil, but a lot of cars would be almost bone dry after 10,000 miles without periodically topping off the oil.
I've heard that some new BMWs don't even have an oil dipstick that you can check. They just rely on sensors. I will never own a car like that.
@@EndlessMoneyPits Thats true, some European luxury cars don't have a dipstick, and some quick lube places are prohibited from changing the oil on such cars because they can't quickly double check the oil level after an oil change. I've also seen some Audis that will even tell you when it's time to throw another quart of oil in there. This drives some little old lady Audi owners nuts.
I'm just impressed that an engine, driven hard for that many miles, can be in such good condition. Good job BMW!
I'm always amazed at the number of oil experts who seemingly appear out of nowhere with loads of free technical information when an oil thread or video pops up. You guys are amazing!
Caveat Emptor: free advice/ technical information is worth exactly what you pay for it... nothing.
I've read every comment on this video. Everyone "knows" how long oil lasts here.
Richard-qz; your comment contains no specific objective criticism just shallow remarks with nothing useful to contribute.
@MercurySaturn Thank you for your free advice, it was worthless. Thank you for proving my point.
Thank you for including km.
I've had my '03 GTI for 21 years now as my daily driver, and used LiquiMoly, changed at 6,000 to 7,500 intervals (filter too). Original chains and no engine issues after all these years! More reliable than a Toyota!
Man no eletrical
Problems, I have a 2011 GTI with 100,000 miles on it, use Mann filter and LiquiMoly also. Just have a ton of electrical problems. From bad fuse box to malfunctioning sensors and ECU’s. Cars garaged kept and not daily driven, don’t know why so many electrical issues keep poping up.
@@brwils3378 VW, and most car manufacturers, have greatly cheapened their cars and trucks over the years! They 'cut corners', and the consumer pays dearly. I am lucky in that I probably got the most reliable GTI ever with the 24v VR6 engine. No turbo, just naturally aspirated and built like a Panzer Tank! There is no way I could ever hope to find a car as well built as this Mk4 VW these days. In fact, when I went to Europe the last 2 years, I saw a ton of Mk4 VW's in Greece, Italy, Serbia, Romania, etc. EVERYWHERE, each and every day, I saw hundreds of 4th gen VW's! It's uncanny!
We’ve been running a small Ford Diesel from 6000 mi to currently 280000. Ford Recommended oil/filter changes are at 12500m but we’ve been changing at roughly half of that as per Haynes Manuals recommendation and the engine runs great with no significant oil consumption.👍
although you make it consume 4 liters per 6000 km this way....
@@thepuma2012How so
@@skythundersky1544 the (early) oil change .... never mind, i was kind of joking
I have changed the oil on my LR Defender about four times in 100k miles. It runs great and hardly burns any oil at all. I usually place Neodymium magnets in the filter too.
KEEP IT CLEAN! That's it!
6/7k intervals for most engines should be fine. Older/higher performing engines might be a good idea to go for around 5/6k.
Old engines were not as picky as modern ones. I had a japanese car from 1980-something and a german one from 1990-something. Small inline-4 engines. Drove 10k miles or more per year. Changed oils once a year. Short trips. Half the year is winter at sub zero temperatures. Both cars did 180k miles and engines were never a problem. With a more modern cars these days I tried the same and now a second car in a row has engine issues due to impurities inside with under 100k miles in. WIth the latest one I have only driven 7000 miles between oil changes, short trips. If you have an old car, those things just work. The problem are these modern things.
Agreed dont get me started on modern designs and the materials they opt to use.@@TechTusiast
Old Filter is doing its job better at filtering because the passage are getting smaller but the pressure drop will increased so the pump will work a little harder. 7500 mile with a new filter will allow you to see if double intervals filter is better than single interval. The magic number may be using 20k miles rated filter with two 7.5k miles oil change interval.
Makes sense to me. If I send in another sample I might try that combo. Who makes a filter rated for 20k miles?
@@EndlessMoneyPits
Castrol CAS series
Purolator Boss series
Fram Titanium series
Mobile 1
...but if the pressure drop gets too big, you'll trip the bypass and be running effectively without a filter.
Interesting. Honda recommended exactly that on their 90’s to mid 00’s models. Unsure what their reasoning or methodology is but the claim is interesting.
All my running is in town so I follow my owners guide. 5K miles or 6 months, whichever occurs first. Short runs are very hard on the oil.