[matowi]

My question relates to the engine oil for M60i, and before you start shooting at me, I'll admit I used the search function and the other threads I found seemed to deal with the question of whether to do or not do an early oil change once the engine is broken in

Well, my question isn't philosophical. I want to do an oil change. Call it religion, or call it whatever (simply put, the old saying goes "oil is cheap, engines are expensive", so I'm applying a bit of a hedging, since I don't know if I won't be keeping the car after the 4-yr lease)

Ok, the question: should I at all bother with which oil is put into the engine, so long as it meets the OEM specs? Manual says it has to be 0W-30 and comply with BMW LL-12 FE parameters. There are a few options on the market: OEM oil, Ravenol, Motul, Liquy Moly

My service is scheduled for Thursday, the car will have done around 2,200 kms by then (ca 1.4k miles). I still have time to buy the oil and drop it at the dealer for the service - if your suggestion is to skip the OEM product and use an aftermarket option instead

What say you?

[shawn91]

Seeing this post has got me thinking now. Im new to BMW's and this is my first BMW Ive ever owned. I was under the impression that the first service is after 1 year or 15,000km. It will be 1 year of owning the vehicle this coming September and at the moment my odometer is a little over 6,000km. When I checked the BMW app it said due in 6,000km or September 2024. Seeing that I ended up calling the nearest BMW dealership which is about a half hour away from where I live. When I spoke to the guy in the service department he mentioned that the due in 6,000km in the BMW app is just a countdown to let me know to expect a service notification by that time and I have to still wait the full year till September or if I reach 15,000km by that time which I highly doubt will happen as my commute is 5-7mins away from home. Also when I googled first service for BMW's it mentioned the same thing as after 1 year or 15,000km. Is this correct? Does it differentiate between the models, like M models or M Performance models have different service intervals compared to the 40i or 50e? Sorry if I sound like an idiot, Im completely new to all this lol

[matowi]

You should not worry - follow the manual, and you'll be fine. I'm doing something out of my own will (or skewed perspective, if you want to see it this way)

• For 40i, 50e, M60i the manual doesn't require a break-in oil change
• For X5MC and other "proper M" cars, the manual requires a break-in oil change at about 1,200 miles. This is due to the fact that out of the factory the M engines come with a special kind of mineral oil only used for the break-in process (the oil has different viscosity and other parameters than the normal oil which you'd be using for daily running after the run-in period). The main thing this oil is meant to do is to sweep the engine of any metal shavings created when the moving parts adapt to each other and seal

But, back to my original question: go with the OEM branded oil, or choose some alternative (which and why)?

[BlkGS]

Why would they use a special oil in the S68 going into the X5MC but not S68s someday destined for the M60i?

IMO, oil is one of those things that people worry too much about. If it meets the spec, it's good enough. If it meets the spec but doesnt fit the same verbiage as the others, they didn't want to pay the automaker licensing fee (Mobil 1 does this often).

[jad03060]

Change it if you want to, but my practice is to follow the manual. Upon a reset, it defaults to an oil change at 10K miles in the USA, but could go longer or shorter based on the condition based logic and sensors. Basically, the vehicle will tell you when to change the oil, either by age, or distance and usage. BMW uses different timeframes in different markets. I think outside of the USA, the first oil change for other than full M vehicles may be 2-years. In the USA, BMW will cover the cost for oil changes when the CBS calls for it. In my case, that’s been at 1-year intervals, since it doesn’t get driven far enough to trigger the distance portion, or hard enough for the CBS to call for it.

A company has to pay a testing facility to become certified it meets BMW’s specs…that doesn’t mean that some might qualify, it’s just that they didn’t see the benefit to them to do the testing. Not sure what that says about them.

You may have trouble getting a dealership to put in your oil as if there’s some issue later, they may have to assume some liability for something they did not have direct control over. Much easier to have them just do it with their parts, or take it to an independent shop for that ‘extra’ oil change, or do it yourself.

[matowi]

Originally Posted by BlkGS

Why would they use a special oil in the S68 going into the X5MC but not S68s someday destined for the M60i?

IMO, oil is one of those things that people worry too much about. If it meets the spec, it's good enough. If it meets the spec but doesnt fit the same verbiage as the others, they didn't want to pay the automaker licensing fee (Mobil 1 does this often).

It's my first V8, so I want to be extra cautious. In the 7-series I had prior, there was a 3-liter, straight 6 diesel. I changed the oil every 10k miles (15k kilometers) and went with the BMW-branded liquid they poured out of barrels at the dealership. And I didn't really care about what it was. But it was a diesel with legendary reliability and fame for being really hard to kill

Judging by what the internet (including this very forum) says about the longevity/reliability of prior incarnations of BMW's V8, I'm in for a totally different experience. The questions I'm asking only serve one purpose - let me sleep well at night with good conscience about the fact that I did all I reasonably could to reduce the risk of my engine becoming a nuisance or money pit later on

My initial instinct is to go with the BMW branded oil and trust they did they homework on selecting the right product on merit, instead of simply getting the best (i.e., cheapest) offer from whoever makes their OEM oils (Castrol? Shell?). But...

[matowi]

I guess, I'll just stop over-thinking it... and will go with the OEM oil changed at the dealership. Can't hurt

[TurtleBoy]

Originally Posted by shawn91

Seeing this post has got me thinking now. Im new to BMW's and this is my first BMW Ive ever owned. I was under the impression that the first service is after 1 year or 15,000km. It will be 1 year of owning the vehicle this coming September and at the moment my odometer is a little over 6,000km. When I checked the BMW app it said due in 6,000km or September 2024. Seeing that I ended up calling the nearest BMW dealership which is about a half hour away from where I live. When I spoke to the guy in the service department he mentioned that the due in 6,000km in the BMW app is just a countdown to let me know to expect a service notification by that time and I have to still wait the full year till September or if I reach 15,000km by that time which I highly doubt will happen as my commute is 5-7mins away from home. Also when I googled first service for BMW's it mentioned the same thing as after 1 year or 15,000km. Is this correct? Does it differentiate between the models, like M models or M Performance models have different service intervals compared to the 40i or 50e? Sorry if I sound like an idiot, Im completely new to all this lol

The oil change interval is determined by the CBS (Condition Based Service) system. The initial period is 15k km (10k miles) and then that can be adjusted depending on usage. For example, the more highway driving you do the longer the period usually is. There is a time portion to it also and that is 12 months which is the most it will ever go before saying the oil needs to be changed.

[streborx]

I use Castrol Euro-spec full synthetic 5W-30 that has BMW's LL-01 approval, and I change the oil and filter DIY every 5K miles. This is all the thinking I give the matter.

[Colibri]

I've personally always used Motul in my track bikes - oil and they make a high temp brake fluid that I religiously change out - regularly hitting 180+ mph at the track and never had an issue.

But on my M60i, I'll let them use what they use at the dealership. Once that complimentary service runs out, I'll likely go with Motul still. But don't see the point in buying my own when BMW themselves are going to put theirs (whatever that is) into... a BMW.

[playswcars]

I'll chime in as an M50i owner who has performed an out-of-spec oil change.

If there's even a remote chance of you keeping the vehicle past the lease duration, do it! Your engine and conscience will thank you. IMO, the 30+ Thousand kilometer interval that BMW specs is completely insane. No wonder these engines age like milk and are a time bomb on the used market. "Full BMW service history" means nothing anymore. Who in their right mind would leave engine oil unserviced that long?

Okay, now that that's out of my system, here's what I did:
I changed the oil on my '23 X5 M50i at 15'000km preventively. I used OEM parts (filter) and bought the correct-spec oil from Ravenol directly. Additionally, I didn't reset anything in iDrive, in order to keep the BMW "counter" correct.

For reference: The car now has 25'000km and iDrive is showing the next (first!) oil change in 7'000km. That comes out to a 32'000km interval.

My recommendation: Do an oil change inbetween the BMW spec interval oil changes.

[BlkGS]

30k km works out to nearly 19k miles for us Americans, which I agree is a hell of a long time. That said, these engines take nearly double the amount of oil of most v8s that are larger in size (my 6.0 LS2 takes 6), and as long as you're not getting too hot, the filter is likely what's more important to change with modern synthetics.

10k miles feels like a reasonable amount to change the oil if you're using a modern synthetic. 5k feels excessive on an NA motor, but maybe if your motor has a history of clogging turbo oil pickup filters (Ecoboost V6) it's better to cut that interval.

[BMPHIL]

2 years or 19500 miles in UK, I am happy to go with what BMW recommend.