Oil service indicator

[Edgeman]

Greetings all! I'm a E24 guy with a question about a friend's E46.

What actually triggers the Oil Service Indicator? Friend's car had an oil change about a year ago, just before she headed to Iraq. Her mom just took the car into the dealer for a state inspection, and they told her it needed another oil service.

Her mom drives her car about 1 day/week, so it probably has <200 miles since the last dealer service. Does time (as well as mileage) trigger oil service intervals, or does something else trigger it?

One additional question: she's worried about what oil to use. Do E-46s require BMW oil, or will Mobile 1 (or AMSOIL/Redline/Royal Purple) be sufficient?

Thanks!
Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner

[Stinger9]

variables including cold starts, mileage, rpm's, etc. but the light should not have come on with such low mileage under any circumstances. But BMW does recommend changing the oil every year regardless of all other inputs.

Only 5W-30 oil with the highest european rating is approved by BMW for the e46. BMW does sell such an oil with Castrol roots. See the oil filler cap on the top of this engine. What does it read?

Do you not have an owner's manual?

[Edgeman]

who's currently in Iraq. Car is at her mother's house, so I don't have access to the manual.

Who knows, I might actually step into the 21s century one day & buy a E46...I know I've been casually looking. Would have thought about a E36 M3, but it's difficult finding one in decent shape for a decent price...a E46 330 Coupe will probably be my next auto purchase.
Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner

[Stinger9]

can download a manual for free from the BMW site.

Good running e46 is a beautiful thing! Think about it.

[danielstan]

Hi John,
First of all, please thank your friend for her service. I pray for her (and all our brave soldiers ) safe return home.
Regarding the oil change, for the longest time I thought that BMW uses a sofisticated sensor that measures the viscosity and chemical changes in the oil, but not long time ago I found out that the oil change interval is triggered by the amount of fuel the engine burns.
By mistake, when I was reseting the oil change interval on a '04 745i I pressed the buttons the wrong way and the amount of gas ( in gallons ) until the next oil change was displayed, if I recall correctly it was around 600-650 gallons. Evidently, the harder the car is driven, the more gas it burns and the more often the oil change. Same with city driving, cold starts, etc.
Yes, it is recommended to have the oil changed once a year regardless the mileage. Computer won't allow you to reset the oil interval if you try to reset before it shows the service is due.
Cheers!
Dan

[danielstan]

What was the price quoted for an oil change? I've stopped changing the oil at the dealer long time ago, the price at the dealer is as high as $200. I buy my owm Mobil 1 synthetic from Costco ( when it is on sale, I pay approx $4-$5 a quart ), buy the filter from one of the discount parts store on the internet for $5 and pay approx $20 a mechanic for the labor.

[jsk977]

For 2001 and later the system was simplified and the light is set after 663 gal.

[Edgeman]

either Costco or Walmart, and buy my (Mann?) filters from BavAuto or BMP.
Spoke with her mother, and it seems that she thinks the BMW oil is "better" than any other oil she can buy. I'll try to reassure her that changing over to a less expensive brand of synthetic oil won't harm her engine...lol
Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner

[Edgeman]

Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner

[floydr]

I'm sure you're changing more than once every 15K miles/1 year.
Just be aware that the 5W-30 or 10W-30 that Costco (don't know Walmart) carries isn't BMW LL-01 tested. The only Mobil 1 that is LL-01 is 0W-40.

Since the other weights are ACAE A1/B1, they can not be used for extended intervals.

[Stinger9]

rating.
It is not rated for the 15K BMW prescribed changes.
Probably OK if you use Mobil 1 5W-30 and change at 7K or so.

[HBWT]

[Edgeman]

weight for my M88/3 engine. And yes, I was able to source that from both Walmart & my local Costco (although I haven't seen that weight at Costco recently).

The M88/3 engine is what powers my "euro" M635CSi. It is basically a slightly modified version of the engine found in the M1. BMW just had to tilt it slightly to fit under the hood.

Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner

[Stinger9]

with regard to your friend's e46, and this is an e46 board.
Don't know nuthin' bout no other BMW.

[Edgeman]

The reason that I replied to your post is that you replied to my post (instead of dan's). I stated several times in this thread that I do not own an E-46, but asked the initial question about a friend's car. I replied to dan that I also buy oil for my non-E46 BMWs at Walmart.

If you had replied to dan (instead of me) about Mobile 1 oil availability at Walmart, I would not have replied to you. It appeared that since you replied specifically to me (instead of dan), you were instructing/lecturing me on what oil is appropriate for my BMWs, not the E46. My bad.
Cheers!
John
85 M635CSi
86 657CSi
08 XRunner