F15 X5 35i Oil Change

[Chef NOLA]

My X5 & X4 are keepers (like most BMWs I've owned). Love these cars and the N55. Looking for 250K+ mileage.

OCI 7500 miles. Castro Edge Euro 0W40 + Mann filter. DYI.

Air filter (Mann) & cabin filters every year after major pollen bloom in GA (late May).

Coolant/brake fluid every 2 years.

Plenty of debate on drivetrain care. Going with Indy BMW specialist recommendation of drain/fill every 60K+ for transmission, diffs & transfer case.

Spark plugs - 60K (30K on M40i)

[EdgyE36]

Good info here, thanks. The owners manual fails to clearly state what weight oil is best to use. Glad to hear at least the oil change remains simple. Do almost all the simple stuff on my older BMWs, doing the first oil change on our "new" X5 soon.

[RidgeRunnerMotorwerke]

The BMW owners manual generally calls for 4 different standard weights: 5W40, 0W40, 5W30, and 0W30 (some new BMWs call for 0W20). My 2¢? The N55 has a pretty solid turbo that produces ALOT of heat. BMWs in general are prone to gasket issues and overheating. I personally live in a climate range of -20 - 105 where the extremes on either side can last about a month each. There are several manufactures that meet BMW LL01’s requirements. My thoughts are… I care more about protecting the motor than fuel efficiency so I use LiquiMoly Leichtlauf High Tech 5W40. I occasionally treat with Ceratech and MoS2 as I have a higher mileage motor that is routinely treated as if it’s a track car. I change my oil religiously every 5k miles. I use the German manufactured Mann filter and change the filter every oil change. Personally I have a simple philosophy … the dealer recommendations are a MINIMUM. It will NEVER hurt your vehicle to do it more often than directed. Just like with gas, just because the MINIMUM octane rating is 89/91 doesn’t mean you can’t use better. Never settle for the minimum and use whatever you’re comfortable with as long as it meets BMW LL1. I prefer LiquiMoly because it is also approved by Porsche, Mercedes, VW … it’s a German oil for German cars made in Germany so why not? I want the heat and wear protection especially in a turbo’d car more so than fuel economy. To Ali be fair my F15 hasn’t been tuned in a while and still gets 22.5 mpg city / mountain driving I don’t drive on the highway enough to know the hwy mpgs.

[lonestar22]

Originally Posted by CeeTeeX5

Honestly curious, is there a reason folks are changing their oil at 5-6k vs the recommended intervals from BMW?

Has anyone done a blackstone lab analysis of their engine oil at 5-6k vs 10k? I'm curious if there is a notable degradation of the oil at the higher mileage interval.

All you have to do is drain your oil and see the consistency, smell, and color to change your mind about waiting 15k miles. Not in my X5, but in my older N55 powered car my oil would be almost watery and would smell like gasoline instead of oil when I changed it at the recommended interval.

[lonestar22]

Originally Posted by RidgeRunnerMotorwerke

The BMW owners manual generally calls for 4 different standard weights: 5W40, 0W40, 5W30, and 0W30 (some new BMWs call for 0W20). My 2¢? The N55 has a pretty solid turbo that produces ALOT of heat. BMWs in general are prone to gasket issues and overheating. I personally live in a climate range of -20 - 105 where the extremes on either side can last about a month each. There are several manufactures that meet BMW LL01’s requirements. My thoughts are… I care more about protecting the motor than fuel efficiency so I use LiquiMoly Leichtlauf High Tech 5W40. I occasionally treat with Ceratech and MoS2 as I have a higher mileage motor that is routinely treated as if it’s a track car. I change my oil religiously every 5k miles. I use the German manufactured Mann filter and change the filter every oil change. Personally I have a simple philosophy … the dealer recommendations are a MINIMUM. It will NEVER hurt your vehicle to do it more often than directed. Just like with gas, just because the MINIMUM octane rating is 89/91 doesn’t mean you can’t use better. Never settle for the minimum and use whatever you’re comfortable with as long as it meets BMW LL1. I prefer LiquiMoly because it is also approved by Porsche, Mercedes, VW … it’s a German oil for German cars made in Germany so why not? I want the heat and wear protection especially in a turbo’d car more so than fuel economy. To Ali be fair my F15 hasn’t been tuned in a while and still gets 22.5 mpg city / mountain driving I don’t drive on the highway enough to know the hwy mpgs.

Must be nice. Mine gets 15.9mpg.