feel it and see how thick or thin it is
Are you serious? Are your fingers calibrated to determine the viscosity of an oil by feeling it? You must have some magic fingers.
ref
You haven’t a clue…There is no way you can tell how the oil is by it’s color. Any car that has even a little blow by…the oil will be black in hundreds of miles…I gurantee you the oil is still good.
you guys are dumb, i feel sorry for tj here, does he have to explain everything to you? you can tell how used oil is by feeling it not perfect, but you can.
Well, I for one, would like to be enlightened. So tell me, what does “bad” oil feel like as opposed to “good.”? Where is your proof that it is bad when it feels like that? I await your enlightenment so I too may feel my oil.
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old oil feels thin, and really drippy, good oil is somewhat thick and alot less drippy
I change the oil every 3 months or 3,000 miles whatever comes first. I view it as the best maintenance with the cheapest cost. In addition I use a Mobile 1 synthetic. 99% of our driving is in town. But even if I was doing a lot of driving on an open road I would still use this interval.
And we quantify drippy and thin with what? Seems very educated and scientific to me. My wife, however, has a great idea. She said that you can tell if oil is bad by feeling metal shavings in it.
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how damn scientific do you wanna get when changing oil? and your a dip if you let your oil get shavings in it, i hope you were kidding
how damn scientific do you wanna get when changing oil? and your a dip if you let your oil get shavings in it, i hope you were kidding
No way you can tell if oil is good by feeling it or looking at it. That is why I determine my oil change intervals by tasting it.
Seriously, go by the owner manual. Use the specified oil. Pay attention to the severe duty information. You may well fall into that category.
An even better idea! I love it. So do I change when it tastes like chicken?
ref- the stoopid dip
no, it tastes like pork you idiot
I agree with previous responses; consult the owners manual. BMW cars need high quality oil; synthetic or not. If the oil sump is twice the size of a rgular car (owners manual will say)then the oil change interval could be twice the normal, which is 3-4000 miles for city driving and 6-8000 miles for primarily highway use. Additive depletion is aproblem with all oils, even synthetic. In 15,000 miles of city driving the additives will be used up. Oil is about 25% addtives. The base oil"does not wear out, but high temperature operation gradually carbonizes the oil, like an overheated deep fryer. I would use a good synthetic approved by BMW (it will say so on the can)and change at 7500 miles for mixed driving. Do not use a 20W50 weight oil which BMW erroneously recommended in the past, unless you live in Florida. For general drivign in the Northern US, a 5W30 synthetic will be a good choice. If you live in the South West, a 10W40 would be good for Arizona, New Mexico, etc.
3000 miles between changes on synthetic? Wow, you must have money to burn. That, or you drive only a mile at a time on dusty roads in Alaska.
FWIW, if I can’t read the word “ADD” through the oil on the dipstick(it should be above that level), I consider the oil past due for change. Nothing scientific involved, just observation from maintaining a plethora of internal combustion engines in all manner of conditions. And if oil becomes dark immediately after a change, poor prior maintenance or excess wear is indicated.
thats what she said
Apparently, you’ve never owned a diesel.
Mobil 1 Extended Performance or Amsoil ATM will easily make 1yr/15K miles. I have the oil analysis to prove it. If you’re running Dinosaur oil, i.e., non-synthetic, I would say 3K to 5K between changes. I wouldn’t even put Dino oil in my lawn mower.