2012 X5M 1200 first service denied

[mrpcar]

Made an appointment to my local dealer for my first 1200 miles service on my 2012 X5M and was told that it is not necessary. First oil change 14,000 miles.

Which leads to next question:

(1). Parts needed to do an oil change
(2). any DIY instruction? I assume it shouldn't be too hard.
(3). What weight oil should I use?

Thanks

[hyde]

1200 miles or 12,000 miles?

[Jasnb]

Why would you want to do the oil change yourself when it's covered under BMW warranty in another 2k?

[mrpcar]

BMW oil change is not until 14,000. I am at 1200 miles. Sorry, I am old school, I don't believe in changing oil in 14,000 miles. I also believe that new car break in oil should be changed at 1200.

[TimZ]

Originally Posted by mrpcar

BMW oil change is not until 14,000. I am at 1200 miles. Sorry, I am old school, I don't believe in changing oil in 14,000 miles. I also believe that new car break in oil should be changed at 1200.

Yea i believed the same since all other M cars were being taken in for that break-in service...but it doesn't apply to our x5/x6 M's
So no need for a break-in service. All you have to do is properly break in by following the manual which says something like don't go above 5k rpm or 100 mph? I forgot

[ZuerstBMW]

the oil they use these days makes it unnecessary to change the oil every 3k miles like before, it just doesnt need it.

[SCardamon]

Or the technology behind newer engines and the lubricants used within them was designed properly and there is no need to worry about changing the oil until the specified service interval.

There is a DIY on this, you just need to search for it...

[mrpcar]

I was also confused regarding the discussion of oil weight used. Some said 5W30 some said 5W60. Personally I prefer to used Redline 0W40, same weight oil used in the all my Porsches and the Ferrari. In addition the Redline is group V makes it "real" 100% synthetic, whereas the others including Mobile 1, Castrol are all group IV which is made from partial synthetic stock.

[Northern X5M]

I beat on my X5M like a rented mule, so first 2 oil changes were at 5000km for peace of mind. My other vehicles I change the oil when the little computer tells me to.

[HappyG]

Originally Posted by ZuerstBMW

the oil they use these days makes it unnecessary to change the oil every 3k miles like before, it just doesnt need it.

The OP is not trying to change his oil every 3k, just right now after his initial break-in.

Pay it out of pocket at an independent shop or do it yourself. I would never wait +10k miles for an oil change, especially on a new car with a high HP engine just broken in.

BMW recommends those intervals because they have to pay for it up until the warranty is moot.

[apw2607]

Originally Posted by HappyG

BMW recommends those intervals because they have to pay for it up until the warranty is moot.

That's simply not true. Technology has moved on from the days of short mileage oil changes.

[jacb1301]

Exactly! If BMW was extending the oil change times to benefit them, it would actually backfire and cause more issues if it was truly neccessary to change the oil sooner. Don't waste your money, let BMW change it when it's time.

Originally Posted by apw2607

That's simply not true. Technology has moved on from the days of short mileage oil changes.

[mrpcar]

Technology haven't changed with the principal of internal combustion engine, still burns hydrocarbons so there is still contamination to the engine oil. The degrade of oil comes from condensation, contamination and heat cycle. Engines now days may produce more power with less displacement and burns cleaner but the oil still gets dirty.

The trend on the long oil change cycle started when car manufacturer needed a lower operating cost figure to sell their cars, and to be able to afford "maintenance included" marketing tactic.

For as many cars that I get to work on and take apart I can tell you for certain that an engine that gets oil changed at 15,000 does not look pretty at all.

Personally I have always been on a 5000-7000 change interval even with using synthetic oil for all my cars. With this practice at 100,000 miles my 911 engine showed virtually no wear last time I took it apart for a refresh of wear and tear internal parts.

[HappyG]

Originally Posted by jacb1301

Exactly! If BMW was extending the oil change times to benefit them, it would actually backfire and cause more issues if it was truly neccessary to change the oil sooner. Don't waste your money, let BMW change it when it's time.

Considering that a factory warranty only covers 4yrs/50K, I doubt anything would backfire within that timeframe, which BMW has I'm sure carefully tested to the ends of the earth. I'm speaking of taking care of a car past it's prime years, which starts early on during ownership.

If it's a lease, don't waste your money. If you intend to keep it for a long time, indeed change the oil.

Technology may have become better, both in terms of oil refinement and engine manufacturing processes, but oil is still oil, and metal is still metal. With that theory, engines should be able to go 100K miles without any type of fluid changes in the next 5 years or so based on how quickly technology and applied sciences are evolving in the car/racing industry.

But lest we forget, it's still business, and business = $

[mrpcar]

Just for future reference you can use Mobil 1 0w40 in the X5M engine, it's one of the approved oil by BMW. http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

[JNoSol]

Originally Posted by mrpcar

Made an appointment to my local dealer for my first 1200 miles service on my 2012 X5M and was told that it is not necessary. First oil change 14,000 miles.

Which leads to next question:

(1). Parts needed to do an oil change
(2). any DIY instruction? I assume it shouldn't be too hard.
(3). What weight oil should I use?

Thanks

You can only take your car in for "free" service within 1k miles of the indicated service needed on your dashboard (first one is around 12k-14k depending on driving condition). I'm not sure about the X5m, but I take mine in between recommended oil changes for $100. $100 gives you assurance, and a record that you went above & beyond the recommended service intervals. If you do it yourself, you'll probably save about $30. If you own a $100k USD car, I'm sure your 1hr of time is worth a bit more than $30.

[BobsM3Coupe]

Originally Posted by HappyG

The OP is not trying to change his oil every 3k, just right now after his initial break-in.

Pay it out of pocket at an independent shop or do it yourself. I would never wait +10k miles for an oil change, especially on a new car with a high HP engine just broken in.

BMW recommends those intervals because they have to pay for it up until the warranty is moot.

+1

[nummmy]

fyi - if you do a search you will find a number of supporting documents stating to go by bmw on oil changes. you can actually cause more wear by changing too ofter due to the detergents and other agents. it aint oil anymore lol.

[alextclam]

This is my first BMW and all of my friends said the first service is 10k miles. Back in Dec, I had the car for a little over a year with only 6k miles. My dealer's service dept kept calling me to bring it in and I told them I only had 6k miles. They said the first service is at 10k or 1 year, whichever came first. I held it off because they were located an hour away from my house and they called me 3 other times to schedule an appt. I ended up taking it to a dealer near my office. Maybe if you try asking another dealer, they might do the service for you there.