E85 Z4 Si Servicing with Low mileage.

[highflyer79]

Hi all

What’s everyone’s views on servicing, especially on apparently now mileage cars. For example I’ve seen a few low mileage ones around that apparently well loved. But yet I don’t see an oil change regularly. I can see the inspection 1 & 2’s say every 3-4 years due to the lack of driving. But to me surely oil should be done a lot more regularly even if it’s sitting around. Maybe it’s just me over thinking things, but if not run often or oil sent around the engine or no oil changes won’t there be issues like say oil breaking down, lack of lubrication around certain parts of the engine?

Thanks for any input and views.

 

[j3nks79]

Some of the E chassis car were condition based servicing but no longer than 24 months max.
I wouldn’t buy a car that hadn’t been serviced for 3/4 years. People ask top money for low mileage cars that have these big gaps.

 

[highflyer79]

Some of the E chassis car were condition based servicing but no longer than 24 months max.
I wouldn’t buy a car that hadn’t been serviced for 3/4 years. People ask top money for low mileage cars that have these big gaps.

Exactly my point. They all say “It’s all well loved and looked after low mileage”. But servicing to me has been hit and miss. Yes the car looks lovely and you are paying for the low mileage. But am I walking into trouble in the future as it’s not been regularly done.

 

[Zedebee]

Some people are very fussy and that’s fine, but I personally don’t think that oil degradation over 4-5 years is a problem if the car isn’t doing many miles.
I bought a 49k E86 - 15 years old but only 3 service stamps. It was a very clean car, with very clean oil. I got a service 2 done for good measure. I didn’t worry, it didn’t let me down.
I reckon oil condition (and engine wear) is much more influenced by the way the car has been driven than by the length of time the oil has been in there, mile for mile.

 

[Mr Tidy]

I took a risk when I bought my 3 Series as there was no record of a service between 2010 at 64081 miles and 2016 at 91,185 miles, although it had 3 services in the book between then and 2019. But that doesn't necessarily mean it didn't get serviced, just no stamp in the book.

Knowing the N52 engines are pretty solid I thought it was worth a punt and 4 years later it is still fine on 122K miles, but of course I didn't pay Z4 money for it and 330i manuals are quite hard to find.

But if the gap was a while ago it night be worth a punt at the right price!

And as Zedebee says I'd be more concerned about mileage in the gaps than by time.

 

[smorris_12]

+1 for letting oil sit and being unworried about it. Synthetic oil is particularly stable compared to mineral oils of yesteryear.

Also, oil related engine failures are blindingly uncommon. Sitting about doing nothing is worse for all sorts of other things compared to a sealed engine.