Oil Change - where is the filter?

R

Road Trip

Member
Lancashire
Thanking of doing an interim oil change myself.

Can anyone tell me where the oil filter is on the M?

If I get one from a dealer will they need to know my reg/chassis no etc. I would rather they didn't know as they might use it against me should a warranty claim arise.

Can anyone recommend a good oil?

Thanks - Dave :)
 
Personally I wouldn't bother. I have always stuck to the manufacturers recommendations for oil changes as they tend to know a lot more on the subject than I do! :P
Think of the ecology also! The longer it stays in your engine, the less it pollutes a waste dump! :lol:
 
I bought the car with very low mileage; 1900.

The oil was changed 12 months ago, and the car is currently at 4500 miles. Might be another 12 months until I get to 12k.

Leaving the oil in for 24 months just don't seem right in such a highly tuned engine.
 
Dave, just had my 12,000 mile service done (18 months after initial oil change) so it's 15,000 miles before it's due to be changed again. That could be 2 years away for me. (I hope so given the cost :o ) Spoke to manager of servicing and he seemed sure oil would be fine for up to 2 years without change under normal 'spirited' use. 'A waste of money' was how he described interim oil changes!

I tend to agree with you about such a high performance engine and the need to change the oil but it is a well used engine that's been around for a long time and I've not heard of many oil issues with M3's.
 
Road Trip said:
Thanking of doing an interim oil change myself.

Can anyone tell me where the oil filter is on the M?

If I get one from a dealer will they need to know my reg/chassis no etc. I would rather they didn't know as they might use it against me should a warranty claim arise.

Can anyone recommend a good oil?

Thanks - Dave :)
Click to expand...
Filter is canister insert type - front right top engine
Oil is Castrol TWS 10-60 - don't play around with anything else

Below is an excellent DIY fror E46M3 - same for our cars

http://m3.madrussian.net/diy_oil_change.shtml

I should add that BMW recommends only adding oil to half mark on the dip stick - here's the service bulletin

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showpost.php?p=527364&postcount=1

In addition, I would add that a fluid evacuation system makes the job alot easier!
 
Breaker said:
Personally I wouldn't bother. I have always stuck to the manufacturers recommendations for oil changes as they tend to know a lot more on the subject than I do!
Click to expand...
They know just enough to get you through the warranty period...
 
Thanks guys.

I know the engine has been around for a while now and is pretty sound. But I am from the "old school" of oil changing, where more is better (???)

My thoughts exactly Caddy. I don't know how long I'll be keeping the car, but over the long term thats when the benefits will be seen.
 
Got my oil changed at the dealers yesterday.

I worked it out and it would have cost me approx £110 to buy the oil and filter and do it myself, so let the dealer do it for £170. They have a viewing area and I was able to watch the carryout the work. Car has 4800 miles on the clock so I asked them not to reset the service indicator; now showing 9000 until oil service.

I'll be doing nearly 3000 miles in the next two weeks so feel better having the new oil in :)
 
Caddyshk said:
Breaker said:
Personally I wouldn't bother. I have always stuck to the manufacturers recommendations for oil changes as they tend to know a lot more on the subject than I do!
Click to expand...
They know just enough to get you through the warranty period...
Click to expand...
Where is your proof? I have always stuck to service intervals and never had a problem with any engine! I haven't heard of any BMW engine suffering from breakdown caused by the oil in it! I to am from the "old school" but do you realize how oil technology has come on from "the good old days!" :P
Waste of money in my eyes, but if it eases piece of mind then I guess for some it's worth it. :)

I do find it strange sometimes that drivers worry so much about the oil in the engine and over-change it yet wait until their cars tyres have almost no tread left before changing them!! :P
 
Yep - I think too much focus is placed on oil changes at the detriment of other service items.

On such a detuned engine as the Zed I'm more than happy with manufacturers times frames and in all my time with BMW's I've rarely heard of engine failures and never one attributed to infequent oil changes. IMHO failures and wear comes from (aside catastrophies caused by cambelts, etc.) heat/cooling problems, warm up cycle of the engine and combustion issues, usually through timing.

Now on my daughters newly acquired BMW Cooper S which once I have finished will be chucking out over 210hp in JCW form from a 1.6 (equal to a 3.0 Zed giving up 400hp) then maybe I'll be more excited about it.
 
As you know, I came from the supercharged JCW S MINI with 210BHP to the Z4. Great car and out of all the cars I have bought and sold is the only one I miss now I've sold it (even though the Z4 is great).

I had that for 3 years and always just stuck to the manufacturers recommendations. Don't forget the JCW packages are BMW tried and tested! :)

Watch you don't drive your daughters car too much in that trim or you may have second thoughts on the Z4 (I've had a couple of those since buying mine to be honest in comparison!!). :wink:
 
Breaker said:
As you know, I came from the supercharged JCW S MINI with 210BHP to the Z4. Great car and out of all the cars I have bought and sold is the only one I miss now I've sold it (even though the Z4 is great).

I had that for 3 years and always just stuck to the manufacturers recommendations. Don't forget the JCW packages are BMW tried and tested! :)

Watch you don't drive your daughters car too much in that trim or you may have second thoughts on the Z4 (I've had a couple of those since buying mine to be honest in comparison!!). :wink:
Click to expand...

Of course - you have come from a JCW. Well this is the facelift so turbo rather than supercharger and there are some engine issues. It's pre official JCW that only came out a few weeks ago and is dealer retrofit of most of the kit and some bits. I'm just talking to various people about the logic of going the whole hog with it.

My big issue at the moment is the engine sounds like a bag of nails on start up and I'm sure it's the hydraulic timing chain. I dare not uprate the engine until this is sorted next week by the dealer then we will see....

Still even now it can leave her boyfriends Lotus Elise race car for dead which pisses him somewhat and you can imagine Mondeo man's reaction confronted with it and a young female driver who can handle a car.....lol

DSC02144.jpg
 
I think the new engines are known to sound like a bag of nails when ticking over. :wink:

Could be a warranty issue if you read the last few pages of this thread on MINI2.

See here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/2nd-gen-faults-fixes/136105-mini-cooper-s-engine-noise-when-cold.html
 
Breaker said:
I think the new engines are known to sound like a bag of nails when ticking over. :wink:

Could be a warranty issue if you read the last few pages of this thread on MINI2.

See here: http://www.mini2.com/forum/2nd-gen-faults-fixes/136105-mini-cooper-s-engine-noise-when-cold.html
Click to expand...

Small world - A quick read would reveal that there are several posts by me on the last couple of pages of that very thread :thumbsup:
 
Has the MINI ever had a great engine, I mean the old 1.6S one was OK but based on some old (Chrysler?) engine and the new one now shared with Peugeot and seemingly not without its problems. Not sure, are they built in the UK, or shipped in from somewhere else (the engines I mean)?
 
I actually lost interest in the MINI when they dropped the supercharger. That sounded awesome on the JCW at full throttle!! I'm also not keen on the re-style they did either.
Wish I'd kept mine now as well as the Z! :cry:
 
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