I have an 08 328 and my daily drives are 10 miles to and from work and maybe another 50 or so miles on the week-end. Think the longest drive have been 20 miles one-way. And now after 4 months I have 2100 miles on the car. Do I need to worry about carbon build up due to my all my short trips? Swcond question. Oil change Should I do onr at 3000 miles or can I wait until 5000 miles? Thanks
What kind of oil do you use in your car? Synthetic or regular? If it's synthetic, 5k should be fine. As for the carbon concern; methinks Porsche tune-up does the trick very nicely. Let the car stretch its legs!
I own a 2008 535XI, purchaed 18 months ago and I only have 11K miles on it. I had to replace the battery, at my expense, because BMWNA claims I voided the Battery Warranty by failing to drive the car a minimum 1K per month. Needless to say BMWNA has not heard the last on this issue! Who thought you could buy a "Performance Car" with a charging system that won't charge a Go Cart! Get a Battery Tender Plus for this issue and I changed my oil at 1,500 miles with synthetic oils. I had it changed at my Independent BMW/Volvo shop for half what BMW charged. BMW only allows one oil change per year! If you don't intend on keeping your 328 then this may be ok. Periodic fast, prolonged drives on the weekends should limit carbon build-up. Enjoy! Buck Cording 2008 535XI 1973 2002tii
Please, please, PLEASE don't EVER say that. It is NOT ok... then people like me looking for a used car (because I can't afford a new one) get dumped with an ill-taken care of vehicle that has serious issues because the owners were only following dealer's orders. NOT cool. I seriously recommend you change the oil at the interval you have been changing, if you don't drive very far very often. People who drive their cars very little are considered "severe" drivers that put more strain on the car, and it's true. So, remember; you can never change the oil too many times but you can change the oil too seldomly. I did forget to ask; did you get a break-in oil change? In other words, has the oil been changed since you got the car? If not, do it now! Immediately, ASAP! You'd be surprised how much crap will get flushed out after break-in.
I am not a fan of BMW's "FREE 4 YEAR Maintenance" ! You get 1 "FREE" oil change per year! What a deal for BMWNA! I had the oil changed at1,500 miles, as this is the proper mileage for a correct "Break-In" oil change. I then had the oil changed at the BMW dealership at twice the cost about 5K miles later. I now qualify for my 1st "FREE" oil change (WHOOOEEE!!!). I will continue to change the oil more frequently than authoized by BMW and I will utilize independent BMW shops that I trust. BMW dealership service is terrible and BMWNA does not support the customer and does little to instill confidence in their product! Hope you enjoy your new BMW! B Cording
My wife and I didn't drive our 535i for about 10 days when I was in the hospital and when I came home the battery was dead. I charged it up again and now make a point of driving the car at least once a week. Funny thing is that before we bought the 535, we had left town for what was supposed to be a 2 week trip that turned into a 2 month trip. We left our trusty Volvo S60 T5 outside and when we came home I went to start it (thinking it might need to be charged) and it started right up. Sad to think I can't expect the same from the BMW.
535XI vs Volvo Batterys I can t believe your reply. I have owned 5 Volvos, some bought used, some new and never experienced a battery failure within 18 months of purchase. My wife's 2002 S40 was bought new and has 11K miles on it and had the 90K service done on it recently based on age not mileage and I replaced the battery, which was still good. I had a 1989 780 Volvo coupe that went 9 years on the original battery. The sad thing is BMW does not stand behind their product. I was told by BMWNA that I had voided the battery warranty by not driving my 535XI 1,000 miles a month, as required iin the owner's manual. There is no separate battery warranty and no where is the 1,000 miles per month requirement written in the volumes of owner's manuals provided with your new BMW purchase. Since I also have a 1973 2002tii and my Doctor also has a 7 series, when we were discussing BMWs he stated that his battery died and BMW replaced it, under the 4 year warranty, no question asked. I am in discussion with BMWNA who is researching where the 1,000 mile per month driving requirement and separate Battery warranty are located. I think I know the answer, but am curious as to what they will tell me. Stay tuned for "The rest of this story," as Paul Harvey used to say! Buck Cording
Thanks Guys AZ3579 the oil is the original oil when I took delivery of the car in early Dec 08. The car is a lease. However I do not believe in treating the car any different than if I owned the car. If I take the car to a good indy shop will that in anyway effect the warrenty? Thanks again
I can not believe that BMW can make you drive a certain number of miles per month to maintain the warranty. My 2 year old 335i coupe has less than 15,000 miles so I guess I've voided the warranty. What's next, BMW telling us where to drive?
This is an intersting thread. I thought I would bump it to the top to get some answers. I am about to buy my first BMW. Can I really void my warranty by not driving the car 1,000 miles a month? Also, How can I keep my battery from dying if I don't drive the car for a week?
Never heard of this tip/trick. Can you elaborate please? I have the same problem with my 328i. I only drive 7 miles to work. According to Mike M, that's not enough time to get the engine up to proper operating temperature. This probably explains the higher metal content in my last oil analysis. I'm down to a 5000 mile drain interval (Lubro Moly 5W-30.) I try to give her a good spank on the weekends. City driving is so sad...
I don't know why Mike Miller would say that. Newer engines warm up a lot faster than old ones, and mine is fully warm only halfway to work. I work 7 miles away as well (one direction). AND, my engine's 23 years old.
Seven miles is plenty in any car. Once you get below five, or if it's very cold, it could be marginal. I live seven miles from the nearest edge of the nearest town, so virtually every drive I take is seven or more. Only on the coldest days do any of my vehicles not get the engine fully warmed up in that distance. Even if you're in the city, doing only 35 mph for seven miles will have your car running for about 15 minutes, which is plenty to get the engine warm.
