Hi, I own 2008 135i that I bought trough the Euro delivery program. Great car, I love it. I bought the car because I like it and no so much because of the "free" maintenance. I change the oil my self after about 4,000 mile because it was not covered under the "free" maintenance. Then I brought to the dealer for first year service which they change the oil "the first time". The second oil service was done at 20,000 miles. After the change I drove the car home, about 10 miles from the dealer. While I was detailing the car I looked through the oil fill cover and saw that the oil looked dirty, (really black). (I am doing my own oiled change on my BMWs for many years.) I let the car cool, and opened the drain plug for a sample. To my surprise the oil was very dirty, black, and looked like it was never changed. I think that after 10 miles the oil might not look new but also did not expect that it would be soooooooooooooo dirty. Brought the sample to the dealer and asked if this is how new oil should look like after driving the car 10 miles. They were surprise themselves and told me that I should change my oil more often. (Really? this is the dealer telling me that? after all they so proud of the "free" maintenance.) They change the oil again, this time I was in the garage with them. Drove the car about 50 miles, checked the oil again and this time it was a lighter. (still darker then new but much lighter.) Since there is no more dip sticks its hard to tell how the oil looks like after an oil change and who is crazy enough to really drain a bit after a change? Well I did. I know that when oil is being changed there is probably a quart or more left, but still, from my experience I had never seen such dirty oil 10 miles after oil change. My other high miles BMW do not look like that after oil change. Does anyone know if the oil can look so dirty after oil change?
I dunno. I wonder if the heat in the turbo engine heats the oil so much that it may discolor it sooner? On a darker note, I wonder if they just dumped the oil and didn't change the filter. Personally I'd suggest an oil/filter change every 5k on that car....just my .02 worth.
Wow. Member since January 1970 and this is your first post? Welcome! I have no idea the answer to your question, sorry.
The obvious answer is that your oil was never changed the first time at the dealership. And, I suspect the dealership knows more than its telling, especially since you apparently got another oil change with little to no argument. You wouldn't be the first person to have that experience. If you still have your sample you showed the dealership, you can get it analyzed, but for me, I would suspect the obvious.
Ok so when your car needs its first paid repair... ......where do they take you first? The finance office, or the new car showroom?
Well, not exactly true, but your point is well made. Personally, there is no way I would own a car and change the oil ONLY every 15k miles or so. The fact is, in global terms, an oil change/filter is dirt cheap compared to the possible/probable repair costs directly related to oil related failures... especially in high $$$ cars such as BMW's. But, that's just my opinion.
Sounds too familiar I bought a new 2007 Sport Trax 4 X 4 Limited in late 2007 with 75k maintenance plan. Oil changes the dealership delivered on.....but tire rotation...not. The first set of Dunlops were worn out at 21 K on a 60K tire. I even called Dunlop. Yes, I kept them inflated at proper poundage as well as checking them once a week. Next set of tires was also shot at 24K. Alignment was spot on. Answer, they were not rotating my tires. I marked the tires the night before service. I dropped the vehicle off, picked it up that afternoon and asked if they rotated the tires. Yes, I was told. I walked out to the 4X4 looked at the tires and nothing was rotated, RF was still on RF. I then walked back into the shop and got the Service Manager. He tried to stand behind his Techs, even though he knew he was in deep crap, an owner with a brain! I went to GM raising %$^^%$#. Bottom line, I got new alignment job, new tires and watched them do all the work for free! The truck has never been back to the dealership since. I told the GM I would never buy another vehicle from his dealership. I also sent a letter to the Regional Manager too. I never trust anyone now! Zdaneman sends
Following Mike Miller's old school maintenance schedule has cost me almost $1000 since I got my 135i in April 2009. I'm not complaining since I feel that anything less is asking for trouble, but free maintenance is nothing more than a marketing gimmick and directed towards people who lease and/or change cars every 2-3 years and don't worry about long term reliabilty.
+1 I've used Mike's OSM program on virtually every car I've owned since 1975. End result is 4 vehicles owned and service. All sold with over 200K on the clock and still running strong. Proper maintenance ain't cheap, but it's WAAAY cheaper than a car payment.
This reminds me of many years ago when we bought my wife's first car, a 1983 Audi 4000S. At something like 1500 miles, there was a free service to have the oil/filter changed and valves adjusted. Being somewhat suspect by nature, I discreetly marked the valve cover bolt heads all down one side versus the valve cover. When we picked it up, I checked them, and not a single one had been touched. I approached the service writer who assured me the valves were adjusted. Still keeping my info to myself, I asked to speak to the service manager who also assured me that the valves were adjusted. I then asked to speak to the mechanic who did the work on my car. Instead the shop foreman came to speak to me, and he absolutely assured me that he personally watched the mechanic work on my car and adjust the valves. I then took him to the car, manager in tow, to show him how it was impossible and that he was outright lying to me. The service manger went berserk (haha, acting like he didn't have any idea something like would happen in his shop), yada, yada, yada... A story like the OP's kind of makes you wonder how many cars are out there running 30k miles or more on an "oil change".
