my new BMW states the oil only needs to be changed every 15000 isnt that to many?

Question

2004 bmw 325i

Answer 1

That sounds like a lot of miles between changes but if that's what the owner's manual says then I would go with that.

Answer 2

BMW recommends every 15k. The oils do not break down like earlier oils did. Now some will argue that dirt and other materials are a factor. This is true. So if you plan to keep the car for many years then every 5000 - 7500 would be fine. I don't see hardly any problems yet do to oil issues, key word (hardly). I have seen a couple but only a couple of how many cars I see a year and have been seeing more and more with 150k +. Oil change at the dealer runs about $100

Answer 3

That is not too many miles at all. European cars use synthetic oil that meets their extended oil change intervals which can be from 10K - 15K miles. I sell an Amsoil European spec oil that meets the requirements and my customers routinely go 10K, 13K & 15K miles which is the OEM recommended intervals. People not familiar with working on MB, BMW, VW, etc are not aware of the service recommendations by the manufacturers. Also most hold many more quarts of oil & use larger filter elements than the average domestic vehicle which takes longer to contaminate. Factor in the synthetic oil (Usually specific requirements), larger capacity pans, filter elements and that helps explain the longer oil change intervals. For the record, your car holds 7 qts of oil where as your average domestic and Asian cars will barely take 5 with a similar size engine or even larger. I hope that helps

Answer 4

The oil that a BMW uses is a fully synthetic oil that does not break down as quickly as crude oil. Just be sure that when your oil is changed you take it back to BMW. It will cost a lot but it works out in the long run. I manage a garage so take my word for it.

P.S. It will not hurt anything if you have the oil changed a little more often though not necessary.

Answer 5

Hold on a second here -- since it's a BMW, is it possible that the manual says change the oil every 15,000 kilometers? That equates to around 7,500 - 8,000 miles, and that's fine. 15,000 miles seems like quite a stretch unless you're using full synthetic motor oil. The only time I would recommend changing your oil every 3,000 miles is if you have an American-made car that is driven mostly on short trips and usually doesn't run for more than 15 minutes at a time.

Answer 6

If that's what the owners manual says than thats the number to go with. No car really needs new oil every 3000 miles (unless you have unusual driving habits). Its simply marketing done to sell more oil and get you to bring your car in. Most cars are good for 5000 miles. Some new cars, usually high end cars like BMWs, can go longer between changes.

Answer 7

If the manufacturer recommends it....it must have been proven to provide sufficient protection past the warranty of the vehicle...remember it is not in their interest for your car to run forever,just long enough to keep the customer happy till he wants a newer model. That said it can't hurt to change the oil sooner than recommended, just consider it cheap insurance.

Answer 8

It is likely that is a synthetic oil, if you are referring to engine oil. If so, don't go trying to get 15k miles out of a non-synthetic motor oil. It won't take long to damage the engine. For tranny fluid, 15K sounds about right on average

Answer 9

I'm sure it is in miles...they sell cars to Americans who have no idea what a km is. It is synthetic oil, which doesnt lose viscosity as fast as "regular" motor oil.

Answer 10

Normally, you swap out about 3K miles, but these newer BMWs state you can go that long