So you bought a nice shiny beemer to scoot you around town? The last thing you want to do is cause undue wear and tear on the engine during your ownership. Lack of proper maintenance can affect not only your day to day performance but also the resale value. So it’s best to ensure you perform all the recommended Bmw service , including regular oil changes.
How much are Bmw oil changes?
BMW 328i Oil Change Cost
The average cost is between $183 and $205.
Labor costs are estimated between $56 and $71 while parts are priced between $127 and $135.
BMW 528i Oil Change Cost
The average cost is between $176 and $198.
Labor costs are estimated between $50 and $63 while parts are priced between $126 and $135.
BMW M3 Oil Change Cost
The average cost is between $359 and $393.
Labor costs are estimated between $66 and $83 while parts are priced between $294 and $310.
BMW M5 Oil Change Cost
The average cost is between $232 and $250.
Labor costs are estimated between $49 and $61 while parts are priced between $184 and $189.
Thanks to repairpal for some numbers above, you can see that the price range for Bmw oil changes can vary depending on the performance level of your model.
Why are Bmw oil changes necessary?
What happens to a car if you don’t change your oil?
I‘ll start with a quick story about the PT cruiser my sisters got as a first car. My older sister bought it new, drove it for about 4 years and then gave it to my younger sister. Then she drove it for another 2 years or so and passed it to my youngest sister. Insert joke about the sisterhood of the travelling car or something. Apparently the one thing that none of my sisters realized was that cars need oil and that needs to be regularly changed. Shortly after my youngest sister got the car, the engine essentially exploded because there was not a drip left in the vehicle. Quite ironic considering we were a pretty big car family, and clearly we did not do a good job of passing knowledge along. Point is - fluid changes aren’t some sort of conspiracy. They really are necessary if you want your car to keep running. Good thing is these days they can go for a while with full synthetic.
How does oil help the engine?
Fundamentally, the purpose of oil is to act as a lubricant for the engine’s internal parts. The lubrication keeps things moving smoothly and reduces friction and heat. It also helps keep soot and various contaminants from building up in the engine and causing problems. This becomes especially important in performance vehicles like Bmw’s because they operate at higher pressures, RPMs, and have to withstand higher mechanical stresses than the average vehicle. Eventually, your oil leaks out and picks up enough particles to increase its viscosity significantly. To put it in more intuitive terms, it starts out similar in consistency to water, but ends up closer to a thick smoothie or even maple syrup if it’s really bad (don’t try drinking it, please). That makes the engine work harder and have a higher chance of problems. A quick oil change for your Bmw will take all the bad crud out and refill it with nice, new, clean, and silky smooth liquid.
Typically in conjunction with an oil change comes changing the filter. This works to filter out those contaminants that the oil picks up, but over time will stop working effectively as well as it gets overly dirty. The filter can degrade and in severe cases even disintegrate, which can plug up passages and lead to engine damage or failure.
When is it time for an oil change?
As mentioned above you should be regularly changing your oil to keep things going smoothly. The adage that you should change your oil every few thousand miles is changing given the improvements with full synthetic oil.
For performance vehicles like the M3, M4 it’s recommended that you stick to the lower end of the replacement window at 7,500-10,000 miles.
For the base or touring models, like the 328i or 528i, you can wait off a change until 10,000-12,000.
To be totally honest though, synthetics are rated to 15,000 miles these days so if you prefer to wait, it will be ok. The manufacturers tend to suggest more frequent service intervals just to be safe - and make more money. Generally it’s still suggested that you change the oil in your car about once a year, even if you don’t drive that much. That keeps it from building up over time while sitting.
How long does a Bmw oil change take?
Most mechanics and dealerships shouldn’t take more than about 45 minutes to swap out your oil and filter. Some shops pride themselves on super speedy service, so if you’re in a rush you can seek out one of those. While Bmw’s can sometimes be finicky, this is a basic service that can easily be turned around. If you end up waiting longer than that, it’s likely just how quickly they get around to your vehicle.
BMW has a good site here to download your warranty and maintenance information for your individual model.
What oil should you use for your Bmw?
To find out what to use, check out this Mobil oil calculator . There you can select your exact model and see what’s best. There’s also a great article here on which types to use for BMW's
Do BMW hybrids require different motor oil?
No, BMW hybrids do not require different motor oil than non-hybrid vehicles, but the efficiencies gained by hybrid vehicle’s systems can be more demanding on the motor.
ExxonMobil engineers regularly perform extensive testing in support of hybrids. Mobil does extensive testing to ensure that their products live up to the requirements of the hybrid options.
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