Oil Change Intervals?

sandman512

sandman512

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If someone could explain this, I would be most appreciative. My E46, has 10,100 miles on it. The in-service date was Dec. of 2004. I called my service dept. and they said that it is due for an oil service and it will be covered. [clap] The customer rep. said that because it is in-between 10K- 15K and one year they do it. Now, will they reset the oil change indicator to restart from the oil change date? Or do they let it continue until 15K? Thanks in advance.
Sandman
 
Bmw 325i 7803

Bmw 325i 7803

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Big Daddy said:
They will reset it. You are to use the "oil change inidicator" lights or one year's time which ever occurs first.
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They do not reset it.... They did not reset mine for my 8k oil change, currently I have 13k and I've made an appointment for another oil change since the indicator is at -1000. It even says not to reset the indicator for low mileage oil changes on the service slip.
 
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Sheepdg

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Your Service Interval Indicator should not be reset - you are not performing any SII determined service. You are due for an Oil & Filter change, not an Oil Service.

An Oil & Filter change is a part (subset) of every BMW Scheduled Maintenance Action (i.e., Oil Service and/or Inspections I and II). An Oil & Filter change (not an Oil Service) can also be a time-based maintenance action (i.e., if 12 months have elapsed without an intervening scheduled maintenance action (Oil Service or Inspection I/II) being performed). The Service Interval Indicator should only be reset when an actual Service Interval Indicator maintenance action is actually performed. The SII is not to be reset when a time-based Oil & Filter change is done. The same applies (that is not resetting the SII) when, as many of us do, additional Oil & Filter changes either ourselves or at the dealer or indy. As it says in BMWs maintenace checklist:
"Reset Service Indicator.
Note: Do not reset Service Indicator when additional oil changes (between the normal intervals) are requested by the customer."

You're going in for an Oil&Filter only because you are at the 12 month time frame. At your milage, you will probably be due for an Oil Service in 3-6 months. I'm assuming your SII now probably reads Oil Service due in 3-5,000 miles. It will be reset then.
 
jonaphn

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i might be lost here or my question might have already been answered, but..

when i start up my car it says, "inspection 9XXX" is that until my next tune up or is that also when i need to change my oil? (does synthetic oil last that long?)

[scratch]
 
codex57

codex57

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They're supposed to reset it, but forget many times. It doesn't matter what the mileage is, as long as one year has passed. Mine was at around 7500 miles after one year and they still gave me a free oil change cuz it had been a year already. Luckily, they didn't reset it so I got another one at 15,000 miles. Some people have had it reset tho.
 
Bmw 325i 7803

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codex57 said:
They're supposed to reset it, but forget many times. It doesn't matter what the mileage is, as long as one year has passed. Mine was at around 7500 miles after one year and they still gave me a free oil change cuz it had been a year already. Luckily, they didn't reset it so I got another one at 15,000 miles. Some people have had it reset tho.
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They are not supposed to reset it, it specifically says not to.
 
sandman512

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Ok, lets say for arguments sake, that on the 20th. I get the oil/filter change done. Do I get another one at 15K or do they do it at 15K from the miles that I just got the service done?
Thanks!
 
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Sheepdg

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Just the Facts, Maam! (Long)

Bmw 325i 7803 said:
You get another when the indicator hits zero unless the dealership goes postal and resets it...
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[duh] That's a fact - Jack.

There seems to be a lot erudite opinions offered within this thread. To cut through the armchair opining, BMW's actual position on this matter is provided below.


BMW issued SI Bulletin 00 04 01 today (10/25/01) to clarify the oil change situation for low annual mileage owners.

“A limited number of BMW owners accumulate very low mileage on their BMWs annually, in some situations insufficient for the Service Interval Indicator System to call for an Oil Service or Inspection. However, all BMWs should have an engine oil change at a minimum of once a year, regardless of whether synthetic or petroleum-based oil is used.”

As a part of the BMW Maintenance Program your dealer should perform the annual oil service and update/stamp the Service and Warranty Information Statement but SHOULD NOT RE-SET THE SERVICE INDICATOR SYSTEM.

If your driving pattern remains constant (i.e., low mileage) the Service Interval Indicator System will under most circumstances (i.e., excluding really low annual mileages) call for an Oil Service within the next 12 months at which time your BMW Center’s service department should perform the oil service (including oil filter replacement), update/stamp the Service and Warranty Information Statement and RE-SET THE SERVICE INDICATOR SYSTEM.

If the annual oil service occurs within 60 days of the time when the Service Indicator System would call for an Oil Service or Inspection, then the upcoming service should be performed and the Service Indicator System reset.

In situations where you request a more frequent oil service (at your own expense) than as called for by the Service Interval Indicator System, the same logic applies – your dealer should not reset the Service Indicator System until the maintenance is performed that is called for by the System. This is especially critical for vehicles still covered by the BMW Maintenance Program."
 
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