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      11-24-2010, 10:20 AM   #1
gr8000
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How do I know the dealer changed the oil?

other than trusting them or being there watching?

Any way to check this?

This engine doesn't have a dipstick to see the colour of the oil immediately afte the change....
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      11-24-2010, 10:24 AM   #2
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Quote:
Originally Posted by gr8000 View Post
other than trusting them or being there watching?

Any way to check this?

This engine doesn't have a dipstick to see the colour of the oil immediately afte the change....
good question. hearing some bad dealer experiences made me think this way as well. sad but true
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      11-24-2010, 10:30 AM   #3
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i know...id like to know this too...can never be too sure...the one thing i like about lexus dealers is that their service department has a glass window surrounding the whole area so u can just sit there and watch them service ur car...no doubts there..and the techs know they're being watched...i wish bmw would have this too
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      11-24-2010, 10:36 AM   #4
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They rarely wipe up the excess oil around the drain plugs. Get under the car and look for fresh oil around the plugs or even on the underbelly pan.
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      11-24-2010, 10:39 AM   #5
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Look around the drain plugs, unless you get an anal tech that washes it down with brake clean there will be some dirty oil around the two drain plugs.

Other than that its a trust thing, you can see the oil pretty plainly with the oil filler cap off but its hard to tell by that.

The only way to know 100% for sure is watch them or do it yourself.
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      11-24-2010, 11:04 AM   #6
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you can always run the motor for a few minutes, remove the filler cap, and wipe the underside with a shop rag....if the color is amber...then the oil is fresh
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      11-24-2010, 11:06 AM   #7
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Check your invoice too. It should have a qty of oil. But this kind of begs the question... Why would they not? They get paid for doing it. Do you really think a dealership would risk not servicing your vehicle properly to swindle the cost on oil? What kind of company would risk that? It doesn't make a ton of sense.

That said, I've thought the same thing.
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      11-24-2010, 12:53 PM   #8
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Trust but verify!!!!!!
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      11-24-2010, 01:05 PM   #9
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Leonardo629 View Post
you can always run the motor for a few minutes, remove the filler cap, and wipe the underside with a shop rag....if the color is amber...then the oil is fresh
Quote:
Originally Posted by KJM3 View Post
Look around the drain plugs, unless you get an anal tech that washes it down with brake clean there will be some dirty oil around the two drain plugs.

Other than that its a trust thing, you can see the oil pretty plainly with the oil filler cap off but its hard to tell by that.

The only way to know 100% for sure is watch them or do it yourself.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dannys M3 View Post
They rarely wipe up the excess oil around the drain plugs. Get under the car and look for fresh oil around the plugs or even on the underbelly pan.
Thanks guys, very helpful!!
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      11-24-2010, 01:13 PM   #10
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Does it taste fresh?
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      11-24-2010, 01:28 PM   #11
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If you have to ask, you need to find another dealer, or do it yourself. And some customers are cynical or paranoid by nature, hopefully not you. Oil changes are simple and profitable. I think it would be one of the last places a dealer would cheat. With that said, the oil changers are not usually long-term, master mechanics, and certainly one could cheat on the invoice and sell the oil and filter out the back door. I try to develop a good relationship with the shop foreman or a senior tech, and it seems to pay off in good service.
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      11-25-2010, 12:34 PM   #12
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Put some sort of marking on your Drain plugs that way you can see if they have removed it or not.
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      11-25-2010, 05:11 PM   #13
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Even if you don't pay for it, they'll list the 9 or so quarts of oil on the invoice for inventory Make sure there's a filter on there, too.
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      11-25-2010, 05:24 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by andrew270681 View Post
Put some sort of marking on your Drain plugs that way you can see if they have removed it or not.
They may remove it just to drain a few centiliters out, just to show the oil was changed...
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      11-25-2010, 05:26 PM   #15
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Quote:
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Even if you don't pay for it, they'll list the 9 or so quarts of oil on the invoice for inventory Make sure there's a filter on there, too.
We pay for all oil changes here, even during warranty period, so they indeed list 9 liter bottles and an oil filter in the service invoice. Again, this says nothing to me as they may charge it and simply not change it!
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      11-25-2010, 05:51 PM   #16
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Mark your filter with a sharpie. If they don't change the filter, they don't change the oil.
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      11-25-2010, 06:33 PM   #17
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I love my m3, but the one and ONLY thing I HATE about it is that there is no m*ther f*ckin dipstick...

To be honest, I also ponder sometimes if the dealership really changed my oil or not. I don't know how to check if the oil is clean or not coz of the lack of a dipstick. The dealer could've just topped my oil off without even changing it.

No dipstick FTL!
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      11-25-2010, 09:06 PM   #18
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Quote:
Originally Posted by e92_m3 View Post
I love my m3, but the one and ONLY thing I HATE about it is that there is no m*ther f*ckin dipstick...

To be honest, I also ponder sometimes if the dealership really changed my oil or not. I don't know how to check if the oil is clean or not coz of the lack of a dipstick. The dealer could've just topped my oil off without even changing it.

No dipstick FTL!
holy shit no dipstick? how the hell are u supposed to tell if oil level is low or dirty? i used to just look between the 2 dots on my dipstick to measure that the level was good.
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      11-25-2010, 09:29 PM   #19
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I take the cap off and break a nearby branch off of a tree and use it as a dip stick
Has not failed yet..... Jk
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      11-26-2010, 12:00 AM   #20
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holy shit no dipstick? how the hell are u supposed to tell if oil level is low or dirty? i used to just look between the 2 dots on my dipstick to measure that the level was good.
Yup! It's sad, but it's true bro. I too was shocked at first because I have never had any vehicle before the M3 that had no dipstick. On my older vehicles, I can tell that the dealer did an oil change just by looking at the dipstick. Besides that, the traditional way of telling whether your oil level is low is with a dipstick. That pretty much changes when you get an M3. You rely now on electronic gauges (which I don't really trust) on the dash. To be honest, it's pretty much impossible to check the oil level on the M3 and whether you are running on clean oil or not. I prefer the dipstick OVER any electronic bullsh*t. LOL!

My dad was also shocked when I first told him that my m3 had no dipstick. IIRC, all he said was that I have a high performance car that's luxurious, but with no DAMN dipstick??
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      11-26-2010, 02:09 AM   #21
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After years of purchasing and servicing my car at one of our local BMW dealerships, those fukcers tried to screw me out of an oil change when I purchased the car used from them. On the test drive the oil change indicator came on and both the sales guy and I noticed it. So, I asked they do the oil change before pick-up of the car and they said no problem. Well, I found out later (after getting a updated service history on the car) all they did was reset the computer but actually did not do an oil change because it had only been 11 months (low milage) since the last change anyways. I was pissed because instead of just telling me it was still not quite due for the early oil change ( low milage oil change), they pretended to have done it which means I would have gone another year without an oil change. I do not trust these stealerships anymore!! Beware guys!
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      11-26-2010, 04:09 AM   #22
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Quote:
Originally Posted by elh0102 View Post
If you have to ask, you need to find another dealer, or do it yourself. And some customers are cynical or paranoid by nature, hopefully not you. Oil changes are simple and profitable. I think it would be one of the last places a dealer would cheat. With that said, the oil changers are not usually long-term, master mechanics, and certainly one could cheat on the invoice and sell the oil and filter out the back door. I try to develop a good relationship with the shop foreman or a senior tech, and it seems to pay off in good service.
This. If youbhave to use the "trust but verify" method then you don't really trust the dealer. If you're that concerned about it, just do it yourself. It's an oil change, not rocket science.

Also, BMW isn't the only company deleting dipsticks. Audi is removing them as well but at least they had the good sense to keep the tube in place, it's just capped off. It's there for service tech to check oil level during services but you can also buy a dipstick and put it in there for your own use.

I wonder if the M has a tube like this.
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