How Long Does Your Oil Last?

[TriniJots]

Hey everybody, I had an oil change at the dealership at the end of January and at the end of March the oil light came on to tell me I was low on oil. I was currently out of town with this car and had no idea where to find the Castrol Synthetic 10W-60. Some places I called to find it had the nerve to tell me that the oil doesn't exist. I was wondering if anybody else's oil drains that fast? and also where would I be able to find the oil to purchase myself?

[quality_sound]

I'm about 3K past my first service/oil change and it hasn't consumed a drop yet.

[Georgeair]

Originally Posted by TriniJots

I was wondering if anybody else's oil drains that fast? and also where would I be able to find the oil to purchase myself?

If it's still draining, put the plug back in!

Only reliable source is going to be a dealer. Get two, one to add, one to carry in your trunk!

I'm about 6K after my only oil change, and it's down about half.

[saeedg48]

Depending on how you drive it you'll have to change it more often if you drive it hard.
If you push the car before it warms up you're burning through your oil.. So keep that in mind.

[ersin]

AFAIK, BMW dealers are the only place to get 10W60. I've heard that Porsche dealers sometimes have it too but can't confirm this. Tischer (mailorder) usually has it as cheap as I've seen (getbmwparts dot com). Get the BMW oil bag for your trunk and carry around a liter with you.

Cheers.

[pumper206]

I go through a quart of oil approx. every 2 months....but I also drive pretty hard on a regular basis. Not "on the track" hard but definitely close to it. A lot of times driving at high rpms, as the car was meant to be driven.

[slo_guy]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

I'm about 3K past my first service/oil change and it hasn't consumed a drop yet.

Maybe you should drive it...

Like this guy...

I go through a quart of oil approx. every 2 months....but I also drive pretty hard on a regular basis. Not "on the track" hard but definitely close to it. A lot of times driving at high rpms, as the car was meant to be driven.

[bobbyd1961]

i had to add 3/4s of a liter at around 14000 miles however i did get my oil changed at 7500 miles. but it didnt budge and i just got my 15000 mile oil chang. get the oil at the dealer. i bought 2 liters just in case.

[JCtx]

Originally Posted by TriniJots

I had an oil change at the dealership at the end of January and at the end of March the oil light came on

First thing I recommend is to search and learn how to read oil level properly, so you can monitor oil consumption. I bet dealer didn't top oil off, meaning it could have been 1 (full), 3/4, 1/2, or 1/4 liters above min. Next time check it, top it off, and monitor consumption every 1K miles. I personally will always keep it topped off (still full after 3K miles), to avoid having to carry darn oil in my trunk, but to many folks is heresy to deviate from a manual written by people who think we're idiots that can't top our oil off . It's your call on that one, but you can certainly monitor oil consumption by always checking oil level at the same level spot (garage is perfect) with engine at full operating temp, idling, and invoking a 'reset'. Again, search and read a bit more if you're interested how the stupid sensor works . Good luck.

[quality_sound]

Originally Posted by slo_guy

Maybe you should drive it...

Like this guy...

I picked up the car on Jan 18th and I'm currently just over 5200 miles. I drive it. Every day on the Autobahn no less. But thanks for playing.

[quality_sound]

Castrol makes the only BMW approved 10W-60 but there are two others, Lubro Moly and Shell Helix, available.

[Radiation Joe]

Originally Posted by quality_sound

Castrol makes the only BMW approved 10W-60 but there are two others, Lubro Moly and Shell Helix, available.

Redline also offers a 10W-60. This would be my first choice.

[Trier Germany]

All E9X M3's consume a little oil. May be you should drive your car a little harder! Don't be afraid of 8400 Rpm, it's a race engine drive it like you stoled it

[TriniJots]

I drove from Miami - Orlando which is roughly 210 miles, as soon as I reached to Orlando the oil light came on. I made it there in less than 2 hours, Im guessing the intense drive took the oil faster than usual.

[osteome]

I had to add oil at about 6500 miles. I drive conservatively for the most part, but do see 7K RPMS at least once a day and usually settle in at 110 MPH on longer Autobahn slogs.

+1 on always carrying extra with you!