Are we really praising BMW for not putting a dipstick on a car?
Step One: Drop the car off.
Step Two: Sign a piece of paper, then eat their breakfast.
Step Three: Drive away.
12,000 miles–that’s a lot. It’s also the number of miles our BMW M235i rolled onto the odometer as we pulled it into our local BMW dealer. Why? It was due for it’s first oil change.
No, no–we aren’t vehicular sadists. 12,000 miles sounds like a lot, especially for a turbocharged car that visits the track regularly. But, modern cars and modern oils are pretty darn clever, and BMW told us to wait until 12,000 miles.
Still, though, why the dealer visit? This is GRM, right? We can change our own oil. The answer is simple: time and money. The M235i doesn’t have a dipstick, so changing the oil requires graduated cylinders and a keen eye for required fluid amounts. Plus, oil changes are free for a few years if you buy a new BMW. Going to the dealer meant a free continental breakfast, no expensive oil to purchase, and fewer opportunities to drastically over- or under-fill the oil on a new BMW. Sign us up!
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Are we really praising BMW for not putting a dipstick on a car?
In reply to DaveEstey:
Shouldn't be, but I praise them for actually doing complementary maintenance.
No, we're saying it makes changing the oil a pain.
DaveEstey wrote: Are we really praising BMW for not putting a dipstick on a car?
How could you possibly infer that from the sentence regarding no dipstick?
You guys didn't happen to keep any to do an oil analysis with, did ya?
No dipstick? Another candidate for the "Why we hate modern cars" thread. How berkleying stupid is that?
DeadSkunk wrote: No dipstick? Another candidate for the "Why we hate modern cars" thread. How berkleying stupid is that?
Just wait for the German electronic sensor to tell you when the oil is low, duh!
Oh. Oh wait.
Seems were confirming the fact that BMW is building cars for people that buy a new one every few years-- and sell before the warranty expires. And for people who don't mind taking a huge depreciation loss because fewer people will buy a car that is so difficult and expensive to maintain, especially in the period of its life that requires more maintenance. I wonder what percentage of sales are leased instead of purchased?
And it confirms that I will not buy a new or used BMW, as much as I think they are great cars to drive.
z31maniac wrote:DaveEstey wrote: Are we really praising BMW for not putting a dipstick on a car?How could you possibly infer that from the sentence regarding no dipstick?
"and fewer opportunities to drastically over- or under-fill the oil on a new BMW. Sign us up!"
I assume a BMW dealer would be better (maybe not), but my Mazda dealer included 3 years of oil changes when I bought my car, and I have not found it to be a great service. They use bottom of the barrel filters, pretty consistently put in too much oil, and I suspect they've been using 5w-20 instead of the specified 0w-20 (this will seem weird, but the oil they use smells exactly like Castrol GTX).
I thought it would be convenient since I don't have a garage, but they won't give me a ride to work either, so I have to sit there and wait. Sometimes it takes 2 hours.
Luckily, a friend said I could use his driveway so now I will be doing it myself instead.
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