Iceman

Welcome aboard, lost? !

alohalc

welcome aboard, lost? !

soc_fans

Welcome lost? ,

Why is your username lost? ?

lost?

I'm horrible with directions - I get lost easily. Glad I have the NAV.

Any idea where this filter is? Appears to be well hidden.

Iceman

So this could be your avatar:

JDN

He's not lost anymore. Lost found us. Either for the first time or after he got lost.

Iceman

And Who is on first base...

mehall2

Having changed the oil myself, twice on my 545i, I know the in's and outs very well. The next time I do this, I will take pictures and post them up. I have a lift in my garage, so YMMV as far as ease of changing the oil goes.

Yes, I am a bit anal about my car. I didn't lease it, so I plan on keeping it a while. No, I don't agree with BMW's service intervals, as my first factory maintenance isn't due until 12,000 miles. I change the oil the first time at 3,900 miles. I cut the oil filter in half and found many fine shavings trapped in the filter. This weekend, I changed the oil again at 7,500 miles. The oil looked pretty black and I haven't had a chance to cut the filter yet. For about $50 in parts, it makes it worth my time to make sure. Again, your views can and will be different.

First of all, I used the BMW Synthetic Oil, in 5w30. It takes 8.5 quarts, as previously mentioned the filter part # is: 11.42-7 506 677. With the oil filter, you also get 3 2 rubber gaskets and a copper washer. See below where to use these.

Open the hood or bonnet and remove the oil filler cap, located on the left side of the engine (passenger side)

The oil drain and filter can be reached through a trap door between the front wheels. You will need a phillips head screwdriver to open this door. After removing the door, you will need an 8mm hex socket, to remove the oil drain plug. It is tight. Once the oil has drained out, clean the drain plug and replace the copper washer with the new one.

The filter is a little tricky. You need a 6mm hex socket and a 22 or 24mm wrench, I can't remember which. The 6mm socket unscrews a drain plug in the bottom of the filter housing. You need the wrench to hold the molded nut head so you can remove the drain plug. If you just use the 6mm hex socket, you will loosen the whole housing and oil will go everywhere.

After you drain the oil from the filter housing, you then take the wrench and loosen the whole filter housing and take it off. The filter is snapped into and out of the housing with teeth located in the bottom of the housing. It just pops in and out. You will see a large rubber o-ring at the top of the filter housing. Replace this one with the one in your filter kit. The small o-ring in the filter kit, goes on the oil filter housing drain plug. Replace it as well.

Pop the filter in, screw the housing on, their is Newton Meters listed on the housing to tell you how much to torque it to. You will need a torque wrench.

After everything is tidied up, close the trap door and tighten it.

FILL THE CAR WITH OIL. 8.5 quarts.

PUT THE OIL CAP BACK ON the CAR. If you don't, you will make a mess because oil splashes out of the cover and the car will run like crap, because it must have some sort of pressure in the engine. If you don't put the oil fill cap on, it will scare the heck out of you. Trust me, I know this feeling.

Then your done until next time.

If you lived in Dallas, I would more be more than happy to assist you.

Good Luck and sorry for the long post.

Regards,

Mehall2

mehall2

Having changed the oil myself, twice on my 545i, I know the in's and outs very well. The next time I do this, I will take pictures and post them up. I have a lift in my garage, so YMMV as far as ease of changing the oil goes.

Yes, I am a bit anal about my car. I didn't lease it, so I plan on keeping it a while. No, I don't agree with BMW's service intervals, as my first factory maintenance isn't due until 12,000 miles. I change the oil the first time at 3,900 miles. I cut the oil filter in half and found many fine shavings trapped in the filter. This weekend, I changed the oil again at 7,500 miles. The oil looked pretty black and I haven't had a chance to cut the filter yet. For about $50 in parts, it makes it worth my time to make sure. Again, your views can and will be different.

First of all, I used the BMW Synthetic Oil, in 5w30. It takes 8.5 quarts, as previously mentioned the filter part # is: 11.42-7 506 677. With the oil filter, you also get 3 2 rubber gaskets and a copper washer. See below where to use these.

Open the hood or bonnet and remove the oil filler cap, located on the left side of the engine (passenger side)

The oil drain and filter can be reached through a trap door between the front wheels. You will need a phillips head screwdriver to open this door. After removing the door, you will need an 8mm hex socket, to remove the oil drain plug. It is tight. Once the oil has drained out, clean the drain plug and replace the copper washer with the new one.

The filter is a little tricky. You need a 6mm hex socket and a 22 or 24mm wrench, I can't remember which. The 6mm socket unscrews a drain plug in the bottom of the filter housing. You need the wrench to hold the molded nut head so you can remove the drain plug. If you just use the 6mm hex socket, you will loosen the whole housing and oil will go everywhere.

After you drain the oil from the filter housing, you then take the wrench and loosen the whole filter housing and take it off. The filter is snapped into and out of the housing with teeth located in the bottom of the housing. It just pops in and out. You will see a large rubber o-ring at the top of the filter housing. Replace this one with the one in your filter kit. The small o-ring in the filter kit, goes on the oil filter housing drain plug. Replace it as well.

Pop the filter in, screw the housing on, their is Newton Meters listed on the housing to tell you how much to torque it to. You will need a torque wrench.

After everything is tidied up, close the trap door and tighten it.

FILL THE CAR WITH OIL. 8.5 quarts.

PUT THE OIL CAP BACK ON the CAR. If you don't, you will make a mess because oil splashes out of the cover and the car will run like crap, because it must have some sort of pressure in the engine. If you don't put the oil fill cap on, it will scare the heck out of you. Trust me, I know this feeling.

Then your done until next time.

If you lived in Dallas, I would more be more than happy to assist you.

Good Luck and sorry for the long post.

Regards,

Mehall2
[/quote]

Two things I forgot to add, bad editing on my part, BTW.

After you replace the filter with the new one in the oil filter housing, go ahead and screw the oil filter housing drain plug back in the oil filter housing. Be sure to replace that O-ring.

Also, a typo on my part. With the oil filter, you get 2 rubber o-rings and 1 copper washer. Not 3 2. Good Luck.

I didn't reset any oil change meters or anything else, as I still want to have BMW change the oil at the recommended 12,000 Miles.

Regards,

Mehall2

lost?

Thxs mehall2! I had a hunch the filter was located at the bottom. Thxs for additional warning about loosening the filter housing, that saved me quite a mess.