pjinca

Yes, the iDrive standard oil change interval (and BMW recommended) is 15k miles. Most of us that are anal about maintenance change the oil at least every 7500 miles or less.

notopm3

15,000 miles!? Is that some special oil or something? I've been doing my M3 about every 5-7K miles.

pjinca

Nothing special other than it MUST be synthetic, and not jsut any synthetic, but real true synthetic. While BMW recommends Castrol you can't just use Castrol Edge and call it a day, they make a "European Formula" - it seems regular synthetic oil is not true synthetic, it's a blend. As such it no longer meets the recommendations of BMW. The good news? Red Line, Royal Purple, Amsoil, are all true synthetics and the other makers such as Mobil 1, Castrol make "European Formula" - you just need to read the labels

sachal007

THANK YOU guys for all the feedback.

I personally do not abuse my car at all. I just like to take care of things I have (kind of possessive about this car lol, more than my gf )

I think just to be on the safe side, i am going to have the spark plugs, engine oil, differential oil and cooling system flushed (and change the thermostat)

I really want to change the tranny fluid also, but BMW saying its not recommended is making me nervous.

BMW specialist told me the labor is $500, my mechanic who i do trust quoted me $150...hmmph I know someone posted the entire BMW process on how to change the fluid, anyone has a copy of that? not the DIY one of the member did, but the actual manual.

Thanks guys!

notopm3

Unless there is something special about an oil change on the 5, I recommend you do it yourself. Getting the oil changed at the dealership for my 99 M3 was in the $250-300 range. I've been doing it myself for 2 years now at about $45 bucks a pop. Is there an E60 oil change DIY? Is it significantly different than an E36?

pjinca

Nope - it's straight forward just like any other car. Just be careful, it's easier to remove the belly pan completely or the oil will overshoot the opening and run down the right side of the car. I ended up with a huge puddle in front of the right rear wheel.

sachal007

oh sorry for misunderstanding, i usually never go to the dealership. I usually buy the oil from the dealer for $45-50 and then pay my mechanic $15 to do the oil change.

kane1111

Basically like what was said you gotta baby the e60, and make sure u allow as little wear was possible. You still have to enjoy it tho, and beat her up, but atta a minimum.

sachal007

ok so car has reached 50K miles and I am itching to do the maintenance on it

Stuff I am getting done

Oil Change - OEM BMW Synthetic Fluid
Spark Plugs - OEM
Differential Fluid - Royal purple 75w90

Now for tranny I need to ask you guys, do you recommend going OEM or Pentosin ATF1-1L

also for Power steering fluid, do we have any special fluid - i just want to top it off.

thanks in advance guys!

sahiljain22

Here is one of the more talked about list of "extra" maintenance services:

Source: http://www.m5board.c...diy-thread.html



***ROUTINE/SCHEDULED MAINTENANCE:
Summary of Mike Miller?s Old School Maintenance Schedule (not specific to E60 M5)
(Email Mike Miller for the full writeup: techtalk [at] roundel.org):
- Brake fluid: Every 1-2 years
- Engine coolant: Every 2 years (50/50 mix of BMW anti-freeze + distilled water)
- Engine oil/filter: Every 7,500 miles (Castrol TWS Motorsport 10W-60)
- Engine air filter: Inspect every 15,000 miles, replace every 15,000-30,000
- Cabin air filter: Inspect every 15,000 miles, replace every 15,000-30,000
- Power steering fluid: every 30,000 miles (Pentosin CHF 11.S)
- Transmission oil (SMG & 6MT): every 30,000 miles (MTF-LT-2 or Red Line MTL)
- Differential oil: every 30,000 miles (Castrol SAF-XJ or Red Line 75W-140)
- Valve adjustment: every 30,000-60,000 miles
- Spark plugs: every 30,000-60,000 miles (stick with OEM but Amazon has them cheap)
- Fuel filter: every 60,000 miles
- Engine drive belts: every 60,000 miles
- O2 sensors: 150k miles (or just wait for it to trip a CEL)
- Water/fuel hoses: 150k miles