How the computer knows when to change oil, filter...
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Originally Posted by KAF' post='915774' date='Jun 18 2009, 12:41 PM
They start with a planned mileage. The they build an algorythm into the car computer that monitors number of starts, cold starts, factors from the engine temp and a host of other factors. This algorthym then modifies the planned mileage change figure up of down according to how it calculates the car use will have affected the oil.
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Originally Posted by KAF' post='915774' date='Jun 18 2009, 05:41 PM
They start with a planned mileage. The they build an algorythm into the car computer that monitors number of starts, cold starts, factors from the engine temp and a host of other factors. This algorthym then modifies the planned mileage change figure up of down according to how it calculates the car use will have affected the oil.
That's also why, when your mileage countdown for oil service gets low, and you have a couple of days of particularly harsh driving (either giving it more stick than normal, or doing more short runs), the countdown will drop alarmingly, then if you return to "normal" or drive even more gently, the countdown will acutally count UP! The same goes for brake wear incidentally (I speak from experience).
Mike
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Originally Posted by KAF' post='915774' date='Jun 18 2009, 11:41 AM
They start with a planned mileage. The they build an algorythm into the car computer that monitors number of starts, cold starts, factors from the engine temp and a host of other factors. This algorthym then modifies the planned mileage change figure up of down according to how it calculates the car use will have affected the oil.
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Originally Posted by Greenwich09' post='915899' date='Jun 18 2009, 11:53 AM
Thanks for all replies - so if you just reset the computer without chaning oil (though this sounds bad), the computer will give you a new mileages to run?
Correct. It will assume the oil is new and restart calculating the mileage with the algorithm that KAF described. There is no actual sensor to detect the oil quality.
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Originally Posted by martattack' post='915929' date='Jun 18 2009, 10:25 PM
Correct. It will assume the oil is new and restart calculating the mileage with the algorithm that KAF described. There is no actual sensor to detect the oil quality.
It it does change depending on how you ride the car.
I was close to service at some 7,000 km's but now I have close to 10,000 km's
and the service is further away than at 7,000 km's.
The oil quality is assumed to be BMW LL specs - as all parts and sensors.
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Originally Posted by martattack' post='915929' date='Jun 18 2009, 02:25 PM
Correct. It will assume the oil is new and restart calculating the mileage with the algorithm that KAF described. There is no actual sensor to detect the oil quality.
Guess what, Idrive went up to 9K for like the first 300 miles then continued to go down.
This "kind of" tells me that there's a somekind of oil quality sensor in there somewhere but a horrible one!
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