Oceanside Auto Repair

BMW Oil Change: Turbocharged BMW vs Naturally AspiratedTurbocharged BMW engines need to have their oil changed every 5k miles. A turbo can get super hot, oil then will pass through the hot turbocharger, and the excessive heat causes the oil to break down faster. The bearings inside of a turbo have very tight clearances, this makes it a lot less forgiving when it comes to dirty or occasionally low oil. For a non-turbo BMW, based on what we’ve seen, we’ve found that a 7,500-mile interval is the sweet spot. At this mileage, the oil is still doing its job efficiently and it is vital to replace the engine oil before it’s too worn out and dirty. 7,500-mile oil changes are a great interval to properly maintain a naturally aspirated engine for many years to come. Make sure your engine oil stays consistently clean. Play it safe and receive an oil service every 5k miles on your ... read more

Most BMW’s should have their oil changed every 7,000 miles. The factory recommendation is usually for twice that mileage but from our findings that is far too long. We’ve inspected the internals of BMW engines with only 80k miles on them that have been following the factory oil change interval and found massive sludge build up causing issues with the valvetronic system and resulting in expensive repairs. Another cause for this is the inferior oil being used at the dealerships – Right now they’re using Pennzoil as their service oil. Last time I checked Pennzoil was for american cars and trucks, not these fancy European machines. We use premium European oils like Total and Motul which we’ve found to leave far less residue and gunk behind and perform far better than the cheaper oils used at the dealer. The cost for an oil service on most BMW’s can range between $99 and $190. So how do we cut the oil change interval in half and still keep it affordable ... read more

9 out of 10 MINIs that we work on at OMS come in with no oil on the dipstick. They can actually burn as much as 1 quart per 1,000 miles, meaning you could run out of oil 2,000 miles before you even come in for an oil change. All MINIs burn oil quickly and need to be checked more regularly than other cars. Excessively low oil can lead to your timing chain tensioner losing tension and your car jumping timing, resulting in serious internal engine damage. We actually recommend bringing your MINI in every 3,000 miles so we can make sure your oil level is right where it needs to be to ensure your car stays running strong. Bring your MINI in today so we can check your oil and top you off if you’re riding a little low! #oilconsumption #mini #lowoil