How much Oil does your M3 use

99M3 · Jan 8, 2004

Hi All

I have a 99 E36 M3 with a Dinan Stage 4 conversion.

The car does not leak any oil and I was wondering how much oil should the car be using (as all M3 do use some oil) every 1K miles???

The car has 94K on it and it has been well taken care of. I asked the local Dinan shop in the Bay Area and they said that anything up to four quarts is normal between oil changes which i assume is every 3K. I am using Mobile 1

So I am asking all E46 and E36 owners to try and get an understanding what I can expect. I only have had the car for 2 months and previously owned a 94 RX7 which used about a quart every 2.5K.

Thanks

Bally

R3LzX · Jan 8, 2004

i have still not changed the oil yet in my 2002 m3.. it is said to be done every 15000 miles.. I will let you know as soon as it happens.. at 8600 miles so far

vlad · Jan 8, 2004

I have not needed to add a drop of motor oil to mine as yet. However, it is scheduled for it's fourth oil change at 10,100 miles on Monday. Two, I have preformed myself, and one by the dealer at 1,200 miles.

99M3 · Jan 12, 2004

I'm a bit confused why this question has not generated more responses???? I know that all M3 use oil so why is it that only two people have responded to my original question [8]

j2azz · Jan 12, 2004

Mine used 1 quart over 9000 miles. I was pretty careful with the break-in period too. Vlad, where do you buy your oil to do it yourself? I don't like the idea of changing it every 15k, the car was riding somewhat rough at that point. I'd rather throw in one or two oil changes between the dealer oil changes.

99M3 · Jan 12, 2004

Hey this maybe a good topic to lead onto regarding oil change and the interval before you do it. I'm horrified at the thought that people use the same oil for 15k. I believe that the oil should be changed at the worst case after 3k. I hate to think what the color of anyone’s oil is after more than 3k let alone 9k or even worse 15k....scary!!!!

I had a friend that drove his car really hard and although it was a 4 banger it was quick (290Hp). After 90K he stripped his engine as he finally melted one of the pistons with too much boost. He bought a used engine that only had 40K on it. After tearing down both engines he noticed that the bottom end on the original 90K engine had hardly any wear but the 40K bottom showed signs of wear. Therefore he reused his original block when rebuilding the engine. BTW he always used Mobile one and changed oil every 3k.

Hence, I change my oil every 3k and I am a strong believer that if you plan to keep the car and want the engine to run smooth it is good practice to do this. I always use Mobile 1 in my high performance cars and regular in my commuter.

For those that stick to what the manufactures recommend ….GOOD LUCK! You should take a hard look at the color of your oil after 5K.

Any thoughts or comments????

Tom · Jan 12, 2004

I have about 20k miles on my E46 M3, so far I've added about close to a 1/4 quart since the second oil change.

Abdoman · Jan 12, 2004

I think 15K is way too long on the oil, but I also think that changing the oil every 3k is throwing away money, only if you use synthetic. I think synthetic is good to around 6-7k, depending on the type of driver you are.

My car has 126k and it runs great. I run sythetic and change it every 6-7k.

99M3 · Jan 12, 2004

Hey Tom

When was your last oil change (mileage at time of change)????

Abdoman

I change every 3k as i live in CA and the weather out here cooks oil as you can imagine. Where do you live and if it is in colder climates then I can see your logic. However I think you should still check the color of the oil at 5k and then 6k and you will notice a big difference as the oil at 5k is pretty much broken down.

Thanks for the comments lads

99M3 · Jan 12, 2004

WHERE ARE ALL THE E36 FOLKS?????????????????????????????

j2azz · Jan 12, 2004

Yea I think 6-7k for a synthetic change is ok for the new M3 due to the oil it uses and technology behind the engine. On my other car I change it about every 4k using Mobil 1. Has a turbo, so I want to make sure those bearings last...

Abdoman · Jan 12, 2004

I live in Oklahoma were weather ranges from 95-105 F in the summer and 30 - 50 in the winter. Sometimes warmer and sometimes colder!
There have been long threads about synthetics and I have done quite a bit of research myself. Synthetics last a lot longer than conventional oil (CO), have better lubrication properties and don't break down as quickly as COs.

I use to change my oil every 3k with conventional, I don't do that with synthetics. I look at it this way, BMW recommends changing your CO every 7.5k, so I did it every 3k and BMW recommends changing sythetic every 15K, so I change it every 6.5k.

99M3 · Jan 12, 2004

Hi Abdoman

I hear you and thanks for the comments.

Has there been any long threads about the amount of oil an E36 or E46 uses????

This was my original questions to which i have not had a lot of response.

Tom · Jan 12, 2004

99M3 said:

My last oil change was at 12k. I'm due for another one soon.

I haven't really seen any post from other members with oil problems.

vlad · Jan 12, 2004

You can purchase the e46 BMW specified Castrol TWS oil and filter from Bavarian Auto or your local dealer.

When I changed my oil at 6,000, (5,000 miles on the oil), I sent a sample off to Blackstone for analysis and paid for the extra service of checking the longevity of the special Castrol TWS oil that BMW specifies. The report came back stating that the oil should be good up to 7,000 miles, no further.

I still have not needed to add any oil. This may be due to the frequency of oil changes and my babying of the engine, (no higher than 4,500 RPM for 4,000 miles).

Abdoman · Jan 12, 2004

Tom would be a better person to ask, but I have seen some post that the E46 M3 does use some oil.

j2azz · Jan 13, 2004

good to know about the 7k miles... Interesting that the engines are still warrentied for 100k if the oil breaks down halfway to the oil change intervals...

I'll be sure to change mine every 6-7k now... Thanks for the info..

gpoints · Sep 28, 2004

I know I'm bringing this thread from the dead...

Does anyone have link to a write up for the oil change on the E46 M3? Vlad?

I know what parts are needed:
1) Beer [drinking]

2) Oil
3) Beer [drinking]

4) Oil Filter
5) Beer [drinking]

I've never done oil on a BMW before.

vlad · Sep 28, 2004

Well, you're close! [:)]

But you may want to follow the steps in this archive.

My apologies to the original poster, but I could not locate the original thread that I "borrowed" these files from.

JGM3E3632 · Sep 28, 2004

I have 70000 miles on my M3, 32000 of those miles are mine. The car has never "used" any oil. 6.9 quarts in 6.9 quarts out.

How much Oil does your M3 use

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