[DrewNewM2]

You all comfortable only changing the oil once per year to get the included (free) oil changes? I will barely be hitting 3k-4K miles per year. My car is stock. A year seems like a long time. I change the oil on my modified Subbie every 6 months and that car only sees about 2-3k miles. I was thinking of doing it every 6 months but it’s extra $$$. If I modify/tune the G87 I will definitely increase frequency of changes and probably oil type.

[BroDoze]

Stock interval is fine. Heavily modded and/or thrashing the car constantly, definitely increase frequency.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by DrewNewM2

You all comfortable only changing the oil once per year to get the included (free) oil changes? I will barely be hitting 3k-4K miles per year. My car is stock. A year seems like a long time. I change the oil on my modified Subbie every 6 months and that car only sees about 2-3k miles. I was thinking of doing it every 6 months but it’s extra $$$. If I modify/tune the G87 I will definitely increase frequency of changes and probably oil type.

When you use your M2 do you drive it long enough that the engine (coolant and oil -- remember oil temperature lags coolant temperature) gets fully up to temperature?

If yes then once a year oil/filter service is (probably) ok.

I say probably because an oil analysis might find the oil has experienced some degree of degradation that could justify an early oil/filter service. (More on oil analysis below.)

Also, I do not know how the condition based service (CBS) system would behave. If your 3K/4K miles a year consisted of short trips or other usage that could be considered harsh or severe the CBS system might alert an oil/filter service is due before one year rolls around.

Obviously if the CBS system alerted you a service is due that over rules my opinion you could go a year of 3K/4K miles of driving between oil/filter services.

Regarding oil analysis... At ~620 miles I had the oil analyzed from my 2024 230ix along with a sample of the virgin oil the tech was using to refill the engine.

What the analysis turned up is in 620 miles the factory fill oil had lost 1+ point in its 100C viscosity index.

Old oil: Viscosity at 100C: 7.373
New oil: Viscosity at 100C: 8.577

Based on the results of that oil analysis I'm tempted to have my M2 in with around 10,500 miles on the odometer and around 3200 miles since the last oil/filter service to have the oil/filter service done and have the tech capture an old oil sample and a new oil sample that I can have analyzed.

From the results of the analysis I think I can make an informed decision if early oil changes are called for or not called for. At least based on my usage.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by DrewNewM2

You all comfortable only changing the oil once per year to get the included (free) oil changes? I will barely be hitting 3k-4K miles per year. My car is stock. A year seems like a long time. I change the oil on my modified Subbie every 6 months and that car only sees about 2-3k miles. I was thinking of doing it every 6 months but it’s extra $$$. If I modify/tune the G87 I will definitely increase frequency of changes and probably oil type.

I agree with the above, time is not really an issue as long as you aren't doing 100% short trips and leaving tons of fuel and moisture in the oil.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by RockCrusher

What the analysis turned up is in 620 miles the factory fill oil had lost 1+ point in its 100C viscosity index.

Old oil: Viscosity at 100C: 7.373
New oil: Viscosity at 100C: 8.577

When you sample next, if you are using Blackstone I recommend you switch to OAI (Horizon) or Polaris. Blackstone seems to be very far off sometimes on simple kinematic viscosity measurements, they also do not give you an actual fuel measurement but just an estimate inferred from flashpoint. Horizon uses GC to give you an actual measurement.

Your rapid drop in viscosity is pretty typical. I've noticed the same behavior from M1 0W-40, ESP 0W-30, etc. They tend to stabilize though. Some of the "shear" may be intentional to counteract oxidative thickening over long intervals.

[RockCrusher]

Originally Posted by chris719

When you sample next, if you are using Blackstone I recommend you switch to OAI (Horizon) or Polaris. Blackstone seems to be very far off sometimes on simple kinematic viscosity measurements, they also do not give you an actual fuel measurement but just an estimate inferred from flashpoint. Horizon uses GC to give you an actual measurement.

Your rapid drop in viscosity is pretty typical. I've noticed the same behavior from M1 0W-40, ESP 0W-30, etc. They tend to stabilize though. Some of the "shear" may be intentional to counteract oxidative thickening over long intervals.

Had the analysis done by a company I guess HQ'd in Little Rock AR. J A Riggs Tractor Company. While it is located 215 miles away from me the sample kits I can buy at a Kenworth/Volvo dealer/service center about 17 miles from me. The samples go by UPS.

I've never used Blackstone but I have come across a number of car owners who have.

Never heard of OAI/Horizon nor Polaris. I'll look into those.

I want to attribute the loss of high temperature viscosity as the oil suffering some break down due to sheer arising from the fact the oil was in a new engine and new engines have considerable friction which is hard(er) on oil.

But obviously this amount of friction decreases as the break in progresses.

Thus you are I believe correct in that the drop in high temperature viscosity would probably stabilize.

[DrewNewM2]

Originally Posted by chris719

I agree with the above, time is not really an issue as long as you aren't doing 100% short trips and leaving tons of fuel and moisture in the oil.

I mostly do short trips to and from gym or local. I would like to take advantage of the included maintenance but maybe I will just
say Fk it and do 6 month intervals but it would likely be less than 2k miles.

[KC87ZB]

Just ensure you are periodically driving further distances to run at temp for a bit.

You are running a full synthetic, certainly it can stand 1 year/4k miles.

I'm not quite running 5k miles/year and I really don't plan to change any more frequently than that unless something changes.

Regardless of the oil type, knowing how modern variable valve systems, timing chains & guides, etc. are I would not go more than a year or about 7500 miles. But that's me.