how to oil change
 

how to oil change

Same as any car, drain and fill... DON'T OVER-TORQUE THE DRAIN PLUG!!!

thankz guys.....i kinda figured it would be simple but wasnt sure. i think its awesome that the oil filter is right in your face when u pop the hood instead of on the side of the engine like in other cars......ya for BMW on that one.

where is the best place to purchase the kit.....brand, average cost?

My favorite places to buy parts are www.PelicanParts.com and www.AutoHausAZ.com. An oil filter kit is somewhere in the $5 - $7 range.

If you have an M44 engine (1996 and newer), you'll need a special tool to get the oil filter cap off. It doesn't have that long bolt going through the entire assembly.

Here's a thread about the cap tool. I have the aluminum one straight from the Mercedes dealer. Part # 103 589 0209 00. I had a plastic one, but it didn't work well. I'd avoid the plastic ones, but you can probably get the job done with it.

It's hit and miss with your local auto parts stores. Some carry BMW filters, some don't. I've had luck at NAPA and Carquest. Autozone just started carrying them here as well. The oil filter should come with a few o-rings as well as a copper crush washer. The copper washer goes around the drain plug and the o-rings go on the oil filter housing cap. IIRC there's two on the stem and one large o-ring around the base of the cap itself. Just be careful tightening the drain plug, it's really easy to strip it out by over tightening. Oh yeah, someone on this forum actually confused the oil drain with the transmission drain:confused: I don't know how, but the oil pan is a finned aluminum piece forward of the tranny.

+1 on what CirrusSR22 said. The two websites he mentioned are great and have excellent service and fast shipping. You need to actually look at your oil filter housing. If the cap is plastic, you need to order the newer style filter(small and skinny). If it's aluminum with a bolt going through the center of the cap, you'll need the older style filter which is large and fat. Some m42 engines managed to get the newer style filter housings. As for the tool, most auto parts stores will carry them. It's made of steel, fits over the oil filter cap like a cup and has a 3/8 drive square on the top of it to fit a ratchet onto it. This tool is only needed for the newer plastic oil filter housing caps.

There are pictures of an oil change in my gallery, HTH.

Something often not mentioned is to be sure the car is on a level surface when filling oil.

After struggling a little bit to find the tool to remove the oil cap on my 1996 318ti I figured I would share my findings. I found the tool at AutoZone. It is produced by Performance Tool and is part number W54063. The main thing that is important is to buy a Cap Filter Wrench that is 76mm with 14 flutes. Make sure that it is 14 flutes. I accidentally bought a 15 flute and it did not work.

i was just about to post about how to remove oil filter...i guess this search nonsense is really effective, ha ha jk guys

http://www.toolss.com/wbstore/main.a...CTMP=1&LowCt=0

I can't find anything in Autozone!

^ That appears to be the exact same thing as the Mercedes Benz one I have. Probably the same thing, just without the Benz logo stamped on it.

BavAuto PN: 54760.

A side note, the proper torque for both the drain plug and oil filter cap IS ON THE OIL FILTER CAP.