A 3 hour road trip.. FIRST TIME :/

[dhong089]

Hey guys. So as the title says, I'm going to go on a 3.5 hour road trip in my 1995 Ti. It has 86k miles on it.

When I got it in the summer (I drove it 1000 miles since the summer I got it, and until now), the owner didn't tell whether he changed the oil or not... should I change the oil before the road trip; just in case? And I've been researching for hours on what oil to use... i honestly have no idea what oil to use right now. It's winter here, and it's pretty cold.

And is there anything else I should be aware of? My car failing me would.. result in a disaster.. gosh :/ I've never been on a long road trip like this before.. soo .. :/ and I don't really have access to tools or anything (so I can't do any major work to it.. :/ )

[bullmand]

Go to Walmart and get a jug of a synthetic 5w30 or 5w40 and get an oil filter from the dealership. You'll never hurt anything by changing the oil too soon.

[cooljess76]

Cooling system would be my biggest concern. Watch that temp needle like a hawk, if you see it go past 12 o'clock shut it off IMMEDIATELY and don't drive it until the problem is fixed and the system is properly bled.

[Marv17]

in the cold climate i always heard its recommended to use 5w30. And if it were my car i would do a full oil change, even the tranny oil ... especially since you don't know when it was changed last. Check the cooling hoses/system too to make sure there's no cracks or leaks anywhere. Look at the thread of your tires to see if you have enough thread for the trip and back.

just my thought about it... have fun on your trip though.

[1996 328ti]

It's a 3 hour drive. You are not going through the Sahara Desert.
Bring a credit card and a cell phone.
I drove 8 hours from MD to SC back and forth during weekend for weeks.

[pdxmotorhead]

Use good oil. Don't buy Crap, the oil varies depending on year, the 1995 for instance never had synthetic only dino, but lots of us run synthetic.

Oil weight is a religious argument, the number that matters is the second number, and in my 1995 it will NEVER get less than a 40wt because that's what the center scale for the recommended oil the engine was designed to use. the outside air temp is kinda irrelevant until you stay below freezing and stay there for multiple days.

At least at dealers around here,,, The BMW branded synthetic is not much more than the Mobil 1 or Castrol synthetics. and cheaper than the premium ones like Redline or Royal Purple.

I ALWAYS change every fluid on a used car. You never know what silly stuff was done to the car and if you assume the seller is lying you won't be disappointed.

Use the BMW coolant, its only a couple bucks more than the standard coolant and has extra aluminum protection additives that work very well.

Dave

[familytruckster]

3 hour road trip? I call that my daily commute.

A 3 hour trip isn't even out of state! Don't sweat it.

[Marv17]

yeah.... 3 hrs for us here in SoCal is a morning commute to work.

[dhong089]

HAHA oh my~ that certainly makes me feel less nervous. I never actually drove 3 hours before.. the most I've ever driven was about 1.5 hours in an automatic transmission car... So this trip will be a first :/

Thanks for all the info. guys. And I never understood why BMW would make the cooling system so weak? I'm just terrified that soemthing will go wrong with the cooling system... if something breaks.. i would like to do the work myself.. but I have no garage, or tools, or the knowledge :/ And to replace the parts, it's so much work >_>

Thanks once again guys. ANd just to be sure,

if i want to prevent any potential damage happening to the car, I should take it easy on the accelerator, right?

[Mr.Squeelerz]

Just drive the car like you would any other. If something is gonna break...its gonna break. No point in babying it. If something goes wrong or begins to go wrong...stop and shut the car off. Common sense.

Seriously...just get in and drive.

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by Marv17

yeah.... 3 hrs for us here in SoCal is a morning commute to work.

A 40 miles commute?

[1996 328ti]

Originally Posted by dhong089

if i want to prevent any potential damage happening to the car, I should take it easy on the accelerator, right?

Maybe you should take a bus?

If you overheat, stop. Call a tow truck. get help.

[Marv17]

Originally Posted by 1996 328ti

A 40 miles commute?

pfff... or less than that. I had to drive from Santa Monica to Lakewood before and it took me like 2 hrs 30 min or so and thats just like a little under 30 miles. SoCal traffic is intense sometimes. You really have to know the behavior and common times that traffic occurs, if you're 10 or 15 min too late you're screwed and stuck in traffic. I had to one time take streets all the way home and it was faster than the freeway here, aka highway. It was a pain driving through the streets going through all the cities here.

For my daily 15 mile commute it can take like up to at least 30 minutes and sometimes more.

Sry that I got off topic.

To the original poster... if I were you, in which case at one point I was, I would seriously invest in a nice decent set of tools. I'm sure during the holidays there are sales that go on for a tool set. Get something that has at least 150pc set or more. Read around, get a Bently Manual, ask questions, and most importantly learn. I started with knowing very little.... I only knew how to change oil and the filters ever since i was like 12 yrs old. This BMW is my first BMW and I've came a long way learning and gaining knowledge about maintaining the car and doing modifications and just everything in general. It helps when you have friends that have some knowledge as well because then you can help each other out. But not everyone is into cars as much.
If you don't know if your ti has gotten its routine oil change or maintainence I would learn how to do it soon. Its best to invest, even if its just in steps, in parts to assure yourself that your ti is kept up to par. It'll then allow you to drive longer distances and more trips. The more you take care of her, the car, the more it'll take care of you and your driving needs.

[vexi0n]

3 hours is nothing -- even in a manual. You'll be fine. Granted, it's always a good idea to check your oil, tire pressure, etc before starting any trip (especially if you don't know when the last oil change was).

Though just for the sake of one-upping, last January I drove a '75 Beetle from Kentucky to Southern Mississippi. 9 hour drive, 4-speed manual, no cruise control. For added effect, I had the top down.

[cooljess76]

Maybe I'm reading too far into things, but the OP has only driven the car 1000 miles since he bought it back in the summer and he's not sure when the oil was changed last by the previous owner. The car is 16 years old, maintenance and history are unknown. I'm wondering if this road trip is from point A to B or if it's from point A to B and back to A. I mean, it could be a 7hr road trip in which would put him close to 500 miles, half of what he's already put on the car. That seems pretty significant considering that he has little experience with this particular car and how it will handle/react to snow and icy conditions. We all know how easy it is to spin out in these little cars, but he doesn't. I don't know about you guys, but my car breaking down 250 miles away from home would really suck, especially if I had to be back in time for work or school the next day. The one thing the OP has going for him is that the car only has 86k miles on it, but it's still a 16 year old car and nobody knows what was done to it during those 86k miles. It seems easy to just tell someone to go for it when it's not you that's gonna be freezing if something goes wrong.

OP, obviously you're gonna want to change your oil and check your fluids. It couldn't hurt to bring an extra quart of oil and a gallon of antifreeze with you. How do your tires look? Might be a good time to invest in a set of winter tires. What condition is your spare tire in? Does it have proper air pressure? Do you have the tools needed to change the tire if needed and do you know how to remove the spare tire? What about the battery, do you know how old it is or what condition it's in? I wouldn't go anywhere outside of my comfort zone without a basic tool kit, a flashlight, jumper cables, at least a Haynes manual if not a Bentley, some water, a cell phone/car charger and an extra set of dry clothes. But that's just me.