Technicians at DJ Foreign Auto Care have recently worked on several BMW vehicles (2005 BMW X5, 2003 BMW 545i and other BMW models), where the valve seals were burnt out and the engine was burning oil.  The owners of these vehicles were saying that they would change the oil when the oil change light came on, which was set at 15,000 miles from their last oil change. 

The BMW manufacturer’s recommendation for the last several years has been every 10,000 - 15,000 miles for oil changes.  There’s been a lot of controversy over this and whether synthetic oils can hold up for intervals of 15,000 miles in BMW engines. Some think that BMW increased their recommended oil change intervals to reduce free oil changes under the maintenance program and that they believe their engines will still outlive the warranty.  Others point out that high performance engines and synthetic oils are made a lot better these days and that BMW is making engines that utilize oil more efficiently than in the past.

To be on the safe side, technicians at DJ Foreign Auto Care recommend not waiting until the end of the 10,000 - 15,000 mile range for oil change intervals to possibly prolong the life of your engine.