DIY Oil Change AND Warranty

[ClampThurst]

Hi all,

I have a 2018 M4 and want to do my own oil change after having atrocious work done previously by the "qualified, M certified" BMW techs of some Southern California dealers. The question is, will this void my warranty??? Has anyone experienced submitting a warranty claim after having performed service yourself?

Also, the owner's manual calls for LL-01FE oil and to my knowledge, the only oil with that certification is what BMW sells as BMW branded oil. I have seen many oils the carry LL-01(without the FE)which according to the manual "...up to 1 QT of oil can be used with oil rating LL-01", but it doesn't seem to be appropriate for a full service. Would LL-01 in lieu of LL-01FE matter during a warranty claim?

Seeing as the S55 is a ticking time bomb with its crank-hub issues(an issue I will fix after warranty expiration), Id like to preserve my warranty without allowing those savages at the dealer near my car.

Anyone who has experience with this please share...Cheers!

[RugbyBro]

Originally Posted by ClampThurst

Hi all,

I have a 2018 M4 and want to do my own oil change after having atrocious work done previously by the "qualified, M certified" BMW techs of some Southern California dealers. The question is, will this void my warranty??? Has anyone experienced submitting a warranty claim after having performed service yourself?

Also, the owner's manual calls for LL-01FE oil and to my knowledge, the only oil with that certification is what BMW sells as BMW branded oil. I have seen many oils the carry LL-01(without the FE)which according to the manual "...up to 1 QT of oil can be used with oil rating LL-01", but it doesn't seem to be appropriate for a full service. Would LL-01 in lieu of LL-01FE matter during a warranty claim?

Seeing as the S55 is a ticking time bomb with its crank-hub issues(an issue I will fix after warranty expiration), Id like to preserve my warranty without allowing those savages at the dealer near my car.

Anyone who has experience with this please share...Cheers!

No it won't void your warranty, I've had warranty work done even with all my DIY fluid changes (even using non LL-01 - Castrol 0w-40 oil), and S55 isn't a ticking time bomb

[N1rve]

Originally Posted by ClampThurst

Hi all,

I have a 2018 M4 and want to do my own oil change after having atrocious work done previously by the "qualified, M certified" BMW techs of some Southern California dealers. The question is, will this void my warranty??? Has anyone experienced submitting a warranty claim after having performed service yourself?

Also, the owner's manual calls for LL-01FE oil and to my knowledge, the only oil with that certification is what BMW sells as BMW branded oil. I have seen many oils the carry LL-01(without the FE)which according to the manual "...up to 1 QT of oil can be used with oil rating LL-01", but it doesn't seem to be appropriate for a full service. Would LL-01 in lieu of LL-01FE matter during a warranty claim?

Seeing as the S55 is a ticking time bomb with its crank-hub issues(an issue I will fix after warranty expiration), Id like to preserve my warranty without allowing those savages at the dealer near my car.

Anyone who has experience with this please share...Cheers!

So from my past experiences with my other cars, if you do your normal maintenance through them, they will support you/help you out/good will if you end up with some failure outside of the warranty period.

I know people who never went to the dealership except for recalls/TSBs and did their own oil changes. When they had engine issues, they just had to bring proof of oil change records and they had no issues.

However, I also know people who went to an Indy instead and when they had some sort of serious failure, the Dealership would not goodwill/help them out.

Between LL01 and LL01-FE is that the FE is for Fuel Economy. If I were ever to need to fight a warranty claim for the engine, I would get LL01-FE so they can't use that against me.

[TopJimmy]

Easy answer… let the dealership do their lube/oil /filter service every 10K so your record shows it. Then buy 7 liters of BMW TPT (it's quality oil) from FCP Euro and do a dump/fill yourself at the 5-15-25…K intervals. Buy with PayPal. Put the used oil back in the bottles, and return to FCP next round to get your refund… PayPal will pay you back for the shipping too. This is a great way to keep fresh oil, and to keep the warranty hawks happy in case you need them someday.

[ClampThurst]

Originally Posted by RugbyBro

No it won't void your warranty, I've had warranty work done even with all my DIY fluid changes (even using non LL-01 - Castrol 0w-40 oil), and S55 isn't a ticking time bomb

Tell that to those who spun crank hubs

[ClampThurst]

Originally Posted by TopJimmy

Easy answer… let the dealership do their lube/oil /filter service every 10K so your record shows it. Then buy 7 liters of BMW TPT (it's quality oil) from FCP Euro and do a dump/fill yourself at the 5-15-25…K intervals. Buy with PayPal. Put the used oil back in the bottles, and return to FCP next round to get your refund… PayPal will pay you back for the shipping too. This is a great way to keep fresh oil, and to keep the warranty hawks happy in case you need them someday.

I think my service contract is finished with BMW on 2018 model, also, as I wrote above, I don't want those techs near any of my cars as Ive had bad work done at 2 SoCal dealers, loose screws, incorrect install of equipment, broken plastic molding which they won't take responsibility for, etc..

[TopJimmy]

Then buy the TPT every 5K and you do the wrenching.