I am a newbie in DIY car maintenance. But I learned how to change my engine air filter yesterday.
I will be changing my own oil again soon.
I just learned how to change my engine air filter yesterday with a WIX 4955 that I bought from O'rielys. (USA, CA, SD) for 20$ (used 10$ discount gift card from rebate for oil) I think my bf put in a Mann air filter some time ago around 48k if my records are correct. but as my car is now 62700miles I was informed by my bro I need to be doing some major upkeep and am trying to learn. The preventative maintenance list I am working my way through is:
1. Brake pads- rotors? Was changed once during the lease period due to I think a shaking in the steering wheel. ( - per free checkup at the dealer where i got weaseled out for a brake fluid flush - still pissed about that one but my ignorance was my loss.) my brakes in Aug 2019 were around 4mm and 5 mm front and back respect - so Deff due for a new set. not sure how to do it myself. looking for an impact driver.
4 and 5 mm are still ok. Depends on how much you have driven since. New is 10mm. You don't need an impact driver.
2. Tires (looking for recommendations) and looking out for deals. pros cons run-flats/normals?
Normal tires ride much better, but what will you do if you get a flat? I have kept run flats on my X3.
3. Spark plugs (from what i understand at around 60k or 70k they will need to be changed.) also i have also heard amazon prob has fake spark plugs. so i will be avoiding purchasing from there.
4. cabin air filter (on the way from amazon) - will change soon (dealer asking for 180$ to change it -___- absolutely not.)
Know that there are 3 cabin air filters. There is the one under the hood which is a wrird double filter, then there are two inside under the glove box. You have to pull one out, then the other is slid in to the left next to it.
5. oil change (i have been running 10k maybe a Lil more per oil change) I have conflicting opinions regarding freq of change. i primarily drive prob 50/50 city and freeway up to (85mph speeds)) My brother says I should be changing every 8k miles, my bf says I can go easy with 12k. Forums are conflicting as well. Manufacture is what I would like to be going by so I'll be changing it myself soon instead of my bf. can't deal with incomplete maintenance treating my baby like that.
I never go past about 8k for an oil change. Usually more like 7k. Manufacturers say up to even 15k, but I would never do that.
6. looking for battery- been about 3-4 yrs since last change my dealer. my navi/radio.media center shut off a few times and completely lost my Bluetooth settings for my phone and based upon my research this may be indictive or a battery issue. looking for batteries too. i heard registering the new battery was optional and not needed to be done by the dealer but u need a special computer?
You should register the battery. It does not require a special computer, but you need an app or software program that can do it. But teh app will do so much more too, and it's not hard to do.
Are there any other considerations/recommendations/opinions I should be aware of that are not from what I saw on the driver's recommended maintenance manual?
I also need to figure out how to reset my oil change setting as my bf changed my oil 2019 July with a Mann oil filter and mobile 1 5w-30 synthetic. I cannot seem to find info on the forums regarding this but I may just not be searching the correct area.
This is super easy. Turn on the ignition but don't star the car. Press and hold the odometer reset button in the lower left of the cluster. When a menu appears, press the button to get to the thing you want to reset. Press and hold again until it asks if you want to reset. Press again to reset.
Also, I am prob on the wrong forum but I was wondering if it was normal for run-flats to wear at the outer edge for the fronts and inner edge for the backs. I purchased out my brother's lease and got a new set of tires with it. but this same issue is occurring that happened with the original run-flat tires.
Have the alignment checked.
The dealer says we don't need to re-align the tires for the entire 30k (period I had them), as the tires are only supposed to last 20k. (which is bs) but we noticed the wear after a scheduled BMW lease period free maintenance service and ended up rotating and realigning the tires moving tires from the back to the front for 250$. <- still feel ripped off about that.
It is presently winter in SoCal and 3 years since I have purchased new tires. i am noticing the same pattern wear to the outer rim for the fronts and inner edge for the backs. I will probably rotate them again to get more life out of them and i am considering getting non-run-flats for my next set of tires.
There is a lot of conflicting info on the forums with different rationals and arguments. So I am having difficulty determining the best options for my car at this time. I just want my 6 cylinder baby to be purring strong and healthy for well over 100k.
Any wisdom and advice to impart upon this noob?