Valvoline has over 1,500 Instant Oil Change stations conveniently located throughout the US and more than 100 in Canada. Valvoline also has a range of BMW Approved engine and transmission oil products available at these oil change locations.
Valvoline is certainly a popular place to get an oil change done, but just because it is popular does not mean that Valvoline locations regularly stock the proper oil and oil filters for high-end luxury vehicles like BMW.
Depending on the warranty conditions on your BMW, you can use the approved Valvoline grade oils for your BMW at the specified oil change intervals. Valvoline offers a comprehensive range of BMW-approved lubrication products and can provide you with a complete lubrication service. Valvoline offers a fast-service oil change option that can serve as a reasonable consideration for any BMW owner.
Do not fall into the expensive trap of buying oil for your BMW at the BMW dealership. They will charge you a premium and convince you that their oil is the only oil that will take care of your car. BMW does not own an oil blending company. They buy their BMW branded oil from companies like Valvoline.
Can Valvoline Oil Change Centers Do An Oil Change On A BMW?
Oil changes are one of the most important and yet one of the most simple services to perform on a BMW. Valvoline has all the resources to conduct a thorough oil and lubrication service on your BMW. In addition, they perform an eighteen-point safety check on your car for free.
US and European authorities set the oil grade specification, and they ensure that the oil specified for your car conforms to their set requirements. The technicians at Valvoline oil change centers undergo a minimum of 270 hours of training to become certified oil change technicians.
Doing an oil change on your car is a DIY task for many car owners, but it comes with minor complications. You need to buy a new oil filter and drain plug washer for the car when doing an oil change. You also need to buy the specified oil for your vehicle and hopefully, you will responsibly dispose of the engine’s dirty oil.
In addition, you will need to have some car ramps or jack-stands to allow you access underneath the car’s oil pan. You will need the right size and type of socket attachment to undo the drain plug. For some models, you will also need an oil vacuum pump to pump out the oil via the dipstick shaft.
Valvoline Oil Change centers can conduct an oil change within fifteen minutes and they will have all the tools, parts, and the specified oil on hand to complete the task. They also have the facilities to dispose of the old oil properly.
The customer satisfaction rating for Valvoline Oil Change centers is a very credible 4.6 stars out of 5 stars. While the oil is pouring out of the engine, they use the time to check on the following safety-related items on your car:
- Fluid in Automatic Transmissions
- Power steering fluid
- Windshield washer fluid
- Headlights and taillights
- Wiper blades
- Battery test at participating locations
- Antifreeze/Coolant
- Tire pressure
- Air filter
- Serpentine belt
- Differential fluids, if requested
- Transfer case fluid, if requested
But Should You Take Your BMW to A Valvoline?
The fact that you “can” take a BMW to a Valvoline change center does not necessarily mean that you “should”. While it may be true that your local Valvoline should have the correct oil on hand, that does not mean that the typical Valvoline technician will be familiar with the quirks of BMW. What makes a BMW oil change unique?
- The drain plug and gasket should be changed after every oil change.
- The oil filter is located in an odd location (top of the engine) compared to most other vehicles where the oil filter is close to the bottom of the engine.
- The drain plugs can be easily stripped or over-tightened, which will cause significant problems down the road.
- It takes at least an hour to get all of the sludgy old oil out of a BMW engine. Just be aware that you will not be getting all of the old stuff out with a fifteen-minute oil change.
These are just a few things to consider when you are thinking about taking your BMW to a Valvoline or any other quick-service oil change center. There are certainly plenty of oil technicians employed at Valvoline that can handle a BMW, but quality will also vary by location.
Overall, doing an oil change on a BMW is not a complicated job, and you could do it yourself or pay the dealer premium to get the job done. The most important thing is to stay within your oil change intervals and use the correct oil viscosity to prolong the life of the car’s engine.
What Does A “Full Synthetic 5W30” Oil Specification Mean?
Synthetic oil is made to have a uniform molecule size through chemical manipulation of the oil. 5W30 means that the oil has a winter viscosity of 5 when the engine is cold and 30 when the engine is at 100 degrees Celsius.
Mineral oil is distilled from crude oil and consists of oil molecules of various sizes. The mineral oil can be synthesized through a chemical process to have uniform molecules. This is good for engines as the engineers can specify the oil needed to coat the engine’s metal to metal contact surfaces very precisely.
The oil will prevent two metal surfaces from coming into direct contact and causing metal wear. The oil will form a fine layer between the metal surfaces and thus prevent them from making contact.
The viscosity of the oil is a function of how well it flows. Water has a very low viscosity as it flows easily. Honey has a high viscosity as it does not flow easily. High viscosity liquids move sluggishly and pour slowly.
When the engine is cold – especially during winter – the oil needs to have a low viscosity when the engine is started up so that the oil can quickly fill all the lubrication channels and coat all the engine parts.
As the engine warms up during operation, we do not want the oil to become even thinner or more water-like. Ideally, the oil’s viscosity must increase so that the oil remains on the metal surfaces for longer to protect them from metal on metal friction.
Thus the 5 in 5W30 is the winter viscosity of the oil (cold engine viscosity), and the 30 is the oil’s viscosity at operating temperature. In frigid climates, BMW may specify 0W40 for some of their vehicles. Always refer to the BMW Owner’s Manual for the recommended oil grade.
Why Is An Oil Change So Important To My BMW?
The engine oil in your BMW is the essential fluid ensuring the longevity of your engine. The oil helps cool the engine and dissolves and removes some harmful emission products from the engine.
The oil in an engine is the lifeblood of the engine. Without oil, the engine will lock up within minutes (which happened to me once with a drift car). The oil will coat all the critical moving parts and prevent metal on metal friction by forming a thin layer between the metal components.
During fuel combustion in the engine’s combustion chambers, some soot and sulfuric compounds will build upon the walls of the cylinders and cylinder heads. The oil will dissolve and remove these compounds, and the oil filter will extract such particles.
Over time the oil loses its ability to absorb any more dirty compounds, and the filter will become saturated with dirt and will no longer be able to filter out these compounds. Oil change intervals are calculated to take place in advance of this situation and replace the oil and oil filter in time to prevent damage to the engine.
If you maintain your BMW following the service manual using only the oil grade as specified by BMW, you will significantly enhance the durability and longevity of your car’s engine.
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