TODAY I DID the first oil change. Interesting time spent under the car.

The mechanic who did the pre-buy inspection told me it looked like the car had a leaky oil pan and a leaking transfer case seal. I guessed that that was not really the case; I assumed the engine was just oily from the typical BMW leaks. That may well be the case, but at least part of the problem was much easier than that!

Whoever did the last oil change did not use the washer/gasket that goes on the drain plug to keep it from leaking. Swirling air under the car spreads that slowly dripping oil all over the place. Really, ALL over the place!

I had the engine pressure washed a few weeks ago. I’m not sure if what I saw today was fresh since then, or simply residual oil from a less than complete cleaning. At the auto craft shop in Wiesbaden I pressure washed cars a few times. One inspector commented that he had never seen a car of that vintage (’99) that clean underneath. I wish I could find a place to do it myself here. Or, at least find someone who can actually get under the car. Well, we’ll see…

OK, back to the oil change. Yesterday, I stopped by the car parts place to buy oil. Last night I realized I need 6.9 quarts/liters of oil but only bought 6. Got another bottle today. There was no wait at Auto Skills when I got there, so straight on the lift. That’s when I noticed how oily it still was under the car. Actually, it wasn’t quite that dramatic; before I lifted the car I loosened the lid on the oil filter housing to ensure no vacuum hindered draining. I might take an hour instead of 30 minutes at a “Quickie Lube” place, but I do better work!

So, old oil out. Drain plug with washer in. Old filter out. New filter in. New oil in. Everything clean and checked for leaks. Done. Boom!

This weekend I had actually planned on replacing control arms, ball joints, sway bar links, and sway bar bushings, but it was a yucky day and I wasn’t feeling too enthusiastic. Plus, I’d like to make a video of it, and I haven’t unpacked the box from Germany with the microphones and other video accessories. Gotta do it right if I’m going to make a video and get rich on YouTube…

The title picture above is just showing the odometer so I can keep track of when the next oil change will be due. The pictures below show the control arms (“pipes” left and right) and the ball joint (center, above right side control arm with the star shaped bolt head).