and the guy said they couldnt get my filter off. He said it was seized up and it broke the wrench. I had the car for over 7k miles and havent changed the oil yet, the previous owner of the car said he changed the oil every 3k. even if has been 10k miles, it is synthetic oil and shouldnt be THAT bad, no?

I mean the car itself says to service it every 15k! Maybe the mechanic used the wrong tool or something? This is crazy, what if they cant get it off?

 

Find a new Mechanic. What kind of tool (is he?) did he use?

OR

Invest in a 1/2 drive 36mm socket and wrench. The cap can be tight, but it will turn. use the handle to your jack on the end of the wrench for additional leverage. Loosen it, let it drain into the block before removing cap.

You're fine on the oil if it's synthetic.

 

thanks. He said he used a 36mm. Do you think its possible that the oil was so old that it did seize up?

But then again, wouldnt have my car been running terrible? My car has been running fine since i got it.

Perhaps the filter hasnt been changed for a long time but there has been oil changes done regularly. Maybe thats why its "seized".

 

I can't imagine he broke a 1/2 drive wrench, the housing is aluminum and softer than the wrench.

Old oil is not a factor, neither is the filter. It's a screw on cap with a o-ring seal. Commonly over torqued.

Have him try a 6 point 36mm socket on a breaker bar. It will come loose.

 

Thanks alot, I was a little worried. I'm not going to deal with them again, Ill just go to the mini dealer. My dealership is really good.

 

I'd love to see this 'broken wrench'

as mentioned the housing is pretty light stuff as compared to any of my wrenches. OTOH getting a decent wrench in there and getting good leverage CAN be a B***H. I use an 18" breaker bar when my 1/2 inch socket doesn't cut it and haven't lost a battle yet doing cars for freebie among my friends.

I'm convinced the person who designed the oil filter arrangement on the GEN1 S is still laughing about it..... SUCKERS!!!!! Altho, face it the GEN2 ain't THAT much better - you gots to move the coolant overflow/recovery tank first?..?.?

 

I'd take to a independent BMW service facility rather than a dealer. It is a very minor problem to pay dealer prices$$. Where do you live?

 

North Jersey. Im going to go to Prestige soon and tell them. They're one of the best mini dealers around.

But what are you saying? At a BMW service facility I wouldn't have to pay as much?

 

It takes a shortened 36mm socket to get the filter canister off. If he used a regular 36mm socket and 1/2" drive rachet the rachet head will hit an adjacent part and the filter canister will not come off. I suspect he did not have the proper shortened socket to perform the job correctly.

 

I think the key word there was "indepedent". I've never heard of an independant shop charging $90.00 to $125.00 an hour for labor.
Better yet, invest in the appropriate tools and do it yourself. That way, you know the job is done right.
Good luck.

 

I use a standard crapsman socket, it fits to break it loose and spin a couple of rotations then, you have to do by hand.

Yes, an independent will charge less than a dealer. Here is a link to BMW shops that are qualified for club racing inspection. Pick one near you and save a little money.

http://www.bmwccaclubracing.com/Info...fiedShops.aspx

 

you're OK. I regularly change synthetic oil at 10k (or 1 year).

 

Some people's definition of an oil change does not include changing the filter every time. If it's only been done every other or every third time and they've neglected to put oil on the o-ring seal, then I can see how the filter would be a bugger to get off.