Photography by Tim Suddard
Before we headed to the dyno for some baseline testing, we had something to do: change the oil.
Our E90-chassis BMW 328i uses a simple cartridge-type filter that’s available at any auto parts store. We went with the original-equipment Mann filter, and it came with new O-rings for the filter cap as well as the bottom of the filter.
What makes changing the oil on the BMWs so easy? The filter is right there on top of the engine.
The car calls for either 5W-40 or 5W-30 weight oil. We have had good luck with MPT Thirty-K full synthetic oil, so we grabbed 7 quarts from our lubricant cabinet.
Underneath the car, there is an easy-to-find plug on the oil pan, right behind a void in the undertray plastic. After draining the old oil and refilling the engine, we simply poured in the fresh oil, replaced the O-rings and slipped the new filter into place.
We didn’t pour all of the oil into the engine, though, keeping a quart for the filter to keep the engine from running dry at startup.
As we did not know if the differential and manual transmission fluids had ever been changed and the car is nearly 15 years old and has covered some 125,000 miles, we felt changing these fluids was a good insurance policy.
We have found Red Line Synthetic MTL for the transmission and 75/90 gear oil for the differential offer slight horsepower and significant wear deterrents in these components.
The transmission is very easy to service once you drop the plastic undertray along the bottom of the body.
The differential has only one hole to both fill and drain the fluid, so a small fluid pump (available at any auto part store) is needed.
While we had replaced the cabin air filter the last time we were under the hood, we took a look at the air intake filter. While it was nearly new, and since we are planning on replacing it with a cold-air intake system, we gently blew it off with some compressed air. This entire job cost less than $300 and only about an hour.
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