[jefe2000]

I intend to DIY most of the maintenance on my 2018 LCI M2 with an N55 engine and manual transmission. I plan to keep the car for many years and would love to see it hit at least 100,000 miles under my ownership. As of this initial post, there are ~36,000 miles on the car.

After combing through many Bimmerpost threads, v03.13 of Mike Miller's Lifetime Maintenance Schedule, and my M2 Owner's Manual, I've come up with this preventative maintenance schedule (intervals listed in miles, not kms). This lists both ongoing fluid changes and preemptive replacements of parts to prevent failures before they happen. I don't buy into the idea of lifetime fluids, so I list intervals even for fluids that BMW says are lifetime fluids.

Note that this is for a car that doesn't see track time.

I'm open to any input, suggestions, guidance, or corrections.

Engine Oil/Filter
5,000 miles / 1 year
Note: I may alter the interval based on results from a UOA

Brake/Clutch Fluid Flush
2 years

Coolant Flush
4 years

Brake Pads
As needed

Cabin Air Filter
20,000 miles

Engine Air Filter
30,000 miles

Manual Transmission Fluid
30,000 miles or 4 years

Spark Plugs
30,000 miles

Rear Differential Fluid
30,000 miles or 4 years

Coolant Expansion Tank Hose
50,000 miles
Note: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1982513

Coolant Expansion Tank
After it starts leaking???

Accessory Drive Belt (Serpentine Belt)
50,000 miles OR 3–4 years

Belt Tensioner
60,000 miles

Belt Idler Pulley
100,000 miles (max)

Coolant "Mickey Mouse" Flange
Before 100,000 miles
Note: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1773412

Water Pump
60,000 miles

Plastic Charge Pipe
50,000–60,000 miles
Note: one-time replacement with aftermarket metal pipe

Oil Filter Housing Gasket (OFHG)
100,000 miles???
Note: Prime the oiling system before starting the car

O₂ Sensor
150,000 miles

[TheHaze]

jefe2000 I've been using this google sheet to keep track of all maintenance. I tweaked some of the intervals to what I thought was appropriate for our cars. I can't take credit for it, but I believe the creator posted it here some time back.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1211067218

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by TheHaze

jefe2000 I've been using this google sheet to keep track of all maintenance.

Oooh, OK, thanks! I tried to view the spreadsheet but had to request access. So I’ll take a further look when/if access is granted!

EDIT (now that I have access to the spreadsheet): wow, this looks excellent. I have a spreadsheet of my own I’ve been maintaining, but it’s much simpler. I think I’ll transfer my stats over to the one you shared. Thanks!

[TheHaze]

Oh my bad, I just changed access to it.

[E90convert]

Many people enjoy maintaining their car, and rationalize extra maintenance over the factory schedule. I used to be one of those people, then kids ate up a lot of my time and money so I only do what I think actually needs to be done.

My car sees 5-8 track days a year, as well as daily driving in summer and winter. I do the following:
Oil change at 3k miles because of track use, otherwise I do 5k on all my past and current turbo BMWs. Engine air filter at 15k. Diff and trans are perfectly fine for 50k/5years on street driving. I probably will follow this with track driving too. 30k is fine for plugs with street driving. Id say 50-60k is a good idea for the water pump, coolant, and overflow hose. I’ve had BMWs long enough to have all this crap happen to me on different cars lol. But I wouldn’t change the coolant just by itself, just wait till you proactively or reactively replace something else. I don’t know much about the “mickey mouse” thing so can’t offer much guidance.
Belts and pulleys, just replace when the bearing starts making noise. This is more of a wear out failure. Same with the OFHG, just replace it when you notice some weepage. As for the charge pipe, you are due already! My factory pipe blew at like 20k miles under warranty! I’ll be doing mine in the next 12 months (at 33k right now).

Regarding coolant, you could also try out some test strips. I’ve never used them though. Check out the Nissan GTR owners manual for some interesting stuff on car setup and maintenance! They don’t skimp! Gotta change your rubber brake lines every 5 years!

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by E90convert

Many people enjoy maintaining their car, and rationalize extra maintenance over the factory schedule. I used to be one of those people, then kids ate up a lot of my time and money so I only do what I think actually needs to be done.

Yes, I’d like to find that sweet spot of just enough maintenance to preserve the car well for the long term.

Originally Posted by E90convert

Engine air filter at 15k.

If I’m reading the owner’s manual correctly, it recommends every 10K miles. Do you read it differently?

Originally Posted by E90convert

Diff and trans are perfectly fine for 50k/5years on street driving.

I noticed a difference with new manual transmission fluid at 30K miles. It felt like more than placebo effect to me.

I was planning on waiting for the recommended 50K miles for the diff, but the car (I assume the CBS system?) notified me via the My BMW app to change it at around 30K. So I’m assuming it’ll notify me similarly in another 30K?

Originally Posted by E90convert

I don’t know much about the “mickey mouse” thing so can’t offer much guidance.

I’ve only read about it failing due to it being a plastic part. What I’m less sure about is low long it might last. So I think I’d like to get the aluminum version in there before failure.

Originally Posted by E90convert

Belts and pulleys, just replace when the bearing starts making noise. This is more of a wear out failure. Same with the OFHG, just replace it when you notice some weepage.

Thanks!

Originally Posted by E90convert

As for the charge pipe, you are due already! My factory pipe blew at like 20k miles under warranty! I’ll be doing mine in the next 12 months (at 33k right now).

I’m a bit afraid of this one stranding me and my family somewhere. The car isn’t tuned — and won’t be — so I’m hopeful I have some time. I’m trying to figure out whether to go with a metal pipe (and whether that’ll cause me problems with the car inspection here in CA) or whether to just preemptively replace with an OEM plastic pipe every 30K miles.

Originally Posted by E90convert

Regarding coolant, you could also try out some test strips. I’ve never used them though.

What would I be testing the coolant for?

[E90convert]

For the air filter, it’s 30k or 3 years in the maintenance manual. I change it at 15k because I don’t want it restricting as it gets dirtier. For the transmission, it was probably because it has been 5 years, not based on the 30k mileage. I would change out the diff too. I don’t think there is any harm in waiting beyond 5 years though. It doesn’t get hot enough to degrade the oil significantly, and you’re not tracking it so contamination build up is less. I’d change it though, low cost and takes very little time. Honestly it could probably be a “long term” fill without track use. Perhaps a powder coated black charge pipe would go unnoticed, or finding a CARB compliant one.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by E90convert

For the air filter, it’s 30k or 3 years in the maintenance manual. I change it at 15k because I don’t want it restricting as it gets dirtier.

The owner’s manual maintenance schedule definitely confuses me. It’s less straightforward than the maintenance schedules for Japanese vehicles that I’ve owned — probably because it’s a matrix that tries to include all sorts of BMW models and not just my M2.
And yes, now I see that it calls for every 30K miles for the engine air filter. Thanks for pointing that out!

Originally Posted by E90convert

Perhaps a powder coated black charge pipe would go unnoticed, or finding a CARB compliant one.

Yes, thanks! I’m strongly leaning in this direction. I just have to convince myself that it’ll pass visual inspection without being flagged. A powder-coated black one will probably sail right through.

[jefe2000]

I originally had the coolant interval at two years. According to F87source, that’s twice as often as needed:
https://www.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh...php?p=30253836
So I’ve changed coolant interval in the first post to every four years.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

I intend to DIY most of the maintenance on my 2018 LCI M2 with an N55 engine and manual transmission. I plan to keep the car for many years and would love to see it hit at least 100,000 miles under my ownership. As of this initial post, there are ~36,000 miles on the car.

After combing through many Bimmerpost threads, v03.13 of Mike Miller's Lifetime Maintenance Schedule, and my M2 Owner's Manual, I've come up with this preventative maintenance schedule (intervals listed in miles, not kms). This lists both ongoing fluid changes and preemptive replacements of parts to prevent failures before they happen. I don't buy into the idea of lifetime fluids, so I list intervals even for fluids that BMW says are lifetime fluids.

Note that this is for a car that doesn't see track time.

I'm open to any input, suggestions, guidance, or corrections.

Engine Oil/Filter
5,000 miles / 1 year
Note: I may alter the interval based on results from a UOA

Brake Fluid Flush
2 years

Coolant Flush
4 years

Brake Pads
As needed

Cabin Air Filter
20,000 miles

Engine Air Filter
30,000 miles

Manual Transmission Fluid
30,000 miles

Spark Plugs
30,000 miles

Rear Differential Fluid
30,000 miles

Coolant Expansion Tank Hose
50,000 miles
Note: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1982513

Coolant Expansion Tank
After it starts leaking???

Accessory Drive Belt (Serpentine Belt)
50,000 miles OR 3–4 years

Belt Tensioner
60,000 miles

Belt Idler Pulley
100,000 miles (max)

Coolant "Mickey Mouse" Flange
???
Note: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1773412

Water Pump
60,000 miles

Plastic Charge Pipe
50,000–60,000 miles
Note: one-time replacement with aftermarket metal pipe

Oil Filter Housing Gasket (OFHG)
100,000 miles???
Note: Prime the oiling system before starting the car

O₂ Sensor
150,000 miles

I would limit MTF and Diff oil to a 4 year max, BMW stipulates 5 years on the diff but I would cut that back a year just in case. BMW says life time for the gear box, but since that is a load of BS, I just set it to 4 years like the diff and coolant and just do it all at the same time. But that's just me - a UOA would get you better and more accurate numbers.



Get a belt wear tester tool to determine if the belt needs to be replaced earlier rather than going by miles, but at the very least do it before 5 years (continental recommendation was 5-6 years max).

Belt wear tester: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1831050


I wouldn't bother replacing the plastic charge pipe with another plastic charge pipe, that is just a massive waste of money.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by F87source

I would limit MTF and Diff oil to a 4 year max, BMW stipulates 5 years on the diff but I would cut that back a year just in case. BMW says life time for the gear box, but since that is a load of BS, I just set it to 4 years like the diff and coolant and just do it all at the same time. But that's just me - a UOA would get you better and more accurate numbers.

OK! I like it: replace the coolant, trans fluid, and diff fluid all at the same time. Makes it easy to keep track of.

Originally Posted by F87source

Get a belt wear tester tool to determine if the belt needs to be replaced earlier rather than going by miles, but at the very least do it before 5 years (continental recommendation was 5-6 years max).

Belt wear tester: https://f87.bimmerpost.com/forums/sh....php?t=1831050

That belt wear tester looks excellent. I can't find it anywhere, though. The Turner URL in your review is broken and, in talking with a rep at Turner, they don't sell it any longer. I can't find any other retail outlets that sell the tester. Too bad really: it looks like an excellent tool.

Originally Posted by F87source

I wouldn't bother replacing the plastic charge pipe with another plastic charge pipe, that is just a massive waste of money.

Yeah, everything I've read agrees with this. I'm strongly leaning toward a nice stealth black metal pipe (like the BMS pipe) and hoping it flies under the radar during the visual portion of the regular CA smog check.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by jefe2000

OK! I like it: replace the coolant, trans fluid, and diff fluid all at the same time. Makes it easy to keep track of.



That belt wear tester looks excellent. I can't find it anywhere, though. The Turner URL in your review is broken and, in talking with a rep at Turner, they don't sell it any longer. I can't find any other retail outlets that sell the tester. Too bad really: it looks like an excellent tool.



Yeah, everything I've read agrees with this. I'm strongly leaning toward a nice stealth black metal pipe (like the BMS pipe) and hoping it flies under the radar during the visual portion of the regular CA smog check.

Yup, I do it all at once so it's very convenient.

Yeah I heard Turner stopped selling the belt wear tester, that's unfortunate - but I'm glad I got myself one before they stopped selling it. It's a very nice tool to have.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by TheHaze

jefe2000 I've been using this google sheet to keep track of all maintenance. I tweaked some of the intervals to what I thought was appropriate for our cars. I can't take credit for it, but I believe the creator posted it here some time back.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1211067218

That's really impressive!

I like it!



I've just been writing down my services and kept notes on what I did, in terms of intervals I memorized everything and exactly when stuff needs to be done.

[jefe2000]

Originally Posted by TheHaze

jefe2000 I've been using this google sheet to keep track of all maintenance. I tweaked some of the intervals to what I thought was appropriate for our cars. I can't take credit for it, but I believe the creator posted it here some time back.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1211067218

I ended up filling out a copy of this maintenance spreadsheet over the long holiday weekend here in the US. I quite like this spreadsheet: it’s really nice for getting an at-a-glance idea of the upcoming maintenance needs. And, for some of the items that don’t need as much attention as the spreadsheet suggests (like an alignment every two years), it’s easy to hide rows.

As a side note for anyone else that starts using this spreadsheet: I had to input a row for each maintenance item that represented when the car was brand new. This was the only I could find to set a “start date” for all the maintenance items. Otherwise, all the maintenance tasks that haven’t yet been done — like fuel filter or brake rotors — appeared as overdue because their default/initial last maintenance date showed up as sometime in the 1800s. So I entered a row for each maintenance item with the date when the car was built as a way to seed the start date for each one.

[alexopo]

Originally Posted by TheHaze

jefe2000 I've been using this google sheet to keep track of all maintenance. I tweaked some of the intervals to what I thought was appropriate for our cars. I can't take credit for it, but I believe the creator posted it here some time back.

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets...gid=1211067218 https://spribe-aviator.net/

It's really useful. Great work.