[kosmokratur]

I have sent several oil samples from my 2018 M550 to Blackstone for analysis. Regarding one sample, with 8500 miles on the oil, they characterized the results as a "nice report" and advised trying an interval of 11K miles next time. So, in an "evidence-based" analysis, it appears that the 11K interval may be suitable for my conditions. However, I don't commute in a major city. I am in the rural Finger Lakes and my minimum trip is 10 miles because my house is in the middle of nowhere. I'm in a cool climate and I don't thrash the car (but I also don't baby it). So, the engine gets nicely warm each time it goes out. I also intend to keep it many, many years. While Blackstone's analysis for me suggests 11K may be OK, I still change the oil twice that frequently because I want to maximize longevity. IMHO the 11K interval would be fine for someone in my situation but who intends to flip the car after a few years. On the other hand, anybody commuting in an M550 in, say, Houston or Tucson would be nuts to go with an 11K interval.

[adhrp]

Originally Posted by kosmokratur

I have sent several oil samples from my 2018 M550 to Blackstone for analysis. Regarding one sample, with 8500 miles on the oil, they characterized the results as a "nice report" and advised trying an interval of 11K miles next time. So, in an "evidence-based" analysis, it appears that the 11K interval may be suitable for my conditions. However, I don't commute in a major city. I am in the rural Finger Lakes and my minimum trip is 10 miles because my house is in the middle of nowhere. I'm in a cool climate and I don't thrash the car (but I also don't baby it). So, the engine gets nicely warm each time it goes out. I also intend to keep it many, many years. While Blackstone's analysis for me suggests 11K may be OK, I still change the oil twice that frequently because I want to maximize longevity. IMHO the 11K interval would be fine for someone in my situation but who intends to flip the car after a few years. On the other hand, anybody commuting in an M550 in, say, Houston or Tucson would be nuts to go with an 11K interval.

My driving style and distances are similar.. Usually at least 8-10 miles one way, many highway miles, and my work timings being flexible, I time my commute to avoid rush hour. I plan to do a Blackstone analysis after 50K miles, but in general I'm very comfortable with 10K mile OCIs with my driving situation. Your report is reassuring.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by NGT2

At this point, the American economy is built on spending. If we all got thrifty at the same time, there would be a recession. Many Americans value stuff over wealth. I’ve been guilty of it at times, myself.

Being able to accumulate stuff and wealth go hand in hand. Now, would I have more wealth if “stuff” didn’t make me as happy as it does? Sure, I’d be retired. I think back on that first 1987 E30 BMW that cost $21,000 and I was making $21,000.

Could not afford it the minute it came off warranty and needed brakes and tires, but man did it out a smile on my face for three years and man did I get laid a lot 😉

Wanting more toys and BMW’s just made me more motivated to achieve a healthy wealthy status.

You can’t take your toys to heaven.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Being able to accumulate stuff and wealth go hand in hand. Now, would I have more wealth if “stuff” didn’t make me as happy as it does? Sure, I’d be retired. I think back on that first 1987 E30 BMW that cost $21,000 and I was making $21,000.

Could not afford it the minute it came off warranty and needed brakes and tires, but man did it out a smile on my face for three years and man did I get laid a lot 😉

Wanting more toys and BMW’s just made me more motivated to achieve a healthy wealthy status.

You can’t take your toys to heaven.

They can go hand in hand… or they can work against each other. It all depends. But I’d say it’s typical for people with a good income to eventually mature, financially, and find a way to accumulate both. But not always.

In my business, the wealth accumulation business, I’ve seen people that should build wealth that never get off the ground. And seen people with $10 million+ get down to budgeting to hang on to the last million or less. And I’ve seen people with $200,000 retire in their 60’s without a thought of financial insecurity.

It’s a numbers game. What do you have? What do you want? When are you going to die?

[Warp Ten]

Lots of good opinions here. I do not drive too many miles these days, partly because I use my 2016 Corvette Z06 as my daily driver when the weather is nice. Because it has been mostly nice this year and I have all season tires on the Z06, the BMW 540xi has been up on the lift since late April. Thinking of finally getting it down this week and putting the Corvette up for the winter. But is supposed to be almost 80 degrees today, so I am hesitating. Nonetheless, I always change the BMW oil once a year regardless of miles. I like the dealer going over the car once a year to see if there is anything more that needs to be attended to. Two years ago I had the oil changed just before a trip to Florida and the tech discovered a badly cut tire that was not yet leaking air. The cut was on the inside of the tire and not readily visible, but it would likely have failed on the trip so I was glad he spotted it. Also, on my Z06 about three years ago the engine broke a valve spring. I had an extended warranty and the warranty company insisted on seeing proof that I had changed the oil once a year per GM specifications before it would cover it. Glad I was able to provide that. By the way, I think your poll should include an option "Change it once a year regardless of miles". I'll bet many do this as I do. --Bob

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by NGT2

They can go hand in hand… or they can work against each other. It all depends. But I’d say it’s typical for people with a good income to eventually mature, financially, and find a way to accumulate both. But not always.

In my business, the wealth accumulation business, I’ve seen people that should build wealth that never get off the ground. And seen people with $10 million+ get down to budgeting to hang on to the last million or less. And I’ve seen people with $200,000 retire in their 60’s without a thought of financial insecurity.

It’s a numbers game. What do you have? What do you want? When are you going to die?

Yes, of course, responsibility is the key. I wasn't saying live beyond your means, but I definitely did that a bit in my early 20's. Then I had to get rid of "stuff" when I was forced to grow up (marriage/house/kids) and just the taste of it motivated me to be aggressive with my career. I do believe that anyone can still be as successful as they want in this country if they work hard, have the right skills (interpersonal and talent) and drive.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by NGT2

They can go hand in hand… or they can work against each other. It all depends. But I’d say it’s typical for people with a good income to eventually mature, financially, and find a way to accumulate both. But not always.

In my business, the wealth accumulation business, I’ve seen people that should build wealth that never get off the ground. And seen people with $10 million+ get down to budgeting to hang on to the last million or less. And I’ve seen people with $200,000 retire in their 60’s without a thought of financial insecurity.

It’s a numbers game. What do you have? What do you want? When are you going to die?

I write software in the retirement space and it is all about managing and forecasting retirement for people. That’s the complex game everyone is trying to balance out. For companies that have pensions, which are our primary clients, there can be motivations to shed obligations with cash buyouts to save them money. People like the large payouts and the companies are looking at the actuarial data to be more accurate than they are.

Not as many people are well prepared for retirement or the life expectations of their spouse. Sadly, most people aren’t.

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Yes, of course, responsibility is the key. I wasn't saying live beyond your means, but I definitely did that a bit in my early 20's. Then I had to get rid of "stuff" when I was forced to grow up (marriage/house/kids) and just the taste of it motivated me to be aggressive with my career. I do believe that anyone can still be as successful as they want in this country if they work hard, have the right skills (interpersonal and talent) and drive.

I wish I shared your optimism.

The sad reality is the economy is consolidating around a few skill sets and that consolidation will continue.

I’ll be the party pooper, but the reality is technological innovation is driven largely by companies to reduce their labor costs. As a result, skills in STEM will continue to be valuable and continue to erode the value of everyone else.

LLMs are the first major technological leap arriving from large scale cloud computing and increasingly powerful computer chips and it won’t be the last.

We’re also graduating less and less people and have let our education systems erode. So ensuring people have the skills to stay ahead of technology is looking more and more bleak.

But I like your optimistic view so I won’t challenge it

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I write software in the retirement space and it is all about managing and forecasting retirement for people. That’s the complex game everyone is trying to balance out. For companies that have pensions, which are our primary clients, there can be motivations to shed obligations with cash buyouts to save them money. People like the large payouts and the companies are looking at the actuarial data to be more accurate than they are.

Not as many people are well prepared for retirement or the life expectations of their spouse. Sadly, most people aren’t.



I wish I shared your optimism.

The sad reality is the economy is consolidating around a few skill sets and that consolidation will continue.

I’ll be the party pooper, but the reality is technological innovation is driven largely by companies to reduce their labor costs. As a result, skills in STEM will continue to be valuable and continue to erode the value of everyone else.

LLMs are the first major technological leap arriving from large scale cloud computing and increasingly powerful computer chips and it won’t be the last.

We’re also graduating less and less people and have let our education systems erode. So ensuring people have the skills to stay ahead of technology is looking more and more bleak.

But I like your optimistic view so I won’t challenge it

The economies of the West are being destroyed purposefully.

This is the New Normal that Davos and the unelected technocrats want delivered.

Wealth is relative. My personal focus is not on trinkets. The BMW is nice, as are a few other things I have collected, but there are dark clouds ahead that many are not even aware of.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I wish I shared your optimism.

The sad reality is the economy is consolidating around a few skill sets and that consolidation will continue.

I’ll be the party pooper, but the reality is technological innovation is driven largely by companies to reduce their labor costs. As a result, skills in STEM will continue to be valuable and continue to erode the value of everyone else.

LLMs are the first major technological leap arriving from large scale cloud computing and increasingly powerful computer chips and it won’t be the last.

We’re also graduating less and less people and have let our education systems erode. So ensuring people have the skills to stay ahead of technology is looking more and more bleak.

But I like your optimistic view so I won’t challenge it

This will be the justification for increased corporate tax and a universal basic income. And it will further erode society because people will lose purpose.

[LogicalApex]

Originally Posted by NGT2

This will be the justification for increased corporate tax and a universal basic income. And it will further erode society because people will lose purpose.

I don't want to pull us too far off the beaten path of the thread. So this is the last I'll say on the diversion.

But this is the mindset that's the real problem. It is far too shortsighted.

I'm not convinced UBI is a solution (people still need motivation...).

But we're competing against China who is using state funding to push their technology and industry growth aggressively at our expense. Meanwhile our "low tax" focus is used less to invest in innovation and more to fuel the capital machine on Wall Street. Remember, Wall Street doesn't create anything of value. It can't by definition. But fractional reserves and derivatives allow creation of capital without creating underlying value... but I digress.

As a result, we're underfunding our education institutions so heavily that we're rapidly losing our ability to maintain our edge. It is so bad that we're aggressively trying to block China's access to advanced chips and technology to try and retard their advancement. Think about that for a second.

China is playing our system to its weaknesses. We're poorly funding our counters as we're aggressively focused on stock market gains. Meanwhile, they state fund aggressively while opening up only what it takes to vacuum our economic advantages away.

And, no, I'm not advocating we state fund our economy.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I don't want to pull us too far off the beaten path of the thread. So this is the last I'll say on the diversion.

But this is the mindset that's the real problem. It is far too shortsighted.

I'm not convinced UBI is a solution (people still need motivation...).

But we're competing against China who is using state funding to push their technology and industry growth aggressively at our expense. Meanwhile our "low tax" focus is used less to invest in innovation and more to fuel the capital machine on Wall Street. Remember, Wall Street doesn't create anything of value. It can't by definition. But fractional reserves and derivatives allow creation of capital without creating underlying value... but I digress.

As a result, we're underfunding our education institutions so heavily that we're rapidly losing our ability to maintain our edge. It is so bad that we're aggressively trying to block China's access to advanced chips and technology to try and retard their advancement. Think about that for a second.

China is playing our system to its weaknesses. We're poorly funding our counters as we're aggressively focused on stock market gains. Meanwhile, they state fund aggressively while opening up only what it takes to vacuum our economic advantages away.

And, no, I'm not advocating we state fund our economy.

I think you’re right about a lot of that and I don’t think UBI is a solution to anything… unless we use it to replace ALL social welfare because it would be cheaper.

But China is a house of cards and I’m not sure they have the ability to recover from a depression/deep recession the way we did after 2008/2009. Not a great analogy but I almost see it as a kind of economic war of attrition with China and I’m not sold they have the goods to last.

And with that… I’ll also be done.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by LogicalApex

I write software in the retirement space and it is all about managing and forecasting retirement for people. That’s the complex game everyone is trying to balance out. For companies that have pensions, which are our primary clients, there can be motivations to shed obligations with cash buyouts to save them money. People like the large payouts and the companies are looking at the actuarial data to be more accurate than they are.

Not as many people are well prepared for retirement or the life expectations of their spouse. Sadly, most people aren’t.



I wish I shared your optimism.

The sad reality is the economy is consolidating around a few skill sets and that consolidation will continue.

I’ll be the party pooper, but the reality is technological innovation is driven largely by companies to reduce their labor costs. As a result, skills in STEM will continue to be valuable and continue to erode the value of everyone else.

LLMs are the first major technological leap arriving from large scale cloud computing and increasingly powerful computer chips and it won’t be the last.

We’re also graduating less and less people and have let our education systems erode. So ensuring people have the skills to stay ahead of technology is looking more and more bleak.

But I like your optimistic view so I won’t challenge it

Valid points all around. I am an optimist and I also consider myself somewhat of a chameleon. Personally, I went from 35 years of Financial Services to Fiber Optic Network Engineering (thank me for your 5G towers). I know NOTHING about engineering, but I can see opportunities in a changing landscape and it ain't rocket science. Just need to pay attention and have the motivation to pay attention. Technology changes, government priorities change, the value of an education has certainly changed since I graduated college where getting a degree was a meal ticket. I don't share that view anymore and I kind of poo poo'd it in the day. Just a waste of time and my career supports that. You either got it or you don't. My Economics and Finance degree meant shit in the real world. It did and still does come down to taking control of your own destiny and not putting it on the government or corporate structure to move you along. Technology is not the only industry in this country. Financial Services has been the backbone for quite some time, just to name one.

I still live and operate by the principals of my ancestors who came over on a boat, did not speak english and had no government welcoming them at the border with a driver's license, housing and a job. They were discriminated against by the english speaking Irish. What did they do? They rose up and took control and worked hard. They dug in, saved and bought real estate on a shoestring. Visionaries.

Too many people in this country looking for handouts that blame everyone else for lack of upward mobility. There are PLENTY of opportunities out there Apex, you just need to open your eyes and be open to change.

Pick of the book "Who Moved My Cheese". I give it to every Millennial I hire that thinks showing up is exceeding expectations.

Now not everyone wants to "be the boss" or accumulate wealth and toys. I get that and that is a good thing because there aren't enough slices of the pie to go around. Capitalisms is a wonderful thing, socialism breeds a lack of innovation, entrepreneurialism and complacency.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Neusser

My personal focus is not on trinkets.

I think you are confusing happiness (for lack of better words) with materialism. People value different things. Some people don't care about BMW's or cars but may care more about having $10 million in their retirement vs. $1 million and that makes them happy. Not a great analogy I know, but I would bet the house there is SOMETHING you enjoy that motivates you to accumulate wealth as a means to obtain it. Maybe not cars, but maybe a large college fund for the kiddos or that summer house.

All this said, I am glad I live in the US. Doesn't sound great over there.

[NGT2]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

Valid points all around. I am an optimist and I also consider myself somewhat of a chameleon. Personally, I went from 35 years of Financial Services to Fiber Optic Network Engineering (thank me for your 5G towers). I know NOTHING about engineering, but I can see opportunities in a changing landscape and it ain't rocket science. Just need to pay attention and have the motivation to pay attention. Technology changes, government priorities change, the value of an education has certainly changed since I graduated college where getting a degree was a meal ticket. I don't share that view anymore and I kind of poo poo'd it in the day. Just a waste of time and my career supports that. You either got it or you don't. My Economics and Finance degree meant shit in the real world. It did and still does come down to taking control of your own destiny and not putting it on the government or corporate structure to move you along. Technology is not the only industry in this country. Financial Services has been the backbone for quite some time, just to name one.

I still live and operate by the principals of my ancestors who came over on a boat, did not speak english and had no government welcoming them at the border with a driver's license, housing and a job. They were discriminated against by the english speaking Irish. What did they do? They rose up and took control and worked hard. They dug in, saved and bought real estate on a shoestring. Visionaries.

Too many people in this country looking for handouts that blame everyone else for lack of upward mobility. [...]

I’ve got an Econ & Finance undergrad degree and an MBA. Neither taught me any job skills. But both did shape how I think about business and markets and that’s been valuable. I’d say the Econ background and understanding of relationships and incentives in macro economies is the most valuable. That has shaped how I approach everything from business to parenting (the world works on incentives and every move creates new ones). I bet your education had a similar effect on your thinking, even without the job skills. The ambition is more natural.

That said - my advice to anyone that is technically inclined but doesn’t love school would be to master a real hands on skill. Plumbing, carpentry, electric, etc. And go take some business classes at a community college to learn how bookkeeping, taxes, financial statements, and debt work. By 35-40 years old, that person can have 5-10 employees (at least) and run a business rather than breaking his back working for someone else’s. Of course, that ambition has to be there, also. And not only will he have a great income and avoid breaking himself down physically, but he will have an asset (business) to sell in retirement or hand down to his heirs. THAT is how WEALTH is created in this country and it is available to EVERYONE.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by NGT2

I’ve got an Econ & Finance undergrad degree and an MBA. Neither taught me any job skills. But both did shape how I think about business and markets and that’s been valuable. I’d say the Econ background and understanding of relationships and incentives in macro economies is the most valuable. That has shaped how I approach everything from business to parenting (the world works on incentives and every move creates new ones). I bet your education had a similar effect on your thinking, even without the job skills. The ambition is more natural.

That said - my advice to anyone that is technically inclined but doesn’t love school would be to master a real hands on skill. Plumbing, carpentry, electric, etc. And go take some business classes at a community college to learn how bookkeeping, taxes, financial statements, and debt work. By 35-40 years old, that person can have 5-10 employees (at least) and run a business rather than breaking his back working for someone else’s. Of course, that ambition has to be there, also. And not only will he have a great income and avoid breaking himself down physically, but he will have an asset (business) to sell in retirement or hand down to his heirs. THAT is how WEALTH is created in this country and it is available to EVERYONE.

Yeah, you are probably right about college and my dismissal of it's value. I am sure somewhere in my early make-up I used it. Honestly though, I learned all the tactical stuff on the job. Organizational behavior is all on me.

90% of being successful in an organizational or sales environment is the ability to use interpersonal skills to negotiate to get people to agree to do what you are asking or want them to do. Whether it be sales or climbing the corporate ladder, it is somewhat of a game. The art, skill or ability to be compelling trumps everything. Sure you need both form and substance. If you are all form, you will get caught with your pants down quickly. If you are all substance, you ain't going nowhere because you have no social skills. 60% form and 40% substance will get you places, then just hire people more weighted towards what you are weak on.

Alright, I've shit on this thread that I forget what it was about. I will get off my soap box.


Having my oil changed Tuesday. Pretty sure the interval is 3k miles, will do the ceratec flush too, probably will cost me $250. I will be happy.

[lanlilan]

I generally change oil every 6 months, which is normally between 5-6000 miles.

I refresh the oil in the spring (coming out of winter) and then again in the fall (coming out of summer).

[Chappers 71]

Just out of curiosity what brand of oil do you frequent oil changes use?
With my G31 I’ll be using either Shell Helix Ultra or Castrol Edge, am unsure which yet as Shell was BMWs oil partner when the G3x range came out but BMW went back to Castrol in 2021 after only 5 years with Shell.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Chappers 71

Just out of curiosity what brand of oil do you frequent oil changes use?
With my G31 I’ll be using either Shell Helix Ultra or Castrol Edge, am unsure which yet as Shell was BMWs oil partner when the G3x range came out but BMW went back to Castrol in 2021 after only 5 years with Shell.

Liqui Moly

[lanlilan]

Liqui Moly is what my indy shop uses.

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

I think you are confusing happiness (for lack of better words) with materialism. People value different things. Some people don't care about BMW's or cars but may care more about having $10 million in their retirement vs. $1 million and that makes them happy. Not a great analogy I know, but I would bet the house there is SOMETHING you enjoy that motivates you to accumulate wealth as a means to obtain it. Maybe not cars, but maybe a large college fund for the kiddos or that summer house.

All this said, I am glad I live in the US. Doesn't sound great over there.

There are pluses and minuses to both Germany and the US. Although I am a US citizen, I am not sure I could return at this point, unless I got a nice piece of land out away from what passes as society these days. Very glad my kid is not being raised there.

The America I grew up in is long gone, unfortunately.

[Joe-BMW33]

Originally Posted by Neusser

There are pluses and minuses to both Germany and the US. Although I am a US citizen, I am not sure I could return at this point, unless I got a nice piece of land out away from what passes as society these days. Very glad my kid is not being raised there.

The America I grew up in is long gone, unfortunately.

The America I grew up in is long gone, the America my parents grew up in was long gone before me, etc.

I used to walk to school up hill both ways in the rain and snow😂. I only had three TV channels and my parents had the radio.

We are showing our crabby old age.

[Neusser]

Originally Posted by Joe-BMW33

The America I grew up in is long gone, the America my parents grew up in was long gone before me, etc.

I used to walk to school up hill both ways in the rain and snow��. I only had three TV channels and my parents had the radio.

We are showing our crabby old age.

Has nothing to do with old age in my case. We are on the precipice of losing it all.