An M5 that isn't driven often —
is an oil change enough?

Why Annual Maintenance Matters Even at Low Mileage

This is a 2020 BMW M5 F90. The customer has brought it in for maintenance every year since 2022, and this year's odometer reading is 21,503km — 1,314km more than last year's record.

The M5 is a high-performance model built for strong acceleration and cornering. With a car like this, how it has been driven matters as much as how far. If you enjoy dynamic driving, the engine and drivetrain oils and the wheel and tire condition need closer attention.

Many M5 owners have a very finely tuned feel for driving. They notice small vibrations, steering response, and subtle differences under acceleration before anything else. Sometimes they point out that something feels different from usual before our equipment confirms it.

That is why NHC holds the driving feel of a high-performance car like the M5 to a far higher standard than an ordinary passenger car. Beyond whether anything is broken, we look closely at residual vibration, steering feel, and smoothness under acceleration. To keep the driving feel you expect over the long term, we review the service history together with the car's current condition every year.

This time as well, we serviced the engine and drivetrain oils and checked how the replaced wheels rotated. That does not mean every part is replaced every year. After inspecting the condition, we separate the work needed now from the items to check next time.

On this M5, the front toe was set to 1.0mm on both left and right in 2023; by 2024 it had shifted to 0.1 / 1.4mm. You can see the year-by-year alignment figures and the before-and-after photos in the 5-year maintenance record.

We Checked the Engine Oil and the Drivetrain Oils Separately

We replaced the engine oil, the oil filter, and the cabin filter. In the technician's on-site assessment, the drained engine oil was no worse than at the previous service. The transfer case oil, however, looked different.

“The transfer case oil was a lot dirtier than I expected.”Assessment from the technician who inspected this M5

Oil condition comparison

We drained the oil into containers to compare color and contamination.

This service extended to the transfer case and both the front and rear differentials. BMW G4-spec oil was used in the rear differential. We select the product according to where it goes, and review the previous change record together with the condition of the oil drained this time.

We used MOTOREX FS 0W-40 engine oil, carried out a ring-cleaning treatment with BG EPR, and added BG MOA engine oil treatment.

The front differential received a G2-spec MOTOREX product, while the rear differential received genuine BMW G4-spec oil.

Factory dashcam and battery drain while parked

The factory dashcam was suspected as a source of battery drain, so we recommended replacing it. As the owner has a dedicated parking location, we also advised switching parking mode off.

The diagnostic scan recorded power-management codes 030E08 and 030E06. These findings formed part of the assessment behind the dashcam replacement and parking-mode advice.

The Replaced Wheels Had an Issue to Check as Well

One of the things that changed this year is the wheels. While checking how they rotated, vertical movement appeared, and the equipment displayed a warning indicating a possible centering problem or rim deformation.

We checked the wheel mounting and spun it again, but the vertical movement remained. This alone does not establish the cause. Given the M5’s intended use and the measurements, however, it needed attention. We explained the findings to the customer and recommended inspection and corrective action by the wheel supplier.

We will also look at the Road Force measurement screen recorded separately. The photo and the video below are each separate inspection records; they are not presented as consecutive measurements of the same wheel.

Road force is the variation in force under load, while runout is the dimensional deviation as the wheel turns. In the photo, the road force exceeded the display limit, but the rim runout of 0.64mm is within the display limit. The two items must be read separately.

What to Check Before Enjoying the M5's Performance

If a wheel and tire assembly does not rotate evenly, the steering wheel can shake at certain speeds, or vibration can carry through to the body. To the driver, it can feel as though the car no longer runs smoothly and the ride has become coarse.

Because the M5 is a car made to be driven hard, the irregularity found this time needs to have its cause identified and its repair confirmed.

We reported our findings to the customer and recommended that the shop involved take action.

Completed Work and What to Check Next

Next time, we can confirm what was done about the wheels and carry out any recheck that is needed. This is why we reexamine the car's condition each year even when we already know what was done before.

See five years of M5 maintenance records since 2022 →

Frequently Asked Questions