Most BMW owners have two things in common: they love their cars and they hate the service interval light. To encourage drivers to have their vehicles serviced only by certified mechanics or dealerships, most BMW engines track how many miles have been driven since the car was last serviced. After a few thousand miles, a light comes on indicating that the oil should be changed and the engine should be inspected. Unlike previous generations of the 3-Series, BMW E90 drivers do not need a special tool to reset this light if they choose to change the oil themselves.

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• Put the key in the ignition, but do not start the car. Press and hold the trip button while pressing the brakes and turn the key to the accessory mode position (do not turn the engine over).

• Continue holding the trip button until a triangle appears in place of the time display between the speedometer and the tachometer. You can now use the toggle switch on the turn signal control to cycle through the different service symbols. The symbol corresponding to the oil change intervals is an oil can.

• Once the symbol of the oil can is displayed on the screen, slide the tab labeled “BC” (for “board computer”) on the end of the turn signal stalk to bring up the word “RESET” on the panel. Once it is displayed, slide the BC tab a second time and hold it for about five seconds until the engine odometer display appears. The oil service interval has now been reset.

Tips & Warnings

• Using this same method, the service intervals for other components such as the brake pads can be reset as well. However, it is unwise to do so unless you are confident that such maintenance is not necessary at that time.

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