Mate of mine says go for the 6 not the 4 cylinder
What it does say is "compulsive oil changes cause more engine damage than it prevents" and "3000 mile intervals are a huge waste of resources".
I'm with Karo 140%. It is a gigantic waste of money and resources to change the oil every 3-5k miles in these cars. The 135i recommends a change about once every 16,000 and the Benz once ever 13,000 - they both run the full length. The Benz doesn't have any engine problems, use any oil, etc at 93,600 miles and I've posted an analysis here before after a 13k change. I'll be doing so again soon, hopefully with the oil samples from 81k and 94k.
This might be beating a dead horse, but with oil changes it is crucial to use the proper "fleece" filter. It is a long-life filter and costs more than the regular paper filters. If you use the recommended oil but not the recommended filter, then you will have to change the oil much more frequently.

What it does say is "compulsive oil changes cause more engine damage than it prevents" and "3000 mile intervals are a huge waste of resources".
I'm with Karo 140%. It is a gigantic waste of money and resources to change the oil every 3-5k miles in these cars. The 135i recommends a change about once every 16,000 and the Benz once ever 13,000 - they both run the full length. The Benz doesn't have any engine problems, use any oil, etc at 93,600 miles and I've posted an analysis here before after a 13k change. I'll be doing so again soon, hopefully with the oil samples from 81k and 94k.

It is interesting that Benz has reduced the oil drain in the US to 10K in line with ROW on the W204.







