[WTFBRUHM3]

Had my oil changed at my local BMW indy last week as they were having a $99 special. Maybe I am nitpicking but I just noticed that the green marking on the oil filter housing is much further away from the marking on the cover then my last oil change. Is the cover designed to be like this after many oil changes? I have since put 300 miles and there are no signs of leaks. Maybe it's just my ocd kicking in lol

[AWF87M2]

It looks like the mechanic may have over tightened it slightly by a quarter of a turn which shouldn't be an issue if there are no leaks after 300 miles. I'm a perfectionist and always make sure it lines up perfectly when I do my own oil change. You can easily fix this by slowly turning the cover counter clock wise with a oil filter wrench so the dots line up follow by torquing it to spec. Hope that helps.

[HighlandPete]

If torqued to spec', with a new O-ring, how do you expect the marks to line up 'exactly' every oil change? Any difference in O-ring tolerance and/or torque tolerance (within spec') will mean it can be different.

[eduardomi]

Originally Posted by AWF87M2

It looks like the mechanic may have over tightened it slightly by a quarter of a turn which shouldn't be an issue if there are no leaks after 300 miles. I'm a perfectionist and always make sure it lines up perfectly when I do my own oil change. You can easily fix this by slowly turning the cover counter clock wise with a oil filter wrench so the dots line up follow by torquing it to spec. Hope that helps.

I respectfully disagree with your advice. If the tech went too far tightening the cap, most likely he over-pressed the o-ring and/or plastic threads in the cap. Loosening the cap could (even if done slowly) could lead to oil leaks. If OP is really concerned about green marks lining up he would need to replace the o-ring and re tight but still there is no guarantee that the marks will line-up. Materials change overtime, heat affects integrity, parts wear, as far as it is up to torque specs, disregard the green marks.

My 2 cents.

[AWF87M2]

Not necessarily. I used this method couple times before to make sure the marking lines up and never experienced any leaks thousand of miles later. If the marks not lining up really bothers the op and his car has not shown any signs of leaking for hundreds of miles around the filter housing, he could carefully remove the oil filter cap with a socket filter wrench and rachet, follow by reseating the assembly and tighten all the way hand and torque to the BMW given specs which is roughly 22ft lb. Using a new o ring isn't needed if the op isn't experiencing any leaks. In the op's case it seems like the mechanic slightly over tightened it with a strap filter wrench meant to be used on covers that are old or rusted, which in most cases causes the filter to be over tightened by a quarter to half a turn.

Originally Posted by eduardomi

I respectfully disagree with your advice. If the tech went too far tightening the cap, most likely he over-pressed the o-ring and/or plastic threads in the cap. Loosening the cap could (even if done slowly) could lead to oil leaks. If OP is really concerned about green marks lining up he would need to replace the o-ring and re tight but still there is no guarantee that the marks will line-up. Materials change overtime, heat affects integrity, parts wear, as far as it is up to torque specs, disregard the green marks.

My 2 cents.