BMW 325i did one million miles nonstop day and night over 4 years
- A BMW 325i was run nonstop for one million miles
- The car was placed on a ‘rolling road’ for four years
- Engineers got a shock at the end of the experiment
Published on Jan 05, 2025 at 8:22 PM (UTC+4)
by Claire Reid
Last updated on Jan 06, 2025 at 10:40 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
Oil company Mobil ran a BMW 325i nonstop for four years until it had hit 1,000,000 miles – and discovered something interesting about its engine.
Back in 1990, US oil company Mobil snapped up the 2.5 liter BMW 325i and decided to really put it through its paces.
Over the next four years, the car ran nonstop – throughout the day and night.
It eventually hit a million miles and Mobil engineers took a look at its heavily used engine – where they made a fascinating discovery.
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Mobil ran the BMW 325i for four years nonstop
Getting a car into the million-mile club is no mean feat – just ask the owner of this Honda Insight who managed it earlier this year, or this bloke who was given a new car after hitting the one million mark in his Volvo.
And back in the 1990s, oil company Mobil managed to achieve it in a rather unusual way.
Rather than driving the car along US roads, the BMW 325i never left the garage.
It was placed on a rolling road that was set at a speed of 85mph and hooked up to a special fuel tank that could keep it going for the next four years.
During that time, the BMW was briefly stopped for recommended servicing and oil changes but other than that it was left to run until it eventually hit 1,000,000 miles – the equivalent of 40 trips around the world’s equator.
After it hit 1,000,000 miles engineers checked out its engine
Once it had hit the ambitious goal, engineers took the BMW off the rolling road and checked over the engine.
Somewhat incredibly, and despite racking up a million miles, the engineers found that the wear and tear to the engine was minimal.
“It was astounding. The engines looked like they were virtually new,” Mobil environmental engineer Bill Maxwell said at the time.
As you’d imagine, BMW and Mobil were very pleased with the outcome – the former because it showed how hard-wearing its engines were, and the latter as it proved its oils were up to the job.
Mobil used the unusual experiment to highlight the importance of regular oil checks – and top ups when required.
Maybe getting into the 1,000,000 mile club isn’t so hard after all…
Claire Reid is a journalist who hails from the UK but is now living in New Zealand. She began her career after graduating with a degree in Journalism from Liverpool John Moore’s University and has more than a decade of experience, writing for both local newspapers and national news sites. Across her career she's covered a wide variety of topics, including celebrity, cryptocurrency, politics, true crime and just about everything in between.
