# What oil do you use?



## flattothefloor (Feb 14, 2004)

Has anybody heard of mobil1 new 15k oil? i would never believe it would last that long.
my mobil1 0-40 must be changed after 3k my car sounds different. what cha think?


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

flattothefloor said:


> Has anybody heard of mobil1 new 15k oil? i would never believe it would last that long.
> my mobil1 0-40 must be changed after 3k my car sounds different. what cha think?


40 weight is thicker (at operating temp) than the factory recommends. Use the factory stuff, or Mobil 1 0w-30 or 5w-30 (BMW recommends 5w-30). There is generally no problem with using a lower weight oil when cold (0w instead of 5w), but I would not recommend using a thicker oil when running at operating temperature...(using 40w instead of 30w). This could raise your oil pressure beyond the design specification of the engine.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

540 M-Sport said:


> 40 weight is thicker (at operating temp) than the factory recommends. Use the factory stuff, or Mobil 1 0w-30 or 5w-30 (BMW recommends 5w-30). There is generally no problem with using a lower weight oil when cold (0w instead of 5w), but I would not recommend using a thicker oil when running at operating temperature...(using 40w instead of 30w). This could raise your oil pressure beyond the design specification of the engine.


There is not enough difference in thickness between 30 and 40 weight to cause pressure problems, I doubt you would see any significant increase with 50 wt. The most popular and certainly most marketed oils in Europe are 40 wt and that's what most people use in their bimmers over there. Mobil1's only oil meeting BMW LL-01 specs is 0W-40.


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## Tahoe (Jan 9, 2004)

To answer the question, What oil do you use? I use the recommended BMW synthetic and change it every 5k miles.


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## Ågent99 (Jan 7, 2002)

Believe it or not, buying your oil from your BMW dealer is about the best deal going. Usually you can get it for around $3-3.25/qt.

That said, I perfer to use Mobil1 Syn. 5W-30 in my 530i. Costco had some for $24/case (6 in a case) so not any special deal but not bad.


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## ketchup (Jan 14, 2005)

BMW 5W-30, even tho it may just be a bottle of castrol rebottled by BMW. I don't see why not to go with what BMW recommends unless it's the bare minimum and there's something better out there :dunno: .


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## mottati (Apr 15, 2003)

flattothefloor said:


> Has anybody heard of mobil1 new 15k oil? i would never believe it would last that long.
> my mobil1 0-40 must be changed after 3k my car sounds different. what cha think?


I've seen the mobil 1 ad for their 15k oil, and i think it's just standard mobil one. Years and years ago, mobil used to advertise their mobil 1 synthetic as being good for 25k! I'd imagine most synthetics will last that long.

I also agree that there's no reason not to use the bmw recommended oil, a while back, someone posted a spreadsheet over on roadfly of a breakdown of components of various oils and the bmw synthetic was different than off the shelf castrol syntec.
Mike


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## Alamo (Sep 17, 2004)

Amsoil 15-50


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

5W-30 BMW synthetic even though made by Castrol is indeed a completely different formulation than 5W-30 Syntec. Major differences are higher TBN (shows the amount of active additive in oil) and higher HT/HS number (how thick the oil is under extreme conditions -high temperature/high sheer). It also meets ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 specs that Syntec does not. This oil is nothing special but is no worse than Mobil 1 and at $3.80/qt (list) is a steal.

New Mobil 1 Extended Protection is not the same as regular oil according to ExxonMobil:
"These formulations with the Advanced SuperSyn System contain 50 percent more SuperSyn, 36 percent more anti-wear additives, and 37 percent more cleaning agents than the current Mobil 1." Whether or not its worth the extra money is to be seen.


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

ketchup said:


> BMW 5W-30, even tho it may just be a bottle of castrol rebottled by BMW. I don't see why not to go with what BMW recommends unless it's the bare minimum and there's something better out there :dunno: .


Agreed, that is why I have three cases of the BMW factory stuff in my garage.....


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

F1Crazy said:


> There is not enough difference in thickness between 30 and 40 weight to cause pressure problems, I doubt you would see any significant increase with 50 wt. The most popular and certainly most marketed oils in Europe are 40 wt and that's what most people use in their bimmers over there. Mobil1's only oil meeting BMW LL-01 specs is 0W-40.


The "30" or "40" designation is only a generalization...as you are aware, you must read the actual specs to see what the actual viscosity is at both cold start and operating temperature. Same with the lower spec...there are some "0W" weight oils that are thicker than some "5W" oils at cold start.....

It is difficult to say what differences one would actually see, since the E39 series has no oil pressure gauge. I have seen some change both at start up, and operating temp, by varying the type of oils I have used in my Ferraris, which do have an oil pressure gauge.


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## 540 M-Sport (Apr 23, 2004)

F1Crazy said:


> 5W-30 BMW synthetic even though made by Castrol is indeed a completely different formulation than 5W-30 Syntec. Major differences are higher TBN (shows the amount of active additive in oil) and higher HT/HS number (how thick the oil is under extreme conditions -high temperature/high sheer). It also meets ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 specs that Syntec does not. This oil is nothing special but is no worse than Mobil 1 and at $3.80/qt (list) is a steal.
> 
> New Mobil 1 Extended Protection is not the same as regular oil according to ExxonMobil:
> "These formulations with the Advanced SuperSyn System contain 50 percent more SuperSyn, 36 percent more anti-wear additives, and 37 percent more cleaning agents than the current Mobil 1." Whether or not its worth the extra money is to be seen.


One could also find out some of the details of what differences there might be in the additive packages by comparing copies of the Material Safety Data Sheets for each product of interest.


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## guanabara (Feb 24, 2005)

Yeah they are finally coming up to speed to the quality of the first synthetic oil made in the USA by AMSOIL, who has had an oil formulation rated for 35,000 miles (not Km) or 1 year.

It is about time , eventhough my experience with that oil tells me it is not good for more than 8 months or 8000 miles.

Oil is quite a complex thing. It is not only the miles. The time is also important as the oil is allways evaporating.
The evaporation rate is one of the parameters used to grade oils. In general they must not exceed 15% volume evaporation in their expected useful life in an engine.

AMSOIL oils usually evaporate at hald that rate and consequently maintain their viscosity specs longer and that way protect the engine better for much longer than anything out there.

Check their web site at:

http://synthetic-oil-tech.com/1265580

just select online order and then type "european" in the search window. You will see the 1 and 12qt sizes of the european specs oil displayed. Those oils are for the regular replace cycle used by the car's computer. They do have a formulation that as I said can go up to 35000 miles or 1 year without replacement, even though the oil filter element would still need to be replaced at 6 months intervals.

If you will be buying for a few cars than it might pay to spend $10 to sign-up to their wholesale customer program where you get the same discount as direct distributors.

Check it out. I have used it and have been a happy camper ever since I switched the oil brand. The car performance improvement and engine running smoothness is visible quite quickly.

AMSOIL is all made in the USA. They were the first company to offer synthetic oil in the 70s, when all "experts" laughed at them. The owner was a fighter pilot who had the vision to see that if the fighter jets he was using was being lubricated with synthetic oils for a long period, then that same similar oil formulation should have worked well for cars. He has proven his point many times over by having now a well respected company around the oil market.

They are the only known company who will offer a statement in the bottle label indicating some of their oil performance for up to 35000 miles or 1 year.

So if you thing 15000 miles is a long time between oil changes, keep in mind that it is not only miles but time also that affects their performance as oil evaporates given timeand can get quite thicker than the original viscosity. AMSOIL oils on average evaporate at half the rate of even the supersyn premium oils you see on the auto store shelves.

MB has started to recommend a new filter element made out of a fleece material instead of paper. It has better filtering properties and resists the stresses of the engine for longer time.

So the AMSOIL brand products can easily cover the manufacturer automated service reminder period, but in any case the filter alone should be replaced every 6 months to keep the oil clean.

check them out.

This oil is well known by people who work in the aviation industry ( I had 2 pilot friends tell me about it for quite a while before I decided to investigate it) , as even the cicil aviation small planes use similar oil formulations to keep them running under the stress and reliability demands for those kinds of engines.


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

Hmm, if the $6/qt Amsoil lasts for only 8,000 miles then I don't see a reason to pick it over $4/qt BMW synthetic that lasts as long as proven by used oil analysis I've done on oil from my car. Amsoil produces some great oils but not all of them are such stellar performers to justify the price difference over the top OTC synthetics.
IMNSHO of course


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## GJR (Jan 6, 2003)

F1Crazy said:


> Mobil1's only oil meeting BMW LL-01 specs is 0W-40.


I just bought 9 quarts of Mobil 1 5w30...from what you said I guess I should take it back and just get the BMW stuff to be safe, correct?


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## F1Crazy (Dec 11, 2002)

GJR said:


> I just bought 9 quarts of Mobil 1 5w30...from what you said I guess I should take it back and just get the BMW stuff to be safe, correct?


Mobil 1 5W-30 is not extended drain oil, it doesn't meet ACEA A3/B3 specs that BMW LL-01 specs are based on. I think you can use it if you plan on changing it early, many people on this board do with no problems. Next time I'd get oil that meets all the specs like BMW synthetic or in local stores you'll find Mobil 1 0W-40 and Castrol Syntec 0W-30, just check the listing on the back of the bottle.


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## dagoo98 (Apr 23, 2004)

Tahoe said:


> To answer the question, What oil do you use? I use the recommended BMW synthetic and change it every 5k miles.


That is exactly what I do. :thumbup:


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## avibhogal (May 29, 2006)

The owners manaul specifies 15w-40 during temperatures of 50 deg F and above and 5w-30 at lower temperatures. This is from my 1997 BMW 528i's owners manual pages 114 and 115. I picked up some 15w-40 today since its summer and the temps have been above 75 deg on an average. The only thing I think of is 15w-40 is rated for diesel and gasoline engines. It meets API SJ standards that are higher than API SG standards. I will be calling Castrol tomorrow to make sure that this oil either meets or exceeds the standards.


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## chivas (Aug 31, 2002)

F1Crazy said:


> Hmm, if the $6/qt Amsoil lasts for only 8,000 miles then I don't see a reason to pick it over $4/qt BMW synthetic that lasts as long as proven by used oil analysis I've done on oil from my car. Amsoil produces some great oils but not all of them are such stellar performers to justify the price difference over the top OTC synthetics.
> IMNSHO of course


it's actually cheaper if you are an Amsoil member.

either way, i'm not going to renew my amsoil membership but i am going to stock up on their euro-blend oil.

i find oil to be one of those things that doesn't go bad so keeping an unopened case in the garage is fine for the next 2 years or so.

you know, it's not a matter of which oil you use but it's more of the anti-wear chemical that's put in (whatever it's called). believe it or not, Rotella on the shelf of Walmart that's dirt cheap is actually really good synthetic oil.

think of it like laptops. when someone that doesn't know asks which laptops to get, i'll bet you there's going to be someone that says Dell. whlie Dell does offer some decent laptops, there are better laptops then Dell and cheaper spec for spec. I personally have an Acer laptop which is cheaper then a Dell counter-part and faster (when i first got it). Let's not forget Dell DOES NOT make laptops. they just rebrand them and load them up with bloat-ware because without bloat-ware, it's just not a Dell. are dell's crap laptops? not really but for the money, you can get something better. same with oil. I'm not sure which is cheaper but BMW doesn't make oil, they just rebranded Castrol. Is BMW oil crap? not really. are there better ones out there for the price? yep.

i would put oil like Amsoil and Royal Purple in the same class as IBM laptops (well, before Lenovo; i don't know if Lenovo has dropped the quality of Thinkpads but i really hope not). They may cost more but there are some advantages to them. I've personally had 20% increase in fuel economy (all things being equal) when i switched from M1 synth to RP synth in my 300ZX twinturbo. is that saying M1 isn't good. nope but there are just better oil out there only if you are willing to pay for it.


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## Maximus57 (May 13, 2005)

The oil filler cap on my 330 states " BMW recommends Castrol". Why would I want to use just oil from BMW?


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## Maximus57 (May 13, 2005)

Tahoe said:


> To answer the question, What oil do you use? I use the recommended BMW synthetic and change it every 5k miles.


Does BMW recommend changing the oil every 5K? I can't believe some of the answers I'm seeing on this post. "I must use BMW oil, because BMW recommends it" But you discount the fact that BMW also recommends the oil change at 1 year or 15,000K Oh, but that's just for new BMW's because BMW is paying for it, I don't think so. So, BMW is full of S*%@ when it comes to their recommendations of oil change intervals, Right?


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## gtx510 (Aug 7, 2006)

GC
German Castrol *0W30* 
$5.50/qt at Autozone

It's better than the BMW Hi-Po oil and M1 0W40.

Amsoil's good stuff but I think I'd use Redline 5W40 instead, even though it doesn't meet BMW's LL-01 specs.

Next I might try some Liqui-Moly 5W40 after a treatment of Auto-RX and dino oil.

www.interautopartssd.com/liquimoly.php

www.auto-rx.com

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=forum;f=51 Euro oil forum

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=forum;f=5 Auto-RX info


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## Andrew*Debbie (Jul 2, 2004)

flattothefloor said:


> Has anybody heard of mobil1 new 15k oil? i would never believe it would last that long.
> my mobil1 0-40 must be changed after 3k my car sounds different. what cha think?


Sythetic oil lasts longer than convential oil.

Years ago Consumer Reports ran extensive tests with the then current conventional oils. They found no difference in engine wear between 3K and 6K oil changes. In my opinion changing Mobil1 every 3K is as usefull as burning $20 bills.

Here is what we do/use.

1990 535i. 10w-40 Castrol GTX. I change it when the indicator goes to yellow or every 6 months, whichever comes first. We used to run 20-50 in the hot San Diego summers, but I've since decided the car runs better on 10w-40 year round.

2004 325i. BMW Synthetic from the dealer. Yearly oil changes as recommended in the manual. So far the car is fine.

2006 Mazda MX-5 5w-20 conventional oil changed every 4 months/5K miles as recomeded by Mazda. Personally, I think that's a bit excessive but I'm doing it to prevent any future warranty issues.

Andrew


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## gtx510 (Aug 7, 2006)

I don't like the new Mobil! EP 15k oil. It's rather high in suldated ash like HDEO so it could cause very harmful (abrasive) deposits. And I just can't bring myself to go past 10k on oil, the additives are about gone, the oil could have thinned out from fuel dilution, heat could have sheared it..


7-8k on a good synthetic is what most people do. So people have run it out to 10k with UOA testing and the BMW oil was about dead, barely any addiitves left. And when you realize hat they count the additives in PPM (parts per MILLION), 100-200ppm isn't ****.


I wouldn't run 5k on dino oil, not it you want to keep your car uber-happy. 


These are your cars and you can run baby oil in them if you want.....


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## truelies (Apr 15, 2006)

I am using BMW synthetic oil, changed oil while the light turn yellow or two years just follow the manual. It's about 15,000 miles. I don't understand why need to do it early?


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## AzNMpower32 (Oct 23, 2005)

Our X3 gets the BMW oil with the oil changes, Castrol Syntec in between. 5w-30 since 5w-40 wasn't sold at the store.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

truelies said:


> I am using BMW synthetic oil, changed oil while the light turn yellow or two years just follow the manual. It's about 15,000 miles. I don't understand why need to do it early?


Actually should be every year or when the lights turn yellow.

Some people feel the need to do more. In some cases it is not necessary, but if it makes them feel better, then go for it. No documented problems with people using the BMW intervals. Even back in the conventional oil days and 9K oil change intervals.


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## gtx510 (Aug 7, 2006)

AzNMpower32 said:


> Our X3 gets the BMW oil with the oil changes, Castrol Syntec in between. 5w-30 since 5w-40 wasn't sold at the store.


Castrol Syntec 0W30 is better than the BMW 5W30, and the other Castrol Syntecs.
And it's the only Syntec that's LL-01 approved. Get it at Autozone.


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## gtx510 (Aug 7, 2006)

truelies said:


> I am using BMW synthetic oil, changed oil while the light turn yellow or two years just follow the manual. It's about 15,000 miles. I don't understand why need to do it early?


Short answer is oil doesn't last 15k miles.
Changing it at 7-8k makes for a happier engine. :thumbup:


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## dwagner74 (Mar 11, 2006)

Pinecone said:


> Actually should be every year or when the lights turn yellow.
> 
> Some people feel the need to do more. In some cases it is not necessary, but if it makes them feel better, then go for it. No documented problems with people using the BMW intervals. Even back in the conventional oil days and 9K oil change intervals.


I have posted this before, and at the risk of beating a dead horse:

http://theoildrop.server101.com/cgi/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=008933;p=0

The problem with sludge is that it does not show up until the car is approaching high mileage. MB has had sludge problems. VW. Toyota. The list goes on.

A conservative oil change interval might cost me $500ish over the life of the car. A sludged engine....many, many times that.


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## Pinecone (Apr 3, 2002)

And were these changes at least every year? Lots of people forget that it is 15K miles (nominal based on gas used) OR EVERY YEAR.

And why was the engine apart? What problems showed up?

I also know of well over 100K mile BMWs that were serviced only according to the service indicator without any problems. As always YMMV.


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## ThatOneGuy (Nov 18, 2005)

Castrol TWS 10-60.


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## AzNMpower32 (Oct 23, 2005)

gtx510 said:


> Castrol Syntec 0W30 is better than the BMW 5W30, and the other Castrol Syntecs.
> And it's the only Syntec that's LL-01 approved. Get it at Autozone.


Autozones are few and far between in my area. What I've got here is Advance Auto Parts and a Pep Boys. I do know the indy shop I get my X3 serviced at carries what seems to be the european castrol (it looks different from anything I've seen) and 0W-30. However, the next oil change will be paid by BMW.......Inspection I.


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## gtx510 (Aug 7, 2006)

I've heard yes and no on Advanced Auto having GC. It's cool that you mechanic knows about it. The newer stuff does say Euro formula on the front of the bottle, and still says made in Germany on the back.

You might be able to find a local Autozone store at www.autozone.com/servlet/UiBroker?UseCase=ST001&UserAction=displayStoreLocator


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