[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

310,000 miles on BMW 5W-30 and OE filters. Just did my 23 oil change yesterday.

Wow nice.. very well taken care of.. I aspire for that kind of mileage in my vehicle

[Carbon.F30]

Originally Posted by 0w40X1

If you look up viscosity weights you'll see that some 0w30, 5w30, and 0w40 are all about the same viscosity at operating temp
.
.
.
It seems that there are many oils out now that won't hurt engine, but aren't necessarily spec'd for them.

That's interesting, I don't know if I understood correctly, but what you're saying is that you can technically use any oil, and since they're so similar it won't damage your engine. To my understanding, if the oil is not specified for your engine (you use a thicker engine oil than specified or thinner one), won't that damage your engine because of the oil is too thick it won't flow and if it's too thin, it's not going to be effective in preventing friction.

[Carbon.F30]

Originally Posted by 0w40X1

I'm using Mobil 1 till they pry it from my cold dead hands. LOL

To the previous posts. I was a fuel and oil distributor for Exxon, and I tested the factory fill in my X1 s28i. It was very good, and nil break in metals.

I changed to Mobil 1 0w40, and then, changed back to 5w30 BMW for the free oil change.

I'd say you could run half of each if you wanted. After studying 0w40 to death, it has just about the right thickness for anything unless someone says they have super tight engine, and needs thinner 0w20. I'm in hot desert, and I'm never running 0w20 even though many cars can get good lab results.

This difference is: if you drive4 for economy everywhere 0w20 might work, but if you're gonna try out the high power part of car 0w40 is about as thin as it should be.

I'm pretty sure nobody has made a fake Mobil 1 for Wallyworld. Mobi wouldn't stand for it, and like their fuel they buy and test their stuff out in the market place.

Ah I see, so do you find that there is a difference in how the car drives on a 0w- vs a 5w-?

[0w40X1]

Originally Posted by nrajput

Ah I see, so do you find that there is a difference in how the car drives on a 0w- vs a 5w-?

No. I even have a scanguage that monitors hp, boost, mpg, coolant temp, etc.

I drained my X1 s28i at 5k miles to get an oil sample, so it ran on 0w40 for 5k more miles until BMW dealer wanted to give it an oil change.

I sent off sample to Blackstone Labs, and the report showed the factory fill to be very good oil with almost no wear in metals.

Factory fill 5w30 was about 10 cst @100 deg C while 0w40 runs about 12 cst, and 5w40's like T6 are about 14 cst @100 deg C thick.

I can't see any trouble with any of these weights, but I continually see best reports on Mobil 1 0w40 on various cars
at BITOG.com

[0w40X1]

The oil weights I described are sort of mix and match on lots of cars.

Mobil 1 0w30 isn't up to the task of heat like its' 0w40 for example, but 0w30 Castrol would be.

Most of the specs come about with being TESTED in the car, and getting car company to LIKE your oil.

In other words, specs are more concerned with the chemistry of additives to stop acid corrosion, and sludge.

I used to sell oils for machinery, and from reading specs the engineers were not that good at picking the BEST oil, just something adequate ( maybe some planned obsolescence going on).

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by SackOHammers

Several places I have read as I state above. LL4 is for euro gasoline and LL1 is for US gasoline which has higher sulpher content and can break it down faster.

Let's not forget that there are oilers owners reading this forum, and LL-04 is required for us (F3x 28d, E90 335d, E70 X5d, even F10 35d.) You can actually use LL-04 in gasoline engines, but you can't go the full 10K/15K OCI and must sample your oil to determine the lifetime (they start with a lower TBN). My guess would be a 5K or 7.5K OCI would be ok in a gas engine with LL-04.

All this is going to change as EPA ratchets down the allowed sulfur in gasoline in the next few years.

On the viscosity front, BMW's LL specs restrict the stated viscosity range to 0 or 5 on the cold side, and 30-40 on the hot side. There's hardly a difference IMHO on what you choose.

[E90Fleet]

BMW's official word on LL-04 oils in Petrol (gas) engines

BMW Longlife-04

BMW Longlife-04 engine oils were developed to guarantee an optimum service life of the particulate filters in diesel engines.

BMW Longlife-04 engine oils are released worldwide for all diesel engines with and without particulate filter.

BMW Longlife-04 engine oils are approved for petrol engines only for the region Europe including Norway, Switzerland and Liechtenstein.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

I'm stickin with European Formula Castrol until someone satisfies LL-14

BMW Branded LL-14FE and both Fuchs Titan GT1 EVI 0W-20 and MOTOREX CONCEPT B-XL 0W-20 are LL-14 FE+ approved.

[jpnh]

Originally Posted by nrajput

I saw the 0W40 in the OM and that's what I'm running right now. Seems to be pretty fuel efficient, and to my understanding they also call it BMW longlife 01 on the label. So here are the next questions:

Would it be okay to mix different oil? Let's say for argument's sake your dealer put 0w40 and you top up with 5w30 which is listed on the OM, would that matter at all?

Would it be better to have a thinner oil, or a thicker oil?

Also, would the oil viscosity change based on seasons or use the same year round? Should we be switching our oil to thicker/thinner ones through the winter vs. Summer?

Dont mix oils

Different oils have different additive packages

Mixing them can negatively impact their ability to protect your engine.

In fact....your best bet is to pick a quality oil and stick with that brand for the life of the car

You will get longest life/least wear following this regimen assuming you are changing at an appropriate interval

If you want to demonstrate/track condition of engine then do engine oil analysis with blackstone

http://www.blackstone-labs.com/

Oil analysis can also help you determine what the proper oil change interval is based on climate and your driving habits

Analysis can give you an idea of whats going on with break in as well as tell you when you are beginning to see components/gaskets/other failures begin before they are catastrophic expensive problems........dealers also appreciate the info because then they have indisputable proof of a problem and warranty work gets a lot easier to justify

[123Britt]

Reasons for Choosing PP EURO ~ N55:
.
Runs Clean (GTL is cleaner & supports valve cleanliness*)
Low NOACK *
Availability
LL-01
A little thick but supports DI dilution
Good Blackstone Reports
Pour Point is nearly as good as Zero Weight oil -- supports Alabama Climate
High Flash Point*
Recommended by Pennzoil for N55

[BODBR01]

Always used pure Group 4 full Group 4 synthetic Amsoil 0w40. Meets/exceeds BMW LL-01. Read up on Amsoil and you will be convinced as well. In the LiqiMoly class or better. Use it in racing Shelby for many years as well. Engine will run smoother, less friction and cooler operating temps.

[Gamb1t]

Originally Posted by paliknight

My dealer keeps putting 5W30 garbage in my F82

IIRC BMW's motor oil are relabeled Castrol or Shell now. So why the hate?

With reduced OCI, I don't think LL01 designation matters. Coincidentally the 5w40 oils I use are LL01 anyway.

[N52UNED]

Mobil 1

I've called around to all my local shops that specialize in BMW ... they all use Mobil 1

My local Bosh shop that specializes in BMW and Merc did a lab test of Mobil 1 vs BMW labeled oil ... the Mobil 1 came back more favorable from testing.

This is fine by me ... my local shop charges only about $20 more for a oil change and filter than I can buy BMW oil and a filter online and do the work myself. I'll gladly pay the nominal fee every 10k miles than bother doing it myself, and not having to bother with disposing of the used oil. Plus they do a quick check and top off anything, as needed, including tire pressure.

So for a small fee above doing it myself, and having to drop off my vehicle ... it's nice to have the peace of mind that it's being checked over.

[paliknight]

Originally Posted by Gamb1t

IIRC BMW's motor oil are relabeled Castrol or Shell now. So why the hate?

With reduced OCI, I don't think LL01 designation matters. Coincidentally the 5w40 oils I use are LL01 anyway.

Hate against the weight not the brand.

[kitesurfer]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

310,000 miles on BMW 5W-30 and OE filters. Just did my 23 oil change yesterday.

Nice! on what motor? any leaking seals or seal replacements needed along the way?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by kitesurfer

Nice! on what motor? any leaking seals or seal replacements needed along the way?

'06 N52. All of the typical gaskets. 329,000 by the end of this week.

[insanecoder]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

'06 N52. All of the typical gaskets. 329,000 by the end of this week.

Hows the electricals holding up?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by insanecoder

Hows the electricals holding up?

I've detailed ownership via threads at 200,000, 265,000, and 300,000 miles. You can find all the answers in those threads.

But in short the radio faceplate fades with heat, and the alternator went tits up about 320,000 miles. I'm on my second battery, 1 one factory delivered and 1 replacement.

[F30inthe6ix]

Whatever the dealership puts into their F30s with N20 engines such as mine is what I'm currently running.

Have not looked much into upgrading or changing the engine oil, so hopefully reading the entirety of this thread could give me some insight into whether or not I should, and what to consider if I do make the switch.

[IllSic_Design]

LiquiMoly Longtime High Tech 5w-30 here, 149k.

[alex2364]

Whatever the dealer puts in.

[Caddyshk]

Originally Posted by R3dliner

you might want to post this on the 335 page.
BMW recently switched from Castrol to shell now on the 10W60. People here with M's are limited to those and Liquid Moly

News to me? Been running Red Line for a number of years now. 10w60 for 3 years and 15w50 for the last 2. Lots of folks are switching to Motul.