[hellokitty]

Looks like Pennzoil just released a new formulation of their LL-01 approved 5w-40. Apparently this meets SN+ spec. No wonder they were getting rid of their old stock at $5/quart some time ago.

Pennzoil 550051120-6PK Platinum Euro Full Synthetic 5W-40 Motor Oil, 1 Quart, 6 Pack

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07TXFCC3Q..._1eglEbNB243S8

[Sophisticated Redneck]

Liqui Moly Leichtlauf High Tech Engine Oil 5w40 with 1.5 Cans Liqui Moly Mos2 additive every 7-10K.

150,000 Miles on this N63 in a X5 that is driven hard in the Arizona heat.

I have taken it down to due the valve guide seals and clean the carbon buildup on everything from the notorious leaking valve guide seals the N63 suffers from.

Cam journals and cylinder walls look excellent.

IMHO BMW turbo engines need 5-40 due to the high operating temps, I noticed immediate smoother running when I switched to it.

[Mintsopoulos]

Amsoil.

[BMWBig6]

Does anybody know if BMW's own branded BMW LL-01 FE 0W-30 (part number 83-21-2-450-384) is synthetic or not, or some kind of blend?

[heavyD^2]

Originally Posted by BMWBig6

Does anybody know if BMW's own branded BMW LL-01 FE 0W-30 (part number 83-21-2-450-384) is synthetic or not, or some kind of blend?

If it's a 0W oil then it's made from synthetic base stock and is not blended with dyno oil.

[BMWBig6]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

If it's a 0W oil then it's made from synthetic base stock and is not blended with dyno oil.

Good to know, thank you!

[BMWILUVU]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

If it's a 0W oil then it's made from synthetic base stock and is not blended with dyno oil.

That's not true and even not true of all 0W-20.

[m3username]

Originally Posted by BMWBig6

Does anybody know if BMW's own branded BMW LL-01 FE 0W-30 (part number 83-21-2-450-384) is synthetic or not, or some kind of blend?

According to some random website on the internet all LL-01's *are* fully synthetic but I wasn't able to find anything definitive.

[Musashi]

Originally Posted by Carbon.F30

Hello everyone,

This is just a general question. BMW has four options for engine oil and I'm sure as many of us are aware, you have to top up your engine oil occasionally between oil changes. BMW recommends Castrol engine oil (according to the knob in the engine bay). So my question is: What oil do you prefer for your BMW, and what would be best for an F30 335i when it comes to topping up? (ie: do you have a brand/viscosity preference and why?)

I dedicated over 110,000 kms experimenting with various oil batches, and learned that only the top, Approved (BMW Approved, letter stamped) oils really work well with our engines. therefore, what works exceptionalyl well, as in feather smooth engine RPm over the entire powerband, smoother gear changes as a result etc is

- FUCHS DEU 0W-40 and 30
- Liqui Molly Leightlauf High Tech Liqui Molly 5W-40, DEU made
- Approved Motul DEU

Take Molygem says BMW LL-01 on it. is it so? no.. December 2020 discovered that that it is NOT approved nor certified by BMW, and it is a bit of a ..marketing thing? became aware vis communication with Liqui Molly DEU and North America after a 20,000 kms experiment with two Molygen batches, and a broader 80,000 km trial of several oils in my cars, and the occasional BMW lower shipped with DEU factory oil.

Molygen is piss poor for a BMW. Safe, yes, but a performance edge killer, sedating the top 10-15% of any inline six. You may get to the eventual Pmax output, but how you get there, the engine's torque along the RPM powerband per gear, is a different story. My mechanic, a V12 BMW rebuilder, also cautioned me that North American oils and most variation are different than the EU versions. An oil may be Made in Germany but with NA additives, thus altering its properties ever so slightly. "If you can tell, you will find the DEU version far smoother" he told me...

In the two Molygen batches I ran, the engine felt sedated when cold, and iffyiish when warmed up. Course esp when cold. Had to push the throttle on the highway. 10-15% hesitant at the very top of the power band per gear? And esp when 5C, 0C -10C cold really sedated and slightly hesitant, fighting internal resistance. It was ok when warmed, but it felt leagues below when new, and less than in 2017 when i ran Liqui Molly Showing Leichtlauf.

Dec 2020, I had my Molygen observations memorized, Blackstone results to confirm no issues, and switched to DEU Fuchs. It was like getting a new engine, a refined smoothness, feather like pedal responsiveness that I had only felt with DEU stock oil (2014), Leightlauff in 2017, and now, Dec 2020. Although 111,000 kms, my car responded as I knew it at its best. Each gear change smoother. Cold, all the way to -20C, smooth! No hesitancy, no resistance, no pressure. Turbos? Whiirrrr responsive.

No, not all oils are created equals. I would not trust Castrol for performance. I am sure it protects but not necessarily deliver the goodies in torque..

[iqraceworks]

Not that I’m trying to disprove your results…….but I honestly think a lot of times people suffer from the placebo effect. I have yet to see any dyno charts, or hard data proof that shows that a certain brand of engine oil will give you a smoother running engine, more throttle response, a “feather like pedal responsiveness”, etc, etc…..than another quality brand (assuming the weight is the same).

It’s engine oil…..there is only so much it can do.

As far as Blacktone Labs results…yes, that’s what it’s all about. How well the oil is lubricating, trace amounts of chemicals and metals in the oil, etc, etc…..

[David70]

I have never seen independent tests on different brands of oil to show that one is better than another. I think the Blackstone lab results are somewhat useful but they are difficult to use to prove that one brand is better than another as the variables are hard to control and even then it shows that for one engine, one oil seems to have better results than another oil.

I also think the BMW "recommended brand" doesn't mean much as it keeps changing over time and believe it has more to do with a payment than BMW going with the best. I think when my car was built it was Castrol now it is now Penzoil?

I will say that my car runs much better after a complete wash/wax/detail.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by David70

I have never seen independent tests on different brands of oil to show that one is better than another. I think the Blackstone lab results are somewhat useful but they are difficult to use to prove that one brand is better than another as the variables are hard to control and even then it shows that for one engine, one oil seems to have better results than another oil.

I also think the BMW "recommended brand" doesn't mean much as it keeps changing over time and believe it has more to do with a payment than BMW going with the best. I think when my car was built it was Castrol now it is now Penzoil?

I will say that my car runs much better after a complete wash/wax/detail.

I agree. Blackstone is nearly useless for the average person other than to optimize your OCI if you are paranoid. It's cool, but I've seen pristine Blackstone reports from an S65 engine that blew up 10k miles later.

[chris719]

Originally Posted by heavyD^2

If it's a 0W oil then it's made from synthetic base stock and is not blended with dyno oil.

The lines have been blurred with GTL base stocks. There is no real difference anyway; people should be looking at the complete product and how it performs, not selecting oil based on mythical properties of a base stock and whether or not it is "100% synthetic".

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by David70

I have never seen independent tests on different brands of oil to show that one is better than another. I think the Blackstone lab results are somewhat useful but they are difficult to use to prove that one brand is better than another as the variables are hard to control and even then it shows that for one engine, one oil seems to have better results than another oil.

I also think the BMW "recommended brand" doesn't mean much as it keeps changing over time and believe it has more to do with a payment than BMW going with the best. I think when my car was built it was Castrol now it is now Penzoil?

I will say that my car runs much better after a complete wash/wax/detail.

Real testng is expensive. BS "tests" featured on sites like Project Farm are completely irrelevant let alone the conclusions. However, Blackstone released a paper where they analyzed their UOA database.. IIRC their conclusion, there was little to no statistically relevant difference in terms of wear between brands of motor oil.

Wear was more dependant on engine type, time in sump and application.

This what makes shopping by certification so easy (ex, All LL01(2018) will perform essentially the same).

Certs run about $4k for an oil company. IIRC Warren Oil Company sells LL01 under Walmart Super Tech, Costco, Amazon labels.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Egw14

BMW recommend shell oil. Recently spoke to our local BMW dealership who confirmed this, and lots of indies are following suit. Interesting article on it here
https://absolutebm.co.uk/approved-sh...ier-worcester/

Except BMW has now returned to Castrol.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

Micron rating for the MANN HU-816 is 20 microns

Good to know.

Anybody know the difference between the regular MANN filter for our cars and the M version of the filter? There is a specific M branded filter that is used in the M2 N55 that looks identical to the regular filter.

[David70]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Except BMW has now returned to Castrol.

"That’s why Pennzoil is the recommended supplier of genuine BMW Engine Oil in North America. "

https://www.pennzoil.com/en_us/perfo...akers/bmw.html

[iqraceworks]

Originally Posted by chris719

I agree. Blackstone is nearly useless for the average person other than to optimize your OCI if you are paranoid. It's cool, but I've seen pristine Blackstone reports from an S65 engine that blew up 10k miles later.

Not true at all. Sure, I will agree that a good Blackstone report won't keep you from blowing up your motor....nothing will.

But if you can get several reports done over a period of time in order to establish a baseline, if your "normal" readings start trending out of range, their reports will let you know that you are getting more fuel than normal in your oil (leaky injector), you are getting coolant or combustion gas particles in your oil (head gasket issue), you have abnormal amounts of lead/tin/brass in your oil (bearing issues), etc, etc, etc.....and then you can address the issue before it destroys the motor.

But I agree....one single test sample doesn't tell you much....you need several to establish a baseline for your motor.

[Wolf 335]

Originally Posted by MightyMouseTech

Good to know.

Anybody know the difference between the regular MANN filter for our cars and the M version of the filter? There is a specific M branded filter that is used in the M2 N55 that looks identical to the regular filter.

Dimensionally speaking, they seem to be identical.

Although dimension C is not listed on the HU8011

M2 Filter (MANN HU 8011)

E90 Filter (MANN HU 816)

Unless quality of the filtration medium is different i don't see a difference.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by David70

"That’s why Pennzoil is the recommended supplier of genuine BMW Engine Oil in North America. "

https://www.pennzoil.com/en_us/perfo...akers/bmw.html

As of next month, no longer. All our oil supplied by BMW will be coming from Castrol.

[MightyMouseTech]

Originally Posted by Wolf 335

Dimensionally speaking, they seem to be identical.

Although dimension C is not listed on the HU8011

M2 Filter (MANN HU 8011)

E90 Filter (MANN HU 816)

Unless quality of the filtration medium is different i don't see a dereference.

When you look at the two of them, they look identical. Just one has an "M" logo on it. Must be a slightly different filter media.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by iqraceworks

Not true at all. Sure, I will agree that a good Blackstone report won't keep you from blowing up your motor....nothing will.

But if you can get several reports done over a period of time in order to establish a baseline, if your "normal" readings start trending out of range, their reports will let you know that you are getting more fuel than normal in your oil (leaky injector), you are getting coolant or combustion gas particles in your oil (head gasket issue), you have abnormal amounts of lead/tin/brass in your oil (bearing issues), etc, etc, etc.....and then you can address the issue before it destroys the motor.

But I agree....one single test sample doesn't tell you much....you need several to establish a baseline for your motor.

I just have to say, as I've stated in other threads recently, I have well over 1 million driven miles in 40 years. I've never had engine oil analyzed by a company such as Blackstone. I've followed each of my vehicle's manufacturer's oil change interval and oil/filter requirements for the model I had and have yet to lose an engine, or have an engine require a repair related to oil performance. And almost every vehicle I've owned I've driven well past 150,000 miles and three past 200,000 miles. It adds $25 to an oil change for no real benefit.

An oil analysis tells you how the oil performed under the last oil change interval. It is no better a predictor of oil performance looking forward than the manufacturer's recommendations. For fleet operators, an oil analysis may be beneficial, but fleet operations are much different than private auto operation.