is Regular oil safe for '03 BMW?

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Originally Posted By: Mark888
Originally Posted By: Tobin
Not interested in blending. I also know that synthetic oil is superior to regular oil. I just started working and am paying off student loans and cant afford the $100+ to do an syn.oil change and I dont want to unless I know its completely necessary i.e. damage to the engine, etc.

Advice needed,
Tobin, 23, New York

If you can't change your own oil, just buy the oil at Walmart and take it to an oil change place. Most will let you bring your own oil (some will give you a slight discount) and you should be be able to get a 5-quart jug of Mobil 1 5W-30 or 0W-40 for about $22 these days. That should bring your total cost to about $60 or less. You can safely use M1 5W-30 Extended Protection for 12,000 miles (they guarantee it for 15K miles) which would be $26 at Walmart for a 5-quart jug (not sure how many quarts you need).


Doesnt meet the correct set of specs. Id avoid the EP oil unless it is ACEA A3 minimum.

M1 0w-40 is designed to operate for >>10k miles.
 
To OP: Changing oil on our BMW is easier than you may think. The only special tool you may want to do this is a 36 mm socket for the oil filter cap, avaliable at your local autoparts store for about 5 dollars. A set of plastic ramps will run you about 30-40 dollars, and a drain pan about 8. A Mann oil filter for your car should not cost more than 5-6 or you can get one from the dealer for about 10. PM me if you need any info. And I would suggest you do not go the full 15k miles on a BMW-rated synthetic unless mostly highway miles. 10-12k miles is a better overall limit for keeping a clean engine and 7500 miles if mostly short trips. A modern 10W-40 will have no trouble going 3000-5000 miles in the summer in your BMW while you get ready to do your own oil changes.
 
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
Doesnt meet the correct set of specs. Id avoid the EP oil unless it is ACEA A3 minimum.

M1 0w-40 is designed to operate for >>10k miles.

I would recommend Mobil 1 0W-40 for a BMW, but it may be hard to find in a 5-quart container (which saves a lot of money), so that is the only reason why I listed 5W-30, which would be better than the conventional oil he uses now. M1 5W-30 is ACEA A1/A5, B1/B5 (both regular and EP). Not sure how that compares to ACEA A3.
 
I am old fashioned , I would go with the mfg.recommendations. You have a fancy car use fancy oil.
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Tobin, Find someone to show you how to change the oil and filter. It's quite easy on these BMWs and the filter is on top. If you plan on owning the car for a while, you will save some $$ over the long run by doing it yourself. You will need some items--car ramps, 36 mm socket for your filter, torque wrench (I recommend one, but not absolutely required), oil drain pan. I live in a place that picks up my used oil right at curbsite--all I have to do is label the old gallon milk container. I recommend Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (labeled European formula). You can watch for the sales. There are a few other products that were previously mentioned. I buy oil filters on-line for less than $5 each (Mann brand which is OEM). If you are ever in Boise, ID--I'll be happy to show you.
 
Tobin,

If synthetic oil is recommended for your BMW then I'd use it and go by the OCI's indicated from your manuel. My friend has one also and he confirmed the rumor that BMW has OCI based upon once per year so you know it has to be a synthetic. Don't risk your nice car by going that distance on dino!!! It'll cost you much more later. Besides the price for superior oil is worht it if it's a low cost car all the way up to an expensive car like yours. I'd check and compare prices of synthetic oils on the shelf and get the least inexpensive synthetic you can get. The one comes to mind is Kendell "synthetic" which ocst only about 4.50$$/quart. For that price it's a bargain.

Durango
 
Changing the oil on a BMW with the right oil and filter (Mann) is easy.

In NY, use OW-40. Do not use 5W-30 or oW-30 as you will get valve knock.

The reason to use synthetic oil, beside BMWs are designed to be driven fast and fun, not as pretenious pets (I have one), is that 1) the oil needs to be to withstand the "fun" - if you drive any car like this - same thing 2) sludge is not tolerable in these engines without major problems

Use Mobil 1 0W-40, Castrol Syntec 0W-40, or the like (elf, etc.) and it will work.

5000 mi spirited driving - 7500 mi normal - 10000 mi highway.

15000 mi is nuts - this isn't an Impala owned by sales guy. Cost too much.
 
I use 10w-40 in place of 5w-40 all the time in non-turbo engines since I'll be changing it at 5-6k miles anyway.
 
Buy an oil extractor to do oil change yourself, brand name oil+filter whenever it is on sale. These two may save you a bundle on oil changes and you can change oil whenever you have time or like to do it.
 
I agree with most of the other posters here:

These engines are subject to sludging problems, high oil usage and plugged crankcase ventilation systems. Using correct oil will help you avoid these problems. Using dino and long oil change intervals and you will have them.

If you can swing it - look for a synthetic oil that has BMW LL01 approval or at least A3. They do come on sale occasionally.

German Castrol 0W30, M1 0W40 and BMW 5W30 are some commonly available LL01 oils. I recently got some old formula (red jug) Maxlife full synthetic 10W30 on sale with LL01 approval and I am very happy with the results so far.

If you have to use dino I would use a 15W40 and change the oil every 5,000 miles. Or, if you are going to use a cheaper synthetic go with a 10W30 rather than the 5W30.
 
I say sell the car. If you are THAT concerned about a simple oil change then I would really like to see your face when you need to do brakes. BMW's like most european cars ( VW excepted) are designed to wear down the rotors as the brakes wear. They WANT you to replace the rotors AND pads when you do brakes.. Typical german thinking of which I fully agree with. Cost? a LOT more than an oil change.


get yourself a nice toyota corolla and bank the change from selling the beemer.
 
Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
I say sell the car.

I was honestly thinking the same thing. If the OP wants to save money (nothing wrong with that), then he could potentially save a whole lot more by trading the 3-series for a KIA - no need for synthetic, no need for premium gas, better mpg, smaller sump, and still gets you from A to B.

While BMWs aren't particularly expensive to maintain if you DIY, they can wreck havoc on your pocket if you don't DIY. Taking it to a shop like Jiffy Lube is risky, and most reputable indy shops will charge upwards of $80/hour for labor (which is still a lot less than what a BMW service dept charges). Plus, OEM parts can be pricey.
 
Originally Posted By: peterdaniel
I say sell the car. If you are THAT concerned about a simple oil change then I would really like to see your face when you need to do brakes.


Beat me to it. As for brakes, I've had the front brakes/rotors replaced twice, and the rear once. The first time, the dealer told me it was $1200 parts/labor. Lucky me, the car is still under warranty.
 
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This doesn't necessarily relate to the OP - but don't you know there are a lot of folks that push the edge of their wallet and buy a semi-exotic car, not knowing that they're then going to get fully reemed out on maint. cost.
 
Originally Posted By: Trajan
Beat me to it. As for brakes, I've had the front brakes/rotors replaced twice, and the rear once. The first time, the dealer told me it was $1200 parts/labor. Lucky me, the car is still under warranty.

Not sure if the OP's car came with the sport pkg, but if it did, add to that the cost of low-profile tires. And this is not strictly a BMW thing. A lot of folks go for large rims, low profile wide tires these days, and then get a shocker when it's time to replace them.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: Trajan
Beat me to it. As for brakes, I've had the front brakes/rotors replaced twice, and the rear once. The first time, the dealer told me it was $1200 parts/labor. Lucky me, the car is still under warranty.

Not sure if the OP's car came with the sport pkg, but if it did, add to that the cost of low-profile tires. And this is not strictly a BMW thing. A lot of folks go for large rims, low profile wide tires these days, and then get a shocker when it's time to replace them.


And if the tires are runflats, oh boy....
 
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Well pete.. Its like this, you can do the math in several ways and I guess regular oil is still going to be cheaper but not by much. So i get that now.

And no I dont run my car on premium. I run it on regular gasoline as I read in a yahoo article and in readers digest that most cars made after the 90's have fuel sensors which can detect what ever gasoline gets put in to the vehicle. So in the olden days it was true putting in the wrong type of gasoline would cause engine knocking but with fuel sensor technology that is no longer true. I've been using regular gasoline since last november and havent noticed any problems or symptoms of engine knocking. So i assumed what I read was true. Am I wrong on this?
 
QOUTE BY GARY--->Nobody mentions an oil like RTS 5w-40. While it won't meet all the Euro spec's ..it should be able to handle what the engine throws at it and have decent longevity in service.

What does RTS stand for? RTS 5w-40 is mineral oil... how much does that go for? How often should that be changed. Just want to collect information on that.
 
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