Thoughts on Pentospeed 0w-30 VS for E46 BMW

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slo town

slo town

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Folks:

My special ordered, bought new by me 2003 BMW 330Ci started out with a diet of M1 0w-40 for it's first 40K miles. Then, for about 20K miles and for no particular reason, I switched to Motul X-lite 0w-30 or 300V 5w-30. I've always done 3K mile OCI (yeah, yeah...)

Anyway, I've since switched to Pentospeed 0w-30 VS because I couldn't justify the Motul cost given what I consider a very average UOA (lead PPM).

Anyone out there use Pentospeed? It's made in Germany so it is a true synthetic by German law. It's a PAO. Car seems to run well on it. I haven't done a UOA yet.

I'm just wondering what some of you veteran Bob-guys think. A search yields a single VOA and not much other objective info. The car is extremely pampered.

Scott
 
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Relatively unremarkable when you look at the spec sheet. Pretty much the same as Syntec 0w30. If the car runs well on it and repeated UOAs look good, you can certainly keep using it. I just hope you aren't paying too much for it.

Why not go back to the M1 0w40? It's a very good oil.
 
I used it in my V70R. My local Volvo Indy used to have it in bulk. I never did a UOA on it, so I really can't say much. It seemed fine, but I never noticed a difference between it and M1 0W40 or GC.

I used it for 10K OCI's and I never had any deposit issues, in an engine that's known for them, so I guess that's a good sign.
 
Originally Posted By: dparm
Relatively unremarkable when you look at the spec sheet. Pretty much the same as Syntec 0w30. If the car runs well on it and repeated UOAs look good, you can certainly keep using it. I just hope you aren't paying too much for it.

Why not go back to the M1 0w40? It's a very good oil.


+1. Another example of an incorrect assumption of value proposition related to PAO skewing what one should really be looking for.

PAO isnt the end all, be all determinant, regardless of what some other nation's "law" says.

After all, the feedstock to make PAO comes from the same place as the feedstock for grp III.
 
It seems like there's not a whole lotta love for the Pentospeed. It's a totally subjective comment, but the engine seems to be more lively on this stuff.

I have a large stash of oil for my BMW; PU 5w-40 (38 qts), Kendall GT1 Euro 5w-40 (16 qts), Pentospeed 0w-30 (37 liters), and Motul X-lite 0w-30 (8 liters).

Car is not tracked, though is occassionally taken out for "spirited sorties" in the area. Summer temps can be hot, 100+, but I don't drive the car on those days. The car has never even seen rain, nor has it sat a single night of its life outside after I took possession. I was fortunate to retire at 52 and, as I said, it's extremely pampered, including undercarriage hand washes with a wool mitt every 3 or 4 months! Sometimes the car sits under a car cover in the garage for 2 or 3 weeks without being driven.

With respect to M1 0w-40. Without question I've used that oil for more of my German fleet than any other brand/type. I agree it's good stuff. It might sound strange but my purpose for not using it was to try something different; another QUALITY product, quality emphasized.

Lastly, Pentospeed costs almost the same as PU Ultra, though cost is not a factor.

Scott
 
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Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
...........my purpose for not using it was to try something different; another QUALITY product, quality emphasized..........


TOTAL Quartz Energy 9000 0W30 is something you might consider. I have no personal experience with it, but it does meet a large number of manufacturer approvals.
 
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Originally Posted By: SLO_Town
...........my purpose for not using it was to try something different; another QUALITY product, quality emphasized..........


TOTAL Quartz Energy 9000 0W30 is something you might consider. I have no personal experience with it, but it does meet a large number of manufacturer approvals.


I think that has been discontinued.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: Izb
Pentospeed 0W-30 have changed its formuls 1-2 years ago.
It have lost LL-01,503.01 and PAO...


How do you know this? The 5 liter jugs I have still show these certifications. I have noticed that it's no longer on Mercedes Benz's official 229.5 approval list. What about A3/B3 and A3/B4?

I am not "throwing stones", but do you have proof of your claim? If you're correct and have proof I'm not sure I what I'll do with the oil.

Thanks,

Scott
 
Interesting that Pentosin has "downgraded" their 0W30. There was a thread a few months ago showing that Motul has also "downgraded" their X-Lite 0w30, in that it has fewer manufacturer approvals than before, and possibly contains a lower ester content.
 
Originally Posted By: SubLGT
Interesting that Pentosin has "downgraded" their 0W30. There was a thread a few months ago showing that Motul has also "downgraded" their X-Lite 0w30, in that it has fewer manufacturer approvals than before, and possibly contains a lower ester content.


For awhile I used to run X-lite 0w-30 and during that time it never met 229.5 or LL-01. It was always labelled 229.3, LL-98, 503.1, and was A3/B4. I'm not sure it was ever 229.5, etc.

IMHO, the 229.3/229.5 and LL-98/LL-01 don't really impact me one way or another since I do 3K mile OCIs on my BMW. All I need is A3/B4 compliance.

Scott
 
Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Some would argue the short OCI is causing problems and not the oil.


Understand, I'm not having "problems" with my UOA. My Blackstone report was very good. At the time I was running Motul 300V and given its very high cost, I think I can do just as well with a "cheaper" oil.

With respect to short OCIs causing wear because some say oil needs to be "broken in", I will never buy into that argument. I think someone said Conoco made that claim. I still don't buy it.

Scott
 
As I recall, there were some SAE research papers demonstrating that oils had their best anti-wear performance after a certain amount of mileage (3000 miles IIRC).
 
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