I have a question but oil

[phlfly]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: phlfly
Also as I said before have you ever see Synt oil for about 6 bucks and more important export from Europe? A good Synt oil is cost around 10 bucks that made is US. I guess Euro Castrol should be around 12 bucks.

BMW's 5w-30 is used by ALL BMWs except for diesels, certain very old models, and certain M cars. BMW gets it in very large quantities. Their marketing budget for it is zero. Its distribution requires little that BMW doesn't already operate. There are all kinds of reasons why the price can be low.

Moreover, the "good synthetic oils" that cost $10 per quart are all from smaller companies that don't have good economies of scale, or from companies like Motul that don't have much mainstream distribution in the US. A better comparison would be the $7-$8 synthetics on store shelves. The price difference between those products and BMW 5w-30 is easily explicable in terms of BMW undercutting the mainstream brands to help make sure their customers use the right oil.
Bottom line: Price is a horrible indication of how good an oil is.

Incidentally, BMW also sells Castrol TWS for high-RPM M cars, and that oil actually does come from Europe and cost around $12/L...


And those High RMP car has vanos problem. Ask me how I know. I only used 10W60 TWS. Well result bad. Metal craked and teeth fell to oil pan. Good luck to use this oil again. Those car design bad too much heat and bad oil flow will kill you engine eventually.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: phlfly
Those car design bad too much heat and bad oil flow will kill you engine eventually.

If it's a design problem, then no oil is going to fix it. Complain to BMW, not to Castrol.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: phlfly
And those High RMP car has vanos problem. Ask me how I know.

Actually, I have several friends with E46 M3s. When their cars started showing signs of VANOS issues, they immediately replaced the VANOS units with quality aftermarket ones and the problems went away. Not a single VANOS-related failure ever.

These cars require proactive maintenance. You can't wait until things break; you have to see the warning signs and jump on them. If you don't, the car might be okay, or it might bite back. It sounds like you've been bitten a few times. I feel bad for you. At the same time, I don't think you can project your experience on all BMWs and declare yourself qualified to blame the oil.



By the way, it sounds like you're 100% convinced that BMW has no idea how to spec lubricants for their cars. That would mean their engineers are scarily incompetent. If you think that, why on earth are you still buying cars from them? I completely understand wanting to make a little sacrifice for good handling, but why would you trust your life to a company that you think fails at some of the most basic and essential tasks in engineering cars?

 

[phlfly]

Because this car has oil leaks and cooling system sickness and never been solved by those BMW engineers. Either Castrol product sucked or BMW engineers don't know to how lubricate it properly and take heat away from the components.
Since Benz moved to Mobil 1 product, they have less problem of leaking oil and cooling system.

 

[d00df00d]

Again: Why on earth do you still own a BMW when you are convinced that BMW's engineers are incompetent?

 

[97tbird]

Originally Posted By: phlfly
BMW engineers don't know to how lubricate it properly and take heat away from the components.
.


Yeah I am sure they're all morons - why or why didn't they consult you ?

 

[phlfly]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
Originally Posted By: phlfly
BMW engineers don't know to how lubricate it properly and take heat away from the components.
.


Yeah I am sure they're all morons - why or why didn't they consult you ?


I guess if you do believe cost and profitability don't mean anything to BMW then you are ......

 

[fdcg27]

The safest choice would be an LL-01 compliant oil.
This would be either the BMW branded Castrol 5W30, GC or M1 0W-40.
As many have pointed out, any of these three can be picked up for reasonable dollars.
I don't know how hot the oil in your engine gets under typical conditions.
I know that some BMWs do reach very high bulk oil temperatures under typical use.
Assuming that you don't drive the car hard and assuming that the engine does not typically see high bulk oil temperatures and assuming that you'll go with shortish drain intervals, you could then try an API spec thirty grade.
Between M1 5W-30 and M1 AFE 0W-30, I believe that the AFE uses a superior basestock blend, so it would be my choice.
Still, what would be the point?
The cost advanatge isn't very great, so why use an oil that doesn't comply with the spec BMW calls for?
If you want to try an API spec thirty grade anyway, I'd do a 5-6K winter run and then UOA the oil, looking for signs of excess wear metals as well as excessive heating of the oil.
We had a member here who advocated the use of API spec oils in various Euro apps, and he posted a series of UOAs showing that these 5W-30s held up well in applications calling for much thicker oils.
We have a member here who advocates the use of lighter oils in a variety of applications, including his own old BMW six, but he also uses an oil pressure gauge to ensure that oil pressure remains within safe limits.
I don't think your car has an oil pressure gauge.
You could try a lighter oil in your car, but be aware that you're entering into the realm of experimentation.
I doubt that one 5-6K run of AFE will kill or materially harm your engine, but you'll still be using a much thinner oil than what BMW recommended, so there are no guarantees.