The confusion around BMW M oils continues

[gatorfast]

Originally Posted By: riggaz

Not sure it would do the longlife oil drain interval would it?


Yes, TWS is used in M cars with drain intervals of 15k miles (though most change before that). It would not be rated LL-01 though due to the weight and characteristics of the oil (i.e. the special 10w-60 is not suitable for use in regular 3 series, 5 series, etc).

 

[dparm]

Originally Posted By: riggaz
Originally Posted By: dparm
Castrol wouldn't bother paying for TWS to get certified as LL-01 since it was never intended for widespread use. It would easily pass, in my opinion.


Not sure it would do the longlife oil drain interval would it?



It did the 15k intervals in my car just fine. The sump and filter are quite large, which helps.

 

[riggaz]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Originally Posted By: riggaz
Originally Posted By: dparm
Castrol wouldn't bother paying for TWS to get certified as LL-01 since it was never intended for widespread use. It would easily pass, in my opinion.


Not sure it would do the longlife oil drain interval would it?



It did the 15k intervals in my car just fine. The sump and filter are quite large, which helps.


Ah ok, makes sense, like the other chap said, must be a viscosity thing.

 

[bimmerdriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
The factory interval is 15k, or whenever the car tells you to change it.

Most guys opt to split the difference and change it every 7-8k.

When I was shopping for an E46 M3 last summer, I looked at several that were given 20k km oil changes. All of them had dark brown deposits inside the valve cover and one even had sludge and rust on the dipstick. It had 59k kms and had been treated to only 2 oil changes up to that point. The car I ended up purchasing was low mileage, only 11600 kms and had been given numerous oil changes (based on time, not mileage). I bought the car 11 months and 3500 kms ago. The PO changed the oil right before I bought it. The maintenance indicator is still saying over 16k kms before the next oil change. There is no way I will leave it in that long. It would take at least a couple more years to accumulate that much mileage. I will be changing the oil in a couple of weeks. I don't know what BMW was thinking making a 15k mi or 20k km oci recommendation. I think 7-8k mi or 10k kms mileage or maximum of one year duration makes much more sense if you want to keep the engine clean. My mechanic says this is a good idea for the N54 and N55 engines also, due to amount of fuel that gets into the oil.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: bimmerdriver
I don't know what BMW was thinking making a 15k mi or 20k km oci recommendation.

Well, out here in the US, BMW is including all maintenance at "no cost" during the 4-year/50K mile warranty period, so they don't want to be providing these services too often. That's why also the trans fluid become a "lifetime" fluid all of a sudden.

 

[bimmerdriver]

Originally Posted By: dparm
Mahle is actually the big supplier for BMW OEM filters, from what I can see. Hengst and Mann of course have them too.

I'm pretty certain it's correct that Mahle is the OEM, at least for my S54 engine. Here is a link to pic of the OE BMW filter. Here is a link to a pic of the Mahle filter. Here is a link to a pic of the Mann filter. I don't think there is much doubt the Mahle filter is the same as the BMW filter. It seems to be more robust than the Mann filter. I wouldn't hesitate to spend a $2 more to get the Mahle over the Mann.

 

[bimmerdriver]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: bimmerdriver
I don't know what BMW was thinking making a 15k mi or 20k km oci recommendation.

Well, out here in the US, BMW is including all maintenance at "no cost" during the 4-year/50K mile warranty period, so they don't want to be providing these services too often. That's why also the trans fluid become a "lifetime" fluid all of a sudden.

I guess if you only care about the car during the warranty period, it makes no difference what happens after. If you want the car to last beyond the warranty period, it's another matter.