'02 BMW 530i, GC 0w-30, 10,250 miles

[Quattro Pete]

Time in service: 8 months (April - November)

Driving conditions: daily 60-mile round trip commute, mostly hwy with significant amount of bumper-to-bumper traffic.

Oil filter: Mahle/Knecht (OEM)
Air filter: Mann (OEM)

Make-up oil (1.5 qt total):
- 0.5qt GC added at 6,500 miles
- 0.5qt GC added at 7,700 miles
- 0.5qt M1 5w-40 added at 10,100 miles*

I was also adding about 3 oz of LC20 every 1k miles or so.

Sampling technique: Blackstone pump via dipstick tube.

Link to my previous UOA (5700 miles on GC):
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1437629#Post1437629

I have now switched to Pennzoil Ultra 5w-40.

A bit weird that they already flagged it as "ABNORMAL", despite TBN being 4+ (although they do use the older testing method that results in slightly higher readings). But I guess TAN was creeping up, too.

What puzzles me more is the 20 ppm of lead in this report. Not sure what caused that...


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* I went to a shop to have new brakes put on. Without me asking, the shop checked my oil level, saw it was a little low, and went ahead and dumped 0.5qt of M1 5w-40 in there.

So, at the time of sampling, about 93% of the oil in the crankcase was GC and 7% was M1.

 

[Jeffs2006EvoIX]

Is it normal to have to keep adding oil to your engine like that? Just curious if that is a BMW thing or not. If it is, the new 40W may be a better choice in the long run. For EDI's I am not sure you want to use the Ultra. They recommend frequent oil changes with that oil, no more than 5K if I am not misstaken. If EDI's are your thing, then maybe try Redliine, or Amsoil. If it was my Bimmer and it was using oil like that, I would definately ditch the 30W and go with a 40. The RP XPR 10/40 is very good oil, but then again, costs $15 p/qt as to $10 for the Redline or Amsoil.

 

[Quattro Pete]

M54 engines are known to consume some oil. In my case, I only started having to add oil during this last interval. Before, it wasn't using any. I used GC in it for the past 40K miles. 1.5qt of oil in 10K miles isn't all that much though. That's 1qt per 7k miles.

What's EDI?

 

[97tbird]

EDI = Extended Drain Interval? (i guess)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: 97tbird
EDI = Extended Drain Interval? (i guess)

Thanks. Makes sense now.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Jeffs2006EvoIX
For EDI's I am not sure you want to use the Ultra. They recommend frequent oil changes with that oil, no more than 5K if I am not misstaken.

They say that to cover their butt as well as to have people play their "300K engine warranty" or whatever it is game.

Ultra 5w-40 carries long drain specs from VW, BMW, and MB and as such is specifically targeted at extended drain intervals.

 

[Ayrton]

Quattro, fine report. I wouldn't worry about the Iron.

It will be interesting to see how the PU performs though.

Didn't you send in virgin PU 5w40? Results yet?

Your BMW is doing great. Keep enjoying it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Ayrton
Quattro, fine report. I wouldn't worry about the Iron.

Yeah, iron I'm not worried about. It's the 20 ppm of lead (Pb) that's kind of unusual. I don't remember using any fuel system additives this OCI which sometimes show up as increased lead. I may have dumped a tiny bit of leftover fuel mixed with 2-cycle oil into the tank at one point, but it was less than 1/4 gallon and long time ago... not sure if that's what caused it.

Quote:

Didn't you send in virgin PU 5w40? Results yet?

They haven't analyzed it yet... not sure what's taking them so long...

 

[Ayrton]

Sorry I missed the lead. That is a bit odd. I hope and bet you'll see it down if you ever do another report down the line.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Ayrton

Didn't you send in virgin PU 5w40? Results yet?

I just posted it.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I just remembered I may have ran a bottle of Lubromoly Jectron fuel injector cleaner through the tank during this interval. If I did, that may explain the elevated lead. I remember getting elevated lead on a UOA before when I used Techron Concentrate.