2008 BMW 328xi, Castrol EDGE 5W30 (full synthetic but not BMW LL-01 approved)
10,400 mi on oil & filter (Wix)
Previous OCI was about 13,000 mi (Mobil1 0W40 Euro formula, BMW filter). Before that 10,500 mi (BMW/Castrol 5W30). Before that I didn't own the car. Oils were LL-01 approved.
My driving style is pretty tame: light to moderate acceleration, shift @ 3500-4500 RPM, occasionally 5500-6000 (redline 7000), rarely wide open throttle. Six speed manual tranny. Pretty even mix of city & highway. Condition-based service (oil life monitor) tells me to change oil every 2 years and 15k to 25k miles (no typo: it said 25,000 this last time).
My conclusions are
- The way I drive is easy on oil; my long OCIs seem to be fine for me
- The LL-01 approved oil really does last longer than the non (based on the higher TBN of the 2014 sample)
- Even though the CBS says I can go 25k miles, pushing it past 12k is probably a bad idea
Anyway, here's a report from someone who likes to push long oil change intervals. Thoughts?
BTW, the first sentence in the report refers to how I sampled the oil: as it first came out of the pan instead of their recommendation of waiting until it's flowed a while. Despite their wording, the engine wasn't cold.
10,400 mi on oil & filter (Wix)
Previous OCI was about 13,000 mi (Mobil1 0W40 Euro formula, BMW filter). Before that 10,500 mi (BMW/Castrol 5W30). Before that I didn't own the car. Oils were LL-01 approved.
My driving style is pretty tame: light to moderate acceleration, shift @ 3500-4500 RPM, occasionally 5500-6000 (redline 7000), rarely wide open throttle. Six speed manual tranny. Pretty even mix of city & highway. Condition-based service (oil life monitor) tells me to change oil every 2 years and 15k to 25k miles (no typo: it said 25,000 this last time).
My conclusions are
- The way I drive is easy on oil; my long OCIs seem to be fine for me
- The LL-01 approved oil really does last longer than the non (based on the higher TBN of the 2014 sample)
- Even though the CBS says I can go 25k miles, pushing it past 12k is probably a bad idea
Anyway, here's a report from someone who likes to push long oil change intervals. Thoughts?
BTW, the first sentence in the report refers to how I sampled the oil: as it first came out of the pan instead of their recommendation of waiting until it's flowed a while. Despite their wording, the engine wasn't cold.