2000 BMW X5 3.0i

[Finn]

Well, this was an eventful Friday

.

I drove 150 miles in the morning to Helsinki to buy a 2005 Volvo S80 2.5 turbo. That was a bust as the car was already sold when I got there so what's next? I had been watching a BMW X5 ad for a week or two and as I'm on vacation I took off to this other city.

BMW looked great with 160k kilometers on the clock and for an 18 year old car it looked and drove great with new set of 255/50R19 tyres. Eventually I drove home with the BMW. It is 3.0i -not diesel - with a 5 speed automatic.

As you can see the manual in principle is rather vague about engine oil. Or in principle rather 'open minded'. If I read this correctly as long as oil meets BMW Longlife spec it is up to the owner to decide viscosity. Do you agree with my interpretation?

They don't list the Longlife spec in the manual but I reckon it is LL01?

Previous owner has been using Mobil 5W30 ESP but I was thinking of my usual Shell Helix Ultra 5W40 or Mobil 1 0W40.

Any recommendations?

 

[RooflessVW]

Very nice! That engine would have taken a LL98 oil. LL01 or LL04 will suit it fine.

Congratulations!

 

[Finn]

Thank you.

Well, the Mobil 1 FS 0W40 no longer meets LL01 so that is out. Although I would not do long OCIs with any oil with this car so would that missing spec matter in case of M1?

 

[JLTD]

Isn't the long life specification for following the BMW factory interval? With a UOA you may be able to use an oil that doesn't meet the specification, just for a shorter interval.

Or am I off basis here for something I am missing?

 

[kschachn]

Originally Posted By: JLTD
Isn't the long life specification for following the BMW factory interval? With a UOA you may be able to use an oil that doesn't meet the specification, just for a shorter interval.

Or am I off basis here for something I am missing?

Longlife-01 encompasses a lot more than extended interval, just as do the MB and Porsche specifications. No UOA is going to show compliance with the whole of LL-01.

It doesn't mean another oil isn't suitable for use in the vehicle but it does mean that an oil with LL-01 is certain to meet all the parameters the manufacturer requires.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Finn, congrats on a new ride. That 3.0 I6 is a good engine - same as in my 530i - just watch out for leaky gaskets.

Any LL-01 oil will work great.



Originally Posted By: JLTD
Isn't the long life specification for following the BMW factory interval? With a UOA you may be able to use an oil that doesn't meet the specification, just for a shorter interval.

Or am I off basis here for something I am missing?

There is more to the LL-01 spec than just extended interval. For example, there is a minimum HT/HS viscosity requirement.

 

[THORROMIG]

Good luck with that X5. Buddy of mine bought one brand new years back & transmission went not 1000 miles after warranty. Biggest money pit he ever owned & he still [censored] about it till this day if brought up.

 

[Finn]

Well, I hope they had a decent day at the plant in Greer, South Carolina when they made this one.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: Finn
Well, I hope they had a decent day at the plant in Greer, South Carolina when they made this one.

Don't worry about it. Every brand makes a turd now and then.

If it's got 160k on it and still looks that good, it'll be fine.

 

[PimTac]

Never mind the negative nelly, that is a nice clean vehicle for a 2000 model.

 

[THORROMIG]

Originally Posted By: PimTac
Never mind the negative nelly, that is a nice clean vehicle for a 2000 model.


Whats the matter -- people cant state a truthful opinon on this site with out being told there negative? I wish the best for the man & his X5 -- but im also gonna tell him about a good friends experience. Go get your nails done PimTac.

 

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: BAJA_05
Whats the matter -- people cant state a truthful opinon on this site with out being told there negative? I wish the best for the man & his X5 -- but im also gonna tell him about a good friends experience. Go get your nails done PimTac.

Suggest some tact.

Your opinion is welcome, but they way you offered it on a post where he was showing off his new ride AND asking for advice is not.

I notice you didn't even offer advice towards his question, instead just choosing to poo-poo his choice of vehicle.

Or was there something helpful in your post that I missed?

Edit: I'd also like to point out that "truthful opinion" is an oxymoron.

 

[PimTac]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
Originally Posted By: BAJA_05
Whats the matter -- people cant state a truthful opinon on this site with out being told there negative? I wish the best for the man & his X5 -- but im also gonna tell him about a good friends experience. Go get your nails done PimTac.

Suggest some tact.

Your opinion is welcome, but they way you offered it on a post where he was showing off his new ride AND asking for advice is not.

I notice you didn't even offer advice towards his question, instead just choosing to poo-poo his choice of vehicle.

Or was there something helpful in your post that I missed?

Edit: I'd also like to point out that "truthful opinion" is an oxymoron.





There used to be another member from Berks county. Haven’t seen him lately.

 

[CoolShirtDude]

Yes, BMW owner's manuals pretty vague about which oil to use...

In the US Castrol Edge A3/B3 0w30 or Castrol Edge 0-40 are popular BMW-LL01 oils, typically the 0-40 can be found in 5QT jugs at Walmart or Amazon for about $25.

Common things you should think about doing would be differential, transfer case and along with transmission fluid change. Ignore the BMW "lifetime fluid" on the transmission. The serpentine belt as well as cooling system should also be serviced. Also get a code reader that read/reset BMW codes.

Check out several BMW forums, Xoutpost and Bimmerfest are both great places to learn about your X5.

 

[fdcg27]

Since you're not planning long drains on this BMW, I'd think that any A3/B4 oil would be just fine.
Any such oil would meet the minimum HTHS spec of the BMW LL-98 cert oil that this engine originally called for.
Even if you were planning longish drains, the A3/B4 standard should allow this.
This does look like a nice old machine, much nicer than most of those you see on this side of the pond where these old girls are typically on their third or fourth owner, who will be someone who neither knows of nor can afford proper maintenance.
Well bought!

 

[Snagglefoot]

Very interesting that BMW doesn’t really care if you use 30, 40 or 50 weight oil. From the owners manual : “ Theses oils can be used at any outside temperature” Funny how the Bitgoers spend so much time arguing about the optimum viscosity. Run whatever viscosity you want.

 

[fdcg27]

Originally Posted By: Snagglefoot
Very interesting that BMW doesn’t really care if you use 30, 40 or 50 weight oil. From the owners manual : “ Theses oils can be used at any outside temperature” Funny how the Bitgoers spend so much time arguing about the optimum viscosity. Run whatever viscosity you want.

Oh, BMW does care about viscosity.
They're just using a different measure.

 

[MCompact]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW

Suggest some tact.

Your opinion is welcome, but they way you offered it on a post where he was showing off his new ride AND asking for advice is not.

I notice you didn't even offer advice towards his question, instead just choosing to poo-poo his choice of vehicle.

Or was there something helpful in your post that I missed?

Edit: I'd also like to point out that "truthful opinion" is an oxymoron.


Precisely. It brings to mind the renowned "expert" from this thread.

 

[Finn]

Thanks for the comments.

After considering the situation from various angles I decided to do at least two short OCIs. For this I bought Wix filters and GM 5W30 which is LL-04 oil. When the oil starts to stay clean I'll go with Shell Helix Ultra 5W40.

Need to figure which transmission this has ie. GM or ZF. I find information but somehow it seems all contradicting but I think it is more likely that this has GM 5L40-E than ZF. Well, we'll see that on Monday.

Also, any idea what front and rear differentials and transfer case require for fluids? Manual does not mention those at all.

 

[MCompact]

Any good synthetic 75W-90 will work for both differentials. I'd use the BMW fluid for the transfer case; on an early E70 such as yours it's an easy drain/fill and you do not have to reset the TC adaptations with a scan tool.