What a great forum! I'd love to ask your opinion on what the best oil is for me. The essential points:
1. What kind of vehicle you have
2002 BMW X5 3.0i WITH 158k MILES. PICKED IT UP AT THE FACTORY MYSELF 10 YEARS AGO. AFTER THE FIRST 36K, I USED M1 OR CASTROL SYNTHETIC. LATELY STARTED USING SYN BLEND JUST TO REDUCE COST.
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
"API SH OR HIGHER. APPROVED OILS ARE IN SAE CLASSES 5W-40 AND 5W-30."
3. Where you live
LAS VEGAS, NV - HIGHS RANGE FROM 40F IN WINTER TO 110F IN SUMMER. ONLY 1 OR 2 NIGHTS PER YEAR ARE BELOW FREEZING.
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
HARD. JACKRABBITS HAVE NOTHING ON US. FAST. LIKE 70-90 ON ANY HIGHWAY. POOR LITTLE I6, I'M STANDING ON IT ALL THE TIME AND IT'S A HEAVY VEHICLE. LET ME STATE NOW: NO I'M NOT CHANGING MY DRIVING STYLE.
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
A COUPLE OF SHORT TRIPS (5 miles each way, mostly surface streets stop&go at 40mph) EVERY DAY; OCCASIONAL WEEKEND DRIVE FOR AN HOUR OR TWO.
6. Whether your car has any known problems
HAD HEAD GASKET LEAKAGE THAT WAS FIXED A FEW MONTHS AGO TO RESOLVE VISIBLE DRIPPING. NOW STILL BURNING OIL AT A RATE OF 1 QT / 2-3 WEEKS. THAT'S PROBABLY MORE THAN THE 1 QT / 1000 MILES THAT BMW SAYS IS WITHIN SPEC. DON'T KNOW OUR MONTHLY MILEAGE. INCREASED BURN RATE MIGHT BE RELATED TO USE OF VALVOLINE SYN BLEND LAST 6 QUARTS, DON'T KNOW.
I've never used any engine recovery additive but it sounds like some people recommend them for a high-miler like mine. Any serious downsides I should worry about or go ahead and try it?
Thanks,
AJ
1. What kind of vehicle you have
2002 BMW X5 3.0i WITH 158k MILES. PICKED IT UP AT THE FACTORY MYSELF 10 YEARS AGO. AFTER THE FIRST 36K, I USED M1 OR CASTROL SYNTHETIC. LATELY STARTED USING SYN BLEND JUST TO REDUCE COST.
2. What your owner's manual says -- not just viscosity, but certifications (look for acronyms like API SM, ILSAC GF-4, etc.) and change intervals as well
"API SH OR HIGHER. APPROVED OILS ARE IN SAE CLASSES 5W-40 AND 5W-30."
3. Where you live
LAS VEGAS, NV - HIGHS RANGE FROM 40F IN WINTER TO 110F IN SUMMER. ONLY 1 OR 2 NIGHTS PER YEAR ARE BELOW FREEZING.
4. How you drive (easy? hard? fast? slow?)
HARD. JACKRABBITS HAVE NOTHING ON US. FAST. LIKE 70-90 ON ANY HIGHWAY. POOR LITTLE I6, I'M STANDING ON IT ALL THE TIME AND IT'S A HEAVY VEHICLE. LET ME STATE NOW: NO I'M NOT CHANGING MY DRIVING STYLE.
5. What your daily drive is like (short trips? long trips? city? highway?)
A COUPLE OF SHORT TRIPS (5 miles each way, mostly surface streets stop&go at 40mph) EVERY DAY; OCCASIONAL WEEKEND DRIVE FOR AN HOUR OR TWO.
6. Whether your car has any known problems
HAD HEAD GASKET LEAKAGE THAT WAS FIXED A FEW MONTHS AGO TO RESOLVE VISIBLE DRIPPING. NOW STILL BURNING OIL AT A RATE OF 1 QT / 2-3 WEEKS. THAT'S PROBABLY MORE THAN THE 1 QT / 1000 MILES THAT BMW SAYS IS WITHIN SPEC. DON'T KNOW OUR MONTHLY MILEAGE. INCREASED BURN RATE MIGHT BE RELATED TO USE OF VALVOLINE SYN BLEND LAST 6 QUARTS, DON'T KNOW.
I've never used any engine recovery additive but it sounds like some people recommend them for a high-miler like mine. Any serious downsides I should worry about or go ahead and try it?
Thanks,
AJ