Right oil for BMW Valvetronic engine

[Ph1l]

Hello everyone! This is my first topic/post here

I run 05` BMW 545i (N62 engine) and it`s time for an OC soon... The car has 91k miles on the clock and it does lots of short trips/idling. I want to use 0W-40 weight oil and it has to be BMW LL approved.

The oil needs to have good cold start capabilities (my valvetronic unit is very demanding to it), low oil consumption (I`m currently using Castrol Edge Sport 0W-40 and oil consumption is way beyond acceptional level - never had such problem with other branded oils) and good dispersant properties (also Castrol's weak point).

My OCI is 9k miles. I`m choosing between M1 New Life 0W-40 and Shell Helix Ultra 0W-40. Any comments and opinions on my choice? What would be your advice?

P.S. Sorry, if my english is a bit weird

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Unfortunately Helix Ultra 0w-40 isn't sold in the U.S. The only well known 0w-40 in the U.S. is Mobil 1.

Personally with the short trips I would look at a 5w-30 or 0w-30, but that's just me.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Unfortunately Helix Ultra 0w-40 isn't sold in the U.S. The only well known 0w-40 in the U.S. is Mobil 1.

His location says "EU."

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: Ph1l
Hello everyone! This is my first topic/post here

to BITOG!


Originally Posted By: Ph1l
I run 05` BMW 545i (N62 engine) and it`s time for an OC soon... The car has 91k miles on the clock and it does lots of short trips/idling. I want to use 0W-40 weight oil and it has to be BMW LL approved.

The oil needs to have good cold start capabilities (my valvetronic unit is very demanding to it), low oil consumption (I`m currently using Castrol Edge Sport 0W-40 and oil consumption is way beyond acceptional level - never had such problem with other branded oils) and good dispersant properties (also Castrol's weak point).

My OCI is 9k miles. I`m choosing between M1 New Life 0W-40 and Shell Helix Ultra 0W-40. Any comments and opinions on my choice? What would be your advice?

For what it's worth, one of the pieces of accepted wisdom here is that the differences among approved oils in terms of wear protection are not likely to be significant. That's how the spec is designed.

If you have a favorite viscosity, that narrows things down a bit. As long as you're not looking to run your car in Antarctica or race it every day, pick your favorite bottle design and go with it.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Unfortunately Helix Ultra 0w-40 isn't sold in the U.S. The only well known 0w-40 in the U.S. is Mobil 1.

His location says "EU."

Yea I wasn't clear in my comments. I should have ended with "so most on this forum can't comment about it'.

 

[d00df00d]

Ah, right. In that case, I agree.

 

[FowVay]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
His location says "EU."

I was thinking that might be Eastern Utah, hence the comment about his English being "weird".

 

[crw]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
His location says "EU."

I was thinking that might be Eastern Utah, hence the comment about his English being "weird".

How would you know what someone from Eastern Utah sounds like? (My wife is from Roosevelt.)

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: BMWTurboDzl
Unfortunately Helix Ultra 0w-40 isn't sold in the U.S. The only well known 0w-40 in the U.S. is Mobil 1.

Personally with the short trips I would look at a 5w-30 or 0w-30, but that's just me.


I`m not sure, whether it's a good idea putting 30 weight oil in an engine with 91k miles... But on the other hand, it was filled with 0W-30 ACEA A1 oil when new

And there isn`t much 0W-30 oil with BMW LL approval out there on the market - GC, Aral Supertronic G (GC`s twin brother, with a slightly different additives) and Total Quartz Energy 9000 (the cheapest oil I can buy, but I have no experience with Total products).

As for M1 - I`m pretty sure, "New Life" is just a part of a brand name - it was added, since oil became API SM. So it must be very close to the M1 you get.

To be honest, I`m looking forward to hearing about Shell oil - is it any good in a BMW engine? It`s not popular at all in my country, so it`s kinda black-sheep to me.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: Ph1l
I`m not sure, whether it's a good idea putting 30 weight oil in an engine with 91k miles...

It's fine. I have 30-weight oil in my engine at 163k miles and it's doing quite well -- even better than the 40-weights I've tried.

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
Hello everyone! This is my first topic/post here

to BITOG!


Thank You!

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
I run 05` BMW 545i (N62 engine) and it`s time for an OC soon... The car has 91k miles on the clock and it does lots of short trips/idling. I want to use 0W-40 weight oil and it has to be BMW LL approved.

The oil needs to have good cold start capabilities (my valvetronic unit is very demanding to it), low oil consumption (I`m currently using Castrol Edge Sport 0W-40 and oil consumption is way beyond acceptional level - never had such problem with other branded oils) and good dispersant properties (also Castrol's weak point).

My OCI is 9k miles. I`m choosing between M1 New Life 0W-40 and Shell Helix Ultra 0W-40. Any comments and opinions on my choice? What would be your advice?

For what it's worth, one of the pieces of accepted wisdom here is that the differences among approved oils in terms of wear protection are not likely to be significant. That's how the spec is designed.

If you have a favorite viscosity, that narrows things down a bit. As long as you're not looking to run your car in Antarctica or race it every day, pick your favorite bottle design and go with it.


That's why I`m more interested in oil`s compatibility with Valvetronic unit (cold start properties) and other stuff I mentioned earlier

As for Antarctica and racetrack - sometimes during winter, temperatures drops to -30 deg. C and I like to give it full throttle when I`m on a highway)))

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: FowVay
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
His location says "EU."

I was thinking that might be Eastern Utah, hence the comment about his English being "weird".

I wish - everything is cheaper in US, than in Europe(((

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: Ph1l
As for Antarctica and racetrack - sometimes during winter, temperatures drops to -30 deg. C and I like to give it full throttle when I`m on a highway)))

Trust me, the modern synthetics you're looking at won't even flinch under that use.

Start talking about -60 C or CONSTANT full-throttle use at low-to-medium speeds, and then there might be something worth worrying about.

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
As for Antarctica and racetrack - sometimes during winter, temperatures drops to -30 deg. C and I like to give it full throttle when I`m on a highway)))

Trust me, the modern synthetics you're looking at won't even flinch under that use.

Start talking about -60 C or CONSTANT full-throttle use at low-to-medium speeds, and then there might be something worth worrying about.

Choosing between 5W-30 and 0W-40 - which is better at lower temps (from 0 to -20 deg. C.)?

 

[d00df00d]

Depends on the oil, really. 5w and 0w measurements are taken below that range so there's no way to tell just from the viscosity grades.

Try to get actual CCS and MRV numbers for the oils you're looking at, and go from there.

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Depends on the oil, really. 5w and 0w measurements are taken below that range so there's no way to tell just from the viscosity grades.

Try to get actual CCS and MRV numbers for the oils you're looking at, and go from there.


Thanks

I`ve come here for answers, but now I have even more questions

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: Ph1l
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
As for Antarctica and racetrack - sometimes during winter, temperatures drops to -30 deg. C and I like to give it full throttle when I`m on a highway)))

Trust me, the modern synthetics you're looking at won't even flinch under that use.

Start talking about -60 C or CONSTANT full-throttle use at low-to-medium speeds, and then there might be something worth worrying about.

Choosing between 5W-30 and 0W-40 - which is better at lower temps (from 0 to -20 deg. C.)?


For a Euro 0w40 and a Euro 5w30 at those temps, generally and most of the time, the Euro 5w30 will be "better".

(For those in the US, he's talking about 0*F to 32*F)

This would be like comparing M1 0w40 to M1 ESP 5w30.

 

[Ph1l]

Originally Posted By: BobFout
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
Originally Posted By: d00df00d
Originally Posted By: Ph1l
As for Antarctica and racetrack - sometimes during winter, temperatures drops to -30 deg. C and I like to give it full throttle when I`m on a highway)))

Trust me, the modern synthetics you're looking at won't even flinch under that use.

Start talking about -60 C or CONSTANT full-throttle use at low-to-medium speeds, and then there might be something worth worrying about.

Choosing between 5W-30 and 0W-40 - which is better at lower temps (from 0 to -20 deg. C.)?


For a Euro 0w40 and a Euro 5w30 at those temps, generally and most of the time, the Euro 5w30 will be "better".

(For those in the US, he's talking about 0*F to 32*F)

This would be like comparing M1 0w40 to M1 ESP 5w30.


So you think, that M1 ESP 5W-30 should "suit" me "better"? Is it good stuff? In comparison with M1 0W-40, what are the differences, except it being low saps oil?

 

[d00df00d]

I think he was only talking about cold temp performance. Mobil 1 ESP 5w-30 and Mobil 1 0w-40 aren't really comparable oils.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Originally Posted By: Ph1l

So you think, that M1 ESP 5W-30 should "suit" me "better"? Is it good stuff? In comparison with M1 0W-40, what are the differences, except it being low saps oil?


Can you use a LL04 oil in your country?