Quote:
Originally Posted by xRide
I dont know what oil bmw uses, but are you guys saying that you are using a different type of oil than what BMW uses at the dealership?
since I purchased my 4.8is in i think june, i did the oil change once at a german independent shop so im not sure what oil they use. my truck doesnt currently has the blue smoke issue however, but since its talked about on here so much, i wonder if its just a matter of time before it starts to blue smoke.
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ANY vehicle will smoke over time/miles.
A MAJOR contribiting factor to smoking is improper maint and overheating. Driving an overheating vehicle will allow the head temp to rise to a point where the valves are not sufficently cooled (the valves cool by transferring heat to the head while seated), when the valves/cylinder heads overheat the valve stems heat too, valve stems seals are subjected to temps beyond the intended design/materal maximum. The result is reduced plyability/melting of the seals, and blue smoke.
With the fact that most first owners of Xs have children, and 6 yr old E53s are only worth about 1/3 their MSRP, many first owners will not sell/trade and toss the keys to Jr when he starts to drive (parents like their kids in big/safe vehicles). Most new drives don't know ANYTHING about proper maint and think that no matter how many warning light are lit, if it's still running it must be OK to just keep on driving. This is why full service history, limited # of owners and PPI is a MUST. Don't get me started on auction purchases of BMWs, you can't even drive what your buying and if you can't do serious DIYing repair costs can exceed vehicle value.
Another red flag when looking into the blue smoke issue on a used X with no service history is the possibility the prior owner brought the vehicle to an Iffy Lube. These shops do not use long life oils (a HUGE no-no when following the SII for service), the non-LL spec oil will not last. Iffy Lubes don't stock BMW filters too. Some used BMW purchasers doing their first oil changes have found fragments of the filter in the canister or even no filter at all! Unfiltered oil will cause severe engine wear in almost no time.