Engine oil talk

[Themoog]

Now then.. Normally I would put 5w40 in my M62tu. I'm in the UK so weather temp is up and down all the time. A few weeks back it had a service and on the invoice it stated that they used 0w40.
As the motor has done 180k and the Vanos is a tad rattly when it's warmed up do you reckon I should try 10w40 or even 5w50 (if there is such a thing)?
I'm not convinced that 0w40 is right for my engine - bearing in mind that it runs at 100°c ish.
Thoughts?

[getty150]

My experience:
On forums that are less conservative and hostile your question is a call to arms.
1. Do your own research...I hope the information gathered here is apart of your research.
2. In reality you can use almost any grade of engine oil! However, it comes down to how long you intend on having that oil in the engine and your driving behavior.
3. I too have used several types of grades/brands of BMW recommended engine oils or A3/B4 compatible...as of the last 5 years my oil has been 5w40 Quaker State euro. And mainly because of your countryman https://youtu.be/qP3eyeW-zTw?si=p-Y1BifK1ubFsiiw
The M54 with 233k loves it!

Just did an oil change a week ago using Walmart brand 0w40 and the M54 B30 loves it! I returned to Walmart and snatched up 3 additional jugs.
BTW... Label says oil has the strength to last 10k miles...that fits me perfectly!

Sent from my REv V+ 5G using Tapatalk

[X5chemist]

Texas = hot weather
Austin = crawling speed traffic
Oil = switched to Castrol 5-40wt A4/B4.
No issues on mine. Engine purrs like super smooth after a good run at highway speeds. Normal daily driving is not enough. Idles good but longer high RPM runs are better.

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by X5chemist

Texas = hot weather
Austin = crawling speed traffic
Oil = switched to Castrol 5-40wt A4/B4.
No issues on mine. Engine purrs like super smooth after a good run at highway speeds. Normal daily driving is not enough. Idles good but longer high RPM runs are better.

Same here. Warm/hot weather 9 months of the year, and increasing stop & go traffic makes running thicker viscosity oil (and/or high-mileage formulations) imperative in all my elderly, above 100k miles, vehicles: '01 X5 has 212k+ miles, ''98 GMC has 185k miles, '09 HHR Panel has 18k miles also, and the '04 Chevy 2500HD 6.0l has about 136K miles (IIRC). The only one running the factory-specified oil is my wife's '14 Lexus ES350, with 56k miles.

I'll use Valvoline High-Mileage 5w-30 in the HHR and 2500HD (mainly used for long trips to the ranch, as a backup, or hauling a trailer on camping trips), and the GMC gets Mobil-1 High-mileage 10w-40, due to its' higher miles and age. I usually source my oil choices from the local Walmart or Amazon online, and try not to spend too much $$ on "special" or racing oils (after 25+ years of using Royal Purple almost exclusively).

The X5 has the second highest years and the most miles, but I think I can rely on the Castrol Edge Euro 5w-40 to perform well for awhile, before I have to get some exotic formulation (I barely ever drive it anyway). I wanted to keep it meeting the LL01 spec, most of all.

[AV8R4AA]

I have a 4.6. DFW resident. I use either 0w40 or 5w40 weight oil.
Since my X5 has a LED readout for engine oil temp, I give the engine 5 to 15 minutes warm up time. That’s only on initial cold start of the day. After the engine oil and coolant is up to temperature is when I might step on it a little bit.
Remember this:


Young guys want powerful Engines
Old guys want powerful Brakes.

[Salty B.]

Originally Posted by AV8R4AA

Young guys want powerful Engines
Old guys want powerful Brakes.

Why not both?

Probably sticking w/5W40 for the M54 with 201,800mi on it. I get the gamut of temperatures here in Louisville, from near-0°F to mid-90s.

[workingonit]

Originally Posted by AV8R4AA

Remember this:

Young guys want powerful Engines
Old guys want powerful Brakes.

Always interested in cars, I have run the whole gamut of car/truck types, and horsepower levels (during the old-school days without turbos & dual-turbos, when bigger carburetors and higher compression ratios were the way to go).

As for braking, I was still using 4-wheel drum brakes on the street on a 450 hp '69 Chevy C-10, and on the dragstrip when my '66 Chevelle was running 120 in the quarter mile (my second, higher horsepower big block ran 127 in the quarter, and I decided to install front 9" disc brakes).

Now, approaching 75, I still have two pickups with over a paltry 300 hp, my X5 has less hp than my wife's Lexus, but I find myself not caring about hp, any more. All our vehicles have good disc brakes, and the X5 and Lexus ES350 both have them front & rear, so stopping isn't a concern, either.

What concerns me mostly is having good, reliable cars, with good tires, but I have a growing concern about avoiding the increasing number of idiots on the road these days, with too much hp, too little driving skills, lack of responsibility (running stoplights, driving distracted, main-character syndrome types), etc.

That's why I'm testing/using using dash cams on my X5, and will be putting some on my wife's Lexus, soon. I trust no one, and want pictorial documentation in case of problems.