engine oil

[JCL]

Originally Posted by cocoabrova

Well BMW says to use API SH or higher SAE rated oil in place of the "BMW high-performance synthetic oil," so I guess any full-synthetic with those ratings or higher would be sufficient.... but for myself, the Castrol just doesn't cut it....

That may have been the recommendation when your model was manufactured, but they are now recommending API SM in new vehicles, so I would use that as a minimum. SH came out in 1994. SM came out in 2004, and is several generations better than SH, SJ, or SL.

SH - 1994 Gasoline Engine Service - Category SH was adopted in 1992 to describe engine oil first mandated in 1993. It is for use in service typical of gasoline engines in present and earlier passenger cars, vans, and light trucks operating under manufacturers’ recommended maintenance procedures. Engine Oils developed for this category provide performance exceeding the minimum requirements for API Service Category SG, which it is intended to replace, in the areas of deposit control, oil oxidation, wear, rust, and corrosion. Oils meeting API SH requirements have been tested according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Product Approval Code of Practice and may utilize the API Base Oil Interchange and Viscosity Grade Engine Testing Guidelines. They may be used where API Service Category SG and earlier categories are recommended. Effective August 1, 1997, API SH cannot be used except with API CF, CF-2, CF-4 or CG-4 when displayed in the API service symbol, and the C category must appear first.

SJ - 1997 Gasoline Engine Service - Category SJ was adopted in 1996 to describe engine oil first mandated in 1997. It is for use in service typical of gasoline engines in present and earlier passenger cars, vans, and light trucks operating under manufacturers recommended maintenance procedures. Oils meeting API SH requirements have been tested according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Product Approval Code of Practice and may utilize the API Base Oil Interchange and Viscosity Grade Engine Testing Guidelines. They may be used where API Service Category SH and earlier categories are recommended.

SL - 2001 Gasoline Engine Service - Category SL was adopted to describe engine oils for use in 2001. It is for use in service typical of gasoline engines in present and earlier passenger cars, sports utility vehicles, vans and light trucks operating under vehicle manufacturers recommended maintenance procedures. Oils meeting API SL requirements have been tested according to the American Chemistry Council (ACC) Product Approval Code of Practice and may utilize the API Base Oil Interchange and Viscosity Grade Engine Testing Guidelines. They may be used where API Service Category SJ and earlier categories are recommended.

SM - Introduced on 30 Novermber 2004 - Category SM oils are designed tp provide improved oxidation resistance, improved deposite protection, better wear protection, and better low-temperature performance over the life of the oil. Some SM oils may also meet the latest ILSAC specification and/or qualify as Energy Conserving. They may be used where API Service Category SJ and SL earlier categories are recommended