Engine oil analysis=bad news

[bigwave2255]

oh sure im aware of the increased oil capacity of the BM, the jeep holds 5 litres inc filter

im still un comfortable with the extended service intervals, when shopping for this car i saw so many knocked around X5,s, it seems most were bought for mum to cart kids around in, and where traded before racking up to many k,s and minimal maintenance done, so having found a good one and not being a millionaire i work on prevention being better (and cheaper) the cure

Ewen

[sprocket1200]

no worries mate. we had a convertible with a couple hundred thousand clicks. followed the SI lights while I owned it and it was a rocket when it was sold...

[xriderob]

Allright finally scanned a copy of the report, sorry for poor quality but it gets the information across so you know exactly what they said and the values of each mineral.



As for the engine sounds it does not sounds like other X5 4.4's I have heard, I always am listening and honestly it doesnt sound like knock or anything (not that you can always hear it) but I did hear it in my last vehicle.

As for the SI it dropped its first green bar after 5000km of driving and now i am at approx. 8000km from when it was reset. I am goign to ask the dealer for all documentation on the vehicle that they can get from BMW system and then I guess that might tell me a little more. In my owners manual the original owner did take it in for its first service which included a little check up and micro filter change and then nothing was recorded after that. So I can not really go by that though, I would at least like to know what was done when it came to the BMW dealer as far as 'certifying' the vehicle.

Also JCL good to know the info about univeral averages, I was unaware that is what they were going by, thanks!

Sorry what is the TBN? and the information about the coolant leak is in the report, so what I said will make a little more sense. I have been keeping an eye on it. No leaks, level has been the same as far as I can see, Only leak was some water today that was pouring down but it was idling with AC on while we were feeding the baby so I assume its condensation from the AC. ALso I never knew SOS labs existed I will check into that, not only are they closer and cheaper but it can get me results much faster as well as compare them to another place. I will change my oil when I get back to fort mcmurray though I will be at approx 2500km

And just for comparisons sake I know it doesnt mean much but I will put one of the last samples of my 2004 subaru WRX 2.0L turbo (lots of mods, 24psi boost and 148,000km on odometer just for some background. Motul synthetic 8100 5w/30 changed every 6000km since new)

They are obviously very different engines but aluminum is 3 in wrx and 23 ppm in bmw. Iron is 11 wrx, 309ppm bmw. Copper 1 wrx, 49 bmw. lead 2 wrx, 18 bmw.
I know i know it doesnt mean much but just for comparison sake.

[JCL]

Originally Posted by xriderob

Allright finally scanned a copy of the report, sorry for poor quality but it gets the information across so you know exactly what they said and the values of each mineral.

I am not an expert on interpreting these results, so others may have more to add. That said, some comments:

• I agree that wear metals are high. If the sample was taken cleanly, and the lab results are correct, then you should be watching the trend lines on the wear metals over the next few oil changes.
• I don't see why iron relates to piston scuffing, but maybe someone can enlighten me. Maybe they think you have iron cylinder liners (you don't). It seems like a computer generated comment to me. If you did have a problem with piston scuffing, I would expect that you would have noticed high oil consumption.
• Remember that this report is measuring elements in parts per million. One part per million represents 0.0001%. If you had material breaking up in the engine you would need to do some type of large particle analysis to determine the source, not rely on a spectroscopic analysis as was done here. I think this type of analysis shows particles up to about five microns, so if you want to determine the source of any significant wear particles then you need to have a lab do an analysis of the ferrous material, or do a large particle analysis under a microscope. Both are optional tests, but Blackstone doesn't list the ferrous material analysis, just a single particle count option, at additional cost.
• Viscosity measurements show high. That is better than them being low, but they are still out of range, by 10% or so. 15% is often the point at which flags go up. Since you don't know what oil was in the engine, you can't draw any conclusions from these measurements, other than noting they are high. Perhaps a previous owner used an oil treatment product.
• The insolubles are good, indicating that there are not abrasive materials in the oil. That tells us that the oil has not oxidized, and that the oil filter is doing a good job. Thought you would like some good news.
• You didn't buy the TBN test (total base number). That would have indicated how the additives in the oil are doing, whether they are depleted or not. It speaks to oil life.
• You didn't buy the TAN test (total acid number). That would indicate how many acids had built up in the oil, due to oil degradation. Relates back to oxidation of the oil.
• I think Blackstone's suggestion to watch your coolant level is good. You should also be tracking oil consumption.
• The universal averages they show are based on 10,000 km oil life. Since you don't know how long the oil has been in there, the averages they list don't mean very much. I wouldn't be too harsh on them for this, since they have nothing to go on, not knowing the oil life, the amount of make up oil added, etc. I would question some of the conclusions they have come up with from a single analysis; these are possible contributors, not a diagnosis. If I was your BMW dealer, I would rightly dismiss your claim based on that fact.

Comparing the figures to your Subaru doesn't mean anything. You want to compare these figures to your next few oil samples. You also need to establish a baseline in terms of knowing what oil (type, viscosity) is in the engine.

The owner's first service likely included an oil and filter change, since it was free (along with the micro-filter). You want the service history, to see all the dealer-performed services. That history won't show non-dealer performed services of course.

The SOS labs (Scheduled Oil Sampling) are a trademark of another organization than Blackstone, namely Caterpillar dealers, operating independently around the world, to a set of Caterpillar standards.

I see nothing from what you have reported that suggests your engine is failing and that the dealer you bought it from should do anything about it. A physical inspection of the engine may reveal that something is failing, it is just that these results are not sufficient to conclude that.

[X5 Meister]

Add a multi-vitamin and extra vitamin D and you'll be good to go.

[xriderob]

Are you talking centrum or maybe a centrum plus? She allready gets enough vitamin d with all that sun we get up north in the summer

[X5 Meister]

Centrum + with prostate support.

[xriderob]

Well just an update. BMW of Canada was very very helpful so far and have set me up with BMW dealer in Edmonton to look at every issue and as well got me a loaner BMW for the time the vehicle will be out.
So waiting for august for the official diagnosis and BMW said they will be looking into what BMW dealer I bought it from did for the CPO servicing, looking into records etc.
So hopefully everything is fixed and I will be happy. Also am taking another oil analysis and will be sending it to blackstone and another company for comparison.

[kablammo]

Any updates?

k

[xriderob]

Originally Posted by kablammo

Any updates?

k

Still waiting. X went in today for at least two days due to all the issues that have come up and the sounds it is making. So I guess we will see on thursday or Friday what is going on with the engine and hopefully have the headlights, squeaks etc all fixed up!
The dealer I bought it from has given me some pretty good offers on some 2010 models, x5 and a 535xi but I will see what is going on first and then I can decide.
Hopefully it works out, i was so pissed at first I just wanted to get rid of it, but if they can fix any issues and have my vehicle reliable like it should have been as a cpo I will be happy. I'll update when I hear.
Oh and second oil sample sent just waiting, 3500km on it mostly highway as that's all I do really.