Liqui Moly

[JCL]

Originally Posted by sckooby94

So i just ordered Liqui Moly Oil 5W30 for my next Oil Change which is coming up and i just wanted to know if anyone had experience with it?

Also How often do you guys change your oil.. ive been doing it every 3.5k miles with Castrol EDGE 5W30..

Is this oil going to be bad for the m54 engine?

It depends entirely on which Liqui Moly 5w-30 you are proposing to use. If you look at the oils that Liqui Moly labels Synthetic, there isn't a 5w-30 listed. They do offer what they call Synthetic Technology oils in a 5w-30, probably referencing different base stocks.

If you are considering Top Tech 4200 5w-30 or Longtime Tech 5w-30, recommend you switch. These oils are recommended to not be used in North America, by BMW. The information is contained in the BMW technical literature, previously posted. With your ultra short change intervals you would likely be fine, but the oils break down faster than they should.

There are other Synthetic Technology 5w-30 oils that Liqui Moly list on their web site that are not LL-04, listing LL-01. Those may be fine. Look for the other specifications to confirm.

[sckooby94]

Wait so often do you guys change oil since it seems like I'm doing it too often

[JCL]

Originally Posted by sckooby94

Wait, so how often do you guys change oil since it seems like I'm doing it too often

I follow the lights on the dash (condition based service) but I don't let it go over 24 months if it hasn't been driven enough to indicate a change required. I usually change it between 20,000 and 24,000 km, although the lights have called for up to 28,000 km. 24,000 km is close to 15,000 miles.

I built up to those intervals gradually from 7500 miles in 2003 with the X5, monitoring oil condition and engine condition along the way. Note that my driving has sufficient time at full operating temperature to not have problems with condensation from short trips. I have a combination of city and highway driving. I have followed this with my last four BMW vehicles, and have no oil consumption between changes, so that's a reasonable indication of no premature cylinder wear. I do inspections more frequently, ensuring that other systems are monitored more often than 24 months.

[sckooby94]

I drive 50 miles a day.. 5 days a week.. Idk .. So you think I can change at 7,500miles then hopefully

[bmw540san]

I might be the longest Liqui Moly user on this board. No affiliations, but since I'm originally form Europe I prefer Liqui Moly for their quality products and putting money into developing good product instead flashy commercials.

I've used this one for 10+ years on my 5's:
LIQUI MOLY - Motor Oils, Additives, Car Care - Products - Synthoil Premium 5W-40

I've also just put this one in my X5:
LIQUI MOLY - Motor Oils, Additives, Car Care - Products - Longtime High Tech 5W-30

But since it's LL04 (depletes faster with US gasoline), for next oil change, I'll use this one in X5 since it's LL01:
LIQUI MOLY - Motor Oils, Additives, Car Care - Products - Leichtlauf High Tech 5W-40

Any of this can be had for $35 for 5L jug which is pretty competitive price.

[knucklebuster]

I rec that if you do a lot of city 5k and highway than 7k to 10k .I use Motul engine oil 5w40 on my x and my wagon .Lube moly oil conditioner took care of my oil leak at the rear main .

[THE VEIN]

Change every 5k. Everybody's "city" driving is different. In queens u can barely go 300ft without reaching a stop sign. in Florida u can go like 2 miles before u reach a red light

[E53inLA]

Originally Posted by THE VEIN

Change every 5k. Everybody's "city" driving is different. In queens u can barely go 300ft without reaching a stop sign. in Florida u can go like 2 miles before u reach a red light

+1 - You beat me to it. Same issue here in LA. More stop & go than highway driving... and then often the highway is stop & go. I change oil every 6 months or 6,000 miles, and I have to check often and add a quart or so in between changes.

[sckooby94]

Lol damn, so I guess I'll change in another 2k... Side note I drive mostly in long Island.. Strictly highways most of the time

[TerminatorX5]

I am using LQ oil, the 5w40, buy 20 liter at a time, about $140-145 delivered.

for interval, take 15,000 miles for the perfect conditions, and deduct for all the imperfections - too many short drives, a lot of heavy, aggressive driving, a lot of miles - basically, if you use it, then you you don't have perfect conditions.. i change mine from 7.5 to 10K miles... always use OE filter, about $16 from a dealer...

i take the 5L jar, pour out 2 qts into empty oil containers that i had from old oil changes, take that jar and another 5L jar (about 8L), filter to my wal-mart, tell them to change the oil and filter, and watch over them... make sure the car is hot, so drive for a 1/2 hour on a highway before coming to oil change. wal mart charges about $15-20 for the labor, i don't let then touch anything else... mark the mileage on a spreadsheet... voila...

i am partial to German made oil, since the motor is a German made motor... if we had a german spec'd gas for sale, i'd be buying that gas, but we don't...

but, as long as you use good quality oil, you should be good, especially your oil doesn't get a chance to deteriorate...