A question for you diesel guys....

[Craig]

BMW says to use a Cetane rating of 50, but no one around here can tell me what the cetane rating is. Here is a link about premium diesel.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?...tentId=7037038

Craig

[jimsaq]

oh that
this isn't 'premium diesel' in the same sense of 'premium unleaded' gasoline where the name typically denotes the octane rating - it's just BP saying their diesel is better than other diesels.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by jimsaq

oh that
this isn't 'premium diesel' in the same sense of 'premium unleaded' gasoline where the name typically denotes the octane rating - it's just BP saying their diesel is better than other diesels.

http://www.bpfuelexperts.com.au/i/tr...transcript.pdf

I did a search on Google and found this Q&A about premium diesel...

Craig

[soldmystang]

all righty then. here is the scuttlebutt as i see it. first, change the oil in the vehicle religiously every 5k miles. diesels run on oil pressure. secondly, keep your fuel free of water. does the BMW diesel have a release valve for water on its fuel filter or is there a service interval on fuel filters? given the current "free" 4 year 50k mile dealer maintennance, i would think splitting the intervals in half would be appropriate.

diesels are a pain in the ass in that if you let the upkeep slip, they run poorly. however, stay on top of the fluid changes and they run forever. add to that some BMW goobly goo and they might run to forever and back.

i really do not believe any one needs to be searching out premium diesel fuel. good luck with that one, i say. buy your diesel fuel from a station that sells its diesel fuel regularly. the clue will be the stains on the concrete. diesel fuel that sits at the bottom of a service station's tanks condensates. as they say over at www.dieselstop.com go where the truckers go. just watch out for the lot-lizards.

[soldmystang]

Originally Posted by Craig

BMW says to use a Cetane rating of 50, but no one around here can tell me what the cetane rating is. Here is a link about premium diesel.

http://www.bp.com/genericarticle.do?...tentId=7037038

Craig

I'm pretty sure most stations carry cetane level 50 diesel fuel.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by soldmystang

I'm pretty sure most stations carry cetane level 50 diesel fuel.

Thanks, I'm going to check with a local oil distributor and see what they say as well. No one at the stations know anything.

Craig

[genew]

Originally Posted by Craig

Thanks, I'm going to check with a local oil distributor and see what they say as well. No one at the stations know anything.

Craig

Your distributor will also know the cetane of the fuel. If you don't find the distrubutor before you get your wheels, your best bet is to fuel at a truck stop that does a lot of business as you know the fuel will be good as you can get in the area. One other idea is to contact a local service company that has diesel pickups that need to go on a daily basis. They will need a supply of good fuel and they may have a local fueling stop closer to where you live or drive by on a daily basis. Just a couple of ideas! Good luck and keep us posted.

[Craig]

Originally Posted by genew

Your distributor will also know the cetane of the fuel. If you don't find the distrubutor before you get your wheels, your best bet is to fuel at a truck stop that does a lot of business as you know the fuel will be good as you can get in the area. One other idea is to contact a local service company that has diesel pickups that need to go on a daily basis. They will need a supply of good fuel and they may have a local fueling stop closer to where you live or drive by on a daily basis. Just a couple of ideas! Good luck and keep us posted.

Thanks Gene, there are a lot of stations around here with diesel. The truck stop is out of my way for fuel. I will ask the airport shuttle company where they get their fuel. All their vans are diesel and I'm using them for a ride to St. Louis to pick up my X5. I will keep everyone posted... Next Friday, I will have my X5.

Craig

[Craig]

Originally Posted by soldmystang

all righty then. here is the scuttlebutt as i see it. first, change the oil in the vehicle religiously every 5k miles. diesels run on oil pressure. secondly, keep your fuel free of water. does the BMW diesel have a release valve for water on its fuel filter or is there a service interval on fuel filters? given the current "free" 4 year 50k mile dealer maintennance, i would think splitting the intervals in half would be appropriate.

diesels are a pain in the ass in that if you let the upkeep slip, they run poorly. however, stay on top of the fluid changes and they run forever. add to that some BMW goobly goo and they might run to forever and back.

i really do not believe any one needs to be searching out premium diesel fuel. good luck with that one, i say. buy your diesel fuel from a station that sells its diesel fuel regularly. the clue will be the stains on the concrete. diesel fuel that sits at the bottom of a service station's tanks condensates. as they say over at www.dieselstop.com go where the truckers go. just watch out for the lot-lizards.

BMW will pay for an oil change once a year, or every 11,000 miles. The Urea fluid also gets flushed once a year.

Craig

[soldmystang]

i don't think i would let it go 11k miles. were it me i would have one done between the freebies.