Oil Recommendations
 

In my 2005 E53, I have been noticing the oil getting sludgy very quickly. I believe it may be that I run the engine hotter than the oil can handle, since I almost always drive in sport. Right now running 5W-30, anyone got another kind of oil I could try to see if it will increase the life of the oil?


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What BRAND are you using?

Mobil 1 just got bumped from BMWs official approved list so I may be switching to Castrol.

Check out Project Farm on YouTube he does a very thorough test of oils.


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Mobil 1 changed their formula several years ago and lost BMW LL-01 certification at that time.

The simple answer is Castrol Edge 0W-40 available at WM and AMZ for $25 or less for a 5 qt. jug. It's about the only affordable oil that still meets the LL-01 specification as your engine calls for.

There are other LL-01 oils but they tend to be quite a bit more expensive.

AM.

Perfect. But M54 calls for 5w30. I have to go check the project farm review he does very comprehensive testing . Mobil 1 got knocked out on the 3rd round I think but the winning oils were like $12/at screw that.

The Amazon basic full synthetic did very well.


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My 2001 3.0i's owner's manual calls for, "Approved oils are in SAE classes 5W-40 and 5W-30"

I use Castrol Edge 5W-30 in my X5.

I use Mobil 1 European Formula 0W-40 in my Porsche Cayenne. Am aware of how Mobil 1 changed the product without changing the name. I don't think Porsche has changed their recommendation away from that (that is the original factory specified oil on that car).

I actually would not worry about any of the factors mentioned so far here (exact brand, LL spec, exact weight). If the oil is sludgy, there is something wrong well beyond these factors.

If the car is newly owned, could it be that previous owners did not maintain it well, and now the frequent detergent oil changes are setting free all the ancient deposits?

I actually use Mobil 1


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Now that I know about it’s being bumped


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It was passed down to me from my mother, I’m a new driver actually. She says she never took it at over like 4000rpm, which I exceed that frequently. I think deposits might be the problem.


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Run some SeaFoam through the system (or Lucas fuel injector cleaner). And definitely run it up to red line on highway on-ramps now and again. Helps to clean the carbon off. ;)

BTW, I use all sorts of oils... LubriMoly, Valvoline, Castrol, etc. Sometimes I don't even use full synth when I plan on dropping the fluid again soon or doing an oil treatment... *gasp* (shorter oil changes when I don't obviously).

Use the full synth of your choosing in the recommended weights and you'll be fine. I'm sure there is reason for specifying a certain certification oil... but I'm guessing it's so that the dealer can suggest 10,000 mile+ service intervals.

Choosing oil by the labeled viscosity is very inaccurate. One 5W-30 can be much more/less viscous than another. Going by the BMW owner's manual is worthless, as it is written with the assumption that you take your car to the dealer for anything other than filling with gas.

It is much more accurate to go by manufacturer specifications (see newtis for more details), and the M54 calls for LL-01 oils as the minimum specification. MANY 5W-30 oils are too light viscosity to meet LL-01 including Mobil1. M1's 5W-30 never met LL-01, though M1's 0W-40 did meet LL-01 until the formulation change a few years ago.

To my chagrin, BMW is succombing to the fuel economy gods and beginning to recommend light viscosity oils. Their new spec is LL-01 FE. I suspect they will soon be recommending this new spec as backward compatible with our old M54's. Sad, as I bet the engineers who actually designed the engines would prefer a higher viscosity, but bureaucrats win in the end.

From a practical standpoint, and considering the way most of us drive these vehicles (relatively easy), you can probably get away with running almost any reasonable oil. I choose to stick with the oil that meets the LL-01 spec because it's what the engineer's specified and it's still readily availble at a reasonable cost.

AM.