Which Oil? 0-40 or 5-30
 

My local Auto parts store has Mobil 1 on sale starting Friday.
5w30 or 0w40 for my e53 3.0 2003
Thanks

What does it recommend in your owners manual?

This is what it says in mine for the 4.4 V8 N62:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q...0Viscosity.jpg

But I've used both 5w30 & 0w40...I'm not sure why either would really make that big of a difference if you change your oil on a regular basis. Both viscosities work in all ambient temps as mentioned in the manual.

This is what I bought the last time:

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q...ront-sale).jpg

http://www.bimmerboard.com/members/q...g%20(rear).jpg

Perfect
Thank you!

You don't say where in BC you are, but 5-30 flows down to -40, and is perfectly ok down to -30, the coldest I've used it in. If Kits means Kitsilano, that is more than enough. On the other hand, if you are in Dease Lake....

Good work......... Yes Kits is correct, but have since moved to Parksville.
Cheers.

I use 5w-40 personally in Jersey.

prob in Canada I would do 5w-30 all year round

Interesting timing of this post was going to ask the same question but hesitated as oil threads on some other sites (cough m5 cough) are not well received.

Reviewing Mobil's site they recommend 0w 40 for my 4.6is and was going to ask the same question but seems it has been answered. Thanks OP

+1 on 5w40 here

My 3.0 runs well on 0w-40 Mobile and since it's only around $23 per 5 QT jug down at the local Wally World its also wallet friendly, especially considering I burn about a 1/2 QT every 1,000 miles.

I've been running the Mobil[1] 0-40 for the last 85k of the 185k total miles on the M62 4.4.

OE TC guides, near zero oil burn (drops about 1/8" between changes at 60% SII), even towing in 120 deg F stop/go traffic.

I have used Mobil 1 0W40 for many years and have done changes at BMW intervals as outlined by OBC (12k to (15k). I am going to try Royal Purple HPS 5w30 with a high efficiency oil filter on my 06 4.8is

Royal Purple???

Numerous UOAs have show RP has DRASTIC shear rates. Search Royal Purple UOAs.

Federal Trade Commision stepped in and made them stop all their "we make the BEST oil" claims......

Truth in Advertising: BP v. Royal Purple

Hope you're planning 3k mile changes of that swill.

Royal Purple sucks big donkey dick. Don't waste your money or time.

I was NOT happy with the increase in oil consumption when I ran RP 5w30 in my N62 :(

even double :(

Thanks for the straight truth, looks I will stick with Mobil 1 0W40

I normally go with whatever is cheap in the 0w40 - 5w40 grade full synthetic and just change it twice / year and keep it full :)

Me too...but I only change it out once per year (usually less than 10k miles) ;)

^^^ Me too...
0W-40 Mobil 1 for the past many years, once a year whether it needs it or not, and still cooking after 96k miles and 13 years.
GL, mD

I've been using this one for almost 10 years now in different BMW's with minimal oil consumption. I just started using it my X5 and the engine sounds quieter compared to BMW oil that's been in it:

LIQUI MOLY - Motor Oils, Additives, Car Care - Products - Longtime High Tech 5W-30

Part Number Search 2039 - RM European Auto Parts

This one has been in my both 5 series for 10+ years as well and they like it:

LIQUI MOLY - Motor Oils, Additives, Car Care - Products - Synthoil Premium 5W-40

Part Number Search 2041 - RM European Auto Parts

I ended up going with the Valvoline 5w30 SYNpower Full Synthetic made for BMW, Mercedes, & Porsche. Meets LL-04 for BMW.

Just did some reading, and it says LL-04 should be used Overseas where they have lower Sulphur fuels.

WTF????
Clown at auto parts store says LL-04 exceeds LL-01 requirements.
Why did I not go with the Mobil 0w 40?

+1 on the LiquiMoly 5-40. I was a bit shocked to found it locally and priced well at a Napa store

Clown is right. But that doesn't make it better for your application.

The BMW proprietary LL04 spec was the subject of a BMW technical bulletin (around 2009 IIRC) saying don't use it in North America on gasoline engine models. It remains the recommended oil spec for diesels. Reason is it breaks down earlier, related to fuel composition in North America, likely both ethanol and sulphur. As long as you change the oil early you should be fine. Also, the 04 part means that since it came out in 04, it is now a ten year old spec. Many oil improvements have come along in the last decade.

I went with Motul x-cess 8100 5w40
In about 2000 miles I'll do Motul 300v-power 5w40

My local Napa use to carry it but it was more than $35 for 5L jug that I'm paying now. Also I like the fact that I don't have to store to get it and they come with very nice oil change reminder sticker.
http://i156.photobucket.com/albums/t...5/DSC01875.jpg

Advertising that does not have proper documentation for claims does not mean the product performance better or worse than competition.

A side by side industry standards test could be meaningful but I don't know of one. UOC evaluations are based on a particular engine and the corresponding usage and environment rather than a statistically accurate number of engines in controlled conditions. That is not to say RP is good or bad just that input thus far is not verification of either.

I am interested in verification. I have used RP for several years. I change the oil every 5000 miles. I am not pitching RP. If it is not good I would like to know.

I have read enough of these to know that there will be many brands owners swear by and most of the reasons they do sound good. On the other hand, almost all are based on personal anecdotal experience.

I personally avoid any oil not approved by BMW, the RP doesn't meet the LL01 spec.

Yet to see a post on any BMW forum reporting +250k miles on RP without issues.

Plenty of BMW +250k posts on Mobil 1 0-40.

Some other forums (Jeep for one) have vehicles over 300k miles on Mobil 1 syn with no issues.

I'm not pitching my choice for anyone but the reason I've used Liqui Moly (Lubro Moly) for many years is the fact they had one owner for many years who's very popular within his employees for its efforts to save their jobs instead going after profit like the big boys.

Another and more important reason is that Liqui Moly invests money in research instead in generic commercials. It's also very popular with hard core German enthusiast who are very picky about their cars.

I know exact specs for the oils I use: (1137 is US part# 2039 and 1306 is US Part# 2041)

http://www.liqui-moly.de/liquimoly/m...205W-30_EN.pdf

http://www.liqui-moly.de/liquimoly/m...205W-40_EN.pdf

Those hard core German enthusiasts are all able to buy their fuel in Germany. Not true for North American enthusiasts.

That 5w-30 has an exact spec that is not recommended by BMW for use in North America, due to our fuels. It is known to break down much more quickly than it should.

Yes, you can just decide to change it much earlier than called for, and call it a day, but would you rather run a 5000 mile oil to 5000 miles, or a 15,000 mile oil to 5,000 miles?

Just throwing it out there ...there's a significant difference as you can see..

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=I-IF-M7Gzag
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-0KDBTrtQ9g

I'm always willing to learn so do tell me what you're talking about the when mentioning the wrong specs and obviously, I'd prefer if you supply me with BMW bulletin stating that.
We probably disagree on this, but 15000 miles oil change interval is the latest BMW cost saving since they're paying for oil change during the warranty.
As we both know, an engine produces a lot byproducts during cold starts, running the short trips and not bringing engine to operating temperature etc...
All that crap ends up in crankcase and it artificially raises the oil level. Then you have people saying that their engine isn't using any oil since the level hasn't dropped.
This information isn't my claim but the well known fact and I'm sure you know it too.
Knowing all that, I would never run 15000 miles / 1+ year oil change intervals on any oil.

By the way, do you by any chance have the specs on BMW oil because when I asked they couldn't tell me, but it's 15000 miles oil?

Again, I like a good debate and If I'm wrong about using the Liqui Moly, I'll admit it.

Worthless comparison, IMHO. It didn't specified which Motul 300V was used in that video, but the S54 (as shown in those videos) does required 10W60. However, as far as what I can find, Motul 300V doesn't have an equivalent 10W60. Therefore, we don't know what weight of oil it was being compared to the Castrol 10W60. A lower viscosity oil will let the engine idle and run smoother, but that doesn't mean it's better at protecting the engine.

Actually castrol 10w60 is a bad choice if you read the m5 and m3 boards..even though it's recommended by BMW, the majority of guys who know oil, are using 5w30 and 5w40 in their m3's and m5's...and group V ester based oils will always be better than group III oils advertised as fully synthetics when in fact they're not.
Group III is pretty much all top priced oil at your local auto parts store except Redline which usually falls under IV or V

LL01, like LL98, was a long life spec, IMO, not a full quality spec. I prefer using API standards because they are not proprietary to a manufacturer. I always used API specs and didn't worry much about LL01. When LL04 came out it replaced LL01. Several years later, problems started showing up with standard oil change intervals, in North America. Engine failures. BMW attributed it to fuel quality, which I believe references both ethanol, and sulphur levels. Not sure to what extent each contributed to the problem. The best description of the problem that I recall was that LL04 oils had a low TBN to start, and the ethanol and/or sulphur, likely the combination, reduced the TBN too quickly in service. BMW pulled the LL04 spec for North American petrol engines in 2009. I tried to find the TSB or SIB as I recall posting it here, but am not finding it. Might be my search technique, or old attachments not being saved. You should be able to find it online. In the meantime, I have attached an extract from a more recent BMW document as a screen shot. From 2010, owners manuals no longer called for LL04 in North America. But the Euro hype continues in the aftermarket.

Now, many oils claiming LL04 compatibility are not certified to that spec, they are instead sold as being "suitable for engines requiring that spec." Marketing nonsense. But if they are LL04 oils, look at the starting TBN, and expect reduced service life from that oil in North America.

Lots of discussions on this on BITOG, dating back five years.

The spec I go by is API SM or SN, 5-30. I don't worry about ACEA but then I typically use BMW oil. BMW references API SM in my most recent owner's manual. That is quite a bit better than the SJ or whatever was current back when the X5 came out.

I don't agree that BMW OCIs are a recent change, they have been around since the nineties. And many countries and markets that have that same spec don't include prepaid maintenance.

I have had very good service using the standard BMW OCIs. I did early (half life intermediate) changes on the X5 back in 2003-2005. I moved to 15,000 km, then 20,000, and now use 24,000. That is pretty near 15,000 miles. Multiple vehicles. No oil consumption. I make sure the OE oil filters don't go past 24 months. I do not abuse vehicles. They get warmed properly, by driving, with no extended idling. They regularly get high rpm use. They are used down to -30c occasionally, and up to 35c ambients. Some occasional towing. When I have to do many short trips it gets offset by more extended trips interspersed.

I like a debate too:thumbup:

Jeff

Many owners with S85 (E60 M5) and S65 (E90-93 M3) are considering thinner oil due to bearing clearance issue. Too tight of tolerance is causing premature wear on the bearings and some recommend to use thinner oil. S54 had its share of bearing clearance issues in the earlier years. S54 engine does require 10w-60 since it tend to squeeze out the oil at higher RPMs. BMW recommended higher oil viscosity to increase oil pressure. I’m sure my S54 will be fine with 0w-40 if I were driving normal around town but I would not dare to push to 8500 RPM with 0w-40 on regular bases!

I have yet to see longevity or failure documented as oil being the cause of either.

Yup, me! Almost at 250k miles with my E34 using Mobil 1 0w-40. No issues here with Mobil 1.

You're right about LL04, I was able to find few references. I put that oil in about a month ago and I'll probably change it in spring. That way I didn't waste it and yet there is no way it's been degraded in 6 months or 2000 miles which is all I'll probably put on the X5 anyway.

I usually follow the ACEA for my BMW's and Liqui Moly has so many varieties that it makes it easy to find the right oil. Again, BMW oil is likely good oil but I don't like the BMW arrogance with their: it's designed for our engines and therefore you don't need to know technical specs beyond API rating or whatever.

I have 3 BMW's and don't put many miles on either and that's primarily reason why I'd never go 15000 miles as it would take few years to achieve that. Even BMW recommends (at least use to) to change oil at least one a year regardless of mileage as it does degrades with time too.

With that many miles I guarantee you that your cars do use some oil which is normal (all engines use oil) but the oil level is artificially raised by contaminants even if you do your best to avoid short trips, cold starts etc...

Again, they're your cars and your business and thank you for reminding me about LL04, I was wrong about that.

I've yet to see one too.

No intention to give the impression that any oil is better or worse. I have successfully used Mobil 1 and many other brands over the years.

My point is-- I know I used a brand and I had no issues for X miles. I don't know that the reason I had no issues is because I used X brand. Nor do I know I would have had or not have had an issue if I had used another brand.

The reason there are many successful brands is because there are many good product offerings. I always us oil that meets the specifications of the mfg. but beyond that it is my preference not because I have documentation it is better for my engine than another brand that meets those same specs.