Since Bmw switched from Castrol to Shell, what motor oil are you guys using ??
 

Hi guys, just like the title says. Since Bmw now uses shell oil, are you guys making the switch as well or staying with the Castrol ?? My oil change is coming up and all I have ever used was the Bmw Castrol but now don't know if I should just go to walmart and get the Castrol there or switch to Shell. Thanks in advance...

Does the Wal Mart sourced product meets the BMW specs?

Obviously now, yes :rolleyes: But they will decrease the change interval to 20 k miles so that will compensate :rofl:

I personally will never put anything than Castrol in my cars. Except Motul in my race car, but this is another story.

The US based Castrol oils are garbage. They can sell a synthetic that is not really a synthetic. That same oil cannot be marketed as synthetic elsewhere in the civilized world. So I prefer to use a reputable brand oil.

You want an oil that supports the longlife 04 specification.

Catrol has a 0W-30 "European Formula" you can buy here. I've been told it's the same as the BMW stuff, but obviously slightly different viscosity. However, if a car calls for 5W-30, 0W-30 is not going to do you any harm, in fact it'll probably be better for the life of your engine.

That is not a US based oil though.

There was a problem with this before and now Castrol bottles are marked "Full Synthetic" and "Synthetic blend".
From what i know the black bottles castrol is a full synthetic and that is what the bottle says.
I didnt send any oils for analysis, but judging by the visual condition of the oil I drain after 7-8 k miles it cannot be anything than a premium oil.

I have always used Mobil 1 and so far so good, I have a 35D.

https://mobiloil.com/en/product-sele...lFU0VMKQ%3D%3D

It still is a problem. The US based synthetic oils that Castrol sells cannot be sold as synthetic anywhere else. It comes down to what Castrol views as a synthetic oil, not how it is marked on the bottle. Their view of what a synthetic oil is different in the US compared to the oils they produce in Europe.

You probably have better knowledge on this. Looks like the one recommended for the diesel is a real synthetic, probably that is why they call it "Proffesional" :rofl:

The"Professional" line is just what a dealer uses and might be more tailored to a specific make.

Some of the full synthetics that Castrol sells that are US based, actually starts as crude oil. Then you have them pricing it as a real synthetic even though it is not. The use of crude oil as a base stock is cheaper and Castrol on record even admitted they wouldn't drop the price of a product that was now switched to a crude base stock being marketed as a synthetic.

I'd prefer to use a real synthetic oil from a company that doesn't play games about what their product actually is. I'd prefer Shell way over Castrol. Rather than spending money on a team of attorneys trying to change the meaning of synthetic, I'd rather spend my money with a company that put that money towards science to produce a better product; like what Shell has done with the GTL technology.

You are certainly entitled to your opinion, but I differ on the quality of Castrol oils. They have worked well for me, as has the BMW OE oil. I found it stands up well to 24,000 km oil change intervals.

Mobil lost their case about what constitutes a synthetic, so Castrol is a synthetic according to that decision. I don't see why it matters which synthetic process is used to create the product, it only matters what standards it meets and how it works at the end of the day.

A full synthetic means that the oil is produced with a specific process, whatever the base stock was, PAO or otherwise. A synthetic blend means that the above oil is then blended with a traditional oil to produce a blend. There appears to be confusion over the two separate issue of what constitutes a blend, and which base stock was used to create the synthetic oil.

Not sure where you are based as you don't give your location, but for North American readers, don't use an LL04 oil in a gasoline BMW. BMW recommended that back in 09 or so, due to early breakdown of the LL04 oils with typical US fuels. LL01 if you like, but I don't see the benefit of looking for an oil that meets a 14 year old spec.

+1
Never ever had a problem as long as the Castrol is original (this is not a problem in North America). Never drained oil that looks well over it's usefull life or had an excessive engine wear in any of my cars. As a matter of fact, the first generation 24 valve engines from the 90s always had a noisy lifters with almost any oil, but once you put 10w40 Castrol semi-synthetic (blend) the engine was purring regardless of the mileage.
In a modern engine first symptoms of an oil losing it's qualities is when you start to hear a valve tick. N52 engine is very sensitive in this area. At the end of the summer I went to the track with my wife's Z4 and it as more than flawless with 5W30 in between changes and oil temps up to 260F. Couldnt hear even a slightest abnormal noise. My 06 530xit with 181 k miles was as silent as new. I consider Castrol very well suited to the modern BMW engines, buy as mentioned already everyone has it's opinion.

Castrol is charging for a synthetic when it is not and is using cheaper components. Why overpay when you can use a different brand for much less? So it does matter on the process. Why doesn't Castrol use the same process over in Europe that they do here if it performs so well?

Walking and not driving was the mode of transportation for many hundreds of years. That worked well way back when. Why change? A car is better you say. Why get a BMW when an econobox will suffice.

But seriously, if you are not doing used oil analyses you simply cannot say anything intelligent.

Once I came to the understanding of the complexity of lubrication science, I stopped discussing it. it is virtually impossible to do based on the information most of us have with is marketing crap and superstitious natives nonsense.

IMO

Feels like eternity to me :rofl:

The BMW/Castrol oil is a synthetic. We can argue all day long about "how much" of a synthetic it is and how the European synthetic oils are SOOOO much better and how we in the US get ripped off.

I have yet to see any factual and empirical data showing that said "lower" quality oils contribute to poorer running or wearing engines. A lot of "this is better", "that sucks" and the like. Maybe I'm just naive or too stupid. Maybe I just don't care. What I do know is that I don't need anyone worrying their pretty little head about how I'm getting ripped off because it's not a "real" synthetic. If it's good enough for the engine, then it's good enough.

I don't even like Castrol products although their SRF brake fluid is pretty awesome. I used the BMW/Castrol oil in my X5d this change just to say I tried it. When it comes time to change it, I'll take a sample and have it analyzed like I do ALL my engine oils. If I'm impressed, maybe I'll track more of it down. More than likely I will switch up to Mobil 1 ESP Formula M 5W/30. I'll do the same when it comes to change that out and maybe I'll try the new BMW/Shell oil.

NOTE: I have a 2011 xDrive35d

Diny? Is that you?

haha.

Channeling Diny:

Castrol 10W-60 synthetic motor oil? - BMW M5 Forum and M6 Forums

(read the topics in the forum...and the member names...;) )

I guess I missed that news on the big 'switch' of BMW going from Castrol to Shell.
As for anyone changing from the previously 'recommended' Castrol to the now 'recommended' Shell, why would they?

Did one's car lubrication requirements 'change' from pre switch to now? :D

Just poking actually...

I don't race anymore and I haven't torn down an engine in decades, but in the 50+ years I've been driving an eclectic mix of cars and motorcycles, I have never had an internal engine part or component system break down/fail/go sideways due to a brand of oil that was flowing through its galleries.

As I think about it I've never had an internal engine component or part 'break', (other than some collapsed hydraulic lifters in my Shovelhead), and some of my older stuff was run pretty damn hard and on old fashioned lubricants.

NEway, ard's post was exactly what I was thinking when I saw the OP's post and waited for the arm wrestles and anecdotes to commence. ;)
GL, mD

Wow didn't think this thread would have had so much traffic. I guess I did open a can of warms here lol
In a serious note though, would the Castrol 5w-30 fully synthetic from walmart work ??

Wow indeed.



I forget....are you under BMW warranty? if yes, then "no that will not work" as use of an unapproved oil will risk your warranty.

On a serious note...Dino oil with 3500 mile intervals would probably 'work'. How do YOU define "work"?

See? HOW DO YOU DEFINE 'WORK'????

You also seem to fail to understand that BMW changed the manufacturer they use FOR THEIR BMW BRANDED OIL. That does not mean "since BMW uses Shell for their oil, I had better use Shell when I choose an oil that isnt a BMW specified oil". The name on the bottle is of NO consequence. Do you understand this distinction? Again, because BMW switched their SUPPLIER doesnt mean that matters to you. Either you buy "BMW Hi Performance Oil PN XXYYZZZZ" or you are not using BMW approved oil. Why then worry about who made the BMW oil you are not using?

Finally do you think that "Castrol 5w30 synthetic from wallymart" is an adequate spec for anyone to say 'yes' or 'no'? I could swear castrol makes 4 or 5 versions of a 5w30 oils....

oh, I was going to ask and they realized not knowing makes this thread all the more pointless: what motor do you have?

And finally, you are a PERFECT example of why oil mfgs pay so much to have a marque say "we are the oil supplier for blah, blah". People dont know anything at all, but out of the haze of confusion they remember "oh, wait- didnt they switch to Shell?...I'll take the Shell please"

If it is actual Castrol and not counterfeit, then it doesn't matter where it comes from. I've never bought oil from Walmart. Assume you have a gasoline fueled model. If it is a synthetic, 5w-30, with the API SM or SN certificate on the bottle, it is fine. When your vehicle was built BMW likely spec'd API SH, so we are a few generations newer in terms of better specs now.

Thanks Ard and JCL, yes the car is a 2009 3.0 which also has ran out of the warranty. When I say walmart, I also mean any auto store such as Autozone, Pepboys, Napa etc....The question was more, if the Castrol Synthetic that is sold to general public in any of the stores would be a good replacement for the one that sold by BMW ??

Oil
 

Bav Auto Liqui Moly in all the cars except the ones under the BMW Service plan. Once that expires I will be switching to the Liqui Moly.

The 5w-30 Liqui Moly is certified to LL04. Are you using it or another LM oil? If so, given that you are in the US and have all gasoline fueled engines, are you changing it early to accommodate the more rapid oil breakdown found on LL04 oils when used in North America?

Would be fine for a diesel, or for use on other than North American fuels. Otherwise, seems like extra money for an oil that will degrade faster.

The BMW OE oil in North America (at least the one I bought from my dealer) wasn't German Castrol, and it wasn't the same exact oil that you could buy in a Castrol bottle.

Any of the name brands, in a 5w-30, with an API SM or SN certification, will be fine. Look for a synthetic, not a synthetic blend. Mobil, Castrol, or any one of many others works well. I always liked Castrol, and it used to be Syntec, but I don't know what they call the latest recipe, as they have multiple formulations.

Or use the BMW OE oil, who ever is blending it for them. The advantage of buying it from BMW is you can get an OE filter at the same time.

Thanks again, and yes I agree with getting it at the same time with the filter since I do have to get the filter from there anyways. But my main concern was, would it be a problem switching from Bmw Castrol which I been using on this car since day one to their new line of Shell ??

No.

JCL My oil gets changed every 5000 miles, 6000 max. I was never a fan of 10000 mile oil change intervals, especially when the vehicle gets higher mileage. :thumbup:

Thank you again !!