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07-21-2011, 05:13 PM | #23 | |
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I actually saw the opposite! But I use German Castrol 0w40 LL-4 over here in Germany. I did try using Mobil-1 0w40 european blend LL-1 oil. But I soon realized that the Mobil-1 oil is not correct oil for use with low sulfur fuels we have in Germany. So... I use German Castrol RS Edge 0w40 LL-4 oil. Using the GC, my oil temp gauge reads about two needle widths lower than when I was using Mobil-1 oil. But the thing that really sold me on the German Castrol oil is that on cold starts the engine is MUCH quieter. Less metalic noises when cold or even hot. Dackel |
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07-22-2011, 06:04 AM | #24 |
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Is there a digital list somewhere that someone can share? How do you know about their testing, TrackRat? I just would like to look through what BMW shares about their testing and look at the different oils myself. I assume their is no unapproved list, right? That way people could differentiate between what has not met their standards and what has yet to be tested.
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07-22-2011, 06:23 AM | #25 | |
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07-22-2011, 06:28 AM | #26 | |
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I got a copy of BMW's Long Life-4 list of approved oils - from my German dealer. http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showt...light=aka+list It doesn't say what is BMW's testing method... but it does list ALL the oils BMW has tested and approved for use in their engines in Germany(LL-4 oils only!). This list is NOT for the USA, though. But it will give you an idea of how many different oils BMW has tested and proved for use in their cars. Dackel |
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07-22-2011, 07:52 AM | #27 |
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^the USA list is on bmwusa.com
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2022 X4 M40i - 2008 135i - 2015 F700GS On Order - 2024 i4 M50 Scruffy's gonna die the way he lived... Mmhm. |
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07-22-2011, 05:04 PM | #28 | ||
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07-22-2011, 05:10 PM | #29 |
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"I would quote everything pixelblue said, but you've already read it. Take it from someone who's put the 1 through its paces"
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07-22-2011, 05:18 PM | #31 |
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LL-1 oil pdf...
Do you mean this page? Its interesting that this must have been written before the 1M came out. Because tehre is no mention of the 1M or engine code. It does look like the 1M uses the very same oil that a 135i uses. I also attached the pdf from BMW here... http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx Quote: Required maintenance work or services should be performed for your vehicle by your authorized BMW center. BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is recommended for scheduled engine oil changes. BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil* (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866) * Does not apply to M vehicles - see below BMW recommends that you check your engine oil level whenever you add fuel to your vehicle. If you need to add oil between oil changes and BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is unavailable, you may top up the oil level with one of the following approved synthetic oils. For information on checking your engine oil level refer to your vehicle's Owner's Manual. The oils listed below meet BMW's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines. BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market: Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30 Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40 Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30 Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30 Use only oils with an API rating of SM or higher. The choice of the right SAE grade is based on the climatic conditions in the region in which you normally drive your BMW. To best determine which SAE grade is best suited for your vehicle, contact an authorized BMW center. |
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07-22-2011, 05:19 PM | #32 |
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I mean, I have faith in the manufacturers recommendations, but no one can say this it is not blind faith in their recommendations. Without results and more info we are completely blind. That being said it's better to put your trust in them over nothing or brands that are lamely marketed like Royal Purple. Did anyone see Motul on that list? I used their gear oil on my last car with good results when my differential was binding a lot.
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07-22-2011, 07:53 PM | #33 |
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I've already posted once, but I will be a bit more serious this time.
My initial thoughts are go with whatever the warranty requires while under warranty. I would think that just about anyone would see the logic in this. After the warranty is up, sure, you have certainly less of a reason to stay with the approved list. Just like TrackRat has said there are quite a few specs you can compare with oils, so if you only look at one spec, you are likely doing yourself a disservice. I think you could make the argument that the broad set of tests that BMW et.al., does may not cover specific environments that your engine sees (all the time) however at best, it would be a weak argument. That being said, making blind guesses without any sort of testing is not helpful. Instead, you may want to run 12 months of BMW-branded oil in your engine, and take baseline oil analysis results for each season. After the 12 months is up, run whatever oil you want, then compare the values against your seasonally-adjusted baseline values. Only then, can you make a pseudo-accurate estimate on the merits of the different oil. Remember this though, even then, a bad tank of gas, or a dirty air filter, or just about any other environmental variable can change your test results. Also, realize that the test results only tell you what's in the oil -- it doesn't tell you where it's from. Without tearing an engine down and mic'ing the parts, you can only make educated guesses on what is wearing based on typical wear patterns for the engine type as well as known metals for parts (e.g. rings vs cylinder bore vs bushings) In the end, it's up to you. I like 0w-40 because I am still under warranty, and because I like the fact that it has slightly better pumpability at startup and may provide slightly better protection at normal operating temperature. (I have heard that BMW 5w-30 is a "heavy" 30-wt and the Mobil 0w-40 is a "light" 40-wt, so that point is likely moot). When I am out of warranty, I may re-evaluate what oil I'm using, but only if it is less expensive than the M1 0w-40 I use right now. BTW, where I live it is hot. Really hot. I see almost 250*F oil temps every day in traffic. I've never ran BMW 5w-30 in it, but I wouldn't be surprised if it reduced temps a little bit based on some results Dackel has posted. IMO the best way to address the problem is not by a change in oil, but a change in oil cooling (Something I'll do somewhere around 50,001 miles )
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07-23-2011, 02:38 PM | #34 |
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I'm running Total quartz energy 9000 0w30. Seems like a pretty solid grp IV oil, viscosity when hot is almost identical to the BMW 5w30, and it has LL01 approval. When cold it's a little thinner which I figure helps the valvetronic from cold starts. It's only a bit more expensive at about $10/quart.
Been running it for 4500 miles so far, and I'm going to get it analyzed at 5000 to see how it's performing. |
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