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      05-28-2010, 07:27 AM   #1
wolfe
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oil weight/choices for n52

I don't want to start a 'what oil is best argument', but I'm hoping some people here have already figured a lot of this out with their own cars.

My last bmw used bmw/castrol 5w30 synthetic oil, changed at 15k, 32k, and every 5-6k thereafter. It now burns quite a lot of oil, about a quart every 2k miles. I know BMW states anything above 1 quart/750 miles is considered normal. I've spent some time and money troubleshooting this, and it appears to be due to poor cylinder oil control.

In short, I want to start out right with the 128 both by using an oil well suited to my needs and by changing it often enough.

Some people have suggested I look at a 5w40 oil because of the hotter ambient temps (high 90s, low 100s in summer). Others have said because the N52's valvetrain has a lot of moving parts including valvetronic, that 5w30 is a better choice as it'll lubricate the valvetrain faster on startup. I've also been told that this engine in other countries would run a thicker oil, but the CAFE regulations in the US mean that BMW has specified a thinner oil to help with fuel economy and emissions. I haven't been able to verify this.

I've looked at several brands including redline, castrol, motul, and Total/elf, and there simply doesn't seem to be any clear 'winner' in terms of specifications. One might be thicker at operating temperature, while another has a better HTHS rating. Some have a much lower TBN additive rating, but are thinner when cold and thicker when hot.

From my own personal experience, the BMW oil doesn't seem like it's offered as good wear protection as I would have liked. This could well be due to the long oil change intervals before I owned the car, and/or improper break-in. I want to be on the safe side and use an oil known to be better quality in the new car.

Maximum wear protection and cleanliness is more important to me than how long I can leave the oil in there or (to some degree) the cost of the oil. I plan to change it around 5k intervals, plus a break-in service at 1200.

I would be interested to see what people's thoughts are specifically on the viscosity grade.
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      05-28-2010, 09:38 AM   #2
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I have 29,000 miles on my 2008. I've only ever put BMW's oil (Mobile 1 right?) in mine but I have also changed it at 1200 miles after break in, 5000 miles and every 5000 miles after that. Since we don't have a dip stick I can't tell you for sure but the little dash board read out has never dropped during any of my 5000 miles between changes.

I'd guess the main issue with your last BMW was the fact you didn't change it for that first 15,000 miles... I did properly break in my engine as well.
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      05-28-2010, 10:15 AM   #3
Tom K.
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I've used nothing but BMW branded 5w30 synthetic in 3 BMW's - an E46 328i (96k miles), a Z4 (45k) and a 128i (24k). The oil was normally changed at 8,000 mile intervals, all cars were broken in by the book, and none consumed any oil between changes.

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      05-28-2010, 10:40 AM   #4
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You will not find any clear answers but you may want to check out this website:

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...stlist&Board=1

Everything I have read suggests that the frequency of oil changes is a LOT more important than what oil you use. I did an initial change at 1600 miles (I was on a trip when 1200 rolled around) and another at about 5,000 miles. I will only be around 7K miles when my "free" oil change comes due at one year. I used BMW oil both times and plan to continue to use it. I only drive my 128i vert on nice days since I have a perfectly good SUV also sitting in the garage. I need to just go to a six month and 12 month oil change which will put me at about 3500 mile intervals. That is low but more frequent oil changes just wastes a little money on oil and filters - and time is also a variable since oil breaks down due to both usage and time.

There was a link somewhere I read, I do not seem to have bookmarked, that was pretty good arguing that the upper viscosity - the viscosity when the engine is warmed up - should be selected to give you the operating oil pressure you want. Pressure is an indicator of flow. Too much oil flow (too little oil pressure) is less of an issue than too little oil flow (too high an oil pressure) because removing heat and keeping fresh oil in the bearings is a key ingredient to longevity. The main argument of the article is that you need minimized viscosity for startup. The author argued that most wear occurs when oil temperature is low, so viscosity is high, so flow is low. That interval is minimized by using 0 or 5W as the cold viscosity. The 30 versus 40 for the operating viscosity is probably not very important. I would look at 40W more for an old engine where the bearings are a bit worn and the passages for oil flow are thus bigger. So a little thicker oil may be OK.

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      05-28-2010, 11:50 AM   #5
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I only change my oil per BMW recommendation, every 15k.
And I ran the car like I normally would (pretty hard, but controlled) from the first time I drove it off the lot.

Couple of things to consider.
1) BMW has probably tested this since the N52 has been around for a long time.
2) I will have gotten rid of the car before the warranty period is up (100k as per my extra warranty from GEICO @$30/yr )
3) If there is a problem before then it will be covered under warranty as I followed the recommended interval per BMW.
4) I have ~23K on my car now, and even at 14.9K for my first oil change, I was not a full 1Qt low (prob about 1/2Qt)

My take on this, don't waste time/money trying to out think the manufacture. (Enless you are a serious racer and need performance...)
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      05-28-2010, 02:06 PM   #6
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My mechanic used 5W40 at my first oil change (9000mi/14000km). I don't think you're looking at a big difference between most of the approved synthetics, it's more about finding the best oil based on your ambient temperature. Someone in Texas might use a different oil than someone in Montreal (me) because of winter/summer differences.
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      05-28-2010, 08:52 PM   #7
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Thanks guys, I should point out that I bought my last car at 37k, and wasn't responsible for the first long OCI changes. I have no idea how it was broken in either but judging by the overall condition, I'd be surprised if it was carefully and by the book.

I do plan on keeping the 128i for as long as possible (past the warranty period), and I will be putting a lot of (highway) miles on it.

I've spent a lot of hours reading bobistheoilguy.com over the last couple of months, and I've kind of ended up with more questions than I started with.

I think I'm convinced to stick with a 5w30 now, and am leaning towards motul x-max. It's LL01 approved, and very similar to the BMW oil in terms of hot and cold viscosity. Any reason why this wouldn't be a good choice?
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      06-02-2010, 03:08 PM   #8
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I use Mobil 1 0w-40. Not as thin as the 5w-30 recommended stuff, and provides some damn good protection after startup and for tracking/very hard rev situations.

http://www.mobil.com/usa-english/lub...il_1_0w-40.asp

It is ACEA-A3 approved which means BMW have no issues with it. I called BMW Assist when I got my low engine oil light just to be sure the 0w-40 would be OK. They said they recommend 5w-30, so 0w-40 only provides better protection.
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