[cicadalex]

Hi guys,
Some questions, recommendation needed.
I am driving the F30 328i N20 Turbo engine, my garage recommended me to use 5w50 oil instead of the 5w40 written in the BMW manual because it does provide more wear protection to the engine with almost no feeling to power response....he claims

I know high performance engines usually use higher viscosity oil, but i am just a moderate driver, 2000-4000rpm with 70% highway....

I freshly changed it to 5w50 and i don't feel any difference yet...just the car feels a bit quieter....

So any thought about that??

And by applying the same spec (eg 5w40), i guess different oil brand may just have minor difference about the additives?

[m6pwr]

I would stay within the viscosity ranges recommended by BMW in your Owner's Manual. Thicker viscosity does not necessarily mean better wear protection. That is such a gross over simplification that I would take any further lubrication recommendations from them with a grain of salt. Since the BMW recommended oil for your car is, I think, a 5w30, what brand of oil are you using?

[cicadalex]

The owner's manual recommend 0w30, 5w30, 0w40 and 5w40... The local dealer and service center here uses 0w40...

The mechanic claims that due to marketing and other reason, bmw would like you to use the less protection with higher performance, so at the same time you feel their car is good and you need to pay a lot to them to maintain your engine in few years later. Conspiracy..

They gave me a local brand "Astroboy" oil which in compliance to API and bmw LL...i am thinking to go back to Shell ultra helix or some other budget plan because i am just a moderate driver... (No track here in hk)

[Orion4]

I don't buy the mechanic at the service center, or is he just a local mechanic (not at a BMW center, recommending an oil outside of the BMW specs. If you have any engine failure the is determined by BMW to be related to the oil used AND it is outside of their approved oil, you may have a warranty issue. Not worth the risk.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by cicadalex

The owner's manual recommend 0w30, 5w30, 0w40 and 5w40... The local dealer and service center here uses 0w40...

The mechanic claims that due to marketing and other reason, bmw would like you to use the less protection with higher performance, so at the same time you feel their car is good and you need to pay a lot to them to maintain your engine in few years later. Conspiracy..

They gave me a local brand "Astroboy" oil which in compliance to API and bmw LL...i am thinking to go back to Shell ultra helix or some other budget plan because i am just a moderate driver... (No track here in hk)

The only BMWs that use a thicker oil are the M-engined ones, and they're a much different engine designed to operate on racetracks. They have different oil scavenge systems, different pumps, different bearing clearances, etc.

BMW has specced LL01 since ... 2001! And the spec includes viscosities of 0 cold to 40 warm. Guess what - in those 13 years, there haven't been failures of BMW engines due to viscosity or other oil-related problems (yeah, oil pumps have failed, oil filters have failed, etc.) Non-failure isn't marketing, it's reality.

Why don't you use the BMW OEM Castrol 5W-30 or one of the 40 or so BMW LL-01 oils rather than something NOT APPROVED.

If you want to know a bit more (and probably more than that hack mechanic), read this: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-102/
Also, the API spec is complete junk - don't even bother. ACEA (BMW LL01 is similar to ACEA A3/B4, btw) is the only specification that's worth looking for.

[m6pwr]

If you're out of warranty, I would use the Shell Ultra Helix 5w40 LL01 oil, if you can get it. I think that's the same as Pennzoil Ultra 5w40 Euro here in the US (the Shell high performance oils are branded as Pennzoil here) - - an outstanding oil that contains a high percentage of grp 4 PAO base stock that is very heat stable, resists heat oxidation, is BMW approved for LL01, and is the service fill for Ferraris. Shell/Pennzoil is in the process of upgrading this oil even further - - it will be called Pennzoil Ultra Platinum with PurePlus Technology. Sounds like marketing gibberish, but it will be the only auto oil I know of that will contain GTL base stock (gas to liquid) - - very clean or pure oil that might out perform even PAO. Keep an eye out for it.

Or you could just use BMW's 5w30 High Performance Synthetic the dealers use, if still in warranty.

By the way, there was a good thread on the BITOG oil form not long ago titled something like "Never Ask a Mechanic About Motor Oil". It was started by a mechanic who admitted he never knew jack about oil. They receive no training nor have any technical background AT ALL in lubrication science. Instead, I've found them to be the purveyors of just about every myth or "old wives tales" there are about motor oil.

[m6pwr]

For BMWs, the new GTL base oil will be Pennzoil Platinum Euro PurePlus 5w40; outside US, I'm not sure what it would be called.

Interesting discussion from Shell/Penzoil on their new line of PurePlus base oils here -
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/pennzoil-q-a/

[instalher]

Hey all found this oil at Costco 28 bucks for 5liters.. is this the right stuff for our f30 cars??

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by instalher

Hey all found this oil at Costco 28 bucks for 5liters.. is this the right stuff for our f30 cars??

Yes.

[Gamb1t]

So far I've used BMW branded 5w30, Liqui-Moly 5w40 and Castrol 5w40. Don't notice any difference quite honestly. My OCI is 8-10k km with fresh filter.
With reduced OCI, I don't know if LL01 is needed as long as they are good synthetics. Just my 2 cents.

[German Straight-6]

you can use 5w50 with no problems, but I would still stay within the range of approved oils and use 5w40.

just use a good quality oil like Motul or Shell and you'll be fine...