[bavarianride]

A local indy uses Total LL01 5W40 in the shop for the F30 I4's, anyone has good experience with the Total brand?

[ynguldyn]

Way too heavy. N20/N26 use 20 weight oils.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by ynguldyn

Way too heavy. N20/N26 use 20 weight oils.

Dealer has been using 0w30 on my N26.

Actually it started with old school 5w30, then twinpower 5w30, and then the last 3 using twinpower 0w30.

[sspade]

Looks like you should be fine with what your indy has in stock. I would not be concerned with the brand name whatsoever.

See attached for my owners manual recommendations. I have a 2014 328i with N26.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by sspade

Looks like you should be fine with what your indy has in stock. I would not be concerned with the brand name whatsoever.

See attached for my owners manual recommendations. I have a 2014 328i with N26.

Thanks! The indy said 5w40 is good for turbo and stuff, although going from 0w30 to 5w40 seems to be a big jump.

My impression is that going for heavy oil is recommended only past 100k miles, and/or oil leaks start to show up.

My car is 60k and there is no oil leak yet.

It will be a 6.5k oil change anyway.

BTW, the dealer has oil change special for $95, the indy charges $120, my hope is the indy will inspect the car better than dealer.

[sspade]

For what its worth... I change my oil every 5k with 0w40 (Mobil1 euro formula). Currently have 57k miles on my N26.

[bavarianride]

There are still 12 Qs of M1 0w40 (the old pre-GTL one) in my garage, my thinking is to use those as top-off oil.

BTW, have your spark plugs be changed yet? Mine should be due this oil change. Indy said they usually recommend spark plugs + ignition coils, but in CA the ignition coils of N26 are covered by PZEV warranty though.

Indy charges $400 plugs + coils, should that be done together?

Dealers charge almost $400 for spark plugs only, but any new coil will be covered.

[sspade]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

There are still 12 Qs of M1 0w40 (the old pre-GTL one) in my garage, my thinking is to use those as top-off oil.

BTW, have your spark plugs be changed yet? Mine should be due this oil change. Indy said they usually recommend spark plugs + ignition coils, but in CA the ignition coils of N26 are covered by PZEV warranty though.

Indy charges $400 plugs + coils, should that be done together?

Dealers charge almost $400 for spark plugs only, but any new coil will be covered.

I wouldnt do coils until you experience an issue with them.

Changed my plugs myself with NGK at 50k.

Super easy all you need is a thin walled socket. $10 on eBay.

[sspade]

I think I spent $70 on the plugs. Make sure you order correct part number. Double check on NGK website.

[ynguldyn]

Here's what BMW manual actually said up to 2015 (this is from 2014 manual, but other model years just change wording a little, not the substance):

All 2014 model year 3 (except 328d see below), 5 (except 535d see below) and 7 Series vehicles are factory-filled with BMW High Performance Synthetic oils. We recommend BMW High Performance 5W-30 Synthetic Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866) for regular scheduled engine oil changes.

If you need to add oil between oil changes and BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil is unavailable, for the purpose of topping up the engine oil level only, BMW recommends use of one of the below-listed synthetic oils: For gasoline engines: the synthetic oils listed below meet BMW’s Long-life rating LL01 (API rating SL):

- Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
- Castrol Edge with SPT SAE 5W-40
- Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
- Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
- Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30

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.

If you are unable to obtain a recommended synthetic oil from the list above, for the purpose of topping up the engine oil level only, use only a synthetic oil with an API rating of SM or higher.

Starting in 2016, BMW switched to LL-14 FE+ 0W-20 oil. It's the factory fill for 2016+ cars and is also recommended for all N20 and N26 cars. Unfortunately, the owner's manual no longer provides precise oil recommendations for full oil changes, only for topping up, but here's the current TIS page: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...enance/1PSryV8

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by ynguldyn

Here's what BMW manual actually said up to 2015 (this is from 2014 manual, but other model years just change wording a little, not the substance):

Starting in 2016, BMW switched to LL-14 FE+ 0W-20 oil. It's the factory fill for 2016+ cars and is also recommended for all N20 and N26 cars. Unfortunately, the owner's manual no longer provides precise oil recommendations for full oil changes, only for topping up, but here's the current TIS page: https://www.newtis.info/tisv2/a/en/f...enance/1PSryV8

Probably a good strategy is to take the dealer's $95 oil change offer.

BTW getbmpwarts N20 oil kit is 0w20 for $65, while N26 oil kit is 0w30 for $61. The dealer's special is not too bad given they also have 20-point inspection and such.

[sspade]

Cant go wrong using what your owners manual says, which is why I use:

Mobil1 0w40

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by sspade

Cant go wrong using what your owners manual says, which is why I use:

Mobil1 0w40

The M1 0w40 FS in store is no longer LL01 certified though.

[goj]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

Probably a good strategy is to take the dealer's $95 oil change offer.

BTW getbmpwarts N20 oil kit is 0w20 for $65, while N26 oil kit is 0w30 for $61. The dealer's special is not too bad given they also have 20-point inspection and such.

95 bucks seems like a good deal. I took my wife's car to jiffy lube and saw full synthetic was over $80

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

The M1 0w40 FS in store is no longer LL01 certified though.

Maybe because BMW changed initial fill to Shell/Pennzoil as their global oil supplier. A little change in the specs & you are out unless you want to reformulate.

Personally if I was doing my own fill would go with Mobil 1 full syn Extended Performance. I use it on anything I have to do myself. Viscosity depends on what the engine specs say.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by goj

95 bucks seems like a good deal. I took my wife's car to jiffy lube and saw full synthetic was over $80

All dealers in the Bay Area have the same $95(tax included) deal, for I4 2.0.

Click service tab of dealer webpage, and look for "Value service", and look for 3-series, F30.

These prices are mandated by BMWNA, so dealers cannot charge more than that.

It is possible that dealer service can provide a $3k "recommended" repair bill after the oil change, but that can always be brought to indies for second opinion.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Maybe because BMW changed initial fill to Shell/Pennzoil as their global oil supplier. A little change in the specs & you are out unless you want to reformulate.

M1 0w40 did lose certification(or did not get re-certified) when it was changed to GTL.

The new bottle has a "FS" label in the front, and the back label no longer lists LL01.

[goj]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

All dealers in the Bay Area have the same $95(tax included) deal, for I4 2.0.

Click service tab of dealer webpage, and look for "Value service", and look for 3-series, F30.

These prices are mandated by BMWNA, so dealers cannot charge more than that.

Cool, I still have a year and a half of oil changes included in maintenance.

I will likely do oil changes through an Indy performance shop after.

[BEAR-AvHistory]

Originally Posted by bavarianride

M1 0w40 did lose certification(or did not get re-certified) when it was changed to GTL.

The new bottle has a "FS" label in the front, and the back label no longer lists LL01.

Interesting. Shell is a world leader in GTL technology. Mobil 1 FS spec is a GTL based oil. They also formulate an ESP spec that is not. Two separate product lines.

[sspade]

LL01 is little more than a marketing ploy. Mobil1 has not changed their formula...

Running any engine oil for 10k miles is a bad idea if you plan to keep your vehicle for a long time. Thats why I change my oil every 5k with an OEM filter, plug and owners manual recommended oil. Cost is under $50 per change.

[bavarianride]

Originally Posted by BEAR-AvHistory

Interesting. Shell is a world leader in GTL technology. Mobil 1 FS spec is a GTL based oil. They also formulate an ESP spec that is not. Two separate product lines.

Yes Mobil 1 ESP 0w40 is in fact LL04 approved based on Mobil 1 product data spec.

However Mobil 1 FS 0w40 data spec does not list LL01.

So it looks like ESP is low SAPS(for US diesel), and FS is high SAPS(for US gasoline).

[bavarianride]

Also, has anyone used oil additive, e.g. Liqui Moly? Warranty booklet does say no oil additive though, but one indy swear by the Liqui Moly stuff. BTW none of my cars have ever got oil additive.