[rustyminded]

Hey guys I want to know if anyone have ever tried Motul 8100 x-cess 5w40
in his/her car.. I always use Castrol edge 5w40 which is good but I want to know if I should change this time to Motule or not. Great thanks.

[m6pwr]

Motul makes some very good oils. Some people think the 8100 x-cess line is Grp IV PAO base stock, tho I've never seen any MSDS that might show that. There is a 5w40 oil with PAO base stock, according to its MSDS, that is BMW LL01 approved and it may be more readily available than Motul: Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5w40. It's the service fill for current Ferrari's. Starting in 2015, new BMW's will switch to Shell/Pennzoil and an oil like the PU Euro will probably come in the crankcase. I think one reason BMW may have switched from Castrol to Shell is because Shell appears to be way ahead of the others in the refining and use of GTL (gas-to-liquid) base stocks which produce a motor oil that is very clean/deposit free, with low volatility and a high resistance to oxidation. All good news for high heat turbo engines.

Are you doing UOA's on your Castrol. Any particular reason you want to change brands?

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Motul makes some very good oils. Some people think the 8100 x-cess line is Grp IV PAO base stock, tho I've never seen any MSDS that might show that. There is a 5w40 oil with PAO base stock, according to its MSDS, that is BMW LL01 approved and it may be more readily available than Motul: Pennzoil Ultra Euro 5w40. It's the service fill for current Ferrari's. Starting in 2015, new BMW's will switch to Shell/Pennzoil and an oil like the PU Euro will probably come in the crankcase. I think one reason BMW may have switched from Castrol to Shell is because Shell appears to be way ahead of the others in the refining and use of GTL (gas-to-liquid) base stocks which produce a motor oil that is very clean/deposit free, with low volatility and a high resistance to oxidation. All good news for high heat turbo engines.

Are you doing UOA's on your Castrol. Any particular reason you want to change brands?

First thank you a lot for your reply, I am sorry but I am trying to understand the shortcuts you use as I'm new into oil stuff, I just understand the numbers like 0w30 ect.

I have three choices of oil only, Shell which the dealer uses but it only lasts 10 thousands kilometers and in hot weather like we have I have to change it at around 5k kilometers, Castrol which is made specific for hot countries like here which lasts about 15k kilometers but I change it at around 8, so this Motul is new here I wanna try it but I want to know if it's any better, same or worse than Castrol that I use btw my car is tuned with JB4, dp, exhaust ect. I don't know if that will burn the oil much faster or do I need different viscosity, I want to know whether the Motul X-cess 8100 5w40 is same or better than Castrol Edge 5w40 and what is the liters recommended for my engine which is N20 ? Thanks in advance

[m6pwr]

Sorry I thought you are in the U.S.

The N20, as best I can determine, takes 5 liters for an oil AND filter change - http://www.amsoil.com/mygarage/vehic...012+BMW+328i+A.

UOA = used oil analysis. When you change the oil, you take a sample in a small bottle provided by the lab, send it off by mail to the lab, they analyze it for certain wear metals and, most importantly, the CONDITION of the oil, and a short time later they send you a report of the afore mentioned. Interpretation of UOA reports is a subject too broad to go into here. Suffice to say that most labs will flag any item measured if it is beyond their accepted limits, particularly if they think the oil is no longer serviceable in your servvice. One of the more popular labs in the U.S. is Blackstone www.blackstone-labs.com. Don't know what region of the world you're in, but there may be some labs locally to you. You can learn more about used oil analysis on this web site - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/, and particularly their oil forum - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...s.php?ubb=cfrm.

I can't tell you which oil is better, Castrol or Motul. This is a question of endless discussion and vituperation, flame wars, and personal slagging on the bobistheoilguy forum I referenced above. People who use Castrol say it's better. People who use Motul say it's the best ever, and so on. You get the idea.

Whatever oil you use you better be sure it meets BMW's requirements for approval standards and viscosity range. You should definitely check your BMW owner's manual for BMW's recommended oil viscosity ranges and their approval standards. If you live in a hot climate, 5w40 would be appropriate. BMW approved oil in North America (e.g. U.S.) should meet their BMW LL01 standard. Outside the U.S., it might be the BMW LL04 standard. The oil bottle will list these standards on the back if they meet it. You've got to figure out which BMW standard applies to you (Motul x-cess 5w40 for example carries the BMW LL01 approval, but NOT the BMW LL04 approval). Gosh, I hope you can depend on your BMW dealer to tell you which approval you need. Outside the U.S. you don't need a BMW LL01 oil which is heavily additized with anti-acid additives that are unnecessary in other countries. Motul does make a BMW LL04 approved oil and I don't think it's in the 8100 x-cess line.

Hope this helps.

[floydarogers]

Originally Posted by rustyminded

... as I'm new into oil stuff, I just understand the numbers like 0w30 ect.

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Sorry I thought you are in the U.S.

... You've got to figure out which BMW standard applies to you (Motul x-cess 5w40 for example carries the BMW LL01 approval, but NOT the BMW LL04 approval). Gosh, I hope you can depend on your BMW dealer to tell you which approval you need. Outside the U.S. you don't need a BMW LL01 oil which is heavily additized with anti-acid additives that are unnecessary in other countries. Motul does make a BMW LL04 approved oil and I don't think it's in the 8100 x-cess line.

The OP wants Motul 8100 X-clean 5W-40: http://www.europeancarweb.com/news/e...s/viewall.html
Also, search for "BMW LL-04", and ACEA A3/B4/C4 (that's essentially the European standard that LL-04 is close to). And if you want to learn about oil: www.bobistheoilguy.com, read some of the tech articles about oil viscosity and etc.

[m6pwr]

Rustyminded: I forgot to mention that PU Euro is the US brand for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 - http://www.shell.com/global/products...ltra-5w40.html. This is definitely the euro version oil (it's the factory fill for Ferrari's) and I notice it's BMW LL01 Approved so maybe it is possible to use LL01 oil in your euro BMW IF, IF BMW allows LL01 oils in your car in your part of the world, The Land of "C" wherever that is.

Gets rather confusing re LL01 or LL04 if you look at Motul's web site - https://www.motul.com/system/product...pdf?1375200241. Rustyminded: Notice the bit about "Refer to BMW recommendations when in doubt."

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Sorry I thought you are in the U.S.

The N20, as best I can determine, takes 5 liters for an oil AND filter change - http://www.amsoil.com/mygarage/vehic...012+BMW+328i+A.

UOA = used oil analysis. When you change the oil, you take a sample in a small bottle provided by the lab, send it off by mail to the lab, they analyze it for certain wear metals and, most importantly, the CONDITION of the oil, and a short time later they send you a report of the afore mentioned. Interpretation of UOA reports is a subject too broad to go into here. Suffice to say that most labs will flag any item measured if it is beyond their accepted limits, particularly if they think the oil is no longer serviceable in your servvice. One of the more popular labs in the U.S. is Blackstone www.blackstone-labs.com. Don't know what region of the world you're in, but there may be some labs locally to you. You can learn more about used oil analysis on this web site - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/, and particularly their oil forum - http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...s.php?ubb=cfrm.

I can't tell you which oil is better, Castrol or Motul. This is a question of endless discussion and vituperation, flame wars, and personal slagging on the bobistheoilguy forum I referenced above. People who use Castrol say it's better. People who use Motul say it's the best ever, and so on. You get the idea.

Whatever oil you use you better be sure it meets BMW's requirements for approval standards and viscosity range. You should definitely check your BMW owner's manual for BMW's recommended oil viscosity ranges and their approval standards. If you live in a hot climate, 5w40 would be appropriate. BMW approved oil in North America (e.g. U.S.) should meet their BMW LL01 standard. Outside the U.S., it might be the BMW LL04 standard. The oil bottle will list these standards on the back if they meet it. You've got to figure out which BMW standard applies to you (Motul x-cess 5w40 for example carries the BMW LL01 approval, but NOT the BMW LL04 approval). Gosh, I hope you can depend on your BMW dealer to tell you which approval you need. Outside the U.S. you don't need a BMW LL01 oil which is heavily additized with anti-acid additives that are unnecessary in other countries. Motul does make a BMW LL04 approved oil and I don't think it's in the 8100 x-cess line.

Hope this helps.

I live in Cairo, Egypt North Africa, I guess there are labs here but it's pain in the butt to get that kind of report, so I checked on Motul X-cess 8100 5w40 meets the BMW LL01 and Castrol Edge 5w40 meets BMW long life-1 or something like that. I went to castrol website to check what kind of my car uses they said 5 liters to start with and 0w30 or 5w30 but we don't have that here, oonly 5w40.. so which one is higher in BMW recommendation as I don't know Long life-1 or LL01 is higher.

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by floydarogers

The OP wants Motul 8100 X-clean 5W-40: http://www.europeancarweb.com/news/e...s/viewall.html
Also, search for "BMW LL-04", and ACEA A3/B4/C4 (that's essentially the European standard that LL-04 is close to). And if you want to learn about oil: www.bobistheoilguy.com, read some of the tech articles about oil viscosity and etc.

I guess I will try Motul this time. greatly thanks

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Rustyminded: I forgot to mention that PU Euro is the US brand for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 - http://www.shell.com/global/products...ltra-5w40.html. This is definitely the euro version oil (it's the factory fill for Ferrari's) and I notice it's BMW LL01 Approved so maybe it is possible to use LL01 oil in your euro BMW IF, IF BMW allows LL01 oils in your car in your part of the world, The Land of "C" wherever that is.

Gets rather confusing re LL01 or LL04 if you look at Motul's web site - https://www.motul.com/system/product...pdf?1375200241. Rustyminded: Notice the bit about "Refer to BMW recommendations when in doubt."

Look at this note, it's old but BMW approves Motul so I guess I'll try it this time

http://www.worldpac.com/pdfs/motul_8...8_approval.pdf

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Rustyminded: I forgot to mention that PU Euro is the US brand for Shell Helix Ultra 5w40 - http://www.shell.com/global/products...ltra-5w40.html. This is definitely the euro version oil (it's the factory fill for Ferrari's) and I notice it's BMW LL01 Approved so maybe it is possible to use LL01 oil in your euro BMW IF, IF BMW allows LL01 oils in your car in your part of the world, The Land of "C" wherever that is.

Gets rather confusing re LL01 or LL04 if you look at Motul's web site - https://www.motul.com/system/product...pdf?1375200241. Rustyminded: Notice the bit about "Refer to BMW recommendations when in doubt."

But I want to know if Castrol Edge 5w40 is BMW LL01 or BMW LL04 if it's LL04 then I'll stay with it as it's cleaner as you say.

[rustyminded]

This is the closest I can get to 5w40

another one LL01 vs. LL04

[m6pwr]

Rustyminded:

Just to review -

If you are in a hot climate like Egypt, 5w40 viscosity is the way to go. This vis. is allowed by BMW and the oil will maintain its vis or thickness longer under high temp operations.

As for BMW LL01 vs BMW LL04 oils: BMW LL04 oils are appropriate for use in countries that strictly control the quality of their gasoline, particularly with respect to sulfur content. The sulfur bit is important because the more sulfur there is in the fuel, the more prone the oil is to build up sulfurous acids in the oil over time (bad for the engine). The additive pack for BMW LL04 oils is different and these oils do leave less deposits, BUT assuming low sulfur fuel, they are less able to handle the build up of acids over long use. It all depends on the sulfur content of the gas.

I checked the UK Castrol site and they show Castrol Edge 5w40 oil as being BMW LL04, which is ok for use in the European Union countries that have low sulfur gas (Sweden has zero sulfur in their gas, or so I've read).

Does Egypt mandate low sulfur gas, and thus permit the use of LL04 oil? If you can't answer that question, then you might be better off using a 5w40 oil that meets the BMW LL01 standard - like Motul X-cess 5w40.

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

Rustyminded:

Just to review -

If you are in a hot climate like Egypt, 5w40 viscosity is the way to go. This vis. is allowed by BMW and the oil will maintain its vis or thickness longer under high temp operations.

As for BMW LL01 vs BMW LL04 oils: BMW LL04 oils are appropriate for use in countries that strictly control the quality of their gasoline, particularly with respect to sulfur content. The sulfur bit is important because the more sulfur there is in the fuel, the more prone the oil is to build up sulfurous acids in the oil over time (bad for the engine). The additive pack for BMW LL04 oils is different and these oils do leave less deposits, BUT assuming low sulfur fuel, they are less able to handle the build up of acids over long use. It all depends on the sulfur content of the gas.

I checked the UK Castrol site and they show Castrol Edge 5w40 oil as being BMW LL04, which is ok for use in the European Union countries that have low sulfur gas (Sweden has zero sulfur in their gas, or so I've read).

Does Egypt mandate low sulfur gas, and thus permit the use of LL04 oil? If you can't answer that question, then you might be better off using a 5w40 oil that meets the BMW LL01 standard - like Motul X-cess 5w40.

Great write up
The castrol we have is specific for here and it is made in Emirates so I don't know if it's LL04 or LL01 as for the fuel I honestly don't know but we have RON92 & RON95, I use RON92 constantly, here is a link of sulfur content in RON92
hope you tell me if it's low or high

http://www.ecopetrol.com.co/especial...2%20VSM-01.pdf

[rustyminded]

Another one in Africa, please tell me if this is high or low

http://www.unep.org/urban_environmen...airobiPres.pdf

[m6pwr]

I can't tell for sure. Sulfur content in the U.S. is measured in ppm - parts per million. The ecopetrol you referenced is using a percent measure. The ARS proposal, I think, appears to have 30 ppm sulfur as a goal. Most of the States in the US have 30 ppm sulfur gas and you need a BMW LL01 oil for that. California, with stricter emission laws, has 10 ppm sulfur gasoline, and where I live, we could use BMW LL04 oil (but all the dealers use LL01 oil). The 10 ppm sulfur gas is what is used in EU countries and they can use LL04 oils.

Sorry, that's the best I can do.

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

I can't tell for sure. Sulfur content in the U.S. is measured in ppm - parts per million. The ecopetrol you referenced is using a percent measure. The ARS proposal, I think, appears to have 30 ppm sulfur as a goal. Most of the States in the US have 30 ppm sulfur gas and you need a BMW LL01 oil for that. California, with stricter emission laws, has 10 ppm sulfur gasoline, and where I live, we could use BMW LL04 oil (but all the dealers use LL01 oil). The 10 ppm sulfur gas is what is used in EU countries and they can use LL04 oils.

Sorry, that's the best I can do.

Man I would never Get such info from anyone here even the dealer. thank you a lot, I'll go with motul this time with no worry. have a great day

[rustyminded]

Originally Posted by m6pwr

I can't tell for sure. Sulfur content in the U.S. is measured in ppm - parts per million. The ecopetrol you referenced is using a percent measure. The ARS proposal, I think, appears to have 30 ppm sulfur as a goal. Most of the States in the US have 30 ppm sulfur gas and you need a BMW LL01 oil for that. California, with stricter emission laws, has 10 ppm sulfur gasoline, and where I live, we could use BMW LL04 oil (but all the dealers use LL01 oil). The 10 ppm sulfur gas is what is used in EU countries and they can use LL04 oils.

Sorry, that's the best I can do.

Hey, I used Motul and it's doing great so far but engine doesn't sound ok like a bit harsh maybe I needed an engine flush before that change, anyway I made some search and found that Liqui Moly and Meguin are in Egypt so which one is better Meguin compatible 5w30 or Liqui Moly top tec 4200 5w30 ?!
both are BMW LLO-4
Here are the technical data of both if that helps

http://www.meguin.de/meguin/mediendb.nsf/gfx2/9D036C07F8090F47C125788C005175DE/$file/6561_2680000-PI-%206561%20en.pdf

http://www.liqui-moly.de/liquimoly/mediendb.nsf/gfx2/3706%20Top%20Tec%204200_EN.pdf/$file/3706%20Top%20Tec%204200_EN.pdf