The manual says use only synthetic 5w30 or 5w40.

I use Mobil 1 5w30

 

You should use CASTROL Fully Synthetic 5w-30. Use either castrol or buy it from the dealer. BMW manufacturers recommend castrol. in fact, i think that is what they use. Always use "fully synthetic."

Trust me on this. after i changed the oil, the car was a little bit quicker. it was noticeable for sure.

drive your car before and after you change the oil so that you can feel the difference.

 

when changing your own oil. how often do you change the oil and the oil filter. ?

 

when I was changing my oil, i called the number under the hood and they say mobile 1 fully synthetic 5w-30

 

when changing your own oil. how often do you change the oil and the oil filter. ?

change the oil filter everytime u change the oil since the filter will be dirty. I change my oil every 5k miles.

 

Amsoil 0-30w at 15000. Change filter at 7500. 0-30w has more additives than 5-30w
Send oil to lab to know how it is holding up, if you're really curious. Dirty looking oil isn't a fair assesment.

 

mobil 0w40 is awesome if you live in HOT climinate

 

of the people who changed their own oil, did everyone torque their oil filter cap bolt? I'm gonna get a torque wrench later but i wanted to change my oil this weekend but my torque wrench was ordered and won't come in till the end of the week. Do you folks think it'll be bad if i don't torque this bolt right away?

 

I believe the torque is 18 lb-ft.

 

i never torque my own..never had a problem

 

Correct me if I'm wrong. Last wk I inquire about their oil in the dealer. This guy said that their 5w-40 they use is not Synt, they use reg and only Synt on the 5w -30. I even saw the bottle on display. I do agree that Syn is better. I just can't figure out which is best. (5w, 10w- 40 or 30). I played it safe and use 10w-30 Mobile or castrol.

 

The only Mobil 1 synthetic oil that is certified for use on BMWs is the 0W-40 type. It meets the ACEA3 specifications where as the 5W-30 does not, it is only ACEA1 compliant.

Castrol Syntec 5W-50 is ACEA3 compliant and that is what I use. Look here for Castrol grade information http://www.castrolusa.com/products/prodpop/syntec_pop_frame.asp?pop=grades

Supposedly there was a lawsuit against oil manufacturers in the US a while back because none of the "Synthetic" oil off the shelf are actually real synthetic oil. They're supposedly all refined from mineral oil but with additives added to make it longer lasting. Amsoil is supposedly the only oil manufacturer that uses (I forgot the chemical name) to make fully synthetic oil. Through some word twisting oil manufacturers won the lawsuit and are allowed to use the word "Synthetic" although they are really not selling synthetic oil.

 

A while ago I asked BMWNA this same question. The response is as follows:

I am with BMW of North America, LLC and your Internet inquiry has been forwarded to me for a response. BMW's approved oils used to top off are: Castrol Synthetic, Mobil 1 Synthetic, and Valvoline High Performance Synthetic with a weight of SAE 5W-30. Please let us know if there is anything else we can help you with.

Thank you for choosing BMW.

Sincerely,
Karen Labatzky
BMW Customer Relations Representative
800-831-1117


Hope this helps.

 

sorry to bump this thread but need to clarify... i have a bmw 323 done 160k (yr 2000) i need to change the oil in 1000 miles and live in spain... so 0w-40 is best? if no reply will start new thread.

Thanks in advance!

 

sorry to bump this thread but need to clarify... i have a bmw 323 done 160k (yr 2000) i need to change the oil in 1000 miles and live in spain... so 0w-40 is best? if no reply will start new thread.

Thanks in advance!

Ok, Ok, please do not start a new thread on this issue, I will reply Get the BMW 5W-30, if not Mobil 1 0W-40 will do just fine..

On a serious note, new members need to search before starting threads, especially on issues like this.

 

No More "What Oil" threads!!! Please search this topic there must be 100 threads if there's one and the subject matter and recommendations are always the same.

 

yeah, would make things easier... thanks for the help also!

 

yes, i couldn't find exact details on my 323 oil, so i asked...

 

Thanks for not starting a new thread about oil.:thumbsup:

 

royal purple! i got it, and it feels so muich smoother now!

 

hello guys,

before i was using mobil 3000 5w-40 on my 2002 320ci according to my car service suggestions.. The oil in every 1500 km's was decreasing around 1-1,5 lt. I asked this to my service and they told me this was normal for e46 bmw's. After, i decided to try another oil to see the difference and bought Shell helix ultra 5w-40. So far 1000 km's past and the oil level still remains same. definately no decreasing!! I am not sure of course, if this is because of the oil type/quality or just because of the seaosan or my driving style but anyway i have no more oil problem. Just wanted to share hoping this might help somebody with the similar problem.

 

Thanks for sharing, but just so you know BMW doesn't recommend any of the oils you're used.
Search for BMW approved oils and you'll find that there are only 3 or 4 oil grades that BMW has actually approved for use in your car.

 

If you can get it....

...Mobil 1 0W-40. It's BMW LL-01 certified. impin: