Hello everyone I'm brand new to the forum and have been looking for my topic on the forums and haven't been able to find it so forgive me if this is already a topic. However, after completing the BOTOG university and coming to the conclusion that thinner oil is better especially after reading http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-105/ I'm still unsure about it. I currently own a 1999 BMW 323i E46 with 193,456 miles without any oil leaks or consumption that has been babied its whole life with synthetic oil and no mechanical problems what so ever. I live in Florida where the average temperature is pretty high and was wondering if it would be totally fine running a 0W20 in a car that the owners manual recommends a synthetic 5W30. Finally, if the 0W20 is ok to use in my vehicle can the same be said to all vehicles recommending 5W30 if they have been babied like mine. Thanks for your help!
Bigman
0W20 vs 5W30 in 1999 E46 323i
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No. Run an approved lubricant of the appropriate grade. In this case M1 0w-40 or Castrol 0w-40.
A big NO.
BITOG university can be misleading. If "thinner is better" is all that you took out after reading the articles, then I suggest you read it again, maybe even several times.
No.
Mobil 1 High Mileage 10w-40 if it's burning or leaking oil.
Mobil 1 0w-40
Castrol 0w-30
Castrol 0w-40
0w20 is only ok if the vehicle is spec'd for Xw20 in the first place. In a BMW, you need an ACEA A3 rated oil at a bare minimum, preferably one that also meets LL-01 or LL-04. One of the key specifications is an HTHS (high temp/high shear) rating of at least 3.5.
In your case you can use the BMW 5w30 synthetic from the dealer, or M1 0w40 is another good choice and available at many Walmarts. One of the M1 high mileage oils also has an A3 rating, don't remember if it's the 10w30 or the 10w40, and those are also available at Walmart.
Anxiously awaiting CATERHAM's response in this thread...
Does your year/engine require LL-01? It may not, but even so using Mobil 1 0W-40 is a good choice given how cheap it is at Walmart. What does your owner's manual say?
Those items make me think you are a troll 
Originally Posted By: BigmanXD
I currently own a 1999 BMW 323i E46 with 193,456 miles without any oil leaks or consumption that has been babied its whole life with synthetic oil and no mechanical problems what so ever.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Anxiously awaiting CATERHAM's response in this thread...
So have you owned it since new? If not, how do you know it has been babied all its life with synthetic oil?
And if you did own it from new, is it just because of the motor oil university that you are now unsure of what oil to use? What were you using before?
Originally Posted By: BigmanXD
I currently own a 1999 BMW 323i E46 with 193,456 miles without any oil leaks or consumption that has been babied its whole life with synthetic oil and no mechanical problems what so ever.
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Does your year/engine require LL-01? It may not, but even so using Mobil 1 0W-40 is a good choice given how cheap it is at Walmart. What does your owner's manual say?
Those items make me think you are a troll
Originally Posted By: BigmanXD
I currently own a 1999 BMW 323i E46 with 193,456 miles without any oil leaks or consumption that has been babied its whole life with synthetic oil and no mechanical problems what so ever.
Originally Posted By: kschachn
Originally Posted By: BigmanXD
I currently own a 1999 BMW 323i E46 with 193,456 miles without any oil leaks or consumption that has been babied its whole life with synthetic oil and no mechanical problems what so ever.
It is a 1999 engine, so LL-01 rating may not be for this engine.
Do you know if LL-01 requirement was backed specced for this engine.
What is your manual asked for as requirements?
It should have some ACEA ratings.
You need those information to know what your engine needs.
After that, depending of what you are doing with the car, driving hard vs driving lke a grandma, city or highway, etc..., you can deviate a bit if you feel adventurous.
Yeah, disregard that motor oil university, follow your owner's manual and continue with 5w30 Synthetic.
Originally Posted By: Pesca
It is a 1999 engine, so LL-01 rating may not be for this engine.
Do you know if LL-01 requirement was backed specced for this engine.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Anxiously awaiting CATERHAM's response in this thread...
Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Anxiously awaiting CATERHAM's response in this thread...
I would definitely use any name-brand synthetic oil you see in Walmart in a 5-quart jug, either in 5w-30 or 0w-40, ANY will do fine. I have a friend of mine that runs a 2006 530i with an N52 engine similar to your older one on <span style="color: #6600CC"><span style="font-style: italic">0w-20 year around in Colorado, where temperatures range from -20 degF to 95 degF</span></span>, although she short-trips a lot, with only some vacation highway travel and errands around town. If you do run 0w-20, put in some Ceratec by Liquimoly for added protection just in case, although her 530i has been doing this 0w-20 plain for 3 years now with no problems at all.
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Originally Posted By: CrawfishTails
If you do run 0w-20, put in some Ceratec by Liquimoly for added protection just in case,
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Originally Posted By: CrawfishTails
I would definitely use any name-brand synthetic oil you see in Walmart in a 5-quart jug, either in 5w-30 or 0w-40, ANY will do fine. I have a friend of mine that runs a 2006 530i with an N52 engine similar to your older one on 0w-20 year around in Colorado, where temperatures range from -20 degF to 95 degF, although she short-trips a lot, with only some vacation highway travel and errands around town. If you do run 0w-20, put in some Ceratec by Liquimoly for added protection just in case, although her 530i has been doing this 0w-20 plain for 3 years now with no problems at all.
Not blowing up or tossing a rod doesn't mean it is doing its job, though the short tripping probably helps as at least the oil isn't getting overly hot.
Advising somebody to run something other than what is specified for a vehicle however, particularly several grades thinner than what is prescribed by the OEM without any form of verifying that proper OP is present and that oil temperatures aren't excessive is careless though. I'm not a fan of careless, particularly when it is with somebody else's money or property.It's certainly sensible to the "safe" thing and run an LL-01 oil in a BMW if you're concerned. However, I really don't think a good synthetic 0w-20 will do any worse in a BMW engine if you want a little extra horsepower and fuel economy. Yes the Ceratec Liquimoly stuff is a great product and can intervene when boundary lubrication occurs, as it always does in every engine in the rings, startup, and cam lobes-followers. I view Ceratec as adding some margin to the oil, so its a good idea to use it.
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