2002.BMW E46 M3.unknown.<1000miles

[mpow3r]

Hi Guys,

I have a small request if you would be so kind.

i am a member on a UK M3 forum and unfortunately a member recently had their car serviced by what has turned out to be a rogue BMW specialist. After a few ugly truths came out about said rogue company the member grew suspicious about the oil in his M3 so sent a sample of the oil in his engine along with a virgin Oil sample of the correct oil for the S54 engine, Castrol TWS/Edge 10W60. The results are below and it is quite evident that the oil in the engine is not a 10W60, going by the cSt @ 40 deg C it looks to be a semi synthetic 10w40.

Could I please ask someone to have a look at the results of both samples and advice as to how bad the oil in the engine is or if you think any damage could have been done. It has only been in there for less than 1000 miles.

Thanks

Kash

Link to site
unknown E46 M3 engine oil vs castrol edge 10w60

Following on from previous threads, having had his Insp II carried out by AL tuning Sinths sent a sample of his engine oil to be scientifically tested and verified, to see if it was castrol 10-60 as AL claim, as you can see it was not

SYMPTOMS: Note level of : Water @ 0.7
DIAGNOSIS: This oil does not represent the new oil. Viscosity and additives level
ACTION: Please investigate cause of water
Date Sampled 30/11/2010
Date Received 06/12/2010
Date Tested 08/12/2010
Unit Life
Oil Life (hrs)

STATUS

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Viscosity @ 40°C cSt 97.6
Water Content %wt 0.7 **
Total Insoluble Matter % 0.3

SPECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Iron ppm 27
Chromium ppm 0
Aluminium ppm 3
Molybdenum ppm 8
Copper ppm 12
Lead ppm 8
Tin ppm 0
Nickel ppm 0
Silicon ppm 2
Sodium ppm 5
Boron ppm 14
Vanadium ppm 0
Calcium ppm 2796
Phosphorus ppm 993
Zinc ppm 1164
Magnesium ppm 27
Barium ppm 0




SATISFACTORY***********SATISFACTORY************SAT ISFACTORY

SYMPTOMS: Analysis results are within our recommended limits for new oil
DIAGNOSIS: Unit satisfactory. Lubricant fit for further service.
ACTION: Continue sampling at scheduled interval.
Date Sampled 30/11/2010
Date Received 06/12/2010
Date Tested 08/12/2010
Unit Life
Oil Life (hrs)

STATUS

PHYSICAL PROPERTIES
Viscosity @ 40°C cSt 158.1
Water Content %wt 0.0
Total Insoluble Matter % 0

SPECTROCHEMICAL ANALYSIS

Iron ppm 3
Chromium ppm 0
Aluminium ppm 4
Molybdenum ppm 2
Copper ppm 0
Lead ppm 0
Tin ppm 0
Nickel ppm 0
Silicon ppm 32
Sodium ppm 1
Boron ppm 172
Vanadium ppm 0
Calcium ppm 1570
Phosphorus ppm 885
Zinc ppm 989
Magnesium ppm 623
Barium ppm 0


The Oil Lab Ltd
15 Limefield, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6PJ
Tel/Fax:- 01254 677101
www.theoillab.co.uk [email protected]
Company Registration: 6371143 VAT Registration: 917 2556 16




OUR GUIDE TO YOUR ENGINE OIL SAMPLE REPORT

Thank you for using our service, we are confident you will find the attached report useful. By analysing oil on a regular basis you can achieve a long trouble free life from your vehicle/ machine, and optimum life from your oil.

For your guidance we give below an explanation of the spectrochemical details that are shown on our reports. ( ppm = parts per million)
Total Insoluble Matter) Principally carbon generated by combustion 2.5% max.
Iron Generally results from ring, bore, cam, tappet or crankshaft wear. If the concentration quickly reaches 50 ppm inspect to determine the cause. Permissible maximum is about 100 ppm.
Chromium Usually from piston rings or plated bores, 30 ppm is the normal working maximum.
Aluminium Caused by piston or bearing wear, we would warn you at a level of 20 ppm or above.
Copper May originate from copper/lead bearings, oil coolers and pipework erosion or syncromeshes in gearboxes, we don’t like to see above 50 ppm .
Lead Usually derived from lead/tin bearings (white metal) or copper/lead main and big end bearings. Is also used as an octane boosting additive in petrol. If the lead originates from bearing wear, then over 50 ppm indicates a problem. Petrol engines running on leaded fuel can show levels of several thousand ppm.
Tin From lead/tin or aluminium/tin bearings . Levels over 25 ppm need investigation.
Nickel Used as an alloy in steel components and will rise as a function of iron wear.
Silicon Normally derived from sand/clay ie. dust. Over 20 ppm indicates need for attention to air intake filter/ trunking or excessive wear will result.
Sodium Indicates water ingress most commonly due to coolant leaking in to oil. Usually caused by faulty head gasket, liner seals or perforated liner. We would expect to see levels of 100 ppm and above if there is a problem
Boron Used either as an additive in antifreeze or as an extreme pressure additive
in some oil blends. Levels over 50 ppm if they come from antifreeze indicate a problem.
Vanadium Contained in surface coatings, turbine impeller blades, valves. Also a trace element derived from base oil or fuel - not of concern in normal applications.

CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS, ZINC, MAGNESIUM AND BARIUM are additives used by oil companies in the manufacture of their lubricants.

Oil Analysis is such a useful maintenance tool for everyone, whether in industry or at home. Our aim is to make it affordable, accessible and easy to understand. We hope that we have achieved our objective and that we can continue to be of service to you.

the Oil Lab.co.uk Tel. 01254 677101

The Oil Lab Ltd
15 Limefield, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB2 6PJ
Tel/Fax:- 01254 677101
www.theoillab.co.uk [email protected]
Company Registration: 6371143 VAT Registration: 917 2556 1


I have copied and pasted the results to with hold Sinths home address. AL tuning have a copy and are adament their supplier sent them the wrong oil

 

[Quattro Pete]

What is the viscosity at 100C? That is the number you need to determine whether the oil is Xw-60 or Xw-40. And to be honest, Castrol 10w-60 is not a very shear stable oil to begin with. Other UOAs that we've seen showed that it can shear down to a 40-grade relatively quickly, so it's still a possibility here, depending on how hard those 1000 miles were driven.

Also, one of the guys on that forum (it may be you actually) has absolutely no basis to call this other oil "semi synthetic". There is just not enough information in this report to conclude that. However, the add pack does seem a bit different between the two, so they're most likely not the same oil.

 

[umungus1122]

As Pete said, it depends on how hard those miles driven were. Going by the wear numbers, it doesn't look bad. I guess a tear down and internal parts measurement is the only way to get a definitive answer. But, to venture a guess, I wouldn't think it would be that bad.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Yeah, I doubt any serious damage has been done, but there is no way to tell for sure based on the information provided here.

 

[CATERHAM]

I agree the sample appears to be a 5W-40 or 10W-40 HDEO.

As far as engine damage, I'd say that should be a none issue unless his oil temp's spiked for some reason, i.e., driving flat out on the autobahn or he otherwise tracked his car.

I'm aware of many modestly drive E46 M3's in my area that don't run the 10W-60, including a friend's M3 that run on a steady diet of Mobil 1 0W-40. IIRC his oil temp's never gets above 206F.

 

[fdcg27]

In 1K, I doubt that any serious harm was caused, unless all of that 1K was acumulated on track days.
What is this mystery oil?
Who knows?
If in doubt, change it out, although I realize that the cost of doing so is quite a bit more on your shore than on our side.

 

[mpow3r]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
What is the viscosity at 100C? That is the number you need to determine whether the oil is Xw-60 or Xw-40. And to be honest, Castrol 10w-60 is not a very shear stable oil to begin with. Other UOAs that we've seen showed that it can shear down to a 40-grade relatively quickly, so it's still a possibility here, depending on how hard those 1000 miles were driven.

Also, one of the guys on that forum (it may be you actually) has absolutely no basis to call this other oil "semi synthetic". There is just not enough information in this report to conclude that. However, the add pack does seem a bit different between the two, so they're most likely not the same oil.



Hi,

Thanks for all your replies and help guys. Yes, it was me suggesting that it may be 10w40 semi, this was just a guess from the viscosity of the oil at 40 degC and also based on the assumption that because the original owner is a ford mechanic the oil that is used in old fords here is usually semi synth 10w40.

The viscosity at 100 degC isn’t shown in the report unfortunately. The owner does drive the car hard form time to time so we do sincerely hope no damage has been done. I think he will be pursuing legal action and also getting his engine checked for the things you guys have mentioned.

Again thank you very much for your help, it was greatly appreciated.

 

[addyguy]

The original 'mystery' oil that was used may not have been TWS 10W-60, but it was still a very stout 40-weight oil - Ca of 2700, Zn over 1100...nothing to sneeze at there.

Fe is quite high for only 1k miles on the oil, but everything else seems in-line. If there is water in the oil, then the Fe is from corossion, maybe from sitting for long periods?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

IIRC in the U.S. the "Castrol" TWS 10w-60 which is only available at the BMW dealerships is supposedly an ester base and then there's the PAO base Castrol 10w-60 which is sold retail.

If that's the same in the UK is may be worth to keep in mind.