2009 135i N54 0w30 German Castrol UOA

[Meelo]

Hi guys,

I'm currently on my second batch of German Castrol (0W-30), this oil sample is from the first German Castrol the car had seen, always on BMW synth (dino) prior to that. A large part of my decision to go with GC was due to the extremely low temperatures we get up here in Alberta during the winter time, the 0 weight helps a lot (from my experience), and PDS info for GC looks very good @ -35c.

I know we're encouraged not to use images but I've never had issues with Imgur, so results are linked below.
http://i.imgur.com/WKs5u3Y.png

Now I'm a tad concerned here, the oil only had 6500km (~4000 miles) on it, but sheared down to what could be considered a heavy 20 weight, or a very light 30 weight. Viscosity @ 100C cSt is at 12.21 (when new), however it sheared down to 9.85. All of my data looks clean as far as water, fuel, etc. in my oil, and is supplemented with the high flash point.

So, considering I drive quite conservatively, always heat my oil to a minimum of 90c (I know ~100c is the goal, but it's almost impossible at -30c). What do you guys think could be causing viscosity to dive so severally? In my mind, the rapid and routine (daily) temperature changes from cold to hot is causing too large of a temperature difference, effectively causing the oil to shear extremely quickly when routinely changing states from -20c/-30c up to 80c-100c. Just to reiterate, I drive very conservatively especially during the winter time, car doesn't see over 3k rpm or a >25% throttle until 80c+.

Thanks!

 

[HTSS_TR]

UOA looks good, wear metal is low (with less miles vs average). Even it is thin out a little more than normal but it didn't harm your engine, if you are concern about it shear down too much then you can try Castrol 0W40 and it is made in Germany too.

 

[oliveoil]

Just run GC for the entire OLM, unless it goes more than 10k. You'll see it start thickening after 7-8k. It's a 10k oil in any BMW. Always shows great results in BMWs.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Meelo
but sheared down to what could be considered a heavy 20 weight, or a very light 30 weight.

It is well within the 30-grade still. Those Blackstone limits are off. I don't know what they are, but they're definitely not 30-grade limits according to SAE J300.

Yes, the oil thinned out some, which is normal in a turbocharged DI application, IMO. I wouldn't worry.

 

[abycat]

looks just fine to me. I would be happy.

 

[JHZR2]

Considering how hot these engines make the oil get, I'm surprised there isn't more oxidative thickening.

 

[HKPolice]

Minimum for SAE 30 is 9.3 cST @ 100C so it's still within limits. I'm guessing the turbo is the reason behind the shearing. I'd run a 0w40 in summer especially if driven hard.

 

[wi11iam]

I used to drive a 135i w/ the N54. Surprised you're using a 30w, I would go M1 0w40 all day on this motor. That's what I used to run and it gave me the best results.