2009 BMW 650i

[edyvw]

I emailed Castrol directly, and this is their response:

"According to Castrol’s lubrication guide recommended for the 2007 BMW 750Li 4.8L 8-cyl with the N62 engine is the following:

5W-30 or 5W-40 engine oil meeting BMW LongLife LL-01.

Castrol EDGE 0W-40 oil does not align to the oil grade recommended by BMW for this engine and would not be recommended for use in said vehicle. In this case, Castrol EDGE 5W-30 A3/B4 or Castrol EDGE 5W-40 would be the right choice.

While a certain grade of oil may be suitable for one vehicle, it does not mean it is best for your vehicle. The GRADE of oil depends on the vehicles engine design, and the GRADE recommended by the vehicle manufacturer is the BEST for your specific vehicle.

Oil flow is critical to proper engine protection. When your engine starts, the engine oil circulating throughout the engine must be pumped to reach critical engine parts. Using a grade that is too heavy can hamper the lubrication. Conversely, using a grade that is to light for your vehicle can hamper the high shear protection needed for your engine and can cause vehicle damage."

OMG, what did you expect from Castrol to tell you? Use in BMW non-approved oil?
Castrol 0W40 did not change in formulation when it had LL01 before update. That pre-2018 LL01 was suitable for N62 engine. What happened is that BMW changed specification with new engines in mind. Is new LL01 suitable for older engines? Of course. But, you are not limited in older engines to oils with new LL01 specifications.
Motul on other hand is recommending for N62 engine 0W40 oil!

 

[kschachn]

OMG, what did you expect from Castrol to tell you? Use in BMW non-approved oil?
Castrol 0W40 did not change in formulation when it had LL01 before update. That pre-2018 LL01 was suitable for N62 engine. What happened is that BMW changed specification with new engines in mind. Is new LL01 suitable for older engines? Of course. But, you are not limited in older engines to oils with new LL01 specifications.
Motul on other hand is recommending for N62 engine 0W40 oil!

Yep. And it has nothing to do with "flow", the most overrated and misunderstood term in motor oil.

 

[cy1990]

Well, I just bought Castrol 0w40 from Walmart for the winter. Maybe I will try 5w40 for the summer if I have any issues. Right now my car seems super happy with BMW oil, and I am hoping it will stay that way with Castrol 0w40.

 

[edyvw]

Well, I just bought Castrol 0w40 from Walmart for the winter. Maybe I will try 5w40 for the summer if I have any issues. Right now my car seems super happy with BMW oil, and I am hoping it will stay that way with Castrol 0w40.

0W40 will be also better in summer. If you think about ambient temperature and worry about that, 0W40 due to base stocks is going to be more thermally stable.
Now, N62 loves to leak oil, so you might consider some thick W40 oils like Mobil1 10W40 HM.

 

[cy1990]

What are your thoughts on Lucas synthetic oil stabilizer?

 

[edyvw]

What are your thoughts on Lucas synthetic oil stabilizer?

No, don't do it. Lucas is IMO snake oil sales company. BMW is pretty clear not to use any additives. In oils you already have bunch of additives, and Castrol definitely does not need any kind of stabilizer.

 

[cy1990]

Gotcha. I have also read about AT 205 Re-seal, which a lot of people spoke highly of because it does not just thicken oil but rather just softens rubber. Do you think this will be OK? I think I have a very minor rear main seal leak. No evidence of valve stem seal leak/blue smoke.

 

[edyvw]

Gotcha. I have also read about AT 205 Re-seal, which a lot of people spoke highly of because it does not just thicken oil but rather just softens rubber. Do you think this will be OK? I think I have a very minor rear main seal leak. No evidence of valve stem seal leak/blue smoke.

Here is the thing. Every time you add these things like Lucas, Liqui Moly etc. you are messing chemistry of oil. You really do not know what is final product once you add these additives. Castrol 0W40 is top of the line oil. It does not need any additional additives. Now, if you want something that might prevent leaks go dedicated High Mileage oil like Mobil1 10W40. That oil has already additives specifically designed to address leaks, it is precisely calculated to work with other additives.

 

[KCJeep]

Gotcha. I have also read about AT 205 Re-seal, which a lot of people spoke highly of because it does not just thicken oil but rather just softens rubber. Do you think this will be OK? I think I have a very minor rear main seal leak. No evidence of valve stem seal leak/blue smoke.

I have used AT-205 twice, worked on one vehicle not the other, too far gone. Harmed neither as best as can be known.

Car companies always tell you not to use additives as there are literally hundreds of things to cover and they can't know them all. A handful are okay and a few even useful, AT-205 falls in that group.

My VW dealer tries to upsell you at oil change time with an additive, and it says right in the manual not to use them LOL. I'm sure they've suckered countless customers with their "10k is an awful long time" pitch, to no benefit or harm other than their wallet.

 

[cy1990]

I will give AT 205 a try along with Castrol 0w40. I hate additives that look/flow like molasses, and AT 205 is definitely not one of those.

 

[cy1990]

Out of curiosity, if money is not a problem, which oil would you choose out of the following:

1. Castrol 0W40
2. Mobil 1 0W40
3. Penzzoil Platinum Euro 5W40
4. BMW TPT 0W30 FE
5. Pentosin Pentospeed Super Performance 5W40
6. Liqui Moly Synthoil Energy 0W40 (or any of their other options)

I bought oil before from FCP Euro, so I can potentially get one of the bottom three options for relatively cheap using their lifetime replacement

 

[MCompact]

Out of curiosity, if money is not a problem, which oil would you choose out of the following:

1. Castrol 0W40
2. Mobil 1 0W40
3. Penzzoil Platinum Euro 5W40
4. BMW TPT 0W30 FE
5. Pentosin Pentospeed Super Performance 5W40
6. Liqui Moly Synthoil Energy 0W40 (or any of their other options)

I bought oil before from FCP Euro, so I can potentially get one of the bottom three options for relatively cheap using their lifetime replacement

Pennzoil Euro or BMW TPT.

 

[edyvw]

Out of curiosity, if money is not a problem, which oil would you choose out of the following:

1. Castrol 0W40
2. Mobil 1 0W40
3. Penzzoil Platinum Euro 5W40
4. BMW TPT 0W30 FE
5. Pentosin Pentospeed Super Performance 5W40
6. Liqui Moly Synthoil Energy 0W40 (or any of their other options)

I bought oil before from FCP Euro, so I can potentially get one of the bottom three options for relatively cheap using their lifetime replacement

Castrol 0W40.
PP Euro 5W40.

Avoid M1 0W40 in DI engine.

 

[tundraotto]

Mobil 1 0W40....MB229.5 and just because I can afford to do a drain and fill easy at 5000miles between 'service A'......
just bought 4 boxes of 12qts for $39 each at walmart.....

Why should one worry about M1 0W40 in a DI engine?

(have a 2L DI Turbo engine) - and Mobil is the OEM oil....what gives?

 

[edyvw]

Mobil 1 0W40....MB229.5 and just because I can afford to do a drain and fill easy at 5000miles between 'service A'......
just bought 4 boxes of 12qts for $39 each at walmart.....

Why should one worry about M1 0W40 in a DI engine?

(have a 2L DI Turbo engine) - and Mobil is the OEM oil....what gives?

Too high Sulfasted ash.

 

[tundraotto]

Too high Sulfasted ash.

Well - its a full SAPS oil so.....
- its there for a reason. Engine protection over exhaust aftertreatment durability.....

 

[edyvw]

Well - its a full SAPS oil so.....
- its there for a reason. Engine protection over exhaust aftertreatment durability.....

Mobil1 0W40 has exceptional additive package. I use it. I sue it on track.
But SA at 1.32 is just too high. Other Full-SAPS oils are around 1.10-1.15. That is big difference. Why? M1 0W40 never had very good TBN retention. It was very shear stable, but not good in TBN retention. I think that is one of the ways to make sure OCI demands are fulfilled. But it is too much. I personally would never use it in my Tiguan.
M1 does not offer any more protection than other oils in that to of the line category.

 

[KCJeep]

It's also a high calcium formula which is less than ideal for DI as well. But so is the Pennzoil IIRC. Castrol then if I could not find more info on the Pentosin.

 

[edyvw]

It's also a high calcium formula which is less than ideal for DI as well. But so is the Pennzoil IIRC. Castrol then if I could not find more info on the Pentosin.

Mobil1 0W40FS has overachieving add pack. M1 even advertise it as track capable oil. I sent my engine three time into limp mode as oil temp. was reaching 290f, and yet engine uses less M1 than it did PP Euro 5W40. That is strictly due to my leaking OFHG.
For port-injection engine, that FS is hard to beat, especially for money. But, in DI engine it is not best choice for sure.

 

[cy1990]

Well, I ended up returning the Castrol 0W40 to Walmart and getting Pennzoil Euro 5W40 from NAPA because it is currently on sale for $6 per quart. Still more expensive than Castrol but it seems like everyone agrees it's good oil and has the BMW LL-01 approval FWIW.