2011 BMW X3 9600 miles of FF of 5W30

[21Rouge]

I had given a friend of mine a sample bottle awhile back and he recently made use of it in taking a sample of the FF for a 9 month OCI of almost 10k miles on his X3. (In that time period he estimated only about a third of a litre of consumption. He did not top up)

Code:

Lab		BStone
Vehicle		2011 BMW X3
Oil		BMW High Performance 5W30
Filter		OEM			
Total Miles	9600 miles
Miles on oil	9600 miles over 9 months (March 2011 to December 2011)

Aluminum.......	24
Chromium.......	2
Iron...........	91
Copper.........	13
Lead...........	0
Tin............	2
Moly...........	279
Nickel.........	1
Manganese......	13
Silver.........	0
Titanium.......	0
Potassium......	10
Boron..........	45
Silicon........	17
Sodium.........	6
Calcium........	2739
Magnesium......	25
Phosphorus.....	636
Zinc...........	649
Barium.........	0

Flashpoint.....	380 	
Fuel...........	<0.5%
Antifreeze.....	0
Water..........	0
Insoluables....	0.4
SUS Visc@210f.. 57.7
cST Visc@100c.. 9.57
TBN............ 1.7	

 

[Artem]

Not bad for the FF. TBN getting down towards to bottom but still good. What's the recommended interval for this beast? 10k? or 15k?

 

[chubbs1]

I almost was about to fall out of my chair, then I saw it was FF. High wear to be expected.

 

[addyguy]

Not bad at all for 10k on FF. That BMW syn isn't bad stuff.....

 

[CATERHAM]

21Rouge thanks for posting this. Assuming the FF has a virgin KV100 of 12cSt the FF has lost 20% of it's viscosity or it wasn't that high in the first place. I also find it interesting that the phosphorus level is only 636 ppm. This oil looks like any typical OTC 5W-30 syn'.

 

[ammolab]

O, ZERO lead in the first 9600miles? BMW must have some Rod and main bearings in that engine that are TOUGH!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

I also find it interesting that the phosphorus level is only 636 ppm.

That's about normal for this BMW (Castrol) 5w-30 oil.

Quote:

This oil looks like any typical OTC 5W-30 syn'.

Except that most typical OTC 5w-30 oils don't have HT/HS of above 3.5 cP.

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

I also find it interesting that the phosphorus level is only 636 ppm.

That's about normal for this BMW (Castrol) 5w-30 oil.

Quote:

This oil looks like any typical OTC 5W-30 syn'.

Except that most typical OTC 5w-30 oils don't have HT/HS of above 3.5 cP.

I always thought the P level was around 850 ppm as in the following BMW 5W-30 UOA: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...892#Post2222892 But I can tell you I'm going to stop adding some RL Break-In Additive to the light oil I run in my Bimmer to boost the P level of typical SM/SN oils. Obviously it's not necessary. Yes the virgin HTHSV is 3.5cP but the BMW oil shears virtually as you pour it into the engine. If the HTHSV was tested of this used FF after 20% viscosity loss I'm certain the HTHSV is no higher than 2.9-3.1cP max. Of course if you're going to start with a 3.1cP 5W-30 oil you'll likely wind up running a somewhat lighter oil than FF but I'd say by no more than 0.1-0.2cP. But honestly we're splitting hairs here.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

I always thought the P level was around 850 ppm as in the following BMW 5W-30 UOA: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...892#Post2222892

This VOA showed 800 ppm: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1991166#Post1991166 I'd say the differences are small enough to be within the lab's margin of error. We've seen quite sizeable difference in test on the same oil from lab to lab and from test to test.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM

I always thought the P level was around 850 ppm as in the following BMW 5W-30 UOA: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...892#Post2222892

This VOA showed 800 ppm: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=1991166#Post1991166

And this one showed 717 ppm: http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=478670#Post478670

 

[JAG]

The percent drop in HTHS has been found in multiple studies to be roughly 1/2 the percent drop in KV at 100C. So if this virgin oil had KV at 100C of 12.0 cSt and HTHS viscosity of 3.5 cP, that relation predicts this used oil had a HTHS viscosity of 3.15 cP.

 

[Audios]

We ordered 4 cases of BMW synthetic the other day, and I noticed its API SL formula. No update? Or if it works why change it? Not BMW like IMO.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: Audios

We ordered 4 cases of BMW synthetic the other day, and I noticed its API SL formula. No update? Or if it works why change it? Not BMW like IMO.

It's the same issue as with GC 0w-30. API SN/SM has imposed stricter limits on additives on Xw-30 grades. These oils (BMW 5w-30, GC 0w-30) have fairly rich add packs to cope with the extended drain intervals required by BMW LL01 spec. If they were to be reformulated to meet API SM/SN, they may have a tough time holding up in such long drain intervals. And in terms of wear, sludge, piston deposits, and oxidative thickening limits, LL01 is still better than API SM, so gaining the latest API certification gets you nothing.

 

[Brons2]

Originally Posted By: ammolab

O, ZERO lead in the first 9600miles? BMW must have some Rod and main bearings in that engine that are TOUGH!

or they're bi-metal bearings instead of tri-metal... bi-metal bearings usually don't contain lead...

 

[Audios]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete

Originally Posted By: Audios

We ordered 4 cases of BMW synthetic the other day, and I noticed its API SL formula. No update? Or if it works why change it? Not BMW like IMO.

It's the same issue as with GC 0w-30. API SN/SM has imposed stricter limits on additives on Xw-30 grades. These oils (BMW 5w-30, GC 0w-30) have fairly rich add packs to cope with the extended drain intervals required by BMW LL01 spec. If they were to be reformulated to meet API SM/SN, they may have a tough time holding up in such long drain intervals. And in terms of wear, sludge, piston deposits, and oxidative thickening limits, LL01 is still better than API SM, so gaining the latest API certification gets you nothing.

Thanks Pete, Ill feel better about using it in other applications where a 5/30 syn is called for. We actually get it a little cheaper than M1. Also makes me feel better about the M1 5w20 SL formula I found in my garage from the previous owners!