Amsoil's Product Lookup Guide shows the 5W-40 (EFM) as their only oil for a 2011 BMW 328xi. I sent a question to Amsoil because the BMW oil for this car is 5W-30. Amsoil's response is "You will want to use the AMSOIL 5w-40 European Oil (EFM) for this BMW 328xi vehicle. This oil falls within the accepted viscosities that BMW allows for this vehicle and also meets the LL-01 spec requirement that they call for." In addition the Amsoil 5W-40 oil is a Full SAP oil. I have been running Amsoil for over 15 years in my other vehicles and I am very pleased with it. This is my first BMW and want to make sure this is a good oil to use.
I would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks
Amsoil's 5W-40 European Oil (EFM) for a BMW 328xi
- Thread starter Dave13
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The SAE viscosity grade doesn't matter too much. What matters is that the oil meets the BMW LL-01 spec.
For the record, that Amsoil oil doesn't officially meet BMW LL-01 spec. It is only "recommended for". For some people it's good enough. Others worry that BMW could give you a hassle should you ever had an engine lubrication warranty claim. And if BMW refuses to step in, then the assumption is that Amsoil would.
I think Amsoil is in the process of having some of their Euro oils officially certified. Not sure if or when this particular oil will be.
But from the whole Amsoil lineup, yes this is probably the best oil to use in your application.
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I would buy their euro oils... If they made a 0w30/0w40 that met LL-01..
You are proposing using an unapproved oil for your application, one in which oil issues are a proven concern, The path of least resitance is to use one of the superb LL01 products from Mobil or Castrol or others.
Originally Posted By: Dave13
Amsoil's Product Lookup Guide shows the 5W-40 (EFM) as their only oil for a 2011 BMW 328xi. I sent a question to Amsoil because the BMW oil for this car is 5W-30. Amsoil's response is "You will want to use the AMSOIL 5w-40 European Oil (EFM) for this BMW 328xi vehicle. This oil falls within the accepted viscosities that BMW allows for this vehicle and also meets the LL-01 spec requirement that they call for." In addition the Amsoil 5W-40 oil is a Full SAP oil. I have been running Amsoil for over 15 years in my other vehicles and I am very pleased with it. This is my first BMW and want to make sure this is a good oil to use.
I would appreciate any thoughts. Thanks
Originally Posted By: edyvw
It is not base oil, it is final product that matters.
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: edyvw
It is not base oil, it is final product that matters.
Just for the record EFM 5W-40 retail quart price is $8.35 worst case. Close to $30 for a 5 Liter jug PC price.
Originally Posted By: Wheel366
And if you are a preferred member I think I paid less than $5.50/qt for a case of 12. I just bought this oil. Trying it out this weekend. Been using AFL for years and years in My 2001 S4 and still years but not as many in my 2004 A4.
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Really wanted to try the 5w30 low saps, but the ll-04 performance with American high ethanol fuel, especially here in the corn belt where I can hardly find ethanol free 91-93 worries me about OCI's over 6k with tbn retention.
I appreciate all the input and because of the input I checked again with Amsoil and their response to me is as follows -
"The information provided to you comes from BMW Corporate directly. They allow oils that meet the LL-01 specs along with the following viscosities: 5W-30, 0W-30, 5W-40, 0W-40"
Gonna give it a try
I have been using Amsoil Euro 5w-40 full SAPS in my 2008 328xi for one year, 10,600 miles. The reason for the 10.6 OCI was that I recently came back from an 8k west coast trip. Including stop and go city, interstate stretches in NV, SD, WY, etc., Mountain roads with long 2nd and 3rd gear runs like Bear Tooth pass. The car was driven all day, sometimes hard.
The report from Blackstone reads "The TBN of this oil reads 4.1. We consider the TBN to be too low for extended use one it reaches 1.0, so there is plenty of life left in this oil. Plus, wear metals are looking pretty nice after 10,600 miles of use, so from what we are seeing in these results, the engine and oil held up pretty well. The thin viscosity is not a big deal. There really in not much of a change with metals between this sample and the last, even though this latest sample saw more than twice as much use. That is a great sign that this engine is running well. You could try 12,000 miles next fill. Nice!"
Just a sample of metals, AL =7, Iron = 9, Copper =15, Lead =1. Viscosity @210F = 64.6, Flashpoint = 425, Insolubles =0.1 (mann filter)
So I am pleased with this run on Amsoil Euro 5w-40 full SAPS, now if only my other cars that I service reports came back as well.
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With all the talk about full saps why couldn't a person just use a hedo.. rotella, delo, and delvac all offer 10w30 and 5w40 oils? I know that it doesn't have the BMW ll approval , just wondering why not run something like those.
It would seem that either one of these oils would cover everything except the ll approval. So why not use?
Originally Posted By: simplistic
With all the talk about full saps why couldn't a person just use a hedo.. rotella, delo, and delvac all offer 10w30 and 5w40 oils? I know that it doesn't have the BMW ll approval , just wondering why not run something like those.
It would seem that either one of these oils would cover everything except the ll approval. So why not use?
Originally Posted By: simplistic
It would seem that either one of these oils would cover everything except the ll approval. So why not use?
It's too easy to buy the right stuff like M1 0W-40 or Castrol 0W-40 at the local store.
If Amsoil were LL-01 and sitting on the store shelf, I might be tempted.
But why go out of your way for something that does not meet spec and is more costly.
Just trusting the blender that their product is suitable for an application requires an unnecessary leap of faith.
Originally Posted By: SilverC6
It's too easy to buy the right stuff like M1 0W-40 or Castrol 0W-40 at the local store.
If Amsoil were LL-01 and sitting on the store shelf, I might be tempted.
But why go out of your way for something that does not meet spec and is more costly.
Just trusting the blender that their product is suitable for an application requires an unnecessary leap of faith.
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