Well, when I have time to kill tonight I will have to check the BMW motorcycle forums and see. They get funny about oil. I personally did not like the Castrol in my R1200GS it needed topped up every 1000 miles or so. With M1 15W50 I top up once between changes of 6000 miles or 10K Km. What comes out works great in my old oil burning Briggs.
BMW Returning to Castrol
- Thread starter mightymousetech
- Start date
- Status
wemay
Site Donor 2023
I asked the parts guy about this over the weekend. Unequivocally, the three guys behind the counter chimed in..." If not changing oil at the dealership, VWs official recommendation is Castrol". When I pointed out that the dealership oil looks like an ExxonMobil product container, they said there's no assurance who blends that oil for VW and very well may be Mobil.
BTW: I was there because, for the second time I lost both passenger side wheel center caps. Each time replaced under warranty. Not uncommon according to the dealership.
VW has been Castrol a long time. The way they hang onto parts (see coolant overflow tanks still marked G12) I'll bet fill caps will still say Castrol for a while.
I lost a center cap when I hit some railroad tracks very hard, never occurred to me it might be warranty. Just bought another at the dealer.
I lost a center cap when I hit some railroad tracks very hard, never occurred to me it might be warranty. Just bought another at the dealer.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
I bought a set on Amazon today. Don't want to go back for these again.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
...Lol, 100% on the fill caps.
They’ve been using those round coolant balls since the beginning of time itself.
BMW has those crazy LL-01 and LL-04 requirements, but not as bad as MB I suppose. I wonder who drives the requirements. Does BMW have their own tribologist separate from their favourite oil supplier?
My 2007 Ford Ranger has that on the gas cap.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
I do not understand your question here? What is the point?
It’s all marketing - but a BMW recommendation carries more weight than say, Toyota.
now, if only Castrol would sell their latest VW/BMW approved oils under the Edge brand on the mass market...
now, if only Castrol would sell their latest VW/BMW approved oils under the Edge brand on the mass market...
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
BMW specifications are not marketing. And you can find BMW, MB, VW, Porsche approved oils in local Wal mart.
I meant to say OEM endorsement of a brand of oil is marketing - not the specs or approval which is a different beast.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
He's talking about the endorsed brand who's logo you see in the manual and/or on the oil fill cap. Not approvals or certifications.
My E90 has "BMW recommends Castrol" on the oil fill cap. That has had zero influence on what oil to run in it, even though it does currently have Castrol 0w40. 
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Well yeah, I mean it is a deal between two companies. It is always much more than that, involving development, racing etc. But in the end, it works for both sides.
any update on the product that will be labeled as BMW TPT? should i stock up some on the shell stuff?
That sounds nice but with the hundreds of thousands of vehicles in dealerships and customers hands its all about the money, car manufacturers go well beyond out of their way to save pennies on part design and manufacturing, they are definitely going with the low bidder on speced oil!
edyvw
$50 site donor 2025
Nope they don’t. BMW is not GM or similar companies. It is always contract that involves much more. It is money, but doesn’t start at dealership or ends there.
My cousin is currently an GM Engineer in Detroit, he worked for two years in Germany for BMW through a technical alliance between GM and BMW, he is fluent in German both speaking and written word, he helps me with my brothers BMW, one time he sent an email in German forgetting to use English, it was funny! All automakers are about money make no mistake about that! Thanks!
- Status
Similar threads
