Coincedence or not?

[deven]

I have been doing oil changes on my brother in law's 2008 BMW 750i. I have done a total of 4 oil changes at 10,000 mile intervals. The first two oil changes featured using M1 0w40. The car calls for 8.5 quarts but I always put 9 because my BIL always complained that it consumed oil. With the M1 0w40 he said he had to add 2 quarts of make up oil during the whole OCI both times. The last two OCI's I have used Royal Purple HPS 5w30 and with this oil he has not had to add any make-up oil. The first oil change I did give him 2 extra quarts of Royal Purple oil to keep in his trunk and they were still there when I checked unopened. He said that the car system never prompted him to add any oil.
I know we all knock the German cars that dont come with a dipstick but I'll say that for people like my BIL who are clueless about cars and use them as appliances if it wasnt for the cars sensor prompting him to add oil he'd probably be driving the car with 2 less quarts in the sump.
So is this a coincidence or is there more to this...

 

[901Memphis]

Consumption can vary between different fills. One thing is for sure, the HPS stuff is good. Synerlec is fantastic. Do you get it cheap?

Another thing, the HPS has higher phosphorus which will poison the cat faster if it's consuming. Something to keep an eye on.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: 901Memphis
Consumption can vary between different fills. One thing is for sure, the HPS stuff is good. Synerlec is fantastic. Do you get it cheap?

Another thing, the HPS has higher phosphorus which will poison the cat faster if it's consuming. Something to keep an eye on.

I get it online. Usually from Amazon or Ebay depending on which is cheaper. It usually comes out to $85 for 12 quarts.

Yea I was worried about the consumption with RP and higher anti wear additives. I'll definitely keep an eye on it.

 

[901Memphis]

I have heard stories about people who work at dealerships only getting 2 quarts out of a 5 quart sump when certain customers bring them in for oil changes and no ill effects, i wonder how low you can run that large sump bimmer before it has issues.

It would probably refuse to start if it was so low?

I think the oil level sensor is a good thing since most people could go an entire OCI without looking at the dipstick. It would have saved my sister in law an engine in her Cobalt which had a slow leak and near the end of the OCI the engine ran dry and locked up with less than 100k on it.

 

[BHopkins]

Would your brother be up for a little experiment on the next couple oil changes? Since the change from M1 0w-40 to RP 5w-30 really involved two changes, try one change at a time, so you can isolate what may have reduced consumption.

Next oil change try RP 0w-40. If it still doesn't consume, use the same oil for the next oil change, to validate that it isn't just a fluke.

If RP 0-w40 has consumption, try M1 5w-30 at the next oc. Same thing. If no consumption, try again to validate. It may be an interesting experiment.

 

[deven]

Its just that I don't have RP 0w40 in stock. I still have a bunch of RP HPS 5w30 left so i need to use it up first. I use RP 5w40 in my Audi so thats the only other flavor of RP i have in stock.

 

[Merkava_4]

Interesting that there's less consumption with 5W-30 than 0W-40.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Interesting that there's less consumption with 5W-30 than 0W-40.

I was surprised too. Especially with all the stories and UOA's here that show RP shearing tremendously and M1 0w40 having a good NOACK number.

 

[rikstaker]

Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Interesting that there's less consumption with 5W-30 than 0W-40.

I was surprised too. Especially with all the stories and UOA's here that show RP shearing tremendously and M1 0w40 having a good NOACK number.


its Royal Purple HPS not the SN stuff and there arent many uoas on it here.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: rikstaker
Originally Posted By: deven
Originally Posted By: Merkava_4
Interesting that there's less consumption with 5W-30 than 0W-40.

I was surprised too. Especially with all the stories and UOA's here that show RP shearing tremendously and M1 0w40 having a good NOACK number.


its Royal Purple HPS not the SN stuff and there arent many uoas on it here.


Maybe I should have done a UOA...maybe next drain. I do realize it is the HPS version but still its in the back of my mind!

 

[andyd]

My 528es were the first cars I ever owned with a LOL warning light. They also have a low coolant level light. My first one used a qt between changes. The LOL went off when the sump was a quart low. Every time, regular as clockwork.After a while, I never bothered with the stick unless I wanted to check its condition. Just as important, is the low coolant level. Its a simple floating reed switch. The sender wears out and a lot of guys just jumped the leads. Not me. 18 yrs and 5 old bimmers later I have yet to have an overheat. The sending unit is about 20$. It is a breeze to replace. Cheap insurance.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: deven
I was surprised too. Especially with all the stories and UOA's here that show RP shearing tremendously and M1 0w40 having a good NOACK number.

A few points in either direction on Noack is not terribly likely to make much of a difference in oil consumption. I had vehicles run 6,000 mile OCIs with 25% NOACK oils in the day not needing a top up over the entire OCI.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: deven
.....who are clueless about cars and use them as appliances if it wasnt for the cars sensor prompting him to add oil he'd probably be driving the car with 2 less quarts in the sump.
So is this a coincidence or is there more to this...


It seems more and more cars are being equipped with low oil level sensors. I recently talked to a fellow who manages a big city fleet, and he said people would almost never check oil, and he never bothered putting any program in place to proactively do it because the taxpayers would simply buy another engine for them when needed. With the new-ish sensors, a warning light might prompt them to tell the motor pool manager at least, maybe.

At first I thought it odd my 07 BMW 530xi N52 had no dipstick, but it can tell the level on the cockpit display. Its temperamental, meaning there is a big time delay, and some odd behavior which can fool you easily. All in all, its cool, will let you know when the level gets just a quart low. By the way, there are many BMW stories about people over-filling by a couple of quarts or so because the sensor is incredibly slow to respond to added oil.

 

[wemay]

I prefer checking the dipstick over having to depend on an oil level sensor, any day.

 

[wag123]

Originally Posted By: wemay
I prefer checking the dipstick over having to depend on an oil level sensor, any day.

+1
I would NEVER buy a vehicle that didn't have a dipstick!
The oil level sensor is a nice plus, and it is a desireable feature for those individuals that never open the hood, but I have learned not to trust German electrical system components when the vehicles get a little older.

 

[OVERKILL]

What's the HTHS on the RP 5w-30? I'm guessing it is probably below 3.5cP and the oil is thinner than what is spec'd by BMW. The car likely calls for an LL-01 approved lubricant.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
I prefer checking the dipstick over having to depend on an oil level sensor, any day.

+1
I would NEVER buy a vehicle that didn't have a dipstick!
The oil level sensor is a nice plus, and it is a desireable feature for those individuals that never open the hood, but I have learned not to trust German electrical system components when the vehicles get a little older.


You are experienced and wise about that fact. I sometimes can't believe BMW would put that oil level indicator (tells what level, not just when low) in there when its temperamental and time-delayed. Actually I think a dipstick with a simpler oil-low sensor light is whats needed. .... It might be noted, the BMW sensor also tries to measure oil-quality thru dielectric response and good old E=IR measurements as well, so its interesting anyway, combining actual quality measurements with the GM-style OLM algorithms in software.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: FetchFar
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
I prefer checking the dipstick over having to depend on an oil level sensor, any day.

+1
I would NEVER buy a vehicle that didn't have a dipstick!
The oil level sensor is a nice plus, and it is a desireable feature for those individuals that never open the hood, but I have learned not to trust German electrical system components when the vehicles get a little older.


You are experienced and wise about that fact. I sometimes can't believe BMW would put that oil level indicator (tells what level, not just when low) in there when its temperamental and time-delayed. Actually I think a dipstick with a simpler oil-low sensor light is whats needed. .... It might be noted, the BMW sensor also tries to measure oil-quality thru dielectric response and good old E=IR measurements as well, so its interesting anyway, combining actual quality measurements with the GM-style OLM algorithms in software.


That's the way the older BMW stuff was. My M5 has a traditional dipstick and a level sensor that indicates when you are a quart low. This was also the case on our 328i.

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
What's the HTHS on the RP 5w-30? I'm guessing it is probably below 3.5cP and the oil is thinner than what is spec'd by BMW. The car likely calls for an LL-01 approved lubricant.


I'm pretty sure the HTHS is going to be below 3.5 but the car is out of warranty so I'm not too worried about that. It just seems that the RP 5w30 HPS is just thick enough in this application.

 

[SilverC6]

Originally Posted By: FetchFar
Originally Posted By: wag123
Originally Posted By: wemay
I prefer checking the dipstick over having to depend on an oil level sensor, any day.

+1
I would NEVER buy a vehicle that didn't have a dipstick!
The oil level sensor is a nice plus, and it is a desireable feature for those individuals that never open the hood, but I have learned not to trust German electrical system components when the vehicles get a little older.


You are experienced and wise about that fact. I sometimes can't believe BMW would put that oil level indicator (tells what level, not just when low) in there when its temperamental and time-delayed. Actually I think a dipstick with a simpler oil-low sensor light is whats needed. .... It might be noted, the BMW sensor also tries to measure oil-quality thru dielectric response and good old E=IR measurements as well, so its interesting anyway, combining actual quality measurements with the GM-style OLM algorithms in software.



But you guys will miss out on the newer good stuff!!!

With 9 quarts in the sump, you only have to be close anyway.