Dealer Castrol 5w30, 2009 BMW 328iXdrive, 14.621km

[Pesca]

Hi,

Bought the car at 58.111kms in December 2012.
Oil sample comes from the oil filter housing as I could not find any other place to get oil sample from. There could be more contaminants than in the pan. Just want to find out what the best OCI is for my use: Mostly short trips with 3 to 4 longer trips per month.

That is what I wrote to the lab with the info of the car:
BMW
2009 328i Xdrive
N52 3.0 liter 6 cyl inline
6.5 liter (6.9 quarts) with oil filter changed
Castrol Syntec 5w30 said dealership
Oil filter unknown, from dealership
72.776 kms or 45,221 miles on the car
14.621 kms or 9,085 miles (16 months)for the oil.

Here are the results:


I will change the oil soon, as I already received the oil filter from Autopartsway

(thanks Garak for the tip

).

I think if my routine stays the same (may change soon

), I will continue like that and change it every year and a half (onboard computer says two years).

Next oil will be GC 0w30 with Mann filter.

Let me know what you think.

 

[dparm]

I agree that 15,000km seems reasonable, or maybe something slightly shorter. The oxidation isn't causing any problems so I am hesitant to shorten the interval because of it.

Definitely keep an eye on the copper.

Not sure I would bother with GC. Go for the Castrol 0w40 instead. Same price for a newer formula.

 

[Quattro Pete]

The only thing somewhat unusual is the amount of copper. You had almost 4x the amount of copper than I did after 16 months, but maybe that's normal for the N52 engine... not sure...

http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=2591203#Post2591203

 

[2004tdigls]

I would change it at half of BMW's service interval. The long oil drain is purely a sales technique to sell a "maintenance free car"

http://www.tunetech.co.za/2011/06/27/engine-sludge/

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=543359

http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/sho...s-of-oil-sludge

oil is cheap, engines are expensive

 

[Pesca]

Agree with the copper. I still have an oil analysis kit that I will use for that. I don't know if I will sample next year about the same time or at the end of the interval, at around 15.000kms.

For the GC, castrol oil was on sale (35% off, that is quite rare in Canada), but they did not have the BC 0w40 in the store I went, so I went for it this time.
After that, that could be either BC 0w40, Mobil 1 0w40, or Gc 0w30 again. It will probably depend of what will be on sale next year.

 

[Merkava_4]

That oil was in there twice as long as it should've been.

 

[Pesca]

Merkava_4 and 2004tdigls, could you explain me your reasoning behind your statement, please?

I try to understand why you are writing that while two other BMW owners tell me that the interval is correct.

Thanks in advance for your input.

 

[OVERKILL]

The interval seems completely sane to me. I change my M5 oil's a bit earlier (10K Km) but it fuel dilutes, whilst your car doesn't.

The oil seems to have held up fine, TBN is still strong....etc. Would be interesting if the copper number changes with lube choice, but that may also just be part of the "signature" of your engine.

 

[FetchFar]

Originally Posted By: Pesca

Next oil will be GC 0w30 with Mann filter.

Let me know what you think.


NAPA Gold or Wix better filter!

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Pesca

Next oil will be GC 0w30 with Mann filter.

Let me know what you think.


I prefer the OEM BMW filters because the MANN filters for my car aren't made in Germany (the ones I order from Bavauto), whilst the OEM ones, which are made by Hengst, are made in Germany. And they are about the same price.

 

[Ayrton]

I think for the OP's car, the Mann filter probably is Made in Germany and same as OEM. Reviews on amazon seem to indicate this.

If so, it would be a great choice.


Overkill, if you want Hengst for your application, you can probably get a Hengst on Amazon. Of course, it might not even be cheaper, but Amazon tends to always have Hengst, Mann, and Mahle for most European cars (on some cars the 3 filters are identical interesting enough but on your car all 3 brands look different).

 

[Quattro Pete]

The Mann filters I get for my car are made in Mexico. However, I've been using them for some 8 years now - they hold up well.

 

[Garak]

Autopartsway's Canadian site may also be another good alternative for German filters. The Manns (and Bosch and Hengst) I got from them for my Audi were all made in Germany.

 

[Noobie]

All of the Mann HU816X Filters (All current BMW I6 engines use this filter) that i've ever purchased (More than a dozen since 2010) have been made in Germany.
However the Mann 925/4X Filters (For M54 Engines) that i've purchased are all made in Mexico.

 

[Ayrton]

Originally Posted By: Noobie
All of the Mann HU816X Filters (All current BMW I6 engines use this filter) that i've ever purchased (More than a dozen since 2010) have been made in Germany.
However the Mann 925/4X Filters (For M54 Engines) that i've purchased are all made in Mexico.


That is what Amazon shows too, exactly right. The nice thing is the Mann 925/4X looks to still be full Mann quality/production. The way the pleats are formed into one with the end caps, you can see the quality on it.

This is one of the things about cartridge filter vehicles I like. We can truly see the quality of the cartridge filter. We can also easily tell when one is OEM manufacturer or not.