Hello - BMW question.

[AEA]

Quick question. BMW 528i 200,xxx miles previous owner ran conventional 20w50 for the latter 100k miles at 3k OCI. I switched to Mobil 1 Truck and SUV about 3 OCs ago (roughly 15k miles).

Was talking with a BMW mechanic and he said I should switch to Delvac 1300 15w40. He liked how it cleaned up the 2.8 motors that got dirty from the 15k mile OCs that BMW recs.

What are the thoughts on this? OCI would be around 3-5k.

No smoke or burning with the 2 grades used above.
Thanks

 

[TomJones76]

I'd say that in 3-5K drains in the US Southeast, Delvac 1300 15W40 should work swimmingly.
Mobil 1 Truck and SUV would also work swimmingly and probably clean even better, given the fancy-pants esters involved, but... it's gone.
If your engine needs cleaned, consider an AUTO-RX treatment.
In your case, I'd go along with my mechanic's suggestion as far as a day to day lube.

 

[ebaker]

Either Mobil 1 Truck and SUV or Delvac1300 would be excellent. Both have lots of cleaning agents.

 

[AEA]

Great! I started looking for another oil due to Mobil 1 Truck and SUV being hard to find. Looks like I found it for the time being...

Thanks again

 

[pastmaster]

AEA,

I have an M30 engined BMW, that also has over 200000 miles on it. It still is sweet!

All of the 15w40 HDEO (diesel) are fine with your OCI. I find mine really likes this type of oil. I have Mobil Delvac Super 1300 15w40, in it now and for the next oil change, I will probably try Shell Rotella T 15w40 or 5w40 syn.

5w40 Syn HDEO, are better yet. I would give Shell Rotella 5w40 a try as it is cheaper and available everywhere, if you want to replace Mobil 1 Syn.

The best maybe Castrol Syntech 0w30 GC (German Castrol). It is almost a 40 weight oil and keeps it's rating for the duration of it's service. These older BMWs, like 40 weight oils from my experiance. German Oil for a German Car, you know!

 

[shanneba]

I would use the Castrol BC Syntec 5w-40 in your 528i. It is ACAE A3/B4 which will stay in grade and has a HTHS spec of > 3.5 and has the BMW LL-98 rating. Should do well for you. You oil life/service monitor should show about a 10K OCI, the syntec should be good for 6000-7500 miles.

 

[windnsea00]

As long as your running a quality 40 or 50 weight oil, your good to go. I wouldn't recommend German Castrol 0w30 like pastmaster said for the fact it was approved for `01+ newer BMW's and is a bit on the thinner side for a 200k+ mile engine that should be running a solid 40 weight or 50 weight. Delvac 15w40 works fine as well as your current 5w40. I would also recommend Lubro Moly products (their full synthetic 5w40 is what I use in my E36 325is) I'm running GC 0w30 in our `02 325iT which seems to work great in that particular application.

 

[Dr. T]

Either one is fine...they're the same idea. Both are HDEO's...the 15-40 is dino, the 5-40 is the synth. grade. Otherwise, any 5-40/50 synth. is a very good choice. Better than conventional 20w50. Just don't be wasting good oil at 3k. Even 5k is too soon on these oils. 7.5-10k is more appropriate.

 

[Jimbo]

My old 325i loves 15w40 Delo 400. Your 2.8L M52 six is very similar to my 2.5L M50. Mine did not like Syntec 10W-40 even though it was ACEA A3/BMW LL. Stick with the HDMO and youll be fine. used oil analysis have shown that 8000 miles is a safe OCI on Delo. That is about my annual mileage.

 

[Cookie]

Your engine should be as tough as nails except for the cooling system. Watch the water pump and the plastic radiator.
I currently run an S52 so again welcome to the BMW owner's club.
I have seen folks run engines similar to yours on all sorts of oils with good results. On the stock BMW oil with long OCIs sludging has been reported so I like to keep my OCIs fairly short.

 

[the_oil_dealer]

20w50 SUpertech

 

[JHZR2]

I wouldnt run a 20w-50 in anything except an air cooled VW.

15w-40 is a great choice... Delvac and Delo have moly in them, which is an added plus.

I have been having great results running rotella syn 5w-40 in my E30 318i, though I need the 5w- for cold winter starts... In the SE, you may well not need that ability, so you can do without... wouldnt hurt though, and the rotella would give you great cleaning too.

JMH