High Mileage oils for Euro cars

[bigjl]

bmw= leaks..
oil filter seal ,and 2 coolant hoses in just one year..2 years back oil vacuum pump seal ...my engine rebuilt begins

Really?

All cars have oil leaks.

And that includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, American and European brands.

It’s like the internet comment that all JLR engines are unreliable rubbish.

Then when you point out until recently they were mostly Ford engines the excuses and deflection starts

 

[chris719]

Really?

All cars have oil leaks.

And that includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, American and European brands.

It’s like the internet comment that all JLR engines are unreliable rubbish.

Then when you point out until recently they were mostly Ford engines the excuses and deflection starts

BMW is just very consistent in using the same gaskets across many models, ensuring they all eventually leak.

 

[svenson]

Really?

All cars have oil leaks.

And that includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, American and European brands.

It’s like the internet comment that all JLR engines are unreliable rubbish.

Then when you point out until recently they were mostly Ford engines the excuses and deflection starts

really?
i can tell you ,i owned an alfa romeo and a fiat -one of the cheapest brands - for many years and never had an oil leak issue

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Really?

All cars have oil leaks.

And that includes Japanese, Korean, Chinese, American and European brands.

It’s like the internet comment that all JLR engines are unreliable rubbish.

Then when you point out until recently they were mostly Ford engines the excuses and deflection starts

Oil leaks are a running joke in the BMW community because there are gaskets which routinely leak every 40-70k miles and due to packaging are expensive to switch out. For example on my RWD 4-series the front subframe has to be detached in order to pull the oil pan.

Oil filter housing gasket every 40k-60k miles.
Valve Cover gasket every 40k-60k miles
Oil Pan gasket every 60-120k miles.

 

[bigjl]

Oil leaks are a running joke in the BMW community because there are gaskets which routinely leak every 40-70k miles and due to packaging are expensive to switch out. For example on my RWD 4-series the front subframe has to be detached in order to pull the oil pan.

Oil filter housing gasket every 40k-60k miles.
Valve Cover gasket every 40k-60k miles
Oil Pan gasket every 60-120k miles.

Internet exaggeration.

All cars can have oil leaks.

Anybody that thinks otherwise is delusional.

Having said that the only car that I have owned in the last 20 years that had significant oil leaks was Japanese.

No oil leaks in the Mercs, BMWs, Audis, Subarus (no HG failure either and did well over 100k in Subarus), Skodas or indeed the mates Fiat Ducato that I maintain.

Maybe in the UK people maintain their cars to a higher level?

Or maybe Mechanics are more than just Lube Techs?

Who can only maintain things which are extremely simple?

 

[bigjl]

really?
i can tell you ,i owned an alfa romeo and a fiat -one of the cheapest brands - for many years and never had an oil leak issue

All cars have oil leaks, as in every brand of car, when viewed in the context of the post I was replying should make that fairly obvious.

No brand of car is immune to oil leaks

And BMW are no more prone to oil leaks than any other brand.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

There are no HM oils with euro approvals. However if he wants something "German" he could throw in a can of Liqui Moly Motor Oil Saver

Motor Oil Saver

Maintains and regenerates rubber and plastic seals in the engine oil circuit of gas and diesel engines. Oil consumption due to aged and hardened valve stem seals is reduced. No more blue exhaust smoke, improved emissions. External leaks are minimized or even eliminated. Dampens engine noise and...

www.liqui-moly.com

Not true. Just not sold in North America for some stupid reason: https://www.stokker.com/maxlife-5w40-4l-valvoline-c-872364-val

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Internet exaggeration.

All cars can have oil leaks.

Anybody that thinks otherwise is delusional.

Having said that the only car that I have owned in the last 20 years that had significant oil leaks was Japanese.

No oil leaks in the Mercs, BMWs, Audis, Subarus (no HG failure either and did well over 100k in Subarus), Skodas or indeed the mates Fiat Ducato that I maintain.

Maybe in the UK people maintain their cars to a higher level?

Or maybe Mechanics are more than just Lube Techs?

Who can only maintain things which are extremely simple?

Sure all cars can and will develop oil leaks but I'm talking about the frequency. For example a valve cover gasket may need to be replaced on a Lexus ever 150k-200k miles. BMW will have replaced two or three in that time.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Not true. Just not sold in North America for some stupid reason: https://www.stokker.com/maxlife-5w40-4l-valvoline-c-872364-val

That product does not have formal approvals as it states "Developed for". In any case it's still interesting that something like it is marketed over there. There's no such product in the United States.

Good find!

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

That product does not have formal approvals as it states "Developed for". In any case it's still interesting that something like it is marketed over there. There's no such product in the United States.

Good find!

I started a thread on this a while ago, they could even add Euro 5W-30 and 10W-60 to that line up, even a 0W-20...

 

[wlk]

Hadn't thought of that stuff since it sounds like "stop leak" for engine oil. Guess it's just the same type additives in HM oil, only without the oil. Wonder if anyone has used it with positive results.

Put it in my kids 98' c280 w some minor leaks and stopped them. Have it in my 93' C1500 and has almost stopped a rear main seal after a month of driving. Oils in both vehicles are Mobil 1 5w40 Euro. Will also be putting it in my other sons vehicle as well.
If a pan gasket leak or valve cover going to need to repair those

 

[wpod]

He does not need anything HM. It would do more harm than good.
He needs to replace probably oil pan gasket. If it is RWD, it is easy-peasy.

Why would high mile oil do more harm than good?

 

[edyvw]

Why would high mile oil do more harm than good?

Because quality wise (for the lack if better term), is below anything approved for BMW.

 

[OVERKILL]

All cars have oil leaks, as in every brand of car, when viewed in the context of the post I was replying should make that fairly obvious.

No brand of car is immune to oil leaks

And BMW are no more prone to oil leaks than any other brand.

BMW chooses/uses gasket/seal materials (butyl rubber) that are going to harden and crack, and subsequently need replacement at regular intervals, it's just a fact of life with their vehicles. The valve cover gasket for example, needs to be replaced when it starts to leak. Other brands will use silicone, which should last the life of the vehicle. When we sold our Expedition with over 200,000 miles on it, all the engine and transmission gaskets were original, none were leaking. Ford used silicone valve cover gaskets. My dad's Expedition is 23 years old and the valve cover gaskets still don't leak, my sister's 330i is on its third valve cover gasket and it's had the oil filter housing gasket replaced as well. Both are common in requiring replacement.

 

[MCompact]

Hadn't thought of that stuff since it sounds like "stop leak" for engine oil. Guess it's just the same type additives in HM oil, only without the oil. Wonder if anyone has used it with positive results.

I use it in my Club Sport and Clubman and I do believe it helps. I also have a few friends in my local CCA chapter who swear by it.

 

[2strokeNorthstar]

I ran 10w40 Maxlife in my e36 328i and the world didn't end. Changed at 5k miles. It slowed a pan / possible front crank seal leak enough where it didn't drip on the ground. Replaced the filter housing gasket and top end was rebuilt so VCG was leak free. I didn't feel like dumping more money into it for a small drip. Sold it with over 200k and it ran great.

 

[jeepman3071]

Because quality wise (for the lack if better term), is below anything approved for BMW.

Keep in mind most of the BMW specs are for oils related to tracking the car, and extended oil change intervals. You could easily use Maxlife for shorter OCIs without issue, if you aren't tracking the car.

 

[edyvw]

Keep in mind most of the BMW specs are for oils related to tracking the car, and extended oil change intervals. You could easily use Maxlife for shorter OCIs without issue, if you aren't tracking the car.

BMW nowhere has track demands. Only manufacturer that has specific track demands on oil is Porsche.
BMW does have demand on tough oxidation, and I think, they have some specific demands on base stocks in order to prolong life of gaskets.

 

[chris719]

BMW nowhere has track demands. Only manufacturer that has specific track demands on oil is Porsche.
BMW does have demand on tough oxidation, and I think, they have some specific demands on base stocks in order to prolong life of gaskets.

Must not be working on the gaskets .

 

[edyvw]

Must not be working on the gaskets .

Lol.