M1 15/50 ok for bmw

[Car Luver]

Got myself a 02 BMW 330I last night. The first things I do when I get a new ride is change the oil. The car still is under BMW warranty.

I have some M1 15/50ep laying around. Is it ok to use it in my car? Does it meet BMW specs??

Thanks

 

[Mr Nice]

I would try and mix it with 5w20 or 5w30 Wt Mobil 1 to make it thinner. Nice car BTW.

 

[moribundman]

You got a manual with that car?

I believe BMW High Performance Synthetic 5W-30 is specified for the engine in that car, but double-check.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Since you have it, use it. Kinda thick, 40 weight is about right. Maybe save for summer and or blend it with another M1 like 5w-30...that would be best. Maybe 1/1 now and 2/3 thicker later on. Seattle is mild. M1 blends fine.

 

[nel]

If the car is still under warranty, stick with the BMW HP 5W30. In your mild climate, 15W50 should work fine. In fact, my local BMW mechanic/guru who serves as the tech advisor to the Golden Gate chapter of BMWCCA swears by Mobil 1 15W50.

Off topic: I love my BMWs, but it seems the newer ones do require more love & care (more money

) than the older ones. My '97 328i is going in for some cylinder head work--bad lifter tick and it feels like one cylinder isn't producing power like the others--and this is at only 110K miles. Hope your ownership experience is less costly. BTW, make sure you find a good independent BMW specialist for those items that may be beyond your expertise.

 

[Car Luver]

Yes it says to use BMW High performance syn oil.

Does this mean I have to go to the dealer and pay up the gazoo for oil???

 

[Curious Kid]

Not necessarily.

I could be mistaken, but like VW's that have a spec. like "502.X" and "505.X", I believe BMW has something like "longlife'98/'01" or so. It should be in the manual. I believe mobil 0w-40, GC 0w-30 at least meet the '01 spec. Check it out on their sites.

Enjoy your ride!

 

[windnsea00]

Since it's under warranty it wouldn't be a bad idea to use BMW 5w30 in that M54...it cost about $5 a quart from your dealer and that's what they would put in it. If you plan to keep the car longer than 100k miles I would change much earlier than the 15k recommended interval, maybe 7.5k miles, depending on your driving habits. If you want something a bit thicker Mobil 1 5w40 and Lubro Moly 5w40 are good oils, I personally use the Lubro Moly in my 325is which has 131k miles on the clock and runs strong. I don't think the Mobil 1 15w50 thickness is necessary for that engine and miles btw.

 

[Titan]

IF it were me, I'd run the thinnest recommended oil available to me. I don't know but a double-handful of BMW owners, but the ones that seem to have the most engine trouble are those running the thicker stuff...and those are the ones that seem to baby their high-performance engines compared to the boy-racer types running thinner oil. Maybe it has to do with the thinner oils actually doing the job better due to better flow...maybe it's just a fluke...maybe the engines simply do better running harder a good bit of the time. I don't know.

 

[Audi Junkie]

How is a 2002 under warranty? I'd be most concerned with sludge since oem OCI was 15k on the BMW 5w-30 HC. Get BMW 0w-40 aka Castrol Formula RS if anything. Auto-Rx would be my first move. Warranty is over, time to treat it right. Stock-up on filters, 10w-40 Havoline dino, 15w-40 Delo and run Mobil 1 5w-40 eventually and have a go at it.

 

[JAC43]

For my 2003 330i, the manual recommends 5W-30 or 5W-40. BMW High Performance 5W-30 made by Castrol and available from your local BMW dealer is an excellent oil, meeting BMW LL-01 specs. It is NOT the same as Castrol Syntec 5W-30, which by the way my dealership told me it was. Another great oil for your BMW is Castrol Syntec 0W-30, made in Germany. It also meets BMW LL-01 specs. Mobil 1 0W-40 meets BMW LL-01 too. The choice is up to you as all of these oils will perform admirably in your climate.

Your local dealer has the cartridge type oil filters for about $12, you can get the Wix equivalent for about $8, part #51223 from any Carquest or order online from FleetFilter or Filter1 . Rock Auto has the Mann filters which I have no experience with for just over $4. I will be trying one on my next OC.

When you change that oil filter, use the right tool on that cap; otherwise you can booger it up and be sure to torque it to spec. I have a six-point filter socket that i bought on eBay for like $10. Don't over do it or it will strip!

Hope you enjoy your new ride.

 

[Stanley Rockafeller]

I have owned 2 BMW's and when runnign the 6cly motors, I can strongly suggest a 5w40 oil.
My current car was run on 15w50 by the PO for a good 2-3 years, with 10w30 in the winter.
When I got the car, I noticed that it ran MUCH BETTER on Delvac1 5w40. The car ran smoother on start-up, and accelerated quicker when revving.
On my old m20 motor where it's has solid lifters and requires valve adjustments ever so often, I noticed that how the oil is performing will have a direct impact on the lifter sound the engine is making. With the 15w50, the idle was rough and there was excessive noise when warming up. It was kinda like I could feel the crank being slowed as it went thru the oil.
After I switched to the 5w40, the engine was much quieter at startup and ran substancially smoother during warm-up. Also the motor held a very attractive (to me) softened valve train noise (some noise is always expected with a solid lifter setup).

When consideirng a different oil for my e30, I thoth anyting rate 5w wold be too thin. But consideirng I'm not burning or dripping any oil, made this oil a great candidate!!!!! i strongly recommend this oil for anyone running anything larger than a 2.3 bmw 6 cyl!!!! tho in some areas it's a bit harder to locate it. If you call the Mobil 1800 # and they'll gladly locate your nearest dealer!!

 

[windnsea00]

The thing you also want to be concered about is start-up for the Vanos unit, you will notice if you run a 20w you will get much more Vanos noise on cold startups. But like I said earlier use BMW 5w30 from the dealer with 7.5k oil changes which will suit you well and when your out of warranty feel free to go for a 0w40 or 5w40 or stick with what works best.

 

[Jimbo]

Over at the Unofficial BMW website, the experience with 15W-50 M1 is not that good. It seems to be a little too thick at temperature and some notice a slight loss of responsiveness, that is, ability to rev as freely. Not all xW-50's seem to do the same. Dr. T over here seems to like 5W-50 Syntec and most users of 20W-50 dino in BMW's dont notice a problem. 5W-30 dealer oil is not overpriced, but dont trust it to hold up the full 15,000 miles that the service indicator system is programmed for.

 

[Car Luver]

let me get this right.So to keep my warranty up to snuff I have to use BmW stuff?Or can I use stuff that meet their specs? Would reg M1 10/30 meet specs??

Sorry for being so ignorant on this subject

 

[Audi Junkie]

Warranty?

 

[Car Luver]

4 year 50k. still has 20k or 10 months left.

 

[windnsea00]

I would personally use the BMW 5w30 under warranty at 7.5k oil change intervals or dependant on how hard you drive. Once warranty is over than you can broaden your horizons. Just my 2 cents.