N55 37k - QS 5-40. 5k interval how does this look?

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First full 5k oil change interval on my 2016 535i. Just rolled over 38k. Driving is mixed freeway and city, some short trips but always >5mi so its close to operating temps by the end. Probably 60/40 freeway city split roughly.
Quaker State 5-40w (ignore the 0W30 reference in the image they didnt update it)

OA38k.jpg


How does everything look? Any concerns on the fuel dilution?
The first change was only 800mi as the seller didn't put LL01 oil in it (it was M1 0-30W ESP) so I dumped it right away to be safe. This is my first 5k change!
 
Is the N55 prone to fuel dilution? It did lose considerable viscosity, but at least it didn’t start out at low visc and go down from there.

this must have been the Euro QS, since you mentioned LL1. I’ve considered this Euro QS 5w40 in a non-Euro Ford Ecoboost (GTDI). keep an eye out for the oxidation & nitration readings if you keep using this. I’m not saying this was a bad report, but American QS may not be good for extended drain intervals. That said, 5k is NOT an extended interval…and this is not the American blend.

I believe Walmart carries a Castrol Euro 5w30, not that it’s any better (I don’t know), but if you could find the Castrol 0w30 Euro (made in Belgium), that might be higher quality…unless they’ve reformulated it and ruined it. That said, you should check with the BMW owners on here, to be sure that older formulation is OK with your model. It won’t be at Walmart though, and in fact it might not be anywhere anymore. EDYVW as well as others know more than I do about this. I should just shut up. But I was drawn into this because interested in a QS Euro UOA.
 
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I've been using it for a while in my wife's Ford at 10k OCI's, but I've not done a UOA. Probably should next time need to keep an eye out for coolant in that one.

Anyway with Ford spec'ing 5w20 for the engine I'm confident a Euro 5w40 with a host of approvals is easily up to the task.
 
Is the N55 prone to fuel dilution? It did lose considerable viscosity, but at least it didn’t start out at low visc and go down from there.

this must have been the Euro QS, since you mentioned LL1. I’ve considered this Euro QS 5w40 in a non-Euro Ford Ecoboost (GTDI). keep an eye out for the oxidation & nitration readings if you keep using this. I’m not saying this was a bad report, but American QS may not be good for extended drain intervals. That said, 5k is NOT an extended interval…and this is not the American blend.

I believe Walmart carries a Castrol Euro 5w30, not that it’s any better (I don’t know), but if you could find the Castrol 0w30 Euro (made in Belgium), that might be higher quality…unless they’ve reformulated it and ruined it. That said, you should check with the BMW owners on here, to be sure that older formulation is OK with your model. It won’t be at Walmart though, and in fact it might not be anywhere anymore. EDYVW as well as others know more than I do about this. I should just shut up. But I was drawn into this because interested in a QS Euro UOA.

Not that I am aware of.

Think I should run another UOA in 5k and see what it looks like?

I did grab 8x5qt jugs at Walmart when it was sale in the summer for $15/jug, so I do have a lot of it now LOL. Most of the other reviews of this oil are pretty good for a Euro LL01/229.5 oil

One thing I will note is that I changed the original air filter at the same time as the oil change - and it appears (if I understand it right) that Sodium being down significantly from the short interval change tested first shows the air filtration is much better now?
 
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First full 5k oil change interval on my 2016 535i. Just rolled over 38k. Driving is mixed freeway and city, some short trips but always >5mi so its close to operating temps by the end. Probably 60/40 freeway city split roughly.
Quaker State 5-40w (ignore the 0W30 reference in the image they didnt update it)

View attachment 130481

How does everything look? Any concerns on the fuel dilution?
The first change was only 800mi as the seller didn't put LL01 oil in it (it was M1 0-30W ESP) so I dumped it right away to be safe. This is my first 5k change!
Looks fine.

Btw, M1 0w-30 ESP is okay as well. It has a HTHS which is greater than the LL01FE 0w30 the dealerships have been using in the N55 since 2016.
 
Looks fine.

Btw, M1 0w-30 ESP is okay as well. It has a HTHS which is greater than the LL01FE 0w30 the dealerships have been using in the N55 since 2016.
Thanks. I mean overall the actual metals in the analysis look average to others' N55 reports I googled. So even if a few other areas might be slightly different, should I really care if the wear metals are fine?

I mainly changed the oil as well as the filter they used was definitely a chinesium special. The car was bmw dealer maintained all the way up until it was traded into a smaller lot and they just changed the oil just to have it done, so I felt better getting a Mann filter into it and know specifically what oil is in it rather than trust what they said.
 
Thanks. I mean overall the actual metals in the analysis look average to others' N55 reports I googled. So even if a few other areas might be slightly different, should I really care if the wear metals are fine?

I mainly changed the oil as well as the filter they used was definitely a chinesium special. The car was bmw dealer maintained all the way up until it was traded into a smaller lot and they just changed the oil just to have it done, so I felt better getting a Mann filter into it and know specifically what oil is in it rather than trust what they said.
IMO it's fine. I noticed that that lab was asking for you to provide the manufacture/component name as well as the lubricant. That way they can compare the findings to their database.
 
They have been doing that since 2007.
Oh man that brings back memories. When the N54 came out UOA's were showing some fuel and a well known, now retired, tribologist was really concerned about it and the long factory OCI (15k miles). I think he was suggesting 3k mile oil changer intervals. IIRC he was an original supporter of BITOG and in some way affiliated with Renewable Lubricants. BMW definitely got the fuel down with the N55. In any case the N54 bearings managed just fine.
 
Oh man that brings back memories. When the N54 came out UOA's were showing some fuel and a well known, now retired, tribologist was really concerned about it and the long factory OCI (15k miles). I think he was suggesting 3k mile oil changer intervals. IIRC he was an original supporter of BITOG and in some way affiliated with Renewable Lubricants. BMW definitely got the fuel down with the N55. In any case the N54 bearings managed just fine.
N54 had much less fuel dilution than competition at that time CBU on other hand was galore.
 
N54 had much less fuel dilution than competition at that time CBU on other hand was galore.
Oh man that brings back memories. When the N54 came out UOA's were showing some fuel and a well known, now retired, tribologist was really concerned about it and the long factory OCI (15k miles). I think he was suggesting 3k mile oil changer intervals. IIRC he was an original supporter of BITOG and in some way affiliated with Renewable Lubricants. BMW definitely got the fuel down with the N55. In any case the N54 bearings managed just fine.
Oh wow. First name rhymes with Berry? Last name rhymes with Tyson? Was he known to exaggerate problem areas?? Honestly curious.
 
Oh wow. First name rhymes with Berry? Last name rhymes with Tyson? Was he known to exaggerate problem areas?? Honestly curious.
Yes that's the name. I don't know if he was exaggerating, but in his professional opinion based on the amount of fuel induced shear found in low mileage UOA he was concerned. Back then many N54 owners were already cutting the OCI in half (5k-7k miles), tuning became "the thing", and M1 0w40 would shear fairly quickly down to a 30 weight. Owners were looking for something which wouldn't shear. Redline and T6, iirc, were very popular back then.

Interestingly the bearings on the N54 didn't turn out to be the weak spot especially when BMW fitted an oil cooler as standard (Initially only sport-pkg'd 3 series cars received them)
 
TD was quite helpful to me. thankfully so, since he cost a lot more. But I never felt I got the “keys” to the tribology knowledge universe, only a carefully guarded glimpse through the keyhole… nor should I have, I suppose.

my big unanswered questions revolve around how to protect my oil-thrashing Ford EcoBoost at a lower price point than his favorite $75/gal oil (Cummins / Valvoline Premium Blue RESTORE). So far, I don’t have a totally satisfying answer. And it appears I won’t have him to ask from here on out.

Despite me asking, he would never suggest nor agree that Euro spec oils were the answer, nor that higher HTHS was a good thing, nor suggest a xw40 oil, nor that any oils widely available at Walmart, NAPA, AZ, etc were really worthy, nor did Castrol ever get a mention by him. It seemed Amsoil SS was at the bottom of his short list, if I wanted an OCI of 8k-9k miles. He did “stoop” to suggesting RGT and QSFS once for a short “off-season“ OCI (I wasn’t all that impressed with the 5w30 USA QSFS, though it didn’t fail miserably…but I only used it for 3k…which appeared to be near its limit in my case), and he briefly talked about Mobil ESP as “promising,” but later stopped talking about it.

it did take me too long for it to sink in that fuel dilution was not the oil’s fault, though even with his help I could never predict what oils (besides the VPBR) would stand up to it well in my engine. But now it’s formula changed. Haven’t tried the gen2 version. next summer, I’ll try Amsoil SS 5w30, but worried it’s too thin. hope it stands up to the fuel, stays in grade. I may have to sample it mid summer.

next winter, I might try the euro QSFS 5w40, since it will be a 30 grade before it’s drained...and winter is my “off-season” for travel.

dunno.
 
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