New (to me) car: 2015 BMW 328i!

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
From what I hear, Castrol Edge 0W-30 or 0W-40 carries the BMW spec;

Not any more.

Their 5w-40 still does, but there are probably better oil choices out there.


Do tell; what should I look for?

If the interval is specced as 10K miles, then 5-6K would probably be a good idea. For me, 5400 miles is about 6 months' driving.

The dealership is repainting the rear bumper for me, and has given me an X3 as a loaner. I begin to understand what some of you mean about being isolated in a car's cabin. You can hardly hear the engine at a light (yes, I have the auto stop-start turned off), and while it accelerates quite well even on the Comfort setting, there's no involvement. No growl or thrum of engine reaches you. (It has white lighting, though, so there's that.)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
From what I hear, Castrol Edge 0W-30 or 0W-40 carries the BMW spec;

Not any more.

Their 5w-40 still does, but there are probably better oil choices out there.


Do tell; what should I look for?
This recent thread mentions some still available LL-01 oils:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...astrol-edge-0w-40-lost-ll-01#Post5038902

I'm still running Edge 0w-40 in mine, alas, I am long past any kind of warranty.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
From what I hear, Castrol Edge 0W-30 or 0W-40 carries the BMW spec;

Not any more.

Their 5w-40 still does, but there are probably better oil choices out there.


Do tell; what should I look for?
This recent thread mentions some still available LL-01 oils:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...astrol-edge-0w-40-lost-ll-01#Post5038902

I'm still running Edge 0w-40 in mine, alas, I am long past any kind of warranty.

Then I'll check for Castrol 5W-40 and Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 at Walmart.

 

[Benzadmiral]

One quick question: Which online forum for BMWs is the most useful and informative? There are quite a few, all with "bimmer" in the name. I've browsed Bimmerfest, Bimmerpost, and Bimmerforums, and they all seem very much alike.

 

[Quattro Pete]

I used to frequent bimmerforums in the past, and found the community rather helpful. Plenty of DIY articles posted there, too. I still hop on there once in a while for some issues specific to my E39.

 

[edyvw]

Quote

Then I'll check for Castrol 5W-40 and Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 at Walmart.

No! and NO!
Your engine wants specific oils.
Use LL01 oil strictly under warranty. Castrol 0W40 in Walmart I think is still old version that has that approval. Once you are out of warranty, go back to Castrol 0W40. BMW is not approving LL01 anymore due to switch to different oils (low-SAPS).
You can also look for Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 (Amazon), Motul 5W40 X-Cess (Amazon and various online Euro shops) etc.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Folk,

The Buick Regal Era (2014-2019) has come to an end. On Friday I traded it in on a CPO 2015 BMW 328i sedan, gold over cream. Five months are left of the original warranty, and I have twelve months of CPO warranty to boot. When I called my regular mechanic on Thursday to ask his opinion, he asked, "Is it the 335, the six-cylinder?"

"No."

"Good. Those sixes are hard to work on. I work on those turbo fours all the time, just regular maintenance. My wife has one."

"Parts are about the same as for Mercedes?" I asked.

"Cheaper."

With that encouragement, and news from my insurance company that my premium increase would be reasonable (for Lousy-ana, that is), I took a test drive. A few miles, street and Interstate, Comfort mode and Sport mode, was all I needed to decide. I'd expected the car to ride stiffly with the run-flat tires, but they are 17" and higher-profile than the 18" ones on my Regal. And the power . . . 245hp compared to 180? Now I understand why the ancient Greek sailors were so easily seduced by the Sirens.

I'm still learning all the features, but I took a smooth, relaxing 30-mile Interstate run on Saturday and did some regular errands on Sunday. The car is luxurious, but put it in Sport mode and it leaps like a jaguar after prey. No doubt when I have to gas up with premium every couple of weeks I'll think fondly again of the Regal. But for now I begin to understand why BMWs have such a strong following. (I hate the orange instrument lighting and wish it were blue or white. But I knew about that going in.)

Needed: Window tinting, a clear bra on the front end, floor mats, and a sunshade that actually fits (the one from the Regal, believe it or not, is a bit too big!). Otherwise, I'll give it a polish and wax this weekend, make sure the tires are properly aired, and maybe drive to the north shore of the lake for breakfast on Sunday.

Any other BMW people here? Is it worth joining the BMWCCA? And what oil do you run in yours?

Six cyl takes more space, so definiately harder to work, but easier than on my Toyota Sienna with transverse V6.
But, BMW six cyl is best 6 cyl ever made, period!

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted by zorobabel
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
I took a smooth, relaxing 30-mile Interstate run

For those that still have any doubts about BMW not being what they used to be, Benzadmiral thinks they're smooth and relaxing

Yep, that kind of sums up what they did with F30.

 

[gofast182]

OP: where are the pics of your new ride?!

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by edyvw
Quote

Then I'll check for Castrol 5W-40 and Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 at Walmart.

No! and NO!
Your engine wants specific oils.
Use LL01 oil strictly under warranty. Castrol 0W40 in Walmart I think is still old version that has that approval. Once you are out of warranty, go back to Castrol 0W40. BMW is not approving LL01 anymore due to switch to different oils (low-SAPS).
You can also look for Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 (Amazon), Motul 5W40 X-Cess (Amazon and various online Euro shops) etc.

In that thread Quattro Pete linked to, several people mentioned that Valvoline Synpower did meet the BMW LL-01. If it doesn't any more or they were mistaken, or I misread it, then so be it. I won't use an oil without that certification while I'm in warranty.

As for pics, I thought my phone made the car look more silver than gold, but I was wrong:

(Yes, I know there is a little "dimple" in the front bumper. I'm planning to look into some rubber or carbon fiber strips to place there, to disguise it and also to protect my paint from people who park too darn close.)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Originally Posted by edyvw
Quote

Then I'll check for Castrol 5W-40 and Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 at Walmart.

No! and NO!

In that thread Quattro Pete linked to, several people mentioned that Valvoline Synpower did meet the BMW LL-01.

I believe it was Valvoline 5W-40 that was mentioned in that thread, not 5W-30.

 

[Mr Nice]

Very nice.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Originally Posted by edyvw
Quote

Then I'll check for Castrol 5W-40 and Valvoline Synpower 5W-30 at Walmart.

No! and NO!

In that thread Quattro Pete linked to, several people mentioned that Valvoline Synpower did meet the BMW LL-01.

I believe it was Valvoline 5W-40 that was mentioned in that thread, not 5W-30.


Possibly so. Well, if I see it and it has LL-01, and is a good price, I'll grab it.

 

[wings&wheels]

Congrats on the car!

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Possibly so. Well, if I see it and it has LL-01, and is a good price, I'll grab it.
I just picked up some Edge 0w-40 from my local Walmart. It still lists LL-01 spec. Not that I care much, for my application.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted by Quattro Pete
Originally Posted by Benzadmiral
Possibly so. Well, if I see it and it has LL-01, and is a good price, I'll grab it.
I just picked up some Edge 0w-40 from my local Walmart. It still lists LL-01 spec. Not that I care much, for my application.


One of my Walmarts had nothing. The other had two different Castrol Edge 0W-40 products, one labeled for "European cars" and the other as "U.S. SAE." Both the same price, both with BMW LL-01 certification. Maybe I should grab a 5-quart jug now before they disappear or go up in price. Is there any difference between them?

Will a 5-quart jug be enough? The spec I've read for this engine says the capacity is 5.3 U.S. quarts. Of course not all the oil comes out when you change, so that .3 may be moot. I'd hate to spent $8 on a single quart for each change if I don't need to.

By the way, the legendary BMW fuel mileage I expected to be just that: "legendary" = "half imaginary." But after 315 miles I filled back up on 93 and got 27.4 mpg. And I've driven a little extra highway, but not that much, along with my usual commute all last week. Remarkable.

There is a clunk/rattle in the passenger door which I intend to have the dealer sort out this week while the original warranty is still on. Otherwise this weekend I clayed the hood and trunk, applied glaze and wax, and have truly enjoyed driving the gold beast!

 

[Quattro Pete]

I would buy the extra quart. Whatever you have leftover will come in handy for top offs.