Pulled dipstick on a rental 2002 BMW 320i....

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Just a little tidbit...

After 10.2k km (6.4k mi.)....computer said 'next oil change at 13.1k km (8.2k mi.)....no doubt oil was BMW Synthetic (made by Castrol)...level was down slightly, oil was caramel brown...not too dark, but there was some brown stain developing on the inside of the filler cap (as I had when I used this oil) and this was after on 6.5k mi. on a new engine!

Conveniently, the engineers now make the intake as filler area black plastic as to completely disguise what's going on under the cap (the area immediately under where the oil is being poured).

My take: group III's...better performance than group II...can be used for extended intervals, but definately NOT as good as PAO group IV for soot control during this exteded drain interval over long term (beyond the warranty)...Period.
 
Even I haven't gone as far as to check the oil in a rental car I've had! I've never even popped the hood in one of them!
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I did ask the rental car guy how often they change the oil in their cars (at Discount) and he said they do it every 8000km (5000 miles)

Who in Toronto rents BMWs? That must cost a pretty penny!
 
If my company car is down and I have to use a rental I check under the hood just to be sure I will not be stranded while I have it.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Al:

quote:

Originally posted by Patman:
Even I haven't gone as far as to check the oil in a rental car I've had!

Say it ain't so
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I've done it. When you take the car back, the cute tart at the counter looks like a 'deer in headlights' when you tell her there's something wrong with the car. It's a waste of time helping these people.
 
Unless the oil cap gets "washed" by the top-end oil, you're going to get some deposits on the cap no matter what oil you use. Blow-by and moisture condensation will leave a residue on the inside of a cap that doesn't get cleaned by the oil. I've seen this happen on some of my own cars over the years that never had anything in 'em but Mobil 1. Pull the valve cover and it's spotless, but the oil cap still had some build up. On my cars where the cap gets an oil bath there was no residue on the inside of the cap.
 
Patman, the car was from the local BMW dealer (they rent 3 series for $30/day) as my car was in service for 2 days.

To XHVI, the point of the post was: I was using the BMW 5-30 since it came out until this August (just under 2 yrs.) and saw a major increase in soot/sludge under the oil cap area. New cars...all you see is black...guess the group II is further refining itself in the engine as you drive. I switched to Delvac 1 and then standard M-1....cleaned things out nicely...thank you...including the rubber gasket on the oil cap...now freely rotates in it's housing...and sludge cleaned up under the oil cap area.

AND...why can't I reply to the M-1 Spray Lubricant thread?
 
quote:

Originally posted by Dr. T:

AND...why can't I reply to the M-1 Spray Lubricant thread?


You can, if you go to the general and offtopic section where it has been moved (that's why it's locked in it's present form)
 
quote:

Originally posted by XHVI:


snip...

Unless the oil cap gets "washed" by the top-end oil, you're going to get some deposits on the cap no matter what oil you use.

snip....

.


It makes me wonder if Auto-RX is worth the trouble. You can't clean where you don't go.
 
quote:

Originally posted by satterfi:
It makes me wonder if Auto-RX is worth the trouble. You can't clean where you don't go.

If AutoRx performs as advertised, I'd say it's worth it. It will clean in the places that are important. And let's face it, the bottom of the oil filler cap ain't important.
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