I would not be so quick to recommend a 2 year/20,000 mile OCI. Without oil analysis there is no basis for that recommendation. In fact, there are several UOA's of BMW engines with 12-14k UOA's in less than a year showing elevated wear levels with the factory BMW Synthetic (Castrol TXT). Extrapolating a 1 year 6500 mile UOA of your car to the original posters M3, is like saying because Nicole Kidman is cute, here cousin's wife is cute. There is no relationship.quote:
Hi Travis,
I'd say you're safe with 1 yr/6k mi changes using Delo or D1300S, or 2 yr/20k mi changes on M1 0W-40, 5W-40 or 15W-50. Here's my 1+ yr/6,500 mi Mobil 1 15W-50 UOA with only a 4qt sump! It looked so good that I ran the oil for another 6+ mos/4,500 mi (A-Rx application) before dumping it. Both M1 0W-40 & 15W-50 meet ACEA "light duty" diesel specs, while 5W-40 meets the more severe ACEA "heavy duty" specs. All three oils are approved for current API & ACEA gasoline engine specs.
Saab's currently recommending 2 yrs/15k mi w/M1 0W-40 in their 6qt sump turbo engines. With a bigger 7qt sump & N/A engine, you'd be conservatively safe for 2 yrs/20k mi.
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Switching to M1 0w-40 in my BMW m3
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I just got done with the oil change. The car now has 7qts of M1 0w-40 in it. Looking in my Bentley service manual it say 15w-40 is the oil of choice for my climate and 5w-30 for colder climates. Do you think i'm better off running 0w-40 over 15w-40?
As far a the OCI goes i'm going to stick with the 6 month change. I'm not comfortable leaving it in there a year much less two. I'm going to order an analysis kit and have it checked next oil change.
As far a the OCI goes i'm going to stick with the 6 month change. I'm not comfortable leaving it in there a year much less two. I'm going to order an analysis kit and have it checked next oil change.
True 'nuff. I meant to say that in my reply, but got distracted along the way & forgot.
Everyone needs to find their own path to oily enlightenment. Some take a well-defined path that includes prudent process analysis & application. Others take a free-form path that includes traditions & beliefs w/o all the hassle of data management. We all gotta sleep at night, & worrying about cars/oil isn't any reason to lay awake.
Sorry 'bout the confusion. Didn't mean to mislead anyone. Even if I do believe 99% of the population could run longer OCIs safely...
I kind of figured that given your post count. I absolutely agree that most people are being overly conservative. My usual recommendation to people is 7500 mile intervals with Mobil 1 or 1 year, whichever comes first. I can't think of a car (outside of car that is raced) that can't confortably go with this interval.quote:
Originally posted by Eiron:
True 'nuff. I meant to say that in my reply, but got distracted along the way & forgot.
Sorry 'bout the confusion. Didn't mean to mislead anyone. Even if I do believe 99% of the population could run longer OCIs safely...
I wouldn't put the Bentley manual over the owner's manual....sounds like they're simply iterating what's found at BMW dealerships....5-30 synth. and 15-40 mineral.
To answer your ?'s...no, don't even think that there are any 15-40 synth's...most are 0/5-40...some 10-40's.
6 mo. is peanuts for synth's...1 year min.. I would go my mileage instead.
To answer your ?'s...no, don't even think that there are any 15-40 synth's...most are 0/5-40...some 10-40's.
6 mo. is peanuts for synth's...1 year min.. I would go my mileage instead.
Gene, thanks for the clarification. Better to error on the side of caution. As you probally know there are TSBs floating around on the issue. I'd still use the Syntec 5w-50.
Yes, Mobil 1 0W-40 is a great choice for use all year. I used it here in Las Vegas in my wifes 1997 BMW 318i and there was no problem with oil consumption. We have peak temperatures of 110+ degrees F in the summer time.
The US Spec E36/M3 M50/52 3.0/3.2 engines are totally different animals from the European S50 and the latest E46/S54.
The E36/M3 M50/M52 3.0L/3.2L are modified versions of the standard BMW Small Six. They do not require the heavy oils of the M3/E46.
Gene
The E36/M3 M50/M52 3.0L/3.2L are modified versions of the standard BMW Small Six. They do not require the heavy oils of the M3/E46.
Gene
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