What about dino for BMW?

[eliminator]

RustyH: You bought a $40k car, and you're concerned about saving a few dollars per oil change? Maybe you should buy a Honda if cost is such a big concern.

As mentioned above, synthetic may be required for proper operation of the VANOS unit (amoung other things). I would be particularly concerned about this because VANOS units have been known to go bad, and replacement will probably be $1k, parts and labor. Will chevron oil adequately protect this part? Maybe. Maybe not.

You should use a BMW approved oil, and you can very safely stretch your OCI's out to 2/3 or 3/4 of the computer's recommendation, which will probably be around 10k. Dumping GC at 5k miles or less should be a crime.

 

[RustyH]

It's more a value issue than cost. Even then, I have no intention of screwing up this engine. I'm simply trying to learn about why a manufacturer makes a specific recommendation (i.e. is synthetic picked simply to achieve a longer OCI?). I've learned here that there is more to it then that. I have also read numerous times on this website that for short OCIs synthetic does not offer anything over dino in the typical engine. But, I suspect that is when the manufacturer does not recommend/require synthetic.
What presently bothers me is TBN depletion (Shanneba's post) for both BMW oil and GC in that same engine.

 

[eliminator]

Quote:

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What presently bothers me is TBN depletion (Shanneba's post) for both BMW oil and GC in that same engine.

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There is some truth to the "track-ready" statement earlier. I'm not sure how heavily this weighs in their oil recommendation, though.

Regarding TBN: I always change the oil in my '00 328ci at 10k and have it tested. Results always show a TBN of around 3.5, with either Mobil 1 0w40 or GC 0-30. GC generally holds up a little better. Either way, there's plenty of life left in the oil. In my case the OLM reaches zero somewhere around 15k, so the OCI is 2/3 of recommended.

I recommend using a BMW LL oil, and changing it a little short of the recommended interval. If you're still worried take a sample and get it tested. That will give you a far better answer than any of our speculation.

 

[double vanos]

In my semi retired (i only drive it 9,000 miles a year) '02 330ci I use GC and change at 5k. Use an approved BMW oil and a BMW filter. There, that squares away the engine oil issue. Now, what trannie do you have? If it is a standard you need to change the oil every 30k. I use Redline MTL with terrific results (at 90k the trannie is quiet and shifts like buttah). If you have an auto trannie I recommend 30k fluid flushes; if you're the type that buys into BMW's lifetime fluid intervals it's a pretty good bet the fluid and trannie will both have a lifetime of about 80k - 90k. Without regular fluid changes BMW's autos don't last very long. Don't forget to change the diff fluid every 30k with M1, Castrol or Redline synthetic fluid. The thing only holds a little over a quart, see to it that it is taken care of. Bleed the brakes yearly using an approved dot 4 brake fluid (I use BMW fluid). And finally, don't forget to flush the coolant every 2 years using BMW's coolant and distilled water. I have done this, and when doing a preventative water pump change last year the coolant passages looked like brand new. BMW's can cost a bloke a little change. In the 5 years /90k of ownership my Bimmer has cost me roughly $1,000 a year average in maintenance NOT INCLUDING TIRES. Having said that, I have a 90k mile BMW that I don't hesitate to hammer. It's always "full speed ahead captain" and she loves a good spanking. Trips from Houston to San Marcos to visit my Dad give us both a chance to let it all hang out!