BMW M3 oil

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veg

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Dec 27, 2009
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canada
I have a 98 M3 with only 13000 miles on it. During the last 5000 miles, I think I have misused the Mobil 1 5W30 oil. Was there any damage done? I did not drive the car hard at all. I plan to switch to Castro Syntec 5W40, any suggestion?
V
 
nope. no harm done. the newer M3's spec a 10W60 Castrol WS. part of the reason that BMW offers "free" oil changes for 50k miles is to ensure that the proper oil is in there while its under warranty
 
depends upon how hard you drove it. The BMW likely needs an ACEA A3 oil, which M1 5w-30 does not meet.

You may also need a BMW-LL-98 oil too, though for your OCIs will surely be shorter.

Id be looking for ACEA A3... GC might be a good option, and M1 0w-40, which meets the long-drain spec, might be a good option.
 
You dont need the 10W-60 in your V6 M3; its the newer V8 M3's that call for 10W-60. for yours I would use any Euro spec 0W-40 or 5W-40 like Mobil 1 or Amsoil. I believe that the M3's from then were factory filled with M1. I have quite a few friends who use 5W-40 Amsoil Euro in their BMW's and VW's - one of them runs a supercharged VW R32. I run the Amsoil 5W-40 in my benz
 
The BMW is an I6, not a V6, and 10w-60 was specced for the E46 M3, which had an I6 (with higher output).

Still a 5w-40 is a great choice... Getting rotella syn 5w-40 from wal-mart with a mahle filter is a great choice.
 
are there 2 different castro syntecs, one from Germany and one from US?
 
Originally Posted By: veg
are there 2 different castro syntecs, one from Germany and one from US?

In 0w-30 grade, yes. However, the US-made one hasn't been produced for a while now, so the risk of you running into it at the store is slim.
 
I'd run Rotella Synthetic 5W-40, M1 TDT 5W-40, or M1 0W-40- all should work equally well.
 
A 1998 M3 would have the S52 engine and it also predates most of BMW's oil specs. In the BMW TIS this engine falls in the "other" category and takes some interpolation - basically, I'd shoot for a minimum of ACEA A3 with BMW LL-01 preferred, in the Xw-40 range.
 
First welcome to BITOG.

Congrats on acquiring the ultra low mileage E46 M3; I'm sure there's an interesting story there.

Don't know in what part of Canada you live or how you'll use the car but the 5W-40 Syntec you suggested would be fine.
I'd suggest GC 0W-30 or M1 0W-40 which are also readily available.
 
Originally Posted By: jpr
A 1998 M3 would have the S52 engine and it also predates most of BMW's oil specs. In the BMW TIS this engine falls in the "other" category and takes some interpolation - basically, I'd shoot for a minimum of ACEA A3 with BMW LL-01 preferred, in the Xw-40 range.


The OP will almost certainly have the S52US engine in that car, which is vastly different from a true S52.
 
Originally Posted By: Craig in Canada
Originally Posted By: jpr
A 1998 M3 would have the S52 engine and it also predates most of BMW's oil specs. In the BMW TIS this engine falls in the "other" category and takes some interpolation - basically, I'd shoot for a minimum of ACEA A3 with BMW LL-01 preferred, in the Xw-40 range.


The OP will almost certainly have the S52US engine in that car, which is vastly different from a true S52.

I believe you are confusing the S52 with the S50. The S52 only came in one flavor - the S50 had two with the S50 and S50US.
 
you have lots of options, if you just wanna make this very easy for yourself, you can go with GC or M1 0W-40...Redline recommends 5W/0W-40 grade oil for this engine, buddy of mine with this same engine uses, M1 0W-40 and Redline 0W-40, 50-50 combination...

I have currently switched from GC to 4.5L of M1 ESP 5W-30 + 2L Redline 0W-30, I do not have an M3 but 1998 BMW 328is Coupe w/M-Performance Package..

Please mix oils at your own risk...

back to the original point

GC 0W-30
M1 0W-40
Great Choices due to being widely available!
 
As the other guys have said,

the GC or 0w40 would be a great choice.

Youve only gone 5K on the regular Mobil 5w30, no harm done at all. I think they spec the Euro versions for their longer drain intervals.

...............YOU HAVE AN E36 M3 with UNDER 20K?...
20.gif
 
Originally Posted By: jpr

I believe you are confusing the S52 with the S50. The S52 only came in one flavor - the S50 had two with the S50 and S50US.


Yes, my facts were off a little, but my point remains the same. The S52B32 lacked the "US" moniker, but was a US/Canada only displacement bump from the S50B30US and is a far cry from the S50 engines seen everywhere else in the world (and the typical Sxx engine seen from BMW).

Anyone says "M car" or "S series engine" and makes assumptions or conclusions while ignoring the fact that the North American E36 M3 is a bit of a red-headed stepchild (albeit still a heckuva lot of fun). Oil needs for an S50B30US or S52B32 engine will be a lot more tame than other S engines.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M3#North_American_models

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_S50#S50B30US

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_M52#S52B32
 
Thanks for everybody input for the oil recommendation. I have good idea what is good for my M3. BTW, how will I find the engine of S52US or S50? I checked the owner manual, it did not specify it. As far I as know, US and Canadian M3s are exactly the same.
For those who are interested why such low mileage M3. I am the original owner since 98. The car has been stored most the time, and it has seen 5 very short summers on the road so far.
 
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