The car is a 1994 BMW 325i with 180K miles on it. I bought it about six years ago with 100K on it. I know the previous owner took great care of it. I know he used Mobil 1, but I don't know the grade.
For the first three years I had the car, I had it serviced at a local BMW shop with a solid reputation. I know they used the BMW factory 5W30 oil. After that, I went back to school and, to be honest, let the maintenance slide because I really didn't have the time or money to stay on top of it.
Sadly, I must confess that it got to the point where I've just been taking it to the local quick lube and running whatever they had. Its had dino oil in it for probably the last 20K or so. At the most recent change, about 4K ago, they put in Havoline High Mileage 10W30.
Now that I'm about to graduate, I realize the car has a lot of life left in it. I've recommitted myself to taking care of it, and would like to go back to a full synthetic oil.
The car is driven in Louisiana, so it stays pretty warm. My typical commute is short distance, city driving, but may change to a longer highway commute depending on where I find work. I don't drive particularly hard day to day, but every once in a while I do like to open it up.
The 1994 owner's manual indicates that a !5W50 oil would be best for my climate, but I believe this pre-dates the rise of synthetic oils. Most of the other charts I see indicate that a 40W oil is probably appropriate.
I am partial to Mobil 1 because its been used in the car before and its readily available. I frequent some BMW forums and a lot of guys rave about Mobil 1 0W40. It's similar to the BMW factory oil and meets both BMW Long Life and ACEA/A3 standards.
I am leaning toward going with that, but I see there is also a 10W40 High Mileage version that (A) comes in gallon jugs and (B) supposedly offers additional protection for high mileage engines. The HM version is also ACEA/A3 but doesn't have the BMW approval. Besides that, the oils look pretty similar on paper.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the "high mileage" variant? Is this just a marketing scheme or would my car benefit?
Any other suggestions?
For the first three years I had the car, I had it serviced at a local BMW shop with a solid reputation. I know they used the BMW factory 5W30 oil. After that, I went back to school and, to be honest, let the maintenance slide because I really didn't have the time or money to stay on top of it.
Sadly, I must confess that it got to the point where I've just been taking it to the local quick lube and running whatever they had. Its had dino oil in it for probably the last 20K or so. At the most recent change, about 4K ago, they put in Havoline High Mileage 10W30.
Now that I'm about to graduate, I realize the car has a lot of life left in it. I've recommitted myself to taking care of it, and would like to go back to a full synthetic oil.
The car is driven in Louisiana, so it stays pretty warm. My typical commute is short distance, city driving, but may change to a longer highway commute depending on where I find work. I don't drive particularly hard day to day, but every once in a while I do like to open it up.
The 1994 owner's manual indicates that a !5W50 oil would be best for my climate, but I believe this pre-dates the rise of synthetic oils. Most of the other charts I see indicate that a 40W oil is probably appropriate.
I am partial to Mobil 1 because its been used in the car before and its readily available. I frequent some BMW forums and a lot of guys rave about Mobil 1 0W40. It's similar to the BMW factory oil and meets both BMW Long Life and ACEA/A3 standards.
I am leaning toward going with that, but I see there is also a 10W40 High Mileage version that (A) comes in gallon jugs and (B) supposedly offers additional protection for high mileage engines. The HM version is also ACEA/A3 but doesn't have the BMW approval. Besides that, the oils look pretty similar on paper.
What are the advantages/disadvantages of the "high mileage" variant? Is this just a marketing scheme or would my car benefit?
Any other suggestions?