Brother Acquired '01 325i, Schaeffer 5w40?

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panthermike

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My brother recently purchased this vehicle with 191K miles. He has already changed the oil with Castrol Synthetic 5w30. I was wondering if it's really all that important what oil goes into these motors, especially this motor that's well past warranty?

I have some Schaeffer 5w40 that I wouldn't mind using in the car. I have some left over from the Kia. I'm sure it's fine but wanted to double check with everyone. The manual states that approved grades are 5w30/5w40.

Thanks!
 
Schaeffer 5w40

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Use the right oil. At the least you need an oil with a minimum HTHS viscosity of 3.5cst. Most 5W-30's are not. The only readily available oils that meet BMW LL-01 are Castrol 0W-30 and M1 0W-40.
 
At minimum I'd want ACEA A3, and optimally BMW LL-01. I doubt the oil used has that. In AZ heat in the summer it may be important.
 
You want a BMW LL-01 approved oil in the sump. This gives you plenty of options, but the oil you are using isn't one of them.

BMW (Castrol) 5w-30 from the dealership is also pretty inexpensive if you hadn't considered it.
 
Does Mobil 1 5W-30 in the ESP variety also meet the requirement? It passes LL-04, but I don't know if that supercedes LL-01. ESP 5W-30 is often available at Pep Boys, but I haven't seen it anywhere else.
 
Well, unfortunately my BIL changed the oil with Castrol Edge from Autozone already. I'll tell my brother to run this oil for 3K(needs some cleanup anyways). The Schaeffer has an HTHS of 4.5 but obviously not the LL-01 spec.

That's too bad, I'd love to utilize the Schaeffer oil in this app. I have enough for two OCI's and I was only going to run them for 3-4K. The car has some varnish and mild deposits that we'll try to clean up a bit. But if everyone thinks it will make that much difference, I will recommend M1 0w40 to him. Thanks for the input folks.
 
Originally Posted By: panthermike
The Schaeffer has an HTHS of 4.5 but obviously not the LL-01 spec.

That's too bad, I'd love to utilize the Schaeffer oil in this app.

I don't see any problem with using it in this application. It is recommended for MB 229.5 spec which is even more stringent than BMW LL-01. Granted, it's not officially approved by either, but since the car is no longer under warranty, it doesn't matter.

If you already have it, use it.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: panthermike
The Schaeffer has an HTHS of 4.5 but obviously not the LL-01 spec.

That's too bad, I'd love to utilize the Schaeffer oil in this app.

I don't see any problem with using it in this application. It is recommended for MB 229.5 spec which is even more stringent than BMW LL-01. Granted, it's not officially approved by either, but since the car is no longer under warranty, it doesn't matter.

If you already have it, use it.


Good point, I didn't notice the MB spec recommendation.
 
Just make sure you check the oil finder page of the engine oil company to see if it has a specific recommendation for the exact engine type. Castrol, Mobil, Shell and Liqui Moly all have good oil finders and if the car has a lot of miles use a X/40 rather than X/30. If there are any traces of sludge pick an oil that cleans well like the major brand full synthetics or HM oils and keep the first OCI short.
 
Which Schaefer oil? I can't believe an oil with HTHS of 4.5 would be 229.5. It's noack is too high for 229.5 as well. Dunno why they're listing it as a suitable spec. This is why sticking to mfr approved oils works best. I do agree that looking for 229.5 instead of LL-01 is better (though the Euro oils always have both).
 
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Schaeffers fully synthetic 9000 5-40 will perform admirably in this engine. I would most certainly recommend it without hesitation
Originally Posted By: DragRace
Schaeffer 5w40

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Originally Posted By: Hokiefyd
Does Mobil 1 5W-30 in the ESP variety also meet the requirement? It passes LL-04, but I don't know if that supercedes LL-01. ESP 5W-30 is often available at Pep Boys, but I haven't seen it anywhere else.


LL-04 does not supersede LL-01 for gas engine applications in NA due to fuel quality (sulfur).

It is the same as running a vw504/507 oil in a gas vw. The oil will protect well but TBN will make it shot by 5k or so, and thus the OLM will not make a suitable call on maintenance.
 
I think the Shaeffer 5W-40 would be fine in this engine.
If it were my car and I had the oil on hand, I'd use it.
 
I do most of the maintenance for the families vehicles. But unfortunately on this one, my BIL is planting ideas in my brothers head. First, he told him that if the transmission is serviced, "you will ruin it because BMW's aren't supposed to have trans services", and also; "if you don't use the OEM four prong plugs, the car will not run right".

Our BIL is pretty handy with a wrench but clueless about some things. I let him use 1qt of my 15w40 in a Ford 360 and he claimed it "made the motor tick". He plants these ideas in his head I think. I'm not against OE plugs, but he let my brother pay $26/plug from a BMW dealership! Also told him to buy an oil filter from there to the tune of $20. I would have recommended NGK Iridium personally for $7/plug, and a Mann oil filter for around $7. OK, I'm done ranting
smile.gif
 
Hasn't even had the car a month and already wants to get rid of it
lol.gif


"I told you so" comes to mind. Already complaining about the cost to fix it, needs a coil and a motor mount.
 
Originally Posted By: gregoron
How about Mag1 5W-40 Euro? $32 at Amazon for 6 qts. It meets your BIL' car's spec. I'm happy with it so far.

http://www.mag1.com/ProductDetails.aspx?id=feb26b17-c445-4631-ac06-5f688312182f


It isn't on the BMW LL-01 approval list, this appears to be a "recommended for" rating.....

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Owner/SyntheticEngineOils.aspx

Code:


BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:





Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30



Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40



Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30



Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30


I'm sure the list will be updated soon to have the new BC 0w-40 and PU 5w-40 on it too.

EDIT:

If you look at the "Print Spec sheet" link on the Mag1 website, it has the following information:

Code:


CLAIMS INFORMATION

API SM Approved

ACEA A3/B3-08 and A3/B4-08 Meets Requirements

MB p229.3 / p229.5 Meets Requirements

BMW LL-01 Meets Requirements

VW 501 01 / 502 00 / 505 00 Meets Requirements

OPEL GM-LL-B-025 Meets Requirements

Renault 0710 / 0700 Meets Requirements

Porsche A40 Meets Requirements


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