M1 0w40, 9819 miles, 2010 BMW 328i

[Patman]

Here are the latest results from my wife's BMW, analysis done by Wearcheck Canada:


9,819 miles on oil
June 22, 2016 to June 24, 2017 (1 year)
88,700 miles on engine
Mobil 1 0w40
Mann oil filter
7 quart oil capacity
1 quart of make up oil



Iron 28
Lead 0
Aluminum 12
Copper 10
Chromium 0.6
Nickel 0
Titanium 0
Tin 0.9
Silver 0

Silicon 28
Potassium 2.7
Sodium 5.3

Moly 77
Boron 83
Barium 0
Calcium 3080
Magnesium 296

Phosphorus 864
Zinc 1032

Oxidation 204%
Nitration 102%
Sulfation 124%

Soot 0
Glycol 0
Water 0
Fuel 0


Viscosity at 100c 14.8




I put in more M1 0w40 (this time the new "FS" formula) and another Mann filter

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Viscosity at 100c 14.8
I put in more M1 0w40 (this time the new "FS" formula) and another Mann filter

Why not Castrol 0w40? It has LL-01 and M1 doesn't. Or even better, in Cold Canadia, I'd use BMW TwinPower 0w30.
Viscosity seems too high. Oxidation a bit more severe than optimal. All else looks fine.

 

[Patman]

The viscosity is actually lower this time around than with previous reports where it was over 16. I keep buying M1 because it's easy to find for just $22.88 for 5 quart jugs at Walmart (whenever I travel to the US that is) The new FS formula of M1 is supposed to be thinner so we'll see how it performs.

 

[69GTX]

Old M1 viscosity was in the 13.4-13.8 range. New FS version is 12.6-13.2 (typically 12.8). So a reading of 14.8 is way higher than anything it should be. Considerable thickening....especially at over 16 on the previous samples.

 

[oil_film_movies]

I agree you can't go too wrong using M1 0w40, even though it no longer carries the BMW approval.
If you don't track the car, or tow (not likely, eh?), and live north, then BMW's own SOPUS oil in the thinner 0w30 kind seems right.

I noticed the Oxidation percentage was 204%. I've seen Blackstone stuff that doesn't have that measurement. Is there a threshold we should look for? I'm trying to figure out what they mean by 204% (????)

 

[oil_film_movies]

Universal Averages from Blackstone are useful, but are probably based on about 7,000 mile oil changes to be fair.
Here is the same engine on an old bitog post (ignore them saying it was an M54, that model year had the N52 like the 2011 one did).

 

[dgunay]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Or even better, in Cold Canadia, I'd use BMW TwinPower 0w30.


Southern Ontario isn't that cold, I guess it's warmer than MN

Don't go thinner than factory spec. Especially if it is a German car. Just saying.

 

[Patman]

I definitely plan on sticking with this viscosity for a while, I like the fact that it only uses a quart of oil in 10,000 miles, and I suspect if I went to a 30 weight that consumption would probably be much higher.

As far as oxidation numbers go, this is an email response I got from the President of Wearcheck a year ago that explains why their numbers are higher than others

Quote:
We use percentage allowable (PA) based on the allowable levels for oxidation, nitration and sulphation by FT-IR. Essentally oxidation is Abs/cm is abnormal at 0.2, so if your reading was 0.2 that would be 100 PA. Most likely you have some PAO synthetic oil in your car and that is masking the true oxidation value and making the oxidation appear to be much higher because part of the PAO molecule shows up at the same wavelength as oxidation by-products. Hope this answers some questions for you.



If you want the oxidation value in Abs/cm, then simply multiply by 0.2.

For sulphation and nitration multiply the PA by 0.25.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: dgunay
Don't go thinner than factory spec. Especially if it is a German car. Just saying.

BMW TwinPower 0w30 LL-01FE is spec'ed for the 2007 N52. I wouldn't race or tow with it, yet its perfect for normal driving.

 

[oil_film_movies]

Seems strange to me how the BMW N52 engine can have that high a ppm of Fe, since it has no iron cylinder liners, just Alusil walls.
Rings are still chrome-steel. Cam lobes, chain. No liner source, yet 28 ppm.

 

[NStuart]

Why is the silicon so high

 

[tig1]

Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Seems strange to me how the BMW N52 engine can have that high a ppm of Fe, since it has no iron cylinder liners, just Alusil walls.
Rings are still chrome-steel. Cam lobes, chain. No liner source, yet 28 ppm.


Remember the acceptable limits for iron is 150 PPM. 28 PPM is actually not bad for a 10K OCI and a 1 year run.

 

[FlyNavyP3]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Seems strange to me how the BMW N52 engine can have that high a ppm of Fe, since it has no iron cylinder liners, just Alusil walls.
Rings are still chrome-steel. Cam lobes, chain. No liner source, yet 28 ppm.


Remember the acceptable limits for iron is 150 PPM. 28 PPM is actually not bad for a 10K OCI and a 1 year run.


That is true on not condemning based on iron, but compared to my Lexus V-6 that only shed 3 ppm iron in 10333 miles this engine is producing nearly 10x the iron in the same mileage and my engine has cast iron bores and twice as many camshafts with the same number of valves and lifters.

 

[Patman]

Originally Posted By: NStuart
Why is the silicon so high


I am a little concerned with that actually, as the previous UOA only showed 7 ppm and that was on a longer 13,000 mile interval too.

 

[PimTac]

Have you checked your air filter and intakes for any issues? High silicon is usually tracked back to the air intake/filter.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: FlyNavyP3
Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: oil_film_movies
Seems strange to me how the BMW N52 engine can have that high a ppm of Fe, since it has no iron cylinder liners, just Alusil walls.
Rings are still chrome-steel. Cam lobes, chain. No liner source, yet 28 ppm.


Remember the acceptable limits for iron is 150 PPM. 28 PPM is actually not bad for a 10K OCI and a 1 year run.


That is true on not condemning based on iron, but compared to my Lexus V-6 that only shed 3 ppm iron in 10333 miles this engine is producing nearly 10x the iron in the same mileage and my engine has cast iron bores and twice as many camshafts with the same number of valves and lifters.


Each engine has its own wear signature, that's why it is pointless to try and compare across different engines, let alone ones from entirely different manufacturers. This is why trends are compared against the same engine/application and not some universal benchmark.

If this is normal for this engine (which it appears to be and is supported by another run from the same engine in a different owner's vehicle) then I would conclude there is nothing abnormal about this report and leave it at that. Trying to divine anything further from this report is pointless.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Patman
Originally Posted By: NStuart
Why is the silicon so high


I am a little concerned with that actually, as the previous UOA only showed 7 ppm and that was on a longer 13,000 mile interval too.


Take a close look at your hoses. BMW hoses seem to be beautifully biodegradable. Did you see the recent thread I posted about my sister's 330i?

 

[Vigg]

Forgive me as I'm still learning this stuff but why aren't we more concerned with the oil thickening? What is a safe "oxidation" %. I see its at 204%. Are we ok with this UOA because other then the silicon number, all other wear numbers check out?

 

[oil_film_movies]

Originally Posted By: Vigg
Forgive me as I'm still learning this stuff but why aren't we more concerned with the oil thickening? What is a safe "oxidation" %. I see its at 204%. Are we ok with this UOA because other then the silicon number, all other wear numbers check out?

New Mobil1 0w40 has a viscosity of 12.9, this one came out 14.8, so its up only a little, not too bad. In fact the 14.8 is right in the middle of what is defined as a "40 weight" (12.5 to 16.3). Some thickening, but not enough to make much difference. I noted before that it shows signs of oxidation due to the visc increase, yet not alarming.

One other observation is that M1 0w40, with its high VII treat rate, tends to lower its visc in the first 4,000 miles or so, and then visc starts ramping up gradually, so oxidation here at 14.8 indicates it got there from an interval low of perhaps 11. It dips down in the "30 weight" range, then comes back up.

As for the oxidation number, 204%, according to Patman's post above, that is allowed to be as much as 100%, with one huge caveat: The PAO in the base oil actually creates some false reading increase. Therefore, the 204% percent ox is almost useless, unless one knew what the new oil value is.
Lets say new oil (making this up) has percent ox as 57% due to PAO 'bias', and we got 204% here, then I'd subtract the 57 from 204 to get 147% actual, still greater than 100%.