[bman8]

SO this oil,

which is made in the US, is described as "FULL" synthetic (by a US legal loop hole), and therefore is mineral oil based, and would be called "Synthetic Technology" in europe.

Not true. Autozone has it and the back label says "Made in Germany". It is PAO based oil.

[jimk]

+1

0W-30 Castrol Syntec is the only PAO oil from the Syntec line. The logic would have been true if it was a 5W-30 Syntec.

Also, bavauto suggests oils that are LL-04 approved. However these oils are not recommended by BMW to be used in the USA due to the quality of our fuels. Use LL-01 if you worry about warranty issues.

[Turkeybaster115]

Originally Posted by bman8

Not true. Autozone has it and the back label says "Made in Germany". It is PAO based oil.

http://worldsbestoil.com/amsoil/synt...trol-court.htm

[F32Fleet]

Originally Posted by jimk

Also, bavauto suggests oils that are LL-04 approved. However these oils are not recommended by BMW to be used in the USA due to the quality of our fuels. Use LL-01 if you worry about warranty issues.

Unless of course you're driving the 335d.

[jimk]

Originally Posted by Socom

Unless of course you're driving the 335d.

Right...

[hun77777]

... so which is the best motor oil for my bmw 335i...?

(start again from here on)

[euromoda84]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

I'd buy the oil that increases engine power by 200 HP, increases mileage by 1000% and that cooks your breakfast and washes your car.

sounds good, which one is that again?

[punky8d]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

I'd buy the oil that increases engine power by 200 HP, increases mileage by 1000% and that cooks your breakfast and washes your car.

I'm down for that!! Except the increase mileage thingy...(I prefer the one that lowers mileage)
I would want something that would give me a hot oil massage though......

I've been doing my oil change on my previous cars using 5w-30 and 10w-30 not even thinking if it's the right one.. And just lately since I will be changing oil on my 335, I tried to look around for a good one and found 0W-40..

Saw that it's recommended for turbocharged or supercharged vehicles..
BMW LONGLIFE OIL 01 approved as well.
Here's the specs:
http://www.mobil.com/USA-English/Lub...lPropertyTitle

Check out the Q/A thread at Mobil1:
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ewer_BMWs.aspx

The following is also a thread but pretty much not a BMW vehicle. Check it out too cause it kinda talks about temperatures on turbo engines:
http://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English/...ne_Coking.aspx

[hun77777]

after juggling through few thread like this, i've decided to settle with TOTAL Quartz INEO MC3 5W30, which meets bmw LL and also in grade 4 oil...

it's graded as ACEA A3/B4 (High performance and or extended drain/For direct injection passenger car diesel engines)

it's graded as SM which is newest API standard.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/API_ratings.pdf

some more useful link about general understanding about API and ACEA rating and information on motor oil in general
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

[punky8d]

I remembered this thead after going reading another thread actually..
So, I guess it makes more sense now that 0W is recommended than the 10W or 5W..
Read thru... Be sure to have time allocated..
http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=344995

[jimk]

Originally Posted by hun77777

after juggling through few thread like this, i've decided to settle with TOTAL Quartz INEO MC3 5W30, which meets bmw LL and also in grade 4 oil...

it's graded as ACEA A3/B4 (High performance and or extended drain/For direct injection passenger car diesel engines)

it's graded as SM which is newest API standard.
http://www.aa1car.com/library/API_ratings.pdf

some more useful link about general understanding about API and ACEA rating and information on motor oil in general
http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

hun77777, after all this talk on the ATF fluid thread about staying with an OE approved oil, if you actually changed your oil with the TOTAL Quartz INEO MC3 5W30, an LL-04 low sap oil, you've used the wrong oil. In the US, BMW says to use only LL-01 approved oil, not LL-04 and that is due to our fuel quality issues as mentioned above. If you had a 335d, the LL-04 would have been the proper oil.

So it looks like your car not only has the wrong ATF fluid but the wrong oil as well. The funny thing is that you've researched the subject and you wanted to do it right. And worst, even Bavauto recommends an LL-04 oil for the N54 in the US!

It would be wise to drain your oil and use a LL-01 approved oil or equivalent. If Total is the brand you like, the QUARTZ 9000 ENERGY 0W30 is LL-01 (Long Life 01) approved.

[hun77777]

Originally Posted by jimk

hun77777, after all this talk on the ATF fluid thread about staying with an OE approved oil, if you actually changed your oil with the TOTAL Quartz INEO MC3 5W30, an LL-04 low sap oil, you've used the wrong oil. In the US, BMW says to use only LL-01 approved oil, not LL-04 and that is due to our fuel quality issues as mentioned above. If you had a 335d, the LL-04 would have been the proper oil.

So it looks like your car not only has the wrong ATF fluid but the wrong oil as well. The funny thing is that you've researched the subject and you wanted to do it right. And worst, even Bavauto recommends an LL-04 oil for the N54 in the US!

It would be wise to drain your oil and use a LL-01 approved oil or equivalent. If Total is the brand you like, the QUARTZ 9000 ENERGY 0W30 is LL-01 (Long Life 01) approved.

As far as ATF fluid goes, i don't know what else to use other than OEM BMW fluids so elaborate me little more how it is wrong oil...

As far as engine oil goes, my warranty ran out and i don't care much on engine oils and spec. i will experiment with few other oils in the future to see if i come across any difference. i was mainly debating 900 engergy 0w30 and the one that i used but i was under the impression that LL04 was backward compatible to LL01. Certainly not the case for the warranty as far as BMWNA concerns... i read Bavauto article before i made up my mind and that probably influenced me somehow...

[samchoi604]

As long as you change your oil regularly, ANY of the LL01 will suffice.

My theory is that a cheap LL01 oil (Mobil 1 0W-40 on discount) every 5000 miles is better than an expensive LL01 oil every 10000+ miles.

[jimk]

Ok, sorry, the ATF you got "may" be the wrong oil since no one seems to know what it is.

[hun77777]

Originally Posted by jimk

Ok, sorry, the ATF you got "may" be the wrong oil since no one seems to know what it is.

nope after several dealer trips and annoying the heck out of part dept guy about 929 part number, i just got confirmed from SA that it is right one and they can print new invoice out with 516 number if it REALLY BOTHERS ME... does that make me feel any happier, not really. but i'm sure that will shut some people off as far as oem fluids concerns...

[topcat87]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

Take everything you read online about engine oil with a LARGE grain of salt. There is no way of knowing the true performance of an oil for a specific application without conducting the extensive oil test sequence for the application such as the BMW LL-01 sequence required for the 2006 and later gas engine BMWs sold in the U.S. Advertising hype and mis-information does not tell you how an oil performs nor does a Used Oil Analysis, BMW oil service indicator or MSDS sheet. I see countless posts on the Net including at Bob is the Oil Guy that are false or misleading so don't take this nonsense as gospel.

In addition the base oil alone does not tell you the overall performance of the oil. This is why car makers do not currently specify what base oil must be used for a specific application. Auto makers care about the oil's lubrication performance in the engine not what base stock is used to produce the oil.

A UOA tells you if the oil is suitable for further service and what contaminants are present in the oil. The BMW oil service indicator only tells you when it believes you need an oil change. It does NOT tell you the performance of the oil. An MSDS sheet also does not tell you anything about the performance of the oil.

The car companies have specific oil requirements for your engine based on actual testing. Any oil that is approved to the BMW LL-01 specs and is of the proper viscosity for your gas engine application meets the U.S. BMW warranty requirements and should serve you well. If you really want to know objectively which oil is best for your BMW engine then you would need to conduct the LL-01 oil test sequence on every oil of interest which should set you back several million dollars in lab fees.

There are lots of opinions on oils but few facts. Everyone has a favorite flavor but no LL-01 test data to actually determine if their favorite oil is as good as they believe. It's all speculation without real world LL-01 oil test sequence test results. That's why it's best to just use the correct viscosity LL-01 approved oil that makes you happy and get on with life.

So what makes an LL-01 approved engine oil da shit?
Do you know for sure that LL-01 approved oils arent just some mediocre stuff that is stamped LL-01 just because they "paid" bmw to get themselves certified?

At least UOA's provide some verifiable information on how an oil is performing, but what parameters make an oil LL-01 spec?

seeing the way bmw does stuff(lifetime atf fill, 25k km oil changes) i wouldnt really trust all they say because you wont know if its really best for the consumer or for their own pockets

[MalM3]

wouldn´t it be wisest to actually buy the original BMW oil, if one was worried about the quality standard of the oil, and engine safety

[742]

Originally Posted by topcat87

So what makes an LL-01 approved engine oil da shit?

A picture is worth a thousand words.

http://sas-origin.onstreammedia.com/.../PC/index.html

Select the spec on the left. See the resulting diagram.

In this case, compare BMW LL01 to API SM.

[topcat87]

Originally Posted by TrackRat

It doesn't make any difference if LL-01 is da shitz or not as it's a REQUIREMENT for all BMW gas engine vehicles sold in the U.S. since 2006. Using a non LL-01 approved oil can void your warranty.

In addition since BMW is the one who is paying for your engine warranty coverage you can be damn sure they aren't telling you to use an oil that's going to cost them money in engine damage warranty claims.

The internet conspiracy theory on engine oil is always good for a laugh... If BMW is in a conspiracy then every other car maker is too as they actually test engine oils to determine what oil requirements best protect your engine and then issue these specifications to oil suppliers.

It doesn't sound like you understand UOA or the LL-01 oil test sequence. A UOA only tells you if the oil is still serviceable. It does not tell you the oils performance other than does it stay in grade or not and what the TBN is. Since no one but the car maker knows if a 40 weight oil is better than a 35 weight or a 30 weight oil in your engine or if it makes any difference at all, concluding that an oil that has minor shear is a sign of an inferior oil is nonsense. People try to read all sorts of things into a UOA that it can't tell them and for which the test is not intended. A UOA is strictly to determine contaminants in the oil and service life of the oil based on a few simple test. These tests in no way provide an accurate analysis of the oils actual performance in your engine which the extensive battery of tests in the LL-01 oil test sequence does tell you.

See the ACEA oil test sequence at the link below to get a better understanding of where Euro car makers start with oil testing. After they run the appropriate ACEA tests, typical A3/B4, then they add their own battery of tests tailored specifically to your engine. This is why BMW, Porsche, M-B, Audi, VW, et al have their own very specific oil specifications because different engines have different lubrication demands. If an oil isn't independently tested and approved to a specific oil specification you have no idea if it is suitable for the application and if or when the formulation is changed by the oil purveyor.

http://www.acea.be/images/uploads/pu..._LD_and_HD.pdf

Modern engines place higher demands on engine oil and unless the oil you desire to use has been tested for the specific engine application and approved, you have no way of knowing how it will actually perform in your engine. An oil that is fine for one engine may not be so good for another engine. As an example LL-01 oils are required in the U.S. gas engines yet LL-04 oils can not be used in U.S. gas engine models. Since consumers have absolutely no possible means to determine the lubrication properties of engine oils without spending hundreds of thousands of dollars on lab tests, you'd be wise to skip the advertising hype and follow your car makers warranty requirements to protect your engine and your warranty.

im not against the requirements that an ll-01 oil is to be used for keeping warranty. i was just putting out a few rhetorical questions for the forumers to think for themselves:

is bmw's recommendation what's best for engine longevity or merely to cover their asses up to the point whr the warranty is over.

using the analogy of bmw's atf lifetime fill- obviously no oil can last 20 years(for now). the lifetime may be only referring to the lifetime of the vehicle which may only be up to the point the warranty is over, which again is extremely misleading to consumers.

seeing the way bmw does things and hands out recommendations like this i wouldnt really trust/follow it should i be looking to keep my car past warranty

LL-01 oils may be sufficient to keep the car running (barely) past warranty coverage but i believe (and op is also looking for) better oils out there

[topcat87]

almost every car that followed bmw's recommendation of 25k km OCI's over here suffered sludge issues when the warranty was over.

[Synergy 69]

so are all all Mobil 1 0W40 considered LL01 approved or is it a specified?

[raceyBMW]

all...there is only one mobil1 0-40