what oil to use [Archive] - Bimmerforums

gabeC

08-20-2002, 05:17 PM

hey all,

I drive a 96 328is and have been using the oil that BMW provides at their dealership. my friend recommended that I try a different oil, as it would be better for my engine. So time for oilchange has come and I decided to follow my buddy's advice.

My friend recommended I use Motul 8100 Ester E-Tech 0W-40. it's used for race cars, and my friend is pretty hardcore so I wanted to know if this is okay to use on my car? I don't have any crazy mods..

here is a link: http://www.motorspot.com/8100ow40.html

So I guess a couple of questions.. what brand do you guys use? and which one should I use? I know there are differnet grades (i'm not sure if that is the right term) but I have no clue how they relate to my engine.

thanks!
gabe.

Stockman

08-20-2002, 05:20 PM

Mobile 1 5w30 synthetic will work fine
It will cost you about 30 bucks for the 7Q of oil you need

Most people here use mobile 1... some people use amsoil

threebills

08-20-2002, 05:29 PM

I use Mobil1 10W-30

gabeC

08-20-2002, 06:40 PM

thanks guys.

just wondering, what do the numbers and letter after the brand mean? (eg, 10w-40)

Stockman

08-20-2002, 06:51 PM

http://www.unofficialbmw.com/all/misc/all_oilfaq.html

Anfanger

08-21-2002, 12:23 AM

I use Mobil 1 5w30 all year.

BJO

08-21-2002, 12:52 AM

i switched to castrol 5w-50 from mobil 5w-30.

gabeC

08-21-2002, 02:38 PM

thanks for the input guys.

in the end, i'm thinking of going with 0w-40 for a number of reasons. I don't have too many miles on my car yet (30k), the weather is mild in SF, and the thinner oil should be good for the performance.

someone on another board said that "Heavier oils in colder weather is bad just like lighter oils in warmer weather is bad as well.". Thought I'd share that since that statement was what I was looking for and helped me understand things.

If anything happens to my engine, I'll let u guys know!

abakos

08-21-2002, 04:21 PM

If your oil is too light, it might not give enough protection. If it's too heavy it might not circulate nicely.

Your manual (or any manual come to think of it...) should have a nice chart of temp vs. oil to run. The basic concept is easy, the nitty gritty can take a good while to read up on-- Good luck--