03 E46...Dirty oil at 3k?

[dworthy]

So I have been running the LL-01 from BMW for the past 12 years in the wagon, and here is proof of the yearly oil changes are okay for the motor if you use the right oil. Normally I can go about 5k before it burns a liter, so I normally have to put in about 1.5l between oil changes. This year I will be using the "New" BMW oil so we will see how much I will burn.

[Eaglesail]

well for one thing I will say again YOU BOUGHT THE WRONG OIL!!! read what I posted. The closest oil at walmart is the "EUROPEAN" Castrol 0W40!! It is in black bottle/jug, IT SAYS EUROPEAN in bright green on front and is labled as a 0W40.....

NOT your titanium 5w30!!!!

anyhow the main difference in the BMW dealership bleded oil is the flash point. I became aware of this when I met with the oil reps at vegas convention. I simply asked about there oil, there were reps for castrol, and several other brands there promoting there "oils for european vehicles". I asked the rep why is it when I run the Dealership BMW 5w30 in my 2001 superduty ford with the v10 it barely burns any or no oil at all? He asked why I run BMW oil in my ford and I said we get it for next to nothing so why not, actually free... ha ha He stated that the additive package in the oil is different and had all sorts of charts and such for this and the FLASH POINT is much higher.... This being said a hot running engine (like Most BMW's, and possibly my truck) will not cook off the oil as easily. That is quite possible cause I have also ran regular castrol 5w30 syntec (off the shelf) and the truck will burn a quart of oil in 3000 miles. switch back to BMW oil and it stops. I can repeat this over and over.

He also told me the 5w30 that bmw uses is also on the rather thick side of the classification and is kinda inbetween a 40 weight and a 30 weight. rather interesting things. And something I didnt know a 40 weight is over twice as chemically thick as a 30 weight.

I can not count the times I read of posts on here and other sites of people running mobil 1 5w30 or castrol syntec off the shelf and have burning issues.

Also cars that run the BMW oil there whole life show little to no wear, have absolutly no sludge or oil problems. That is from 11 plus years of seing the same cars accumulate 100s of thousands of miles that always come in for dealer service. I have also seen plenty of bmws that look like a jello mold under valve cover due to not the oil inteval but the cheap ass oil they select. Pennsoil comes to mind. lots of parafin wax in that base oil.

hope that helps..

Yes it helps me understand the difference. You explained to me very well the difference between Walmart Castrol and BMW Castrol oil. I will plan now to change oil and filter asap. Now I wonder what the previous owners used?

[Eaglesail]

So, to emphasize to Eaglesail the fact that it's best to buy the BMW LL-01 oil, and to emphasize that not all "synthetic" oils are the "same", I'll correct your statement.

Pennzoil is made by Shell, the new BMW OEM oil. The LL-01 Pennzoil is the same as the approved LL-01 Shell product (in a different bottle). That product's base is synthesized from natural gas (no base oils involved.)Yea got that.
http://www.shell.ae/en_ae/motorists/.../pureplus.html
http://www.pennzoil.com/en_us/educat...NhbGU9ZW5fdXM=

There's a lot of nonsense out there on "base oils", PAO, Group V, Group IV, esters, etc. Most of it is nonsense: older BMW OEM oils (Castrol) were made with the the derisive "not-really-synthetic" technology, but seemed to work just fine.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil

Yea got that. Walmart online sells ..Castrol EDGE Professional LL01 5W-30 ...is this the same as BMW dealership? Also I have noticed the other day a European (green) Castrol available at Walmart but didn't examine the label. Yes, I agree in specific oils.

[Eaglesail]

I get it dworthy. Getting onboard here and understanding BMW is becoming for me. I hadn't planned on my next car, my now e46, to require a higher level of regular maintenance. I do believe I can provide it all as I have always repaired all of my cars from over my lifetime and I'm now spoiled, I have a big garage, my boat repair shop, a car lift, most all tools and now get off my lazy ass and do it...including first up, oil-filter housing gasket, CCV, and while I got it apart, all cooling system, belt tensioner, alternator regulator...etc.

[dworthy]

How do I keep the motor so clean you ask? Well about 50-100 miles before I change the oil, I drop in 1/2 quart of ATF, yes Automatic Transmission Fluid. This will clean the motor slower than one of those 5 minute engine flushes, and I do it every other year, or when it has the Inspection service due.

I would add in some ATF before you change the oil, and then run a quality synthetic oil for 7500 to 10k for you next oil change. I stick by a strict regiment of yearly oil changes, or when the service indicator tells me to if the car goes more in that year.

[MIKYZZ4]

Yes dworthy, I have followed the same regiment, even the ATF!
I hope my engine looks as clean as yours when I replace my VCG this weekend!

[dworthy]

It should, as I have done this for years. Now in the M3 I have not done it, and you can see the difference. I will start on it because I don't like looking at a dirty motor when I do the valve adjustments