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      03-07-2014, 08:35 AM   #353
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      03-08-2014, 05:43 PM   #354
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I've decided to do the following (based on advise from a local performance shop today):
  • 0W-40 in the fall/winter. (Thinner oil to avoid excessive cold start wear)
  • 10W-60 for spring + summer + track days. (Thicker oil to protect engine when hot)
Using a thicker oil like 10W-60 helps with preventing metal-to-metal contact at high rpm and loads.

Last edited by checkmate; 03-08-2014 at 05:52 PM..
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      04-14-2014, 11:06 AM   #355
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Quote:
Originally Posted by aus View Post
Is anyone else burning a lot more oil?
I'm about 2,000 miles into my 0W40 and I'm at least 1/2 a quarte and it looks liek 3/4 quart down already!!
My Blackstone was pretty clean, so I may switch back next oil change, which will be by BMW anyway.

My 335 also burns 0W40, but doesn't burn a drop of BMW 5W30.

.
Yes, I'm definitely burning more Mobil 1 0W-40:

M1 0W-40 :: Castrol 10W-60
62170 New :: 52366 New
62795 +1/2 qt :: 57020 +500mL
63508 +1/2 qt :: 60838 +500mL

Mobil 1: 1qt every 1400 miles.
Castrol: 1L every 8500 miles.

Also had some funky stuff going on with my level sensor. I had added the 1/2 qt twice when the +1qt showed and it would go to full (which is completely normal - I've come to accept that the precision of the sensor is not very good). After my second addition, it dropped to 3/4 full, then 1/2 as it had previously after a few hundred miles, but then jumped back up to full (from 1/2). It stayed full for a week or so, then dropped rapidly down to +1qt. Even more reason that I hate not having a dipstick to be more certain of the levels.
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      04-14-2014, 04:18 PM   #356
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i was just wondering, if bmw requires 10w40 and u guys doing well with 0w40, why would a good medium be using mobil 1 5w40? would that even be a choice?

totally know nothing about oil so im really just asking and throwing it out there.....anyone can chime in?
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      04-14-2014, 05:05 PM   #357
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Quote:
Originally Posted by SSJVegita View Post
i was just wondering, if bmw requires 10w40 and u guys doing well with 0w40, why would a good medium be using mobil 1 5w40? would that even be a choice?

totally know nothing about oil so im really just asking and throwing it out there.....anyone can chime in?

First off, BMW specs Castrol Edge Professional TWS, which happens to be a 10w60. They only spec that specific oil, not a specific viscosity. TWS happens to be 10w60.

Second, there is no Mobil 1 5w40 that's suitable for this motor. There's ESP Formula M 5w40 which is an emissions system protection oil for Mercedes, and Turbo Diesel Truck, a very lackluster oil for non-commercial diesel pickups.

Lastly, 5w40 doesn't strike a happy medium since 5w40s are effectively the same operational viscosity as 0w40s (because both are "40" weight at 100 C).
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      04-14-2014, 06:22 PM   #358
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FRFNUGN View Post
Yes, I'm definitely burning more Mobil 1 0W-40:

M1 0W-40 :: Castrol 10W-60
62170 New :: 52366 New
62795 +1/2 qt :: 57020 +500mL
63508 +1/2 qt :: 60838 +500mL

Mobil 1: 1qt every 1400 miles.
Castrol: 1L every 8500 miles.

Also had some funky stuff going on with my level sensor. I had added the 1/2 qt twice when the +1qt showed and it would go to full (which is completely normal - I've come to accept that the precision of the sensor is not very good). After my second addition, it dropped to 3/4 full, then 1/2 as it had previously after a few hundred miles, but then jumped back up to full (from 1/2). It stayed full for a week or so, then dropped rapidly down to +1qt. Even more reason that I hate not having a dipstick to be more certain of the levels.
That's totally messed up. Maybe take multiple pics and show the dealer? Maybe your sensor is bad?
I used to only burn oil on long drives, usually on the way to the track. I'd be fine driving around town for thousands of miles. With the 0W40, I burned through a quart in maybe 1,500 miles.
It seems to be better after that first quart was added. Maybe the sensor was a little off??

.
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      04-14-2014, 06:25 PM   #359
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I would wait a while longer if it's burning a bit. Sometimes switching oils will cause a temporary uptick in consumption, but it tends to stabilize after another change. I believe even Red Line has said this.
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      04-14-2014, 08:06 PM   #360
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I was curious if it was just an effect of changing oils, but I'm not able to rationalize why that would be... The oil is either going past the piston rings or past the valve stem seals. I can see how the thinner oil would be more likely to go thru the same clearance as the thicker oil, but what would running the thinner oil longer change to make it effectively seal up or stop consuming it? If I was cat-less, it'd be easier to see where it was going - watch for a blue puff of smoke on startup after sitting for a night, indicating that the oil slipped down past the valve stem seals and sat in the cylinders to burn upon initial start.

As someone mentioned above that they only burn oil on long trips - part of that may not be that you're burning oil, but rather the water or fuel that is entrained in the oil is getting a chance to evaporate during the long trips, so your oil level finally gets a chance to drop. Short trips generally don't allow enough time to evaporate the water and fuel, so the oil level won't change as drastically.

Regardless of my oil burning, I'm in agreeance with another previous poster about running 10W-60 in the summer and 0W-40 in the winter. Cold starts are a likely high contributor to damage to the bearings when there is little to no oil flow, and my car is routinely started in ridiculously cold weather. There were quite a few weeks this winter when I left work and my temp gauge read < -10°F when starting my poor car (but it handled it like a champ!). It makes me cringe to know I spent this winter with the heavy 10W-60, but I think it's a great oil for summer use when I live by the slogan "a redline a day keeps the mechanic away". Plus it's sooo difficult to take a drive and not listen to that screaming engine at redline at least once per trip!
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      04-25-2014, 03:41 PM   #361
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Sorry to resurrect this, but I felt this was worth mentioning for everyone who interpreted BMWNA's site to mean that 5W-30 or even any BMW LL-01 oil was approved for the M3. That page has been taken down entirely. The link now goes nowhere, and Google only turns up a few old PDFs that have oil information, but nothing that's linked from the site itself and no actual webpages. Meanwhile, the latest M3 Service and Warranty booklet, available from BMWNA here, says that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.
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      04-26-2014, 10:28 AM   #362
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Wow, this short stint of recommended oil by BMW (if it's just that) would be quite an interesting argument in court.
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      05-03-2014, 09:01 AM   #363
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      05-03-2014, 04:10 PM   #364
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan View Post
Sorry to resurrect this, but I felt this was worth mentioning for everyone who interpreted BMWNA's site to mean that 5W-30 or even any BMW LL-01 oil was approved for the M3. That page has been taken down entirely. The link now goes nowhere, and Google only turns up a few old PDFs that have oil information, but nothing that's linked from the site itself and no actual webpages. Meanwhile, the latest M3 Service and Warranty booklet, available from BMWNA here, says that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.


They're changing all the oil documents since Castrol is being dropped as the OEM supplier. SOPUS (Shell/Pennzoil) is taking Castrol's place.

Don't take the missing documents as a sign that their stance on approved fluids has changed.
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      05-03-2014, 11:36 PM   #365
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Quote:
Originally Posted by dparm
They're changing all the oil documents since Castrol is being dropped as the OEM supplier. SOPUS (Shell/Pennzoil) is taking Castrol's place.

Don't take the missing documents as a sign that their stance on approved fluids has changed.
I would have more faith in that reading if I could find any other document whose content matched what was said on the BMWNA page that was removed. But as I said above, everywhere else has always said that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.
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      05-07-2014, 09:49 AM   #366
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Soooo I just switched with my last change was running TWS (ran a full of TWS, then Edge Pro, then TWS to do a back to back to back analysis, results pending) and am running the M1 0w40 for this fill.

Mileage is up slightly but I think it's mostly warmer conditions. Interestingly the dash mpg average is now pretty much spot on with the calculator where before it was a couple tenths optimistic. Also could be due to weather though.

Not noticed any difference in warmup time. Not noticed any change in how the engine runs.
One thing that is markedly different is a higher idle speed on cold start, by about 200 rpm. Perhaps lower internal friction? Or maybe VANOS overshooting the cam phasing slightly due to lower pressure?

Anyway, will run this for 7500 miles ish and see what happens. May go back to Edge Pro or TWS to bracket the M1 with the "control" before making a final decision. Kindof silly really, the engine and running conditions are constantly changing so unless there is a big step change in wear metals I won't be learning much. But I guess it's more fun than stamp collecting
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      05-07-2014, 01:55 PM   #367
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I just changed over to Mobil 1 0W-40. I will report back with any noticeable results.
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      05-07-2014, 11:11 PM   #368
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Quote:
Originally Posted by FRFNUGN View Post
Yes, I'm definitely burning more Mobil 1 0W-40:
...
I think you are probably prematurely concluding your opening claim.

1. You admit the sensor is behaving a bit inconsistently. No surprise, I believe others have made similar observations.
2. My consumption while using the original TWS 10W-60 has varied widely. Most changes require no oil additions and I don't see any consumption on the level indicator. Other changes (same mileage and same use pattern) have consumed 1/2 to 1 quart. Thus you probably need a few more observations to make a firm conclusion
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      05-08-2014, 10:58 AM   #369
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Fwiw my oil consumption on the TWS has been very consistent, .5-.75 liter every 7500 miles, usually drops to the halfway mark by about 5500 miles and I top it off because I'm OCD about it
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      05-08-2014, 02:07 PM   #370
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Another data point here. I am at 73k miles on my car. With TWS, my oil level doesn't drop and stay at the top mark through the 7500 oil change interval. With M1 0-40, my oil level has dropped one notch after 6k miles.
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      05-15-2014, 10:54 AM   #371
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My oil level has dropped with TWS, I have passed up 7,000 miles. Not sure if I should add a little or just wait for my next change soon.
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      05-15-2014, 11:05 AM   #372
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jphughan View Post
Sorry to resurrect this, but I felt this was worth mentioning for everyone who interpreted BMWNA's site to mean that 5W-30 or even any BMW LL-01 oil was approved for the M3. That page has been taken down entirely. The link now goes nowhere, and Google only turns up a few old PDFs that have oil information, but nothing that's linked from the site itself and no actual webpages. Meanwhile, the latest M3 Service and Warranty booklet, available from BMWNA here, says that 10W-60 is the only approved oil.
"These are the only approved engine oils at the time of the printing of this book."

Still, ~2012 is pretty recent.
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      05-15-2014, 03:33 PM   #373
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Took my M to a CMP track day last weekend running M1. Temps never went over ~230F the entire day (mid 80s, overcast). Was in high RPM on a most of the track. The oil cooled down pretty quick as well, even though we only had half the track to cool down after checkered flag. We'll see how the lab report looks like in a few thousand miles. Also have 2 mountain runs on this interval too.
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      05-15-2014, 05:10 PM   #374
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keep us posted with all your findings guys
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