Quote:
Originally Posted by Exclusivs
Good deal. Not doubting quality of it - more so the sequential timing of it all? ;
- S65 clearance problem noted (BMW utilizing Castrol TW60 at time)
- F8X M Platform released
- BMW changes oil provider to Shell
Probably no bearing whatsoever nor would change S65 make up - curious how often car companies change oil companies. IE: Prior to Castrol who was BMW's oil provider.
Will be continuing to run Castrol and log. Utilized 2 L of the professional / and remaining 7 of Supercar on my oil change today. My upcoming report of oil just taken from the car only has 1815 miles on it so is not going to reflect much of a change.  However, the following one is the one I'm looking forward to seeing. Will keep updating my Blackstone thread.
P.S. - Your sig should say NOW: E9X M3 _______ |
The BMW-Castrol relationship has existed for decades. In fact, a lot of the development for the TWS predecessor was a collaborative effort between BMW and Castrol. I'm not sure who they used before, though it's worth noting they get various fluids from Pentosin as well. It was a bit of a shock to see them move to SOPUS for engine oils (they still use Castrol for differential fluids and a few other things).
Car companies change oils for cost reasons. Any of the big blenders have products for pretty much every car so it comes down to who offers BMW the best deal. It sounds like SOPUS undercut Castrol. Some car companies change blenders often or use multiple blenders depending on the viscosity grade. Ford's Motorcraft oil comes to mind as I know there are at least two different blenders doing the private labeling.
I doubt there was any connection between the F-series cars coming out and BMW switching to SOPUS. Contracts have end dates and it was merely a coincidence that it was up around the time the new platform debuted. Shell was already making several 10w60s at the time so they just put it into a new bottle for BMW and called it a day.