Approved Oils: Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec

[Nat Brown]

According to BMW, the two approved brands of 5w30 synthetic oils are Mobil 1 and Castrol Syntec. These are the only ones approved for use.

--gary

[Kaz]

As of when? AFAIK neither meets BMW LongLife 01 spec, although I believe certain grades of either meet BMW LongLife 98 and/or other older BMW specs.

And the other question is what cars require what spec?

Frankly, I don't think it matters at all. Its not like this is a 19,000rpm F1 motor or something. No decent oil will kill the motor.

[Nat Brown]

Originally posted by Kaz
As of when? AFAIK neither meets BMW LongLife 01 spec, although I believe certain grades of either meet BMW LongLife 98 and/or other older BMW specs.

And the other question is what cars require what spec?

Frankly, I don't think it matters at all. Its not like this is a 19,000rpm F1 motor or something. No decent oil will kill the motor.

As of right now. Call BMW: 1-800-831-1117

I asked about my car, which is a 2002 330i. They're more than happy to answer questions.

It's important for those of us who don't want Syntec in our engines because of its questionable nature (a whole other debate). It also means that those of us who use Mobil 1 should be able to hand a case of the stuff to our mechancs for our "free" oil changes.

--gary

[Kaz]

I don't suppose they made any mention of, nor did you inquire about the aforementioned BMW specifications?

[Nat Brown]

Originally posted by Kaz
I don't suppose they made any mention of, nor did you inquire about the aforementioned BMW specifications?

Nope. I'm glad someone is looking into the technical specs of motor oil and how it applies to our cars, but I'm not that interested. I have a more basic, layman's approach and from what I've read about Syntec, and the information that came out of the lawsuit against Castrol, Syntec is not good.

"Not good" means Syntec's synthetic nature is in question. Meanwhile, there's a ton of subjective information telling me that Mobil 1 is best. When Mobil 1 is available at a low cost from Costco (unlike my other favorite, Red Line), it makes sense to buy it instead of Syntec when I'm doing my own oil changes. If given the choice between Syntec and Mobil 1, and both are BMW approved, nobody would choose Syntec.

Now that we know Mobil 1 is approved, at least in my specific case (you should call for your own car), it also means I don't have to worry about bogus warranty denials from BMW and I know they may do a Mobil 1 oil change for me during service, if I bring my own supply.

--gary

[Kaz]

Well, the thing I wonder is, if BMW requires the use of various BMW-specific spec oils in Europe, say, but don't require the same in the US, all I can see from that is these requirements are all bogus, and that these 'approvals' are driven by marketing and customer service issues (i.e Mobil1 because its so common and popular, and Castrol because of the same, and their worldwide marketing agreement), not technical ones.

MB and VW are far more specific about what spec oils are approved for each engine family, and their information is far more redily available.

[Pinecone]

Originally posted by Nat Brown


"Not good" means Syntec's synthetic nature is in question. Meanwhile, there's a ton of subjective information telling me that Mobil 1 is best. When Mobil 1 is available at a low cost from Costco (unlike my other favorite, Red Line), it makes sense to buy it instead of Syntec when I'm doing my own oil changes. If given the choice between Syntec and Mobil 1, and both are BMW approved, nobody would choose Syntec.

--gary

There are two ways to "make" a "synthetic" oil. One way is to take short chain molecules and connect them to make the long chain you want. The second way is to crack longer chain molecules to the proper length. Both are making the desired final product. The first method came first, the second method came along later.

I have a friend in the petroleum business and he is a petroleum engineer, not a marketing guy. And no, he doesn not work for Castrol. But according to him (and I asked specifcally) both methods produce the same end product. In fact the second method can actually produce a "better" lubricating oil.

Mobil 1 uses the first method, Castrol the second. So symanticaly Castrol may not be a synthetic, depending on how you define synthetic (what is the meaning of IS? :bigpimp: ), but the bottom line is it produces the same oil at the output end.

[Nat Brown]

Originally posted by Pinecone
Mobil 1 uses the first method, Castrol the second. So symanticaly Castrol may not be a synthetic, depending on how you define synthetic (what is the meaning of IS? :bigpimp: ), but the bottom line is it produces the same oil at the output end.

That about sums it up. The courts ruled that there is no real definition of synthetic, so anyone can call their oil synthetic if they want. This was after a lawsuit against Castrol. As for producing the same product at the end, maybe, probably. It really doesn't matter, as long as the oil gets changed regularly.

Like I said -- all things being equal, I would rather go with the one that everyone I respect swears by (Mobil), rather than the one that's been taken to court for their slick marketing and that have had to make changes because of it (Castrol).

--gary

[JetBlack330i]

Originally posted by Nat Brown

Like I said -- all things being equal, I would rather go with the one that everyone I respect swears by (Mobil), rather than the one that's been taken to court for their slick marketing and that have had to make changes because of it (Castrol).

--gary
I don't know what you mean by "swears by".
Doesn't it take 6 or 7 years for engine problems due to lubrication to start developing? Have Synthetic oils been arround for that long? How does anyone (other than scientists) know which brand to swear by?

While BMW aproved Mobil1, Castrol is what it recommends (printed on the oil cap) and its factory fill is made by Castrol.

My point is: Change it every 7500 miles and either one is good enough.

[Nat Brown]

Originally posted by JetBlack330i

I don't know what you mean by "swears by".
Doesn't it take 6 or 7 years for engine problems due to lubrication to start developing? Have Synthetic oils been arround for that long? How does anyone (other than scientists) know which brand to swear by?

While BMW aproved Mobil1, Castrol is what it recommends (printed on the oil cap) and its factory fill is made by Castrol.

My point is: Change it every 7500 miles and either one is good enough.

Synthetic oils have been around for 30 years. Amzoil began marketing an API approved synthetic motor oil in 1972. . Mobil 1 has been around since 1973, 1975 in the US. Synthetic oil was invented in 1877, if you want to get nitpicky

Those I know who "swear by" Mobil-1 tend to be in the automotive racing industry, mostly guys who build engines. Some of these guys tell their customers to use Mobil-1, and only Mobil-1. Bring back an engine with problems that wasn't using Mobil-1 and they don't want to talk to you. Is it scientific? It's probably just a preference, or an idiosyncracy of early Mobil-1 adopters, since it was technically the first well known synthetic (1975).

But as you say, just change it. Worry less about the brand.

--gary

[MikeW]

FWIW, BMW seems to want an ACEA A3 rated oil. The BMW lable castrol has this certification. Mobil 1 also does, but ONLY in the 0w40 grade. The rest are A1 rated. I have no idea with the Castrol retail oil.

[Nat Brown]

Originally posted by MikeW
FWIW, BMW seems to want an ACEA A3 rated oil. The BMW lable castrol has this certification. Mobil 1 also does, but ONLY in the 0w40 grade. The rest are A1 rated. I have no idea with the Castrol retail oil.

Maybe, but Mobil 1 5w30 is BMW approved.

--gary

[TambourineMan]

When can I find out in writing from BMW specifically what oils are approved?