Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4430874)

Do a search; this subject has been discussed to death :thumbup:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4430874)

Originally Posted by ///McQ (Post 4432153)

That appears to be for the S54 engine. What about S52, as the OP requested?

My owner's manual suggests either synthetic or regular, and my mechanic suggests Castro 5w30, synthetic.

Originally Posted by ///McQ (Post 4432153)

That appears to be for the S54 engine. What about S52, as the OP requested?

My owner's manual suggests either synthetic or regular, and my mechanic suggests Castro 5w30, synthetic.

Originally Posted by blairrm (Post 4432280)

Your mechanic's suggestion is good.

Originally Posted by pwrdbym (Post 4432292)

Synthtic for sure. As for which kind.....you are going to open a can of worms on that one. Honestly there are many brands that will do just fine, Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec, Royal Purples, AMSoil, Red Line, etc....

The thing that really matters is that you change it at regular intervals, along with a quality filter. Bav Auto or ECS tuning will display oils for your car if you want some other ideas.

I have been running Royal Purple 10w-40 with no issues. My Blackstone reports are good. 5w-30 or 10w-40 will be fine depending on your climate, I don't do a lot of winter driving with the car and it is pretty hot in OK most of the year, hence the higher viscosity.

Originally Posted by elfhearse (Post 4432706)

Engine: over the years I've used the BMW Syntec 5W30, Amsoil Euro 5W40, Mobil one...only BMW approved is the 0W40 (black label). Trying the Elf/Total Quartz 0W/30 next.
Gearbox: Moved on from Redline MTL, using Royal Purple Synchromax...better.
Diff: Amsoil Severe Gear 75/90

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4432951)

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4432951)

If you read the entire BMW NA Synthetic Engine Oils page you'll find it addresses all Bimmer engines:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx
The BMW NA letter is very brand and weight specific regarding approved oils and they must be LL-01 rated.
The only two other than the BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866) that are widely available on the US market are: Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30 (AutoZone) and Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40 (everywhere). The other two approved oils are very difficult to find in the US. The approved Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30 is NOT the Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 you commonly find on auto supply store shelves. The same applies to the approved Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30. The one that meets LL-01 is the Valvoline SynPower MST 5W-30 which also is not commonly found on auto supply store shelves.

Originally Posted by updmst (Post 4432998)

Jim, you are right - but that page could be better written. Everyone thinks of the S52 as an M engine.

The Oil page talks of two groups
1 - M vehicles equipped with S54, S62, S65 or S85 engines
2 - all other BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines

Originally Posted by markseven (Post 4433120)

Thank you :thumbup:
The S52 isn't an M engine? A cammed and bored M50, is it? It seems to me the site provides documentation for MY 2004 and newer. The S14 and S38 aren't mentioned, either.

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4433454)

The S54 and S50 are M engines, but according to BMW NA don't require the Castrol TWS 10W-60 oil.
My interpretation of the BMW NA letter is that if your gasoline engine is not specifically identified as requiring Castrol TWS 10W-60 oil then the other LL-01 oils are recommended.

Originally Posted by markseven (Post 4433615)

Ah, clarity :) thank you (you meant S52 and S50, correct?)

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4433654)

Ooops :confused:
See edited version.

Originally Posted by markseven (Post 4432965)

A good brand and readily available :)

Some history is in order: I am in the process of swapping a '99 M Coupe driveline (S52, ZF 5-speed, 3.23 finned diff, as you are well aware, I am sure) into my '87 325is. My knowledge of the S5X is limited, so that's why I am here. Thank you for sharing your insight/experience :)

http://www.markseven.net/bmw/swap/DSC07789.jpg

Originally Posted by Oldman M Coupe (Post 4434114)

PENTOSIN
MOTOR OIL 5W40 PENTO HIGH PERF II 5L
5L BOTTLE
502.00 / 505.00 / /505.01

Pento High Performance 5W-40 is an especially formulated fuel economy engine oil. It is based on synthetic base oils only, the most modern and best engine oil additives currently available and a very shear stable VI - Improver. The combination of these exquisite components guarantees an excellent engine performance under the most severe driving conditions. Pento High Performance 5W-40 is ideally suited as an all season engine oil. Pento High Performance 5W-40 contains a special combination of very efficient fric-tion modifiers which cause the engine to run very smoothly. Even more important, it causes fuel savings in a recognizable way.
Pento High Performance 5W-40 Typical Data Unit Result Method Appearance bright and clear visual Density at 15 °C kg/m³ 857 DIN EN ISO 12185 Kinematic Viscosity at 100 °C mm²/s 13,8 DIN EN ISO 3104 Kinematic Viscosity at 40 °C mm²/s 86 DIN EN ISO 3104 Viscosity Index 167 DIN ISO 2909 Dynamic Viscosity at -30 °C mPa*s 5900 ASTM D5293 Pour Point °C -36 ISO 3016 Flash Point °C 220 DIN EN ISO 2592

( Compatible with OEM part number: MO5W40HP25 / MO5W40HP25 )

List Price: $58.53 :: Impex Price: $39.06

Originally Posted by jmillet (Post 4432951)

If you read the entire BMW NA Synthetic Engine Oils page you'll find it addresses all Bimmer engines:
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx
The BMW NA letter is very brand and weight specific regarding approved oils and they must be LL-01 rated.
The only two other than the BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 017 866) that are widely available on the US market are: Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30 (AutoZone) and Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40 (everywhere). The other two approved oils are very difficult to find in the US. The approved Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30 is NOT the Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30 you commonly find on auto supply store shelves. The same applies to the approved Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30. The one that meets LL-01 is the Valvoline SynPower MST 5W-30 which also is not commonly found on auto supply store shelves.

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday (Post 4444089)

I think jmillet works for Castrol or something.

BMW "approved" oil is a bunch of BS. Any high level synthetic at the correct viscosity is fine.

Remember, BMW is the same gang that tells you it's ok to go 15k miles on an oil change, and 100k on automatic transmission fluid. And before that, it was "lifetime" fill.

Why would you believe them when they tell you what the "approved" oil is?

While you're in warranty, use what they tell you to keep them from trying to find a way out of warranty work. Once it's out of warranty, ignore them like you should be ignoring most of their fluid recommendations.

Originally Posted by Doc Holliday (Post 4444089)

I think jmillet works for Castrol or something.
BMW "approved" oil is a bunch of BS. Any high level synthetic at the correct viscosity is fine.
Remember, BMW is the same gang that tells you it's ok to go 15k miles on an oil change, and 100k on automatic transmission fluid. And before that, it was "lifetime" fill.
Why would you believe them when they tell you what the "approved" oil is?
While you're in warranty, use what they tell you to keep them from trying to find a way out of warranty work. Once it's out of warranty, ignore them like you should be ignoring most of their fluid recommendations.