E39 528I Recomended Oil Change SOURCES!

ive read the thread and heard alot of opinions my cars fancy oil and filter. I have come to find out the mann is one of the best filters and the mobile1 synthetic doesn't even meet standard bmw requirements..... last oil change used mobile1 and mann cause i didnt know where to get a German or any LL-03 oil locally? or can i? we have autozone, advanced auto, oreilys, carquest. thats about it, small town. Bay city, Mi 48706.

so my question is where do i simply buy my oil online (unless someone knows of a kind thats carried at above mentioned places)

i found this link:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Liquimoly-5w...#ht_2953wt_952

$60 for what looks like German ll-03 and a mann filter. is this a good deal, can it be trusted, im tired of buying Chinese counterfeit Bs online and am afraid these manns my be or cheap oil.

where do i buy this stuff!

i am using castrol syntac with the bmw. mercedes yellow logo on it which supports bmw long life i believe. A friend of mine told me to check out rotella and motul so i might try one of those next.

oh yea try amazon for online

Walmart has Mobil1 0w-40 that meet LL01. I use Mobile1 synthetic 5W-30 and change every 7.5K mi. No problem. Dont get too caught up with LL01.

Originally Posted by tmvseattle

Walmart has Mobil1 0w-40 that meet LL01. I use Mobile1 synthetic 5W-30 and change every 7.5K mi. No problem. Dont get too caught up with LL01.

isnt it suppose to be ll-03? is ll-01 better or similar.

The designation for oil is LL01. Do not worry about it unless you prefer to change your oil at the BMW recommended 15,000 mile intervals. If you do not race your car and replace your oil 7,500 m intervals or less, the oil designation does not mattter. Do a search. This is a much discussed topic. I fall in the "oil is oil" category.

Like Fudman said, oil is oil. The important part is actually changing it. Even conventional discount brand dino oil will work fine. The correct weight oil is more important then the brand.

Some oils ARE better then others, but if you're not racing AND change your oil often...well then buying boutique oil is for suckers imho. I drive my cars hard, so I buy expensive oil. I also change my oil filter mid way between fluid changes, just a habit I got into years back. Cheap and can't hurt anything.

Cheaper oils have less detergents and R&D put into them. Detergents help keep sludge to a minimum. However, changing your oil often removes the need for detergent heavy oil.

Walmart Supertech will work if you want a cheap synthetic. Just change it out every 4-5k.

Amsoil is the best fluid available, purchased online usually.

Just my .02

For those that need proof positive, simply look inside your valve cover. If you have that dark golden oil sheen on everything with no balck sludge buildup, all is good with whatever oil you are using and your change interval is adequate.

The manual for our car 1998 Bmw 528i says.

5w-30 temperature range -20 degrees to 50+ degrees

15w-40 temperature range 10degrees to 90+ degrees


It also says "special engine oils individually approved by BMW(low friction lubricants) Contact your local $tealer"


I personally buy my own oil at Autozone I get 1 jug of Autozone brand 10w-40 and 2 more quarts so I can put the 6.9 quarts it takes. It comes out to $30 dollars with a new STP filter, that I think looks exactly the same as the "mann" filter I've seen both neither are amazing just cardboard filter paper with a rubber gasket at each end and a new copper washer for the drain plug. Just replace every 3-5k miles, I always change before the service light pops.

The Autozone oil is API SN, SM & CL rated

The engine oil specifications for 1998 BMW 528/540 says required quality:
API SH
API SH/CD
API SH/CE
* These requirements are outdated SH oil is no longer produced*

http://gopurepower.com/site/infolibrary/pdf/api.pdf

^ check there for information on API ratings


So bottom line from what I understand, you should be safe with 10w-40, 15w-40, or 5w-30 if you live in a freezer. As long as it's API SL rated it meets the requirements.

Don't waste money, check the dipstick between 3k-5k, if it's too amber colored for you change it, $30 bucks.

Methinks that far too many people are obsessing over oil, and what to use. The single most important issue is changing it in a timely manner. Most people in the US of A operate their cars in what can be termed "severe service;" i.e., short trips at rather low surface street speeds. This requires more frequent oil changes than the idiot Service Interval Indicator tells you.

I've always been a 3k oil and filter change kind of guy, using dino oil. I would rate my pattern of usage as severe service. My engine is squeaky clean, with no tan varnish deposits anywhere - the aluminum sparkles.

This whole oil discussion smacks of "chrome-plating a dog turd."

Mobil 1 0W-40 is perfectly adequate for these engines as long as you maintain a *sane* oil change interval. The ONLY reason BMW went with the LL-01-spec is because with the introduction of the "All Maintainance Paid For 4 Years" scheme (and it`s attendant long-interval oil changes), they needed an oil that could be pushed beyond 20,000 miles without inducing catastrophic engine failure. Hence, LL-01.

Mobil 1 0-40 has mine looking like Fudmans on the inside...enough proof for me to stick with it.

Originally Posted by fuzzynations

---stuff deleted----

I personally buy my own oil at Autozone I get 1 jug of Autozone brand 10w-40 and 2 more quarts so I can put the 6.9 quarts it takes. It comes out to $30 dollars with a new STP filter, that I think looks exactly the same as the "mann" filter I've seen both neither are amazing just cardboard filter paper with a rubber gasket at each end and a new copper washer for the drain plug. Just replace every 3-5k miles, I always change before the service light pops.

---stuff deleted---

I heard many horror stories with that filter.

I have used the STP filter in a pinch but normally I stick to WIX which is Nappa Gold.

Regardless, if you want to see if your oil is performing correctly, just Do an oil analyisis

Thanks for the heads up on the filter, I did a few searches and found the round o-ring gasket for the oil filter housing fails, and the inside of the filter has a weak seam allowing unfiltered oil to pass through.

doh me

In the end, I opted for the following oil change setup........

Liquimoly 5w30 Synthetic Longtime High Tech Oil Change Kit BMW E39 525i 528i
7 Liters Oil And Mann Oil Filter

http://www.ebay.com/itm/221019848413...84.m1439.l2649


WHY? My Personal thoughts?

This meets the requirements.
better than most options for brand name and purchase location, although i never heard of the brand.
made in germany.
sold by bravanian auto sport. They seem to be a big bimmer reseller.
the ease of clicking but it now once and forgetting about it.
it came with 7 liters as well as the mann filter.
not much more in price and sounds like everyone says i can run this to 7.5 or 10k easily (some say safely to 15k?, dealer says 15k with LL)

most importantly. the next time i need oil wont be for 10k and when its that time, i will buy it now again from brav autosports on ebay in 10 seconds and save myself hours or time doing this oil is oil research or time driving to the local autozone... also it arrived quickly and packaged well!

other thoughts.. i bought an extra mann filter. I will put it in at 5k or 7k thus more safely extending oil change interval to 10 or 15k and then doing the oil filter every 5 or 7k......

one last question... everyones saying 5, 10, 15k? Are we all talking miles or kilometers?? Im used to driving a gm and changing it every 3k with regular oil. i like the idea of only changing oil every 10k since everyone says its safe with good oil.

Change oil and filter on my BMWs every 7.5K miles.

I've been using M-1 High Mileage 10W30 mixed w/ 2 qts. 10W40 for 5 years with 3 BMWs. Available at Walmart for around $25 5qt. jug. I've had a couple analyses done at Blackstone with exceptional results, changing at 8K miles. The HM specs meet LL01, works great, and is the right price. Whats not to like?

Oil is oil..... Not really ...... Use synthetic ... Period ..... Why? For all the stated reasons plus one rarely mentioned..... It is cheap insurance if you loose your cooling system . Synthetic will not breakdown at elevated temperatures during this brief temperature excursion . It will save your engine when dyno oil will not . Personally I use Mobil 1 ...... In 30 years it has always resulted in the same outcome. Zero engine problems ..... Zero increase oil burn as mileage piles up . Current cars have > 150 k .
Many synthetics on the market . Mobil 1, Royal Purple , and Amsol are the only true Synthetics .. The rest are technically not syn but ultra refined dyno oils ...... So again oil is not oil . For a few pennies more.... Just stick with Mobil 1 ... And everybody has a Walmart store nearby. .... Right?

These are useful:
- Cn90 How to change your oil; and Bluebee how NOT to change your oil!

- How to choose the right motor oil for your E39 (by quality, cold-start, warm viscosity, slipperiness, and cost)

- You never get what you pay for ($18 Fram oil filter)

Mobile1 is what I use in my bmw's and my 323i is working its way to 300,000 miles now and runs fine.

As long as you change the oil at reasonable intervals you will be fine. Ive got several other high mile vehicles 330k on my f250 with valvoline synthetic, over 500k on my wifes mercedes 190D turbo rotella for instance. Just change the oil and drive

i use aral 10w-40 since my e30, e34 and now e39. i dont know how easy to find aral in USA (when I lived there i drove a plymouth voyager, no need for german oils ).. but i kinda agree its not the brand but how you schedule oil changing

Originally Posted by BigCo540i

Mobil 1 0-40 has mine looking like Fudmans on the inside...enough proof for me to stick with it.

+1

I'm not quite an "oil is oil" guy, but I do think that any good quality synthetic is fine as long as you're using the proper weight and change it every 7500 miles. I always use M1 0W-40 now though.

Originally Posted by AH673000

Oil is oil..... Not really ...... Use synthetic ... Period ..... Why? For all the stated reasons plus one rarely mentioned..... It is cheap insurance if you loose your cooling system . Synthetic will not breakdown at elevated temperatures during this brief temperature excursion . It will save your engine when dyno oil will not ......

NO oil can save your BMW engine from failing cooling system.