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Best oil for BMWs?

2K views 25 replies 15 participants last post by  bluebee 
#1 ·
I just want to do my oil change, and I want to know which is the best oil for my car. My car has 125,000 miles. Please any help..:)
 
#4 ·
Honestly I go with oil from the dealer and the filter. I get it for about $62 that's including tax for 7 quarts.

I've used the oil from the dealer since the day I owned the car 6 years ago. It's been amazing and being that I have a supercharger and it's done this good I stay with it.
 
#6 ·
Go to the nearest Walmart, or any auto parts store, and purchase 7 quarts of Mobil 1 0W-40 (no other weight, please), and a Mann or Mahle filter. You`ll need a 36 mm socket for the filter housing if you`re planning to DIY the job.

If you have a little extra dough, a Mity-Vac will turn the job into a piece of cake.

Good luck !
 
#13 ·
0W-40 is what he said.

5W-40
0W-40
5W-30
0W-30

There can be more than one fine brands, but when you buy Mobil you get good stuff for sure.
If looking for other brands, there should be "BMW Long-life rating LL-01" or "BMW LL-01" mentioned in label.
 
#17 · (Edited)
:) no prob.
you don't have to stick with one oil only.
The suggested oils are already good. But in case you don't find that one oil once in a while, there are always other options that are LL01 certified. (Castrol Edge STP 0w/30, 0w/40, Pennzoil platinum Ultra Euro 5w/40...etc)
Even the BMW dealer oil (Castrol SLX probably) is a very good oil, and is reasonably priced.
 
#20 · (Edited)
Do you know what kind of oil the car's been using up to know? Synthetic? Mineral?

If it's been running mineral oil for example, I wouldn't put a light 0W30 synthetic in it, you'd want something a little heavier since the seals are used to mineral oil.

i.e. a typical mineral oil is 5W30. If your car's been running that, the oil seals swell to a certain level. then you switch to synthetic, which is a little lighter by the same grade, so you'd wanna go one step up, say to 10W30, otherwise you might see higher than normal oil consumption as the synthetic leaks past the seals.

And don't buy synthetic blends, they're a complete marketing tool and no better than mineral oil. Buy full synthetic or don't bother.
 
#26 ·
The biggest problem with asking a question that has fundamentally a half-dozen answers but which has been asked ten thousand times before, is that you'll never get the 'right' answer for you - simply because the correct answer to this question has more to do with the OP's personality than on anything else.

So, to the OP, I suggest this reading where we fleshed out the top four answers to the "what oil" question:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=513698

As for the filter, this thread has all your options listed and discussed:
http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=521683

For the record, there was a discussion about which oil filter to use over here today:

To which, I had responded (for the record):

I've learned, over time, what to look for in (any brand) of oil filter - but - when I was (not much) younger and dumber (aka before I joined bimmerfest) - I bought both Fram & STP oil filters!

Here, for example, was my very first BMW oil filter change:

When I wrote the obligatory DIY, people corrected me immediately, on my choice of oil filter brands:


Over time, I learned WHY you don't want the STP oil filter:

The seam and the rubber mounting are, shall we say, problematic in our bimmers:

And, soon thereafter, I learned why you also don't want Fram oil filters.

Soon, I learned that most use Mann filters, so I picked up a bunch (don't worry about the oil choice, for now, as this is just about the filter).

While I chose Mann, many use Mahle:

And, some use Hengst:

You can even get other brands for your bimmer, such as Mobil 1 oil filters:

Or, Napa Platinum oil filters:

Or, Napa Pro One oil filters:

Or Fram ExtraGuard oil filters:

Or even PepBoys Purolater Classic oil filters:

But really, most of us use plain old Mann oil filters:

Of course, after having joined bimmerfest, now when I write an oil-change DIY, I use the suggested oil filter brands:


Note: Here's a basic parts list for an oil change:
- Oil filter & 91x4 O-ring & copper crush washer (Mann, Mahle, Hengst, or BMW P/N 11427512300)
- (1) oil pan drain bolt (M12x1.5x18, BMW P/N 11131273093)
- (1) extra copper crush washer (A12X17-CU, BMW P/N 07119963151)
- (2) oil filter stem o-rings (7x2.5, BMW P/N 11421744001)
- (2) dipstick handle o-rings (9x2.2, BMW P/N 11431717666)

See also:
Cn90 How to change your oil; and Bluebee how NOT to change your oil! and A BMW E39 Oil & Filter Change (vacuum extraction method) DIY
 
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