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M52/S52 oil recommendation


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I dont have an owners manual to list a recommended brand, viscosity, or rating of oil. I searched around and even dared to enter a bobistheoilguy thread where you can have a bounty placed on your head if you admit to using an inferior oil in your car.

The best info I have found so far is from a BMW TSB but it is hardly specific enough for me

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I know Castrol is commonly the recommended brand of BMW. Does anyone have any suggestions or info from a relevant owners manual?

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12 hours ago, patsbimmer1 said:

I ran mobil 1 0w40 in both of my e36's and neither blew up.

I run this in my e36 M3 and my e91 328.  It used to be a BMW approved oil, but BMW has since pulled all the non-BMW oils from their approved list.  

Switching to this weight/manufacturer in my e91 cut my oil consumption from about a quart per 7000 miles (my change interval) to near zero.

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On 11/13/2017 at 9:50 AM, Snap said:

This is a pretty great comparison I found for my infiniti (VQ35) to show how not all high quality synthetic oils are created equal/how some oils should be used with a particular engine and others probably shouldnt

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Stop it.  Just stop it.  Put oil in and change it regularly.  What this doesn't show is how any of this effects engine life and a rate of failure based on a certain brand.  This doesn't tell you if any of it matters.

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I use Royal Purple HPS, it's not even API approved, boom!  And I even use 5w30 in my m50.  Another factor into the equation of oil recommendations is that these engines are 20 plus years old, engine oils have changed in that time.  There was no 0w40 and great synthetics then.  I'm not concerned to use a lighter oil (of a high quality) as long as the oil pressure is still in spec.  More pressure means lower flow rate.  The oil pressure is not what prevents metal contact.

 

I'm not a Diehard Royal Purple fanboy, There are other oils that are great as well.  I can get HPS from my local race shop for just over 8$/quart.  I have used it in all of my vehicles for several years and it seems to keep engine internals nice and clean.  If your engine is ancient like my LandCruiser though it can clean too much and expose seals that would leak other than years of grime slowing down the leakage.  That is where the myth that synthetics cause leaks comes from.

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On 11/14/2017 at 3:11 PM, patsbimmer1 said:

Stop it.  Just stop it.  Put oil in and change it regularly.  What this doesn't show is how any of this effects engine life and a rate of failure based on a certain brand.  This doesn't tell you if any of it matters.

Brian lives for analysis paralysis though, so it's right on track!

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I beat the daylights out of my M30 and blew it up, spun a rod bearing on cyl.5. always ran Valvoline 20-50 with ZDDP additive.

Rebuild with all new components, still running 20-50, BUT I use Liqui-Moly MoS2 (Molybdenum Disulfide) additive and if it is ever below 40 degrees I have a 100W oil pan heater to help cold starts. This was 140,000 miles ago and she has a strong 150-160 PSI across all six with minimal leak down. 

 

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Stop it.  Just stop it.  Put oil in and change it regularly.  What this doesn't show is how any of this effects engine life and a rate of failure based on a certain brand.  This doesn't tell you if any of it matters.


+1 Great advice

I would like to add a picture of oil changes done regularly at 10k miles like recommended by the dealer. No matter the brand it all breaks down in the end. Oil still collects dirt and no engine filter will ever filter it all out.

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18 hours ago, Jeff said:

 


+1 Great advice

I would like to add a picture of oil changes done regularly at 10k miles like recommended by the dealer. No matter the brand it all breaks down in the end. Oil still collects dirt and no engine filter will ever filter it all out.

074c497f0c9eaf8bd1ef9ba8be187beb.jpg

 

10K oil changes are BS. Been working on machinery and vehicles for along time and my dad/mentor/teacher has been ASE certified master tech for longer than I have been alive; German cars= 5K max OCI. 

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