Oil Change time

Racer23 · Jul 29, 2003

Ok. Since I can't find the post I will post a new one.

My car has 63k on it right now. I want to change the oil and filter in it but not sure what the guy before me had put in it. (guy is deceased can't ask him either) Should I go with synthetic or just regular oil? [?|]

THanks.

Kenny2g · Jul 29, 2003

I'll go with regular but put 5 bottles and then one bottle of LUCAS oil. Your local autozone know's what am talking about. Also, since you have low miles i'll put 10-30

Wadula · Jul 29, 2003

synthetic or regular depends on what is used at the moment.

personally i swear on the synthetic stuff. i have mobil 1 0-W40. that is btw the oem material. bmw uses it everytime i have the oil changed.

don't you have a display telling you when the next change is needed?

Racer23 · Jul 29, 2003

It is not lit up at the moment but I want to change it for 2 reasons.
1. I know when it was last done.
2. I know what type of oil it has in it.

So if I put in synthetic oil right now and for example it currently has in regular oil it won't screw it up?

OR if it has synthetic now and I put regular oil in will it harm the engine?

I just want to make sure I do the right thing when I don't know what type of oil it has in it.

YoYiTo · Jul 29, 2003

I use Mobil 1 15w 50 synthetic oil. My '92 325i has 148k miles and still runs hard

Wadula · Jul 29, 2003

once you switched to synthetic, you have to stick with it. from regular to synthetic it's no deal, but not back. that's at least the word.

Racer23 · Jul 29, 2003

SO basically I better go with synthetic

Wadula · Jul 29, 2003

yup, that's what i think. it is just the better oil.

bmw4life13 · Jul 29, 2003

where can i get a good price for synthetic oil? target maybe?

Wadula · Jul 29, 2003

sorry but i have no idea about that [:I]

Dave323is · Jul 29, 2003

I've been told opposite information from my dealer. They told me that if your car is currently using mineral oil then it is not advised to switch to synthetic. The reason being that synthetic oil molecules are smaller than mineral oil and can then leak past the piston rings.

They could be blowing smoke, but they charge more for synthetic so....

Wadula · Jul 29, 2003

a general procedure for breaking in a car is on regular oil and than switching to synthetic. the leaking was some years ago, since then engine and oil quality improved. now that doesn't happen any more.
in fact, synthetic reduces wear compared to regular. that at least is the infomation i read.

carcus · Jul 30, 2003

Wadula said:

You can switch back from synth to dino oil.....not a problem, they do no mix well though. I suggest Mobil 1 synthetic 0W-40 for a normal climate. Check the local Walmart, last I checked....believe it or not, 5 quart jug was 19 bucks or so....a steal for Mobil 1. 0W-40 is set for Euro cars. If you live in a desert or very cold area....might want to check on a different weight. Just my 2 cents. [thumb]

bmw4life13 · Jul 31, 2003

i've spoken to several bmw mechanics on this topic and here's what they had to say. first, people using synthetic oil get the false impression that this stuff really is good for thousands & thousands of miles. they've changed the oil on countless bimmers that come in for scheduled oil changes only to find that the oil has become really krappy. their advice was to stick with regular motor oil and change it every 3,000 miles.

Wadula · Jul 31, 2003

they tell it to get you to the shop and leave money there.

first reason why i say so: bmw has a system telling you when it is time to come in and change the oil. why should they set up this thing (that actually tells you to change oil after 10 kmiles and more or like half a year, when in fact the oil is already krappy after 3000 miles? no way. that is too dangerous to be sued by owners. they can say that the display is giving a too long interval.

second there once was i test that i read. the german AAA equivalent took a vauxhall , that was up to date at the time of the test, and filled it with regular normal oil. they ran the car 60000 miles without changing the oil. the test took a year approx. and was done as daily driving just like you and i. after that year they disassembled the engine and it was just good. sure, the oil did not look new anymore, but it was still goos enough to keep the engine in shape.

this 3000 miles stuff is only money making.

Wadula · Jul 31, 2003

forgot, for the change from synthetic back to regular, do you have a source? i mean that is interesting. not that i want to change back, but i would like to read.

carcus · Jul 31, 2003

bmw4life13 said:

That is what they will tell you to keep coming back. Changing dino oil is fine at 3K though. Even with synthetic....you still have to change it. The people who buy synthetic and run 10K miles between oil changes are the ones that have problems. Just my 2 cents. [;)]

Wadula · Jul 31, 2003

i got my car with 10kmiles, now it has 60 kmiles. i stick to the display. the car runs like a swiss watch. just recently the car had a state inspection and our mechanic made a compression test on all cylinders. (that´s not needed for the inspection, but the occasion was good as the car went to his shop for inspection) the compression was flawless.

furthermore do all cars in my family get this kind of treatment and run smooth.

okay, it will not hurt the engine when it gets fresh oil so often like 3 kmiles, but it will not do any better either.

bmw4life13 · Jul 31, 2003

so how often do you change the oil on synthetic?

Wadula · Aug 1, 2003

i do not change to synthetic. i have it and only it. i change oil when the displaya tells me. that can be after a certain milage or after a certain time, which ever is first. that´s what bmw officially tells youand they sure enough will not take the risk to give anybody a slightest reason to sue them.

Oil Change time

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