The Oil Thread

[MasterC17]

MasterC17's Recommended Oil's for an E46 Non-M:

*All Oil's Here are Group IV or Group V Oil's.

Oil Change DIY

Non-Xi E46's Take: 6.5 Quarts
Xi E46's Take: 7.5 Quarts

Mobil 1 0W-40 ($7.99): A decent oil, good for a daily driver.
BMW 5W-30 ($6.25): Best bang for your buck. P/N: 07 51 0 017 866.
German (Euro) Castrol 0W-30 ($7.99): A decent oil, good for a daily driver.
Amsoil 5W-40 European ($9.20): A better oil, but will cost you more.
Amsoil 10W-40 Premium ($9.00): Contains high doses of Zinc & Phos - Good for FI Applications.
Red Line 5W-30 ($10.49): A good racing oil, do a 50/50 or 66/33 mix with the 5W-40.
Red Line 5W-40 ($10.95): A good racing oil, do a 50/50 or 66/33 mix with the 5W-30.
Total Quartz 9000 0W-40 (Not Sold in US?): A good oil if you can find it, not sure if you can though. Popular in Europe.
Liqui-Moly Synthoil Energy 0W-40 ($12.49): A good brand of oil that will work in our cars (but expensive).

And undisputedly the best filter for our cars is factory (Mann) P/N: 11427512300.

If you decide you want to run an oil not on this list either ask or buy one that meets the following. Our cars like to run oil that has a Viscocity @ 100°C of 11-14 (cSt). I probably wouldn't buy an oil that goes out of this range. Your Winter (W) weight should be 0, 5, or 10. Your upper number should be 30 or 40. If you jump out of these ranges you risk hurting the engine.

This post will be updated and revised as time progresses.

[zhpnsnv]

Unless you intend to try all of those oils in _your_ engine then send them out to be analyzed, you will never have an actual answer to that question besides basic subjective conjecture.

So the real question is: which of those do you feel most comfortable with putting in your car and spending your $ on? Me? I like the BMW oil every 7,500 miles, despite the fact that there is plenty of evidence out there that intermediate changes aren't necessary.

[kayger12]

So the real question is: which of those do you feel most comfortable with putting in your car and spending your $ on? Me? I like the BMW oil every 7,500 miles, despite the fact that there is plenty of evidence out there that intermediate changes aren't necessary.

+1

[MasterC17]

Well I guess I feel 'comfortable' with any of the four I mentioned (BMW Castrol, Mobil 1, Redline, & Total). I'm changing the oil every 4,000 miles, even though, as stated it probably isn't necessary. However, I know I'm not 100% happy with the Mobil 1, so I guess I'm trying to figure out which one I should try next. Given, without sending the oil out I'm not ever really going to learn anything solid but I guess whichever one I feel performs the best will be the one I stick with.

[danewilson77]

M1 0W-40

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[JohnnyGraphic]

Heads up:
Costco has a 6 pack case of Mobil 1 5-30 for $35.49 with a $9 off coupon = $26.49 or $4.42/Qt.

Johnny

[danewilson77]

5W-30 does not meet the spec johnny...

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[JohnnyGraphic]

5W-30 does not meet the spec johnny...

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Good catch! I've been using 5W-30 the last 2 times...Ugh.

Correct oil is Mobil 1 0-40 or BMW 5-30

Sorry about that everybody!

Johnny

[MasterC17]

Where would I send the oil out to be analyzed and how much would it cost roughly? I think I'm going to go with the Total 5W-40 and see how that does. After that I'll probably try Redline.

[Marcus-SanDiego]

I think most people use Blackstone for the oil analysis.

http://www.zhpmafia.com/forums/showt...ght=blackstone