Wrong Oil?

Thanks Clive, the chart you sent me explains many things and mobil 1 is just not necessary for me at all. Thanks again. pete

Thanks Dave but I have a mech who looks after all the family's cars and I will show him Clives post and the chart and leave it to him. When he changes the oil and filter he will do anything else that needs to be done too. Thanks pete

Pleasure Pete, although I am sure not everyone will agree! Still it does come "straight from the horses mouth" so to speak. Happy motoring! Regards Clive

I doubt using a proper weight "conventional" oil in typical US change periods is going to kill the engine. However - the most available motor oil in the US on BMW's current approval list is probably Mobil 1 0W-40, which is specifically formulated for long drain periods. Just as an aside, I've seen it in some Wal-Mart stores for about $4.40 per US quart (946 ml). This should be the equivalent of what's sold in Europe.

In the UK, Mobil 1 0W-40 costs approx £35 to £40 for 4 litres which is approx £9 for a US Quart, which is approx 17 USD ($) or about four times the price.

Thought you US guys might be interested ?

Nick

Yes, so send us a 1000ltrs or so!! BTW The "Conventional" oils you refer to( not you Nick, previous post) are all BMW recommended for normal service intervals. My quotes are not my own but from the Main Dealer TIS CD. I can mail a copy to anyone interested. Cheers Clive

I was responding to the point that the OP made that he had been using the SAME SHOP for a long time, and they just now asked if he wanted synthetic oil when the car calls for synthetic and he assumed he was already getting it. This wasn't a case of the shop undertaking an initial interview of the client to determine what the needs were, it's a case of the same mechanic that had already been doing the service and hence should already know what the needs are.

I agree that you should ask Mrs. Smith what her usage is with her car. but, should you ask her on every trip to your shop? Should you NOT ask her on the first 5 or 6 trips, then suddenly spring this/these question/s on her on the

7th trip?

I think when Mrs. Smith comes to your shop, you are smart to find out if she drives several hundred miles a month from your part of the island to the remore northern reaches to visit her sister, or if she only drives into town on Tuesdays to get fresh milk, eggs, and bread. Then, based on the outcome of this interview, you tailor your service to her needs and budget. If she wants the Cheap Service and drives alot, then part of your job is to explain that she perhaps is making a poor choice in electing to get the cheap service. But after she has been coming around for a while and getting her oil changed, you don't change the service you have been giving. This is what the OP was pointing out.

Same shop but was it the same mechanic? It could be that an another mechanic thought that maybe the car was being over serviced and just offering an alternative thinking of the customers pocket(as I do). I would find your comments offensive if you had made them about my ability considering I have serviced these cars all my working life. Maybe you are just "shooting the messenger" You say: > Clearly you can get cheaper service than the dealership > provides, but > that should be a function of lower overhead, not less > trained > technicians or substandard attention to service > requirements.>

I feel this is a bit harsh.

The other point is, why do you think the car "calls for synthetic"? Admittedly it has used this in the past but is it necessary? I am sure a main dealer would think it was because of the profit he makes.

I don't want to get fired up about this, I just see it as a guy asking the customers preference. BMW Technical recommend using quite a range of semi-synthetic oils to suit different conditions etc for all their models and unless it is out of temperature range or cheap rubbish there is no "wrong oil" that is going to ruin an engine. You are quite welcome to a copy of their recommended oil specs if you would like it.

With reference to your first paragraph: I do Ferraris and Porsches as well but I still feel I can do BMW's correctly!! But I see you have your doubts :-)

Regards Clive

If you can get back to the original post and then consider my comments in that context, they are not nearly as offensive as you make them out to be.

My mechanic is cheaper than the dealer because his overhead is lower. He is every bit as good as the dealer mechanics, but his costs to keep the doors open on his shop are a fraction of the dealer's costs so he has lower hourly rates.

Assuming you are factory trained, then you should be as good as the dealer mechanics too, and your costs to keep your doors open are less than the dealership's, so you should be able to offer lower hourly rates too.

I wasn't dissing the independents, I am suggesting that they can be just as good, and be cheaper than the dealer technicians.

As for who asked the questions, the shop owner or the technician, you'll need to ask the original poster. The way he told the story, it sounded like the same guy has been servicing his car for a long time, and just now is asking if he wants synthetics when the OP thinks that is it very clear that hd car requires synthetic oil.

Jeff Well, now we agree! I think that the problem has been that OP panicked not realizing he had an option and thinking his car HAD to have synthetic oil. I felt I had to stick up for the independents as we do get a lot of bad press, people thinking we have half a brain and no training. Over the years I have seen some horrendous main dealer work(not just BMW) and have even suceeded where they have failed. Now I am pleased to say my local BMW & Mercedes and myself have an excellent relationship and work well together, especially Mercedes who mail me on a regular basis asking if they can be of help in my work. Not so Porsche and Ferrari dealers, who still think I wear the wrong overalls!! I realize I am off topic but just wanted say how I felt and I appreciate your comments in your last post. Oh yes, I know there are still a lot of cowboys out there and any owner should pick his man by "word of mouth" recommendation, not just by fancy advertising. I am sure owners benefit from a "one to one" with the mechanic rather than speaking to a receptionist at a dealer, after all vehicle symptoms do get "lost in translation" and the problem doesn't get sorted. Sorry to drone on, but I have enjoyed this discussion and maybe some have learned a little from it. Regards Clive

Clive,

Make sure that the chart you are looking at on the TIS is not "old news". I think there are still some application charts with very old dates on mine (TIS) and if the cahrt predates the car I am not so sure that they would apply.

I do know that for all 3 of my BMW cars (a 1994, a 1995 and 1997 MYs) the conventional oil is prescribed. But I think they went to recomending *only* straight synthetic sometime later. Probably to boost sales of their own oil. ;-)

-Fred W

that they would apply.

Chart is from 2003 TIS Cheers Clive

Forgot to mention I filled in OP's year & model and then took it from there. Your probably right though about them making more money. Thanks & Cheers Clive

The price I quoted was for the single quart bottles. I haven't seen the 0W-40 in larger containers, but their 5W-30/10W-30 can be as low as $19 +tax for the 5 quart jugs.

Check out Kwik Fit for bulk prices.

Yes, but what is the date on the top of the page? Even the latest TIS CDs have some very old stuff tucked away in them.

-Fred W

Clive,

Here is an excerpt from a model year 2000 Owner's Manual:

"Specified engine oils The quality of the engine oil is extremely important for the function and life of an engine. Based on extensive testing, BMW has approved only certain types of engine oils.

Use only approved "BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil." If you are unable to obtain "BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil," you may use small volumes of other approved synthetic oils for topping up between oil changes. Use only oils with the specification API SH or higher.

Ask your BMW center for details concerning the specific "BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil" or other synthetic oils that have been approved.

You can also call BMW of North America at 1-800-831-1117 or visit this website:

to obtain this information."

So you see, from at least year 2000, BMW has recomended *ONLY* synthetic oil be used.

-Fred W

Yes, Mobil 1 was available at Walmart for $18.99 (no sales tax in NH, thank-you) for the 5 quart bottles the last time I stocked up...

-Fred W

Yes, but was it the 0W-40? :-)

Seriously though, the 0W-40 is the only Mobil 1 product sold in the US that meets BMW LL-01 standard. I understand there's a Mobil 1

5W-40 in Europe that also meets the standard. I think I've also seen some Castrol (don't trust them anymore) and Valvoline oils that are labelled as meeting the spec.

There are a few 5W-30 or 0W-30 oils that meet the BMW LL-01 spec. Motul has a BMW-specific 5W-30 oil (this place lists it at $7.80/ liter):