"Voice of C. Montgomery Burns" (voiceofcmb)
04/25/2014 at 16:20 • Filed to: None
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"Voice of C. Montgomery Burns" (voiceofcmb)
04/25/2014 at 16:20 • Filed to: None | 0
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So, I changed my own oil for the second time a couple weekends ago on my 07 335i (97K miles). I'm an oil-change convert now but that's another post maybe.
This past oil change was the first one in my car that was done with a Non-OEM (but still BMW approved) oil and filter. The oil I chose was Mobil 1 0W40 Advanced Synthetic and I got a Mann filter. From what I've heard the Mann filter is the same as the filter supplied by the dealer, all I know is it was OEM-spec.
Now, this may all boil down to the placebo effect but since I've changed my oil with the Mobil 1 0W40 for the first time I have noticed significant smoothness at idle and better performance vs. the standard BMW oil, which, from my research is a Castrol-produced 5W30 synthetic.
So I guess my question comes down to this: Has anyone else switched from manufacturer-supplied oil/filters to OEM-spec alternatives and noticed better performance with that change?
Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
04/25/2014 at 16:29 |
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I've not experienced this. I do know, however, that on my car switching to a smaller gapped spark plug can smooth out the idle. Which I also found very interesting.
And on another somewhat related note, I am always surprised at how much the guys at work spend on the oil changes they do themselves, versus what I spend at an oil change place, the difference is not all that much. But I can still appreciate wanting to do it yourself for the sake of being more familiar with what you drive.
RamblinRover Luxury-Yacht
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
04/25/2014 at 16:44 |
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I believe Oppoite KusabiSensei tried an oil switch with his Benz diesel to a factory alternative and had good luck with it, but I don't remember the details.
Also, I should remark: Manns are excellent, but if you ever have a cheaper car, even a German one, Wix have always done excellent by me.
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Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
> Yowen - not necessarily not spaghetti and meatballs
04/25/2014 at 16:45 |
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Honestly, you are right. I was spending about $95 at the dealer to get my oil changed after my free maintenance ran out. I spent ~$70 for just the oil (7 qts) and the filter. Would $25 bucks more been fair for an oil change? Certainly, but I do enjoy the process.
505Turbeaux
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
04/25/2014 at 17:05 |
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Mann is the OE supplier for BMW and others. The One for the Jag AJ V8 is even white with green lettering, just not branded jaguar!
You are correct on Castrol as well as being OE on BMW. M1 0-40 is what I use on BMW 6's as well. Never noticed a difference but I wasn't looking, just my formula for success
desertdog5051
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
04/25/2014 at 17:10 |
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In my many years of changing oil, I found that unless you make an extreme change in viscosity, It really makes no difference. Sort of like how a clean, waxed car seems to run better.
Racescort666
> Voice of C. Montgomery Burns
04/25/2014 at 17:10 |
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What I'm about to say will sound contradictory so I'm going to violate one of my personal rules and give you a bit of my résumé to hopefully add some validity to the following: there is a lot of bullshit out there on oil.
Part of my résumé: I am an engineer, I work with other engineers who have vast amounts of knowledge and (most importantly) test experience with engines. I hate spouting off my résumé because people treat it like I'm rubbing it in their face. The fact of the matter is that I know what I'm talking about and the most important part about talking about oil is that there is data to back it up. Unfortunately, all of that data is proprietary so you can't have it and you'll just have to take my word for it.
With that out of the way, here are a few things to consider: yes, some aftermarket oils are better than others. Regardless of what oil you use, it must conform to the specifications required by the OEM. This is both viscosity (eg 10W40) and other specs (VW, Porsche, BMW, Mercedes all have additional specs they must meet). AMSOIL is better than Walmart brand but the high end oils are all pretty much comparable. Same goes for the midrange like Castrol synthetic.
Synthetic is better than non-synthetic. Period. The only reason to use non-synthetic is if you've been using non-synthetic for a long time. Most synthetic oil have detergents in them and if you switch it will clean a bunch of the gunk out of your engine. That gunk may be plugging leaks in seals though so you could develop a leak. Synthetic doesn't cause leaks, the leak was already there and the synthetic oil (or even oil with detergents) cleaned out whatever was plugging it.
Stick to the OEM recommended service interval. They literally test engines for thousands upon thousands of hours before the public even sees it. Not to mention all of the development history the OEM's Powertrain group has. There is no possible way that some shade tree mechanic knows better than the people that spend their professional lives on engine development. Sorry if this is insulting to some people but an OEM's resources compared to the average person is astounding.
Filters: I personally stick to OEM filters (Mann is the OEM supplier for my car as well) or I will get Mann when I can find them. Filters make a difference because if your filter disintegrates, you won't have any way of getting particulate out of your oil.
TL;DR use the oil grade and viscosity the OEM recommends, make sure the oil meets all the specs they require, use good filters, stick to the OEM service interval. I apologize to those that now think I'm an asshole.