[yenxmq]

I'm looking at fcpeuro oil change kits and I'm not sure if I should be using 5w40 or 5w30 for my 328i xDrive. Also not really sure what the difference is.
I live in the northeast and the temperature is often below freezing in the winter, does that impact either one?
This is my first oil change myself, any feedback is appreciated

[edycol]

Originally Posted by yenxmq

I'm looking at fcpeuro oil change kits and I'm not sure if I should be using 5w40 or 5w30 for my 328i xDrive. Also not really sure what the difference is.
I live in the northeast and the temperature is often below freezing in the winter, does that impact either one?
This is my first oil change myself, any feedback is appreciated

Go Castrol Edge 0W40 from your local Wal Mart.
Going to your question, LL01 approval or MB229.5 approvals or any approvals based on ACEA sequencing, doesn't care about grade but HTHS. HTHS is resistance of the oil to temporary or permanent loss of viscosity. Those approvals require min HTHS 3.5cP. That is achieved using so called heavy XW30 oils or usually light XW40 oils. Those particular oils are probably very similar in HTHS. If you talking Liqui Moly, XW40 has probably mediocre HTHS as you are talking cheap base stock oils.
Castrol Edge 0W40 or M1 0W40 are far better choices regardless that they lost LL01 approval due to BMW updating approvals in 2018 to extend OCI's in B engines. In N51/52 that shouldn't worry you at all.

[jadams161]

If you drive the car in the winter then you will want 5w30 under 40 degrees or so. If only driving in warmer, summer months and you drive it hard then 5w40. the Liquid Moly oil change kits from FCP are great. You pay one time and then have a lifetime oil change. Just order a new kit, change oil and return used oil/filter to FCP for a refund. I personally would never use Castrol oil. but thats just me.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by jadams161

If you drive the car in the winter then you will want 5w30 under 40 degrees or so. If only driving in warmer, summer months and you drive it hard then 5w40. the Liquid Moly oil change kits from FCP are great. You pay one time and then have a lifetime oil change. Just order a new kit, change oil and return used oil/filter to FCP for a refund. I personally would never use Castrol oil. but thats just me.

Tell us why you wouldn't use Castrol? I am all ears.

[jadams161]

Originally Posted by edycol

Tell us why you wouldn't use Castrol? I am all ears.

because there are better oils on the market.

[neilvan]

Castrol 0w40 is a euro formula and a pretty good oil. Of course motul/eneos/lubrimoly are better but castrol is still better than a lot. M1 is literally garbage and I would never recommend that pain on anyone

With a turbo engine Id run 5(or 0 in the euro castrols case) w 40 over a 5w30. Its just better higher temp protection in most cases. I run it all year long(even cold winters and even in my N52s as well as my N54s)

[Phil325i]

Originally Posted by neilvan

M1 is literally garbage and I would never recommend that pain on anyone

So Mobil 1 is 'garbage' then? I've been using it in various cars for over 45 years and never had an internal engine failure yet. Sorry, but I'll need a lot more convincing evidence than your say-so to stop using it...

[edycol]

Originally Posted by jadams161

because there are better oils on the market.

That is not answer. And if you want better oils, Liqui Moly is definitely not the way to go.
But, I bet oversized Made in Germany letter get you at least 50hp.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Castrol 0w40 is a euro formula and a pretty good oil. Of course motul/eneos/lubrimoly are better but castrol is still better than a lot. M1 is literally garbage and I would never recommend that pain on anyone

With a turbo engine Id run 5(or 0 in the euro castrols case) w 40 over a 5w30. Its just better higher temp protection in most cases. I run it all year long(even cold winters and even in my N52s as well as my N54s)

No Liqu Moly oil has ingredients as sophisticated as Castrol 0W40. All Liqu Moly oils, except their 0W40 formula are hydrocracked oils (and their 0W40 formula is extremely old one).
Mobil1 is at cutting edge of technology. Eneos and Motul are not utilizing technology that Mobil1 and Shell are using and especially Liqui Moly is not utilizing that technology.
Mobil1 is largest supplier of PAO based stocks. Shell is largest supplier of GTL stocks, while Castrol supplies most of HC stocks, including Motul and Liqui Moly.
Additives are also supplied by other companies. Biggest is Infineum, owned by guess who? Mobil1!

Most oils like Liqui Moly, Ravenol, Redline, Amsoil get stuff from Mobil1, Chevron, Shell, Castrol etc. I worked for oil company that you never heard of but supplied Motul and Liqui Moly with base stocks.
To claim that Mobil1 is garbage is epitome of ignorance.

[jadams161]

Originally Posted by edycol

That is not answer. And if you want better oils, Liqui Moly is definitely not the way to go.
But, I bet oversized Made in Germany letter get you at least 50hp.

You're right. And I actually got 80hp from switching to Geico too. Yup...you are why forums blow these days.

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by edycol

No Liqu Moly oil has ingredients as sophisticated as Castrol 0W40. All Liqu Moly oils, except their 0W40 formula are hydrocracked oils (and their 0W40 formula is extremely old one).
Mobil1 is at cutting edge of technology. Eneos and Motul are not utilizing technology that Mobil1 and Shell are using and especially Liqui Moly is not utilizing that technology.
Mobil1 is largest supplier of PAO based stocks. Shell is largest supplier of GTL stocks, while Castrol supplies most of HC stocks, including Motul and Liqui Moly.
Additives are also supplied by other companies. Biggest is Infineum, owned by guess who? Mobil1!

Most oils like Liqui Moly, Ravenol, Redline, Amsoil get stuff from Mobil1, Chevron, Shell, Castrol etc. I worked for oil company that you never heard of but supplied Motul and Liqui Moly with base stocks.
To claim that Mobil1 is garbage is epitome of ignorance.

Engineer in the hydraulics industry here. In simpler terms, Mobil one has since thinned their oil for fuel economy reasons. I wont touch them and most non modified cars spinning bearings (that don't have a common issue for it) have 1 thing in common

You can guess what that is

[edycol]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Engineer in the hydraulics industry here. In simpler terms, Mobil one has since thinned their oil for fuel economy reasons. I wont touch them and most non modified cars spinning bearings (that don't have a common issue for it) have 1 thing in common

You can guess what that is

Thinned? Engineer? Do you understand at all requirements for different cars? HTHS? KV100?
Engineer? Ask your money back from that college.

[neilvan]

Yes. When its new you are right then there is not much difference. Over time with wear and heat it breaks down. The fluid degradation after that; specifically the resistance to shear is not at all the same.

While no I am not specifically in the auto industry, I do have a wide variety of hydraulics (and even that I am mechanical we have plenty of chemists). Plus I also do build engines as a part time thing so I have experience with both sides.

I apologise for trying to simplify terms down

[neilvan]

Originally Posted by Phil325i

So Mobil 1 is 'garbage' then? I've been using it in various cars for over 45 years and never had an internal engine failure yet. Sorry, but I'll need a lot more convincing evidence than your say-so to stop using it...

You have luck on your side; I never said using Mobil 1 would tank your motor immediately.

While I do not have them saved I have some across tests that have shown the difference in the shear over time.

And I am basing that on personal experience; Pulling engines apart and seeing the bearing wear based on which oils used (yes different HP and usage does have some effect)

I had used Mobil 1 myself in the past. Until The rear main seal(toyota) would not stop pissing out oil. Literally any other oil fixed it (weird coincidence? who knows).

Its just my opinion based on a variety of experience

[Sgop335]

I have heard mixed opinions on mobil 1. But this was interesting enjoy ..reminded what neilvan says

[edycol]

Originally Posted by neilvan

Yes. When its new you are right then there is not much difference. Over time with wear and heat it breaks down. The fluid degradation after that; specifically the resistance to shear is not at all the same.

While no I am not specifically in the auto industry, I do have a wide variety of hydraulics (and even that I am mechanical we have plenty of chemists). Plus I also do build engines as a part time thing so I have experience with both sides.

I apologise for trying to simplify terms down

Do you actually know minimum HTHS requirements, minimum shearing requirements etc. by BMW, MB, VW etc.?
Your statement how Mobil1 is thinned is telling, but which Mobil1? ILSAC GF-6? M1 0W30 ESP? ESP 5W30? ESP 0W40? 0W40 FS?
You do know that requirements by Porsche A40, C40, C30, BMW LL, MB, VW require stay in grade over OCI?
And what bearings? On what engines? Porsche Porsche runs 0W40 in Sebring.
And this is rig that Porsche is using for oil testing. A/C 40 requires 8hrs Nordschleife simulation on this rig. And Porsche strictly uses Mobil1 as factory oil.
If you spun your rod bearings, you didn't spun it bcs. Mobil1 unless wrong oil in certain application.
And by the way, M1 is the only oil on market that is approved for numerous European applications and has 5-7% of Ester in the oil.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by Sgop335

I have heard mixed opinions on mobil 1. But this was interesting enjoy ..reminded what neilvan says

In my life I have never seen M1 shear that much.
I had that M1 (VISOM base stock, used until 11/2015) in VW CC that sheared from 13.5 to 13.3 after 5k in DI engine.

If that oil sheared to W20 it is huge fuel dilution, and sorry DT40 would too under same conditions.

To add one thing:
DRiven is not approved for any manufacturer as far as I know. That means usually that oil cannot pass oxidation requirements, deposit requirements, and shear stability over OCI.
Oils like DT40, RL performance series, Motul 300V etc. are not approved for anything. They claim to be suitable or meet and exceed, but in reality they are not approved for anything. That doesn't mean DT40 or RL 5W40 is not good oil on track, but we are talking street oils. There is huge difference between oils made for regular driving and track specific oils. Track specific oils are notoriously bad in daily driving. Street oils on other hand can sustain track to certain limits. But I hate these comparisons where someone takes test that is not even SAE let alone specific for manufacturer, and say: aha, look at this.

[edycol]

Originally Posted by neilvan

You have luck on your side; I never said using Mobil 1 would tank your motor immediately.

While I do not have them saved I have some across tests that have shown the difference in the shear over time.

And I am basing that on personal experience; Pulling engines apart and seeing the bearing wear based on which oils used (yes different HP and usage does have some effect)

I had used Mobil 1 myself in the past. Until The rear main seal(toyota) would not stop pissing out oil. Literally any other oil fixed it (weird coincidence? who knows).

Its just my opinion based on a variety of experience

Yeah, oil won't fix pissing RMS unless it is stuffed with various additives which will wreck havoc in other parts of an engine.
Here is my UOA of M1 5W30 EP in Toyota 2GR-FE with literally no shearing after 10k and flash point stayed same as new. Never uses a drop:

[e91Owner]

To the OP, I prefer 5w40 simply due to the gaskets that leak over time on BMWs more than most. Once and done with FCP. I've used liqui-moly in 4 cars for years, although your car will never know the difference what oil you're using, changed at regular intervals.