[SiEgs90]

So hopefully I’ll be changing my oil this weekend God willing and had a couple questions. I ran some Chevron Techron Fuel System Cleaner in the tank that I’m gonna burn through before I change the oil. I get some periodic lift ticking and was planning on using some additives to it. I’m just sticking with the BMW TT 5w30 and I bought some Liqui Molly lifter additive and a bottle of Liqui Molly anti friction engine treatment. So what I was wondering is should I just use one of those two things for now or both? I read that the additives can thin your oil down and I didn’t really want that going on as it’s still rather warm out. Car is coming up on 73k.

[Efthreeoh]

My personal experience has indicated that using 5W-30 BMW-spec LL01 oil and an OE or OEM oil filter leads to long engine life. I've never seen the need to use oil additives.

[9krpmrx8]

There is no need for additives.

As for the tick, https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=320299

Change your oil more often and LL01 doesn't mean shit unless you are following BMW's 15,000 mile oil change intervals.

[Efthreeoh]

There is no such thing as "BMWs 15,000 mile oil change"; it's an internet myth.

But BMW clearly states in every owners manual I've read that oil additives are not required and not recommended.

[9krpmrx8]

Originally Posted by Efthreeoh

There is no such thing as "BMWs 15,000 mile oil change"; it's an internet myth.

But BMW clearly states in every owners manual I've read that oil additives are not required and not recommended.

So this is fake?

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

So this is fake?

Read the 4th paragraph. The oil change interval is either the CBS notification OR a 12-month (annual) oil service for USA market cars. That means, within 12 months if the CBS determines an oil service is due then the oil and filter requires a change, or if at 12 months since the last change if the CBS does not notify the oil requires a change, the low mileage 12-month oil change interval is to be followed. Cars driven with high annual mileages can go over 15,000 miles for an OCI as determined by the CBS. My car had 8 OCI above 17,000 miles.

[9krpmrx8]

Right so BMW is recommending 15000+ mile OCI's under certain conditions. Crazy.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

Right so BMW is recommending 15000+ mile OCI's under certain conditions. Crazy.

Nope, the CBS calculates less than 15,000 miles as well. Post data that supports your position, or simply stop propagating internet myth.

[SiEgs90]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

There is no need for additives.

As for the tick, https://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=320299

Change your oil more often and LL01 doesn't mean shit unless you are following BMW's 15,000 mile oil change intervals.

I do mine every 7,500 and will still get the tick. Not all the time, but enough to want to try something that might quiet it down more in between oil changes

[bvanlieu]

Originally Posted by 9krpmrx8

Right so BMW is recommending 15000+ mile OCI's under certain conditions. Crazy.

Nothing crazy about a premium blended motor oil having a high mileage service interval based on low stress conditions. Lots of myths about oil, how long it can last, how it can magically break down yada yada yada.

General recommendations cover many use cases in one statement, but the truth is most use cases can go a long time, a few high stress use cases shorter intervals. Efthreeoh has lots of supporting data in such a low stress use case.

All without UOA reports for the most part IIRC, though plenty of us oil geeks have done the UOA analysis for years and come up with tons of data showing the motor oil maintaining solid properties to continue using (grade, TBN, no dilution).



- b

[9krpmrx8]

Yeah my tests have all gone well and I have been testing for years on various cars and have never seen a bad report that had anything to do with the oil used but I have definitely seen boutique oils test worse (still good though) than cheaper oils.

efthreeoh, I know it can calculate less than 15,000 miles but like you said in certain conditions it can calculate more than that and I just think that is nuts even if the car is only cruised on the highway at low loads.

Just uneducated opinions of course though since I don't think any of us are lubrication engineers AFAIK.

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by bvanlieu

Nothing crazy about a premium blended motor oil having a high mileage service interval based on low stress conditions. Lots of myths about oil, how long it can last, how it can magically break down yada yada yada.

General recommendations cover many use cases in one statement, but the truth is most use cases can go a long time, a few high stress use cases shorter intervals. Efthreeoh has lots of supporting data in such a low stress use case.

All without UOA reports for the most part IIRC, though plenty of us oil geeks have done the UOA analysis for years and come up with tons of data showing the motor oil maintaining solid properties to continue using (grade, TBN, no dilution).



- b

That's the thing, my use case is not low-stress as you think. My car sees daily about 40 miles of stop and go traffic 5 days a week, and lot of high-speed (high-g) conering and elevation change. It's not all easy highway driving.

Don't add additives...change the make/model/weight of oil instead. You'll likely find that one particular oil over another will give you different results.

[SiEgs90]

Originally Posted by FCobra94

Don't add additives...change the make/model/weight of oil instead. You'll likely find that one particular oil over another will give you different results.

I ran my car for about 25mins and let it cool for 15mins or so before starting on the change. After it was over I ran it down the street a couple mins and came back and put a tiny bit more left from the 7th qt I used. Upon removing the oil cap it was produced a very light white smoke like steam. Not a lot. Just like vapor from coffee or tea. I had a leak down at the bottom of the oil drain plug before the change and as I said in an earlier post my car told me to add 1qt immediately about a month ago. Ran a full tank with Techron Fuel System Cleaner right up until the change. Filled up a new tank of Shell 93 after. So with that being said would this be any reason to add the anti friction additive? I was reading up on the possibilities of blown head gaskets before. I had the valve cover gasket replaced less than a year ago due to leaks.

You're putting too much thought into this...unless you're willing to invest a decent amount of coin into oil analysis, adding random additives, etc. is pointless because you'll never know whether or not it's worth it.

Do this instead:
1. Choose 3 or 4 decent brands/weights of oil
2. Run them all at your typical oil change intervals
3. Note any noticeable difference (consumption, oil temps, etc.)
4. Pick the one that "performed best" and stock up next time it goes on sale

[Efthreeoh]

Originally Posted by SiEgs90

I ran my car for about 25mins and let it cool for 15mins or so before starting on the change. After it was over I ran it down the street a couple mins and came back and put a tiny bit more left from the 7th qt I used. Upon removing the oil cap it was produced a very light white smoke like steam. Not a lot. Just like vapor from coffee or tea. I had a leak down at the bottom of the oil drain plug before the change and as I said in an earlier post my car told me to add 1qt immediately about a month ago. Ran a full tank with Techron Fuel System Cleaner right up until the change. Filled up a new tank of Shell 93 after. So with that being said would this be any reason to add the anti friction additive? I was reading up on the possibilities of blown head gaskets before. I had the valve cover gasket replaced less than a year ago due to leaks.

OP, I should apologize for derailing the thread a bit discussing BMW's extended oil service intervals. But, I need to clarify some things. I think you are one of the BMW owners that way over thinks oil and oil change intervals. You say the engine has a "tick", but it's probably normal, the N52 has a noisy valvetrain and the '06 and '07 cars are notorious for it, but it doesn't harm the engine. ALL engines make ticking noises because they are full of moving parts. The Valvetronic system used on the N52 has a bunch of additional valvetrain components that straight valvetrain systems (cams + hydraulic lifters) don't have, so there are more parts to make noise.

I drive the living crap out of my car because I live in an area that has fantastic roads; it also sees at least 200 miles a week of heavy traffic as well. I commute in my car 800 miles a week and have been doing that for 11 years and it's accumulated 350,000 miles in the process. I've been all through my engine via replacing the OPG and VCG and OFHG, and I've found zero sludge build up anywhere. I've used only MANN HU816 OE or OEM oil filters and nothing but BMW LL01 5W-30 oil. The N52 is as a robust engine as you can find in an automobile. If you stick with BMW's oil and OE/OEM filters I doubt you'll have any problems. Adding in chemicals of unknown composition IS introducing changes to the lubrication system that the manufacturer didn't account for when designing the engine. What most people don't understand is the N52 is designed for extended oil service intervals.

I'm not trying to convince you to switch to a long oil service interval, I'm just trying to give you confidence and piece of mind that your engine is just fine and you are over thinking about it's condition and service life. You are worrying too much.

And the last thing... Most people have issues with the e-dipstick. It is not a direct-read device as is a mechanical dipstick is. The CBS reports the last known oil level once the engine is warm but the system has not yet updated to a new reading. That means if you change the engine oil when the level is 6 quarts (1-quart low) for example, the e-dipstick will report the 1-quart low level if you immediately check the oil level after the oil change and you added in the correct quantity of oil (6.9 qts/6.5L). The CBS needs at least 10 minutes of normal driving and the car needs to reach specific temperature, acceleration, and g-force (i.e. turns) conditions before it updates the engine oil level. When changing the oil just drain the oil when the engine is hot, remove the oil in the oil filter housing, replace the filter, and add in the 6.9 quarts/6.5L engine oil and forget about the level reading until the next time you drive the car in your normal fashion. The proper way to drain the oil is to open the oil filter housing first and open the oil fill cap, then remove the drain plug.