[smartys]

hey guys,

So I'm one of those of the opinion to change oil regularly, despite what the onboard computer tells me (ie. I decided i'm going to change my oil every 10000km or so).

So, a colleague of mine suggested I take my car to his mechanic, apparently a former BMW mechanic, to get the oil changed, as it would be cheaper, does a good job, etc.

So I decided to give it a try......

I drive an '07 335i cabrio, and live in Toronto, which is F'in cold, btw....

So when he was changing the oil, he pulled out this synthetic oil called RS200, and used 5w20....he said he called the dealer, and they told him they're using 5w20, and sometimes 0w40 on these cars....

I thought, ok, i'll let it go, and check in with my support group here.....

Does anyone have any thoughts on:

1.) RS200 oil, generally speaking? I did a google search, and I can only see their own website....no reviews....

2.) Using 5w20? That seems to be very thin to me......

anyways, your input would be greatly appreciated!

mk

[smartys]

bump

[742]

BMW has an oil specification, and I would stick to it.

LL01 allows for some good cold weather oils. Mobil 1 0W-40 and Castrol Syntec 0W-30 should both do well in harsh conditions. On the other hand, at operating temperatures why would you want a 20 weight oil with what must be a low HTHS in an engine designed for an ACEA A3 oil? There might be a reason, but I would want to hear something other than "because".

IMO trust the engineers and their oil spec. And that is BMW LL01 in this case.

[smartys]

thanks man, though I don't understand quite everything you said, i get the feeling, you don't approve......so, 742, would you recommend I take it back to the dealer next week and get another oil change there???

[742]

Originally Posted by smartys

thanks man, though I don't understand quite everything you said, i get the feeling, you don't approve......so, 742, would you recommend I take it back to the dealer next week and get another oil change there???

This is the Internet and for all you know I am a 13 year old who just got done with Facebook. So that said, my opinion follows:

The BMW oil specification for your car is BMW LL01. I would stick religiously to that for two reasons, first being that no one on these Internet boards seem to have a good reason not too. Second is that both VW and MB owners have taken bad hits from ignoring their manufacturer’s standards in recent years. It is important for us in North America to understand that in Europe the fluid standards are controlled by the car manufacturers, not the oil industry. And these European approvals can be very demanding and very involved. And they are expected to be followed.

The RS200 oils appear to have BMW LL98 approval for at least some weights, which I doubt applies to the 0W-20 and is an outdated approval in any case.

You may have different oils available in Canada than I see here in the states; but I would go with:

BMW’s oil from the dealer.
Something with BMW LL01 in small print on the back of the bottle. (Here that is Mobil 1 0W-40 or Castrol 0W-30)

In cold weather you should consider only the first number in the SAE ratings. The second number, “20” in the case your recent RS200 fill, comes into play as the engine nears operating temperature. At that point who cares how cold it is outside? The only thing that matters once the engine is stabilized at operating temperature is what the engineers wanted in the first place. Or in other words, when it comes to cold starts there is little to no difference between a 0W-20 and a 0W-40. But there is a big difference at operating temperature.

I would ask to see a bottle of what was put in your car. If LL01 is not on the back of it I would get it changed, but would not be in a panic about it.

[smartys]

dude thanks a lot....i really appreciate it....and you're only 13?? wtf? That's impressive.....thanks again dude....

[742]

Originally Posted by smartys

dude thanks a lot....i really appreciate it....and you're only 13?? wtf? That's impressive.....thanks again dude....

Yea, 13 plus about 37. Just pointing out that none of us really know who we are talking to, so take it with a grain of salt.

[micah]

Originally Posted by 742

Yea, 13 plus about 37. Just pointing out that none of us really know who we are talking to, so take it with a grain of salt.

I'm about your age chronologically, but let's face it: men don't mature past the age of 13 anyhow.