synthetic oil

[Stunnd65]

A patron I met in the bimmer service lounge highly recommended using synthetic oil in my 325i, saying that it would last for 10,000 miles before it needs changing. Anyone out there using it now?

[97alpineM3]

Depends on where you live... how you drive... and how much you drive in my opinion... answer that... and I'll tell you my thoughts....

[Stunnd65]

live in Philly suburbs...car is not driven hard most of the time....maybe 10,000 miles per year, not to work, just recreational (wife drives it most of the time)

[97alpineM3]

umm.... I'd probably stay with what you have.... how long are you waiting between oil services now? miles?

[wozza]

I ve just had an oil service with 10w 40 semi-synthetic Magnatec. Runs smooth on my 118k 328. If its a low mileage car I reckon you could switch to fully synthetic with no probs whatsoever. 5w 40

[97alpineM3]

I'd agree...... I dont know about 10000 miles between services... but you could change.....

[Stunnd65]

The car has 115k on it. I've only had it for about 2 weeks. I'd love to keep it going for another 100k.

[thekid]

It's fine. 10k on a oil change is a little long. I like to take mine in a little more often just to make sure nothing else is going wrong, but my car has 154k miles on it so stuff can go wrong quick. But BMW reccomends 7k miles per oil change as that's what the service light is set to.

[mixalot]

I always use synthetic. If you can afford it, there is no other downside. But, the oil will pay for itself by having fewer changes anyway. I've always gone 10k between changes and my oil is still clean when it's changed.

[mixalot]

I read that the change lights are set to fuel consumption. Meaning, that if you drive like a maniac, the lights will count down much faster than after 7k.

[mikester328]

I've heard that if you change to synthetic in an older car, the car may have oil leaks because of the detergents used in the synthetic oil. The oil seals are older and could leak easier because of the detergents. Anyone correct me if i'm totally wrong about this one.

Mike

[97alpineM3]

Thats why you can use a high performance sythetic that doesnt contain detergents......

[Kevin325i]

Mobil 1 says on their wesite that their oil will cause no leaks in any engine that weren't already there. Lemmie find it and quote it.

Mobil 1 will leak out of the seals of older cars.


Mobil 1 does not cause leaks. In fact, new Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ was tested in dozens of industry standard and OEM tests to prove its seal performance. It is fully compatible with the elastomeric materials from which all automotive seals and gaskets are made.

ExxonMobil engineers are wary of conventional oils that tout their use of additional seal-swelling agents. With extended use, these agents can over-soften engine seals, resulting in leaks. More to the point, an oil additive will not rejuvenate worn or damaged seals. The damaged seal may have been caused by a worn rotating metal component in the engine.

If an older engine is in good condition and does not have oil leaks, Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™ provides the same advantages as when used in a new engine. ExxonMobil recommends taking measures to repair the leaks, then using Mobil 1 with SuperSyn™. ExxonMobil also always recommends following the automobile manufacturer's manual for the proper oil to use.

Kevin

[97alpineM3]

Good info Kevin....

[Kevin325i]

And yes, the synthetic is thinner, and caused a leak on my car. But there were special circumstances behind it. At the rear main seal of the engine around the bottom there's 4 bolts. I have 4 bolts, and 3 bolt heads.... There's just enough of a gap for one drip to sneak out ever like 20 hours it sits. It's going to be a bitch to fix, but when I go for the clutch I'll but fixing this too.

Kevin