[studfs]

Hey guys so i purchased 7 quarts of the genuine bmw 0W-30 from fcp euro for the first time and was wondering, when the car is in need of more engine oil do i have to buy the original bmw oil again or can i use a different brand with 0w-30 ?

[theslowe90]

Well, it requires 6.5 liters of oil (or 6.8 quarts) to reach the max line. That means you're suppose to have some oil left after the oil change for future top off. However, I believe using a different brand of 0w-30 will not do any harm. If you are worried, you could just go to your local BMW dealership to get the genuine oil. They always have them in stock.

[ctuna]

In the future buy 2 5 quart jugs. That way you have some to add
add and if you don't use that much you still have enough for the next
oil change with one 5 quart jug additional.

[Bimmer_Engineer]

If you’re asking in regards to the fcp warranty replacement then I believe you have to purchase the exact brand and weight to get a free replacement...

[Gecko123]

Manual states you can use up to 1 litre of non-approved BMW oil to top off. Anything more than that needs to be BMW approved oil

[Moisture]

You can mix oils no problem. But I wouldn't suggest using any 0w oil with these cars unless you don't park in a garage and live with a brutal winter.

[MyCar]

Originally Posted by studfs

Hey guys so i purchased 7 quarts of the genuine bmw 0W-30 from fcp euro for the first time and was wondering, when the car is in need of more engine oil do i have to buy the original bmw oil again or can i use a different brand with 0w-30 ?

Are you sure 0w30 is correct? What is the year and model of your car and engine?

[Cabdriver]

Youll have a decent amount of oil left in that 7th bottle. Lots of the old oil remains in the crevices ofbthe engine that wont drain, even more so if you have the oil cooler.
Last bottle should last as long as youre not excessively leaking or burning oil.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Moisture

You can mix oils no problem. But I wouldn't suggest using any 0w oil with these cars unless you don't park in a garage and live with a brutal winter.

Why? What's wrong with getting a 0W-30 vs a 5W-30. While the 0W is not needed in most climates, how can you go and say you wouldn't' suggest it?

[Tambohamilton]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Why? What's wrong with getting a 0W-30 vs a 5W-30. While the 0W is not needed in most climates, how can you go and say you wouldn't' suggest it?

+1

When cold (not at operating temp), 0w30 will still be more viscous than when it's at operating temp, and the engine will be good with 30wt at operating temp. So all else being equal, 0w30 is always better than 5w30 etc...though it's only a necessity in very cold climates.

[TheMidnightNarwhal]

Originally Posted by Tambohamilton

+1

When cold (not at operating temp), 0w30 will still be more viscous than when it's at operating temp, and the engine will be good with 30wt at operating temp. So all else being equal, 0w30 is always better than 5w30 etc...though it's only a necessity in very cold climates.

I somewhat agree though, for example if it's -10c outside, both the 0w-30 and 5w-30 will be the same. I just recently switched from 0W-40 to 5W-40 after learning that since at the same time the Castrol oil I used to use was not LL01 anymore and I rather stick with that and go Pennzoil. Unless I read wrong... it's only when it gets into the extremes end like around -40c I think that it starts to really matter.

So at -10c I would argue that the 0w-30 isn't better, but that both the 0w-30 and 5w-30 are equal and one or the other doesn't really provides cons or negatives nor is better than the other one.

[Tambohamilton]

Probably not, though I agree that the differences will be essentially negligible in most temperatures...

The engine is designed to run with the 30wt oil at operating temp, which is less viscous than either 0 or 5wt oil when cold (even at +40c or something crazy like that). Oil flow is what gives protection, cooling, etc, not oil pressure (created by resistance to flow, basically). So, 5w30 will give less protection (due to decreased flow) than 0w30 when cold.

So 0w30 > 5w30 in all circumstances, all else being equal (lubricity, TBN, etc).

[studfs]

Originally Posted by MyCar

Are you sure 0w30 is correct? What is the year and model of your car and engine?

i have a 2008 335i e92 ! i live in southern california and it gets very hot during the summers so what oil should i be using ?

[MyCar]

Originally Posted by studfs

i have a 2008 335i e92 ! i live in southern california and it gets very hot during the summers so what oil should i be using ?

If that’s the oil BMW recommends then you should be fine, did you call your local dealership and verify?

Also you can use the oil selector tool available on every oil manufacturer website to find the right oil as well. Pennzoil now supplies oil to BMW, in the past it was Castrol. The recommended weight can vary from one manufacturer formulation to another. If your car uses LL01, then as long as the oil says LL01 approved on it you’re safe.
Also don’t confuse quarts versus liters, make sure you put the correct amount of oil.

Also use a real genuine BMW OE filter, these are often made by MANN or some other German company, don’t get anything cheap from local parts store.

[TunafishE93]

You want to use 40 for turbo engines .. The 30 gets thinned out and by the time you change it your running 20. The 0w is the best all around .. No matter what 0w beats any other w weight. The most wear is upon engine start/warming up and the better the oil flow (0w is the best) than better for engine.. The other weight is oil up to temp.. So 0w40 is best for turbo..

[Moisture]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

Why? What's wrong with getting a 0W-30 vs a 5W-30. While the 0W is not needed in most climates, how can you go and say you wouldn't' suggest it?

I don't see any purpose of 0W unless you live in Siberia.

Lexus's 3.5L V6 states that up to 20W50 can be used in the UAE manual. Many older designs which are still used today easily have internal clearances for using oil this thick. But most engines such as these are good for up to 10W50. There isn't really much point in using so thick unless your car burns oil, but I tried 20W50 anyways in the winter up to -15C temperatures. Only then did the oil feel a bit too thick on cold starts. Below -25C when parked outside you may want a 0W.

Past 30C, driving the car hard is when 5w50-10W50 would serve benefit, but not for very long unless it has a truly good additive package. If the additives are poor ot insufficient. eventually the oil breaks down which leads to carbon build up and fuel dilution. For 90% of driving application 5W40=5W50 is what I would consider a sweet spot. Once fuel starts to break down your supply of oil, it doesn't matter whatsoever which weight you decided to use.

[John 070]

Originally Posted by TheMidnightNarwhal

I somewhat agree though, for example if it's -10c outside, both the 0w-30 and 5w-30 will be the same. I just recently switched from 0W-40 to 5W-40 after learning that since at the same time the Castrol oil I used to use was not LL01 anymore and I rather stick with that and go Pennzoil. Unless I read wrong... it's only when it gets into the extremes end like around -40c I think that it starts to really matter.

So at -10c I would argue that the 0w-30 isn't better, but that both the 0w-30 and 5w-30 are equal and one or the other doesn't really provides cons or negatives nor is better than the other one.

I don't remember when but I've seen charts and they are not identical at the same temp. Since I don't use genuine BMW I have no choice I think I have the LL-01 0W40 M1.

It's like torque wrenches. One is 5-75, another is 30-150, another is xx-250.

You get the one that is appropriate since torque wrenches are not accurate below 20% of the max range blah blah blah

Otherwise simplistically 0-40 has a wider range than 5-30 so therefore it is better. No it is not.