tawa 150 Report post Posted August 1, 2016 Quick (depending on the worm/can pressure) question, what is good oil for use in E36 Limited Slip Diff, medium case. And just as importantly where to get it from? US forums recomend Castrol SAF-XJ 75w140 etc, which doesn't appear to be available by any company who deigns to use this new fangled interwebby thing... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
thorburn 121 Report post Posted August 1, 2016 I was using redline 75w90. As per https://store.vacmotorsports.com/redline---synthetic-75w90-gl-5-gear-oil-p2246.aspx It is fairly available from the usual retailers. If your really stuck i think i've got 2 bottles in the garage Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted August 1, 2016 9 minutes ago, 3pedals said: Why do you bother going via an unreliable source when you can simply go to the Castrol website, input your vehicle details and it will give the facts not some prats' loose interpretation of them. I did this last week for the X5 and bought the oil at Repco Syntrax fully synthetic 75/90 the results from changing the oil was spectacular so I now plan to do my E36 328 this weekend which they recommend a Syntrax fully synthetic 75/140 for; and there is a Special limited slip version just for you There you go all done and just to check this prats' commentary feel free to go to the Castrol oil site yourself and use the "oil selector" feature on the right hand side of the screen Cos I'm not a castrol fanboy, and figured some user reviews might help to select the better brand to begin with. But since they appear to be a well regarded brand obviosuly, and have a good selector thingo for bimmers, next time it'll be my first stop. And since I now know repco stocks that stuff (or presumably can get it in at least), I shall head there as a first stop. So chur for that. 8 minutes ago, thorburn said: I was using redline 75w90. As per https://store.vacmotorsports.com/redline---synthetic-75w90-gl-5-gear-oil-p2246.aspx It is fairly available from the usual retailers. If your really stuck i think i've got 2 bottles in the garage Will bear that one in mind, pops up in more online searches too, so I'll be right for supply, cheers. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
SIR E30 68 Report post Posted August 2, 2016 I Use genuine stuff from the dealer in my med case LSD Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Olaf 3317 Report post Posted August 13, 2016 back when I had my e30 325i Touring, my local independent replaced diff oil and gearbox oils (respectively) with the appropriate Castrol Synthetics (of the time - the year was 2001). It was, as Ron says, spectacular. Quieter, and better (slicker, smoother) shifting from cold. I've not tried Red Line, and don't intend this to be a brand x vs brand y argument. You can use Castrol with confidence. Some of our resident idependents (forum sponsors) use others such as Elf, and I personally use Penrite products generally. HTH. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 7, 2016 So this turned out to be harder than I thought, dunno if I just struck numpty day but repco and supercheap couldn't get it, partsmaster and another place don't stock castrol stuff. Emailed the bmw parts dept and they reckoned 50 bucks per L, went in there they didn't have it, emailed them directly and it went to $70 for 500ml. Amazon UK had it, $77nzd for 2L, landed in 10 days. I'm all for giving the locals first look, but it'll be straight to amazon for my specialty oil needs in future. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 7, 2016 Read my post dude, I asked repco and supercheap if they could get it, not just if they stocked it. But if you get in some Syntrax Limited Slip 75W/140 I'd be interested to hear the price and where from... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 8, 2016 It couldn't hurt, as far as I can tell the guy in palmy is a lifer, but if there's an informed contact elsewhere who can send bits down it'd give him a look before amazon... Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Forrest 35 Report post Posted September 9, 2016 (edited) I used this in my E36 LSD - which can be used where 75w140 is recommended (which was the recommended weighting in my research for a track car application). http://www.supercheapauto.co.nz/Product/Penrite-Pro-Gear-Oil-80W-140-2-5-Litre/342315 Edited September 9, 2016 by Forrest Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted September 9, 2016 On 9/7/2016 at 6:46 PM, tawatech said: Read my post dude, I asked repco and supercheap if they could get it, not just if they stocked it. But if you get in some Syntrax Limited Slip 75W/140 I'd be interested to hear the price and where from... If you get stuck, your local Merc dealer should carry it (Castrol syntrax limited slip 75w140). #A001989520310 RRP $57 inc gst per 500ml. This is what i used in the plate LSD in my old M3, worked a treat. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 9, 2016 4 hours ago, 3pedals said: Castrol 80/140 full synthetic LSD specific for BMW E36 - $51 from Repco, not available at all stores but they will get it in for you, have mine coming Monday Which is not the recommendation from the castrol website; and still dearer (regardless of rapport) than the stuff I brought in. Lead time doesn't often bother me, since I just queue up and rotate out projects accordingly. 3 hours ago, KwS said: If you get stuck, your local Merc dealer should carry it (Castrol syntrax limited slip 75w140). #A001989520310 RRP $57 inc gst per 500ml. This is what i used in the plate LSD in my old M3, worked a treat. That's cheaper than the bmw place I went to, but not by much. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 10, 2016 Do you referral discounts for repco or something? There's a hell of a lot more to oil selections than just the weight, especially when clutch packs are involved. I mean, on the one hand I had the recommended product for a cheaper price. On the other hand I had something close to the recommended product for a dearer price... 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
NZ00Z3 187 Report post Posted September 10, 2016 Hi Quick question to seek clarity. When you are talking about LSD are you meaning clutch pack LSD or Torsen LSD? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 10, 2016 Standard clutch pack style, I've been eyeing up those Torsen ones, but a bit pricey and hard to justify atm. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
tawa 150 Report post Posted September 11, 2016 Hard work? Of course it is, you're pushing sh*t up hill trying to convince me I should have paid more for something less suitable... It's great you have faith in your local guys, and that your local guys know enough to recommend a suitable product; and thanks for the original recommendation and advice. But I'm happy with the decision to go with amazon, and would do so again; there's no conspiracy theory required. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
KwS 2425 Report post Posted September 12, 2016 Lol at Ron saying someone else is making it hard work. Hi Pot, meet Kettle. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2957 Report post Posted September 13, 2016 On 2 August 2016 at 8:59 PM, 3pedals said: BMW generally specify Castrol oils so I would go with BMW knowing what they are talking about - that's why I tend to run Castrol oils in BMWs Castrol used to have a global supply agreement with BMW, including the factory first fill which was why Castrol products are referenced. The supply agreement has now changed over to Shell oils, so expect that to be referenced more in the coming years. Try Kayne Barrie for your LSD oil, he will point you in the right direction and can supply the oil you need. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
