Gabe79 410 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 39 minutes ago, M3AN said: "Better?" It's a religious thing. Any reputable brand of the correct type and viscosity will be "suitable". This is underwritten by the fact that vehicle manufacturers change their oil brand allegiance as it suits them. In the early 2000's after the bearing failures in e46 M3's, BMW said "you must use Castrol Edge 10w-60" and so people did. But (some) people also went to stupid lengths to get the stuff that BMW dispensed rather than what you could buy off the shelf. These people declared "there is no alternative, your children will die if you use something else" and the belief in unicorn piss oil persisted. The BMW simply changed their oil partner and now fill those same cars up with Shell 10w-60 without blinking an eye... totally undermining the "only one brand/type" argument. My engine oil cap says "use Castrol" yet BMW will fill it up with Shell... But for those that prefer to use Castrol then 50% off normal retail is a good deal regardless of why they want to use it (as would be 50% of Penrite). I use Castrol Edge in the M3 because that's what it has always had and I'm happy with it. I intend to use Penrite in the 130 as I did in the 128 because I have no problem with the quality of HPR5. Thank you for your non-denominational answer. I appreciate it. I'll stay happy with my HPR5 supply and habits (of buying more when at half price.) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Young Thrash Driver 1020 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 6 minutes ago, Gabe79 said: Thank you for your non-denominational answer. I appreciate it. I'll stay happy with my HPR5 supply and habits (of buying more when at half price.) What kind of oil service interval are you running on the Leaf? Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 I have been using 5w-30 castrol edge for years and although ive never had a problem, I think this oil burns a bit more than the HPR5 which I also have from when I bought a 10L bottle on special. Both equally "good" but the main thing to note is that service interval and keeping an eye on the oil level after every couple thousand kms is more important. the bottom line is that oil is a consumable part of vehicle maintenance and due to the high temps the cars are running these days it is normal to consume oil so you need to top up from time to time. gone are the days where you do an oil service and run it for 20,000kms until the next service. (this is probably fine for any toyota or honda even still but we are a BMW forum :)) Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 1 hour ago, qube said: the bottom line is that oil is a consumable part of vehicle maintenance and due to the high temps the cars are running these days it is normal to consume oil so you need to top up from time to time. I'm not sure how high temps leads to oil burning ? I thought higher coolant temps were to aid in engine efficiency leading to better fuel economy. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
qube 3570 Report post Posted February 4, 2020 47 minutes ago, BreakMyWindow said: I'm not sure how high temps leads to oil burning ? I thought higher coolant temps were to aid in engine efficiency leading to better fuel economy. AFAIK, the modern engines are generally running hotter than before, around 115-120deg compared to 95deg for example between the N series engines vs the M series engines. This is due to the stricter emission standards if I am not mistaken. The pro of this is better efficiency and fuel economy but at the sacrifice of oil degradation. The lubricating properties of the oil degrade over time and use and the higher temps result in this process happening faster than before which is why I believe the newer cars should have the oil replaced at shorter intervals. I know this goes against the dealer's and manufacturers recommendations of 20,000km service intervals that normally come up on the dash on the modern cars. Maybe for a new vehicle this is fine but normally we are talking about secondhand used cars with unknown history and any car that is over 50,000 or 5 years old I think should have the oils changed more frequently. Only downside I have heard about is dry start up and something about certain additives in the oil that require some time to be thermally activated. But I am not saying change your oil every 2000kms so dont really see any issues. Happy to hear alternative theories or even "correct" answers but this is just my opinion/belief! Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Gabe79 410 Report post Posted February 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Young Thrash Driver said: What kind of oil service interval are you running on the Leaf? Smartass. I change the oil on my rav4 yearly, or 15k KMs. It's due now, actually, I'm just slacking getting under there. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
BreakMyWindow 1874 Report post Posted February 5, 2020 4 hours ago, qube said: AFAIK, the modern engines are generally running hotter than before, around 115-120deg compared to 95deg for example between the N series engines vs the M series engines. This is due to the stricter emission standards if I am not mistaken. The pro of this is better efficiency and fuel economy but at the sacrifice of oil degradation. The lubricating properties of the oil degrade over time and use and the higher temps result in this process happening faster than before which is why I believe the newer cars should have the oil replaced at shorter intervals. I know this goes against the dealer's and manufacturers recommendations of 20,000km service intervals that normally come up on the dash on the modern cars. Maybe for a new vehicle this is fine but normally we are talking about secondhand used cars with unknown history and any car that is over 50,000 or 5 years old I think should have the oils changed more frequently. Only downside I have heard about is dry start up and something about certain additives in the oil that require some time to be thermally activated. But I am not saying change your oil every 2000kms so dont really see any issues. Happy to hear alternative theories or even "correct" answers but this is just my opinion/belief! Yep agree with all that. But oil burning, as in oil being combusted in the chambers I just can’t see how hotter coolant temps affect that? ?♂️ It’s usually something not sealing oil out of the combustion chamber Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Eagle 1662 Report post Posted February 5, 2020 Long service internals don't help longevity but from what ive seen its more due to internal engine tolerances being relaxed for fuel economy reasons, added complexities etc. Im sure some of it is also down to new buyers not breaking in the a new engine correctly. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
kiwi535 538 Report post Posted February 5, 2020 i beleive it also about needlessly throwing away perfectly good oil Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
allan 295 Report post Posted February 6, 2020 Gabe he's sort of right still need to change service the tranny oil. Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
andrewm 236 Report post Posted February 6, 2020 Uh oh its oil thread time. 1 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
E30 325i Rag-Top 2957 Report post Posted February 6, 2020 21 hours ago, BreakMyWindow said: Yep agree with all that. But oil burning, as in oil being combusted in the chambers I just can’t see how hotter coolant temps affect that? ?♂️ It’s usually something not sealing oil out of the combustion chamber Higher oil temps + sealed CCV systems = vapour being passed into intake air and burnt? 20 hours ago, Eagle said: due to internal engine tolerances being relaxed for fuel economy reasons. Im sure some of it is also down to new buyers not breaking in the a new engine correctly. Tolerances now are tighter than ever on engine parts, which is why the vast majority of engines don’t need “breaking in”. Only the “S” engines in the M cars need running in as they have even tighter tolerances. 2 Quote Share this post Link to post Share on other sites