Correct oil for higher mileage

C

CJ_44

Member
 London
Evening all,

I've noticed my 86,000 mile 3.0 seems to go through around a pint of oil every 8 weeks ish.

It occurred to me that the castrol edge that BMW recommend is a very thin viscosity of oil and just wondered if, as the mileage gets into the higher end of things, whether it might be an idea to use a thicker viscosity of oil? I remember castrol doing a 'high mileage' oil of IIRC 20/50.

Of course I could have this completely the wrong way round and in actual fact thinner oil is better for these cars.

Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts?
 
CJ_44 said:
Evening all,

I've noticed my 86,000 mile 3.0 seems to go through around a pint of oil every 8 weeks ish.

It occurred to me that the castrol edge that BMW recommend is a very thin viscosity of oil and just wondered if, as the mileage gets into the higher end of things, whether it might be an idea to use a thicker viscosity of oil? I remember castrol doing a 'high mileage' oil of IIRC 20/50.

Of course I could have this completely the wrong way round and in actual fact thinner oil is better for these cars.

Just wondered if anyone had any thoughts?
Click to expand...

Think you might have a point, mine is on 104,000 miles and does take a bit of the thin stuff. Would be interested on opinions on using thicker oil?
 
What's the standard grade on a Z4? The Alpinas take 0W-30 and there's some discussion on the register forum about 5W-40 or 10W-60 as alternatives for higher mileage cars...


Tapatalking...
 
20/50 was the standard grade used for just about every car upto the 1970's ish, have my doubts wether its suitable for the tight tolerances used in modern engines, i stand to be corrected of course, the 20/50 oil is usually to cater for the classic car lot.
 
My Alpina's on 10w60, changed at 60,000 to the thicker oil from 00w30 as it was an advisory from Sytners (apparently from Alpina) at that service. Hasn't really affected mpg or oomph (not that I've noticed).
 
Interesting thread. My zed used 3/4 pint of oil in 10,000 miles. Nothing to worry about IMO, but good shout on the potentially higher mileage needing thicker oil :thumbsup:


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Ambient temp has to be watched if you use thicker grade oils whatever the wear in the engine, the standard '0' grade will get round much better from a cold start which is when the vast majority of wear occurs. Apart from rings and cylinder bores there should be little or no measurable wear to 'fill' with a thicker oil and no other source of loss. You could end up reducing oil consumption at the expense of more wear. I respect the particular advice from Alpina but would be very cautious about swapping on a standard BMW engine, particularly at only 60 or even 100k miles as this is not high mileage by any modern standard.
 
there are 1000's of other forums all asking the same question

i came across this site/thread some weeks ago http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101 (6 pages/chapters)

an interesting read, but again take away your own conclusions
 
ranski said:
there are 1000's of other forums all asking the same question

i came across this site/thread some weeks ago http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101 (6 pages/chapters)

an interesting read, but again take away your own conclusions
Click to expand...

Stone me I thought I went deep, a full-on lube geek! Made a lot of sense though. So my waffling on about ambient temp was .... 'misinformed' :oops: but I may be right to suggest not moving away from a '0' graded oil even for high mileage motors to preserve vital start-up lubrication where all the damage is done, but should maybe extend the range say from a 0-30 to a 0-40, 50, 60 etc for road use anyway.
 
i thought the following passage was quite interesting

"Synthetic oils are a whole different story. There is no VI improver added so there is nothing to wear out. The actual oil molecules never wear out. You could almost use the same oil forever. The problem is that there are other additives and they do get used up. I suppose if there was a good way to keep oil clean you could just add a can of additives every 6 months and just change the filter, never changing the oil."
 
Can you get a synthetic 20/50 ? im not sure you can, if not is it safe to use a mineral oil in these engines?
Also would using 20/50 in very cold weather give any cold starting issues?
 
Hmmm, that's turned into a bit of a thinker then... :?

Certainly take on board what you say Ewazix. In the grand scheme of things £20 of correct oil every couple of months isn't the be all and end all as, as you say, it's giving better protection at start up.

Adamski, did yours use three or four pint (s) every 10,000 miles or three quarters of a pint (I guess this option)? Slightly concerned about the high consumption of mine and, if not normal, whether this suggests a bigger problem. I assume this has been covered in other threads so will do some digging...


C
 
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