Oil & filter service, what oil??

H

hollypop

Member
Hi all,
I'm going to attempt an oil and filter service(2003 2.5 auto) this weekend, I trust it's not to difficult, I assume fully synthetic but what grade???,
Thanks
Holly x
 
5W30 usually, the spec is more important: BMW LL-04.

Ask what brand and you'll get many different answers, I use Petronas which is usually reasonably priced.

Make sure you get a decent oil filter, MANN make the BMW ones at about half the price.
 
You can use 5w 40 as an alternative as long as its Bmw LL04 approved but to be honest I wouldn't, unless you have an oil consumption issue then it might help but you would still want to get to the bottom of the issue.
 
I had a mechanic change me to 5W40 because it was what he put in higher mileage engine and I found it started consuming oil. Back on 5W30 and no issues, was weird.
 
I would say it depends on cars mileage and how often oil has previously been changed. If engine is in good condition then 5/30 Petronas from Eurocarparts (Petronas 5000 from memory) would be a good oil that meets BMW longlife spec. But for gods sake change oil every 5 -6 thousand miles to keep it happy and LL oil is less relevant. If car has say over 100,000 miles on it I would suggest something like 10/40 oil.
 
I have a 2.5 2003 which I've now owned for over 7 years and about 45k miles (98k in total), I do my own oil changes and use Castrol Magnatec C3 5w30 and have never had any issues.

And yes, it's an easy job :thumbsup:
 
What is defined as a oil consumption issue? My understanding is that BMW's do consume some oil? At least it's what I've experienced with all the ones I've maintained...
 
With the thinner oils used today you are always going to get some consumption but it will depends on mileage and how car has been driven. If you are getting severe consumption you will notice increased smoke from the exhaust particularly on gear changes..
 
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