Z4 2.8i vs 3.0i
- Thread starter Northerner919
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Modern synthetic oils are much more complex in construction & performance than Darren's socks, so, sadly, the analogy isn't a good one. 
These oils maintain their performance throughout their specified working lives, so throwing them away early is a waste of time & money.
That said, if it makes you feel better, do it, but it won't make any difference to your engine or turbos.
These oils maintain their performance throughout their specified working lives, so throwing them away early is a waste of time & money.
That said, if it makes you feel better, do it, but it won't make any difference to your engine or turbos.
Nothing wrong with changing oil more often but I agree that there is little benefit if using modern synthetic long-life oils.
I think a lot of the wisdom around these short oil change intervals comes from older people who owned cars in a time when oil only lasted 7000 miles.
On a highly strung tuned engine putting out some serious power or a car which gets regularly hammered around a circuit then I can see the need to be cautious but otherwise it's more than likely wasted time and money to change oil any more often than the service schedule.
Engineering explained did a good video on synthetic oils here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-zDt9FGJi8
And another good video here: https://youtu.be/tYkg0oDUXs8?t=332
I personally change mine every 7k in the Z4. I let the dealership do it every 15,000 for the service book stamp and then I do it myself halfway into the countdown. In my other car I do it every 10k since it doesn't need any service book stamps. The reason I change mine so often is because I actually enjoy doing it myself
On topic: Get the 30i. The 6cylinder engine is what makes the car, no point getting a Z4 with a 4pot!!
I think a lot of the wisdom around these short oil change intervals comes from older people who owned cars in a time when oil only lasted 7000 miles.
On a highly strung tuned engine putting out some serious power or a car which gets regularly hammered around a circuit then I can see the need to be cautious but otherwise it's more than likely wasted time and money to change oil any more often than the service schedule.
Engineering explained did a good video on synthetic oils here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-zDt9FGJi8
And another good video here: https://youtu.be/tYkg0oDUXs8?t=332
I personally change mine every 7k in the Z4. I let the dealership do it every 15,000 for the service book stamp and then I do it myself halfway into the countdown. In my other car I do it every 10k since it doesn't need any service book stamps. The reason I change mine so often is because I actually enjoy doing it myself
On topic: Get the 30i. The 6cylinder engine is what makes the car, no point getting a Z4 with a 4pot!!
For those who think its ott changing oil every 7-8k & think its ok going over 10k & following the manufacturers service regime another read more specific to 4cyl Bmw petrol engines , i wasn't intending to derail the op topic or start a debate over how long oil (whether its semi , full or whoever produces the largest amount of it worldwide) stays healthy for .
If op bought a decent 4 pot petrol turbo then cared for it ( properly ) there was no reason why he should expect any problems with it over a NA 6 cylinder
http://www.bmautomotivesolutions.co.uk/bmw-petrol-n43-engine-failures-how-to-prevent-problems
If op bought a decent 4 pot petrol turbo then cared for it ( properly ) there was no reason why he should expect any problems with it over a NA 6 cylinder
http://www.bmautomotivesolutions.co.uk/bmw-petrol-n43-engine-failures-how-to-prevent-problems
Busterboo said:Modern synthetic oils are much more complex in construction & performance than Darren's socks, so, sadly, the analogy isn't a good one.
These oils maintain their performance throughout their specified working lives, so throwing them away early is a waste of time & money.
That said, if it makes you feel better, do it, but it won't make any difference to your engine or turbos.
Maybe they should use this oil in the current M3 M4 cars which i believe are max 10k oil change intervals :roll:
Smartbear said:Darren Slone said:
Then you’re wasting your money, Marks & Spencer (the best manufacturer of socks in the world) say their latest spec socks are good for the life of the wearer
Rob
Must be true then
R.E92 said:Nothing wrong with changing oil more often but I agree that there is little benefit if using modern synthetic long-life oils.
I think a lot of the wisdom around these short oil change intervals comes from older people who owned cars in a time when oil only lasted 7000 miles.
On a highly strung tuned engine putting out some serious power or a car which gets regularly hammered around a circuit then I can see the need to be cautious but otherwise it's more than likely wasted time and money to change oil any more often than the service schedule.
Engineering explained did a good video on synthetic oils here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-zDt9FGJi8
And another good video here: https://youtu.be/tYkg0oDUXs8?t=332
I personally change mine every 7k in the Z4. I let the dealership do it every 15,000 for the service book stamp and then I do it myself halfway into the countdown. In my other car I do it every 10k since it doesn't need any service book stamps. The reason I change mine so often is because I actually enjoy doing it myself
On topic: Get the 30i. The 6cylinder engine is what makes the car, no point getting a Z4 with a 4pot!!
Rubbish, it’s only the noise the 6pot makes that’s superior. On everything else the 20i makes sense
Rob
R.E92 said:Nothing wrong with changing oil more often but I agree that there is little benefit if using modern synthetic long-life oils.
I think a lot of the wisdom around these short oil change intervals comes from older people who owned cars in a time when oil only lasted 7000 miles.
On a highly strung tuned engine putting out some serious power or a car which gets regularly hammered around a circuit then I can see the need to be cautious but otherwise it's more than likely wasted time and money to change oil any more often than the service schedule.
Engineering explained did a good video on synthetic oils here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l-zDt9FGJi8
And another good video here: https://youtu.be/tYkg0oDUXs8?t=332
I personally change mine every 7k in the Z4. I let the dealership do it every 15,000 for the service book stamp and then I do it myself halfway into the countdown. In my other car I do it every 10k since it doesn't need any service book stamps. The reason I change mine so often is because I actually enjoy doing it myself
On topic: Get the 30i. The 6cylinder engine is what makes the car, no point getting a Z4 with a 4pot!!
I agree the six makes a lovely sound, but for someone who is going to use it as a daily and commute, the 28i four pot wins hands down, better fuel economy, lower tax, same performance,
I’m a fan of the 3.0 auto 89 having owned one. That said the 2.8i or a remapped 2.0i are very good and will give you slightly better performance but at the cost of smoothness and sound. The 4 pot is definitely more frugal with fuel, dependant on how you drive it. If you could get 10mpg more out of one that would equate to approx £500 so worth saving.
They are both great cars so there is no wrong choice
They are both great cars so there is no wrong choice
Depends what your priorities are and your financial situation. Plus the condition of the cars themselves. If money isn’t the key factor my choice would be a six pot because I just love them. If economy is a key factor then a four pot probably makes more sense. Finally, in terms of condition which is the better car? Good luck and like everyone else I look forward to seeing the photographs on the Forum.
The only positive for a 4 cylinder engine is fuel saving and CO2 emissions.
I suppose it comes down to how much you care about engines. A petrolhead will appreciate the refinement and sound of a 6 cylinder engine but others could care less. The 4pot satisfies the same market as the diesel Audi TT and SLK, people who just want a nice looking car that doesn't cost too much to run.
I suppose it comes down to how much you care about engines. A petrolhead will appreciate the refinement and sound of a 6 cylinder engine but others could care less. The 4pot satisfies the same market as the diesel Audi TT and SLK, people who just want a nice looking car that doesn't cost too much to run.
North West Surrey
warmasice said:
That just goes to show there is no "right" answer - each to their own!
But at least there are enough options over the Z4 generations to suit different tastes.
I prefer a straight 6 (preferably N/A), but if budget wasn't an issue I'd have an E85 Alpina, E86 MC and an E89 35i (for the manual box), with a sneaky re-map!
R.E92 said:
No reason a petrolhead wouldn’t like the 4pot, you’ve missed out it’s attributes of lighter weight giving improved handling & being able to out-perform the 30i with just a small tweak.
It’s far from being just a nice looking car that doesn’t cost too much to run
Rob
2.0 (28i codename N20) has oil pump fatal fault (chain and sprocket are weak and wear prematurely). It also has weak timing chain (and timing chain tensioner), which is on the wrong side of engine (transmission side) so replacing this costs more.
Try to google N20 problems.
N52B30 (3.0i) is bulletproof in comparison to N20 (28i).
Try to google N20 problems.
N52B30 (3.0i) is bulletproof in comparison to N20 (28i).
Smartbear said:R.E92 said:
No reason a petrolhead wouldn’t like the 4pot, you’ve missed out it’s attributes of lighter weight giving improved handling & being able to out-perform the 30i with just a small tweak.
It’s far from being just a nice looking car that doesn’t cost too much to run
Rob
It seems the N20 engine is only 10kg lighter than the N52 engine. I don't think anyone is going to notice any handling benefits with the removal of 10kg from the front.
The fact the N20 has a turbo and tuning potential is a plus for the engine. Tuning potential was one of the reasons I went for the 35i, but then the 35i also has the bonus of being a nice smooth 6. If I had to sacrifice either power or cylinders from my engine, I'd lose the power all day. I enjoy the noise of the straight 6 even when the car is plodding along in traffic or sat at lights, not just when high in the rev range.
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Pbondar said:R.E92 said:Smartbear said:No reason a petrolhead wouldn’t like the 4pot, you’ve missed out it’s attributes of lighter weight giving improved handling & being able to out-perform the 30i with just a small tweak.
It’s far from being just a nice looking car that doesn’t cost too much to run
Rob
It seems the N20 engine is only 10kg lighter than the N52 engine. I don't think anyone is going to notice any handling benefits with the removal of 10kg from the front.
The fact the N20 has a turbo and tuning potential is a plus for the engine. Tuning potential was one of the reasons I went for the 35i, but then the 35i also has the bonus of being a nice smooth 6. If I had to sacrifice either power or cylinders from my engine, I'd lose the power all day. I enjoy the noise of the straight 6 even when the car is plodding along in traffic or sat at lights, not just when high in the rev range.
It’s interesting how many reviewers cite the better handling of the 4 pot over the 6 pot....
In addition it’s not just a matter of mass but also where it’s located...tgev pot carries a lot of its engine mass in front of the front axle...
