what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ???

Honest John Back Room » Technical matters
What is life like with your car? Let us know and win £500 in John Lewis vouchers | No thanks
View Threaded
Thu 17 Nov 2005 15:09
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - mikepenn
hiya i am after having an oil change on my bmw X5 3.0litre 2001,just usual spark plugs air filter oil filter and oil.i normally get my bmw parts from euro parts or german and swedish.being i bit of a tight wad!!! :)anyway getin to the point, the mechanic where i usually take my car has said it would be fine with semi synthetic 10w/40. and thats what he would put in if i just dropped it off and didnt give him any parts,i understand hes not a bmw mechnic,but hes been in the job for nearly 20 years.when i went to g+s they recommended i get the fully synthetic 0w/30 and they dont do this, best they have is 5w/40.they said its not worth risking an engine for the sake of 50 quid and said i was best to go to bmw and get what they would use which i think would be the 0w/30 castrol edge.euro parts said it would be fine with there oil which is fully synthetic 0w/40,so i just need someones advise on the the oil situation, do i stop being a tight wad and fork out nearly 100 quid in oil from bmw, or get the 0w/40 from euro parts.it just seems every person in the motor trade has different advise on oil.thank you for any advise you could give me on this matter ,michael
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 17 Nov 2005 15:27
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - John S
mike

For that, you really should use a fully synthetic, either a 0w - 30 or a 5W - 40 preferably to BMW LL spec.

JS
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 17 Nov 2005 16:42
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - quizman
I think you need Castrol SLX 0W-30 full sythetic.

You can get it from Midland Car Parts if you live near Derby. If not Halfords sell it.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 17 Nov 2005 20:55
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - Aprilia
There is nothing particuarly special about the lubrication requirements of this engine. Anything from a 0W-30 to a 15W-40, API SG, semi- or fully-synth will meet the manfrs spec. Personally I would go for a 5W-40 fully synth. Most oils are API SL now anyway.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 17 Nov 2005 22:07
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - mikepenn
thats pretty much what my mechanic said, but when i went german and swedish, they were going on about how the 0w/30 synthetic oil is very fine,like water and is specialist stuff for such an engine.i dont know much about cars so i am just going of peoples advise,but i know that the right oil is very often crucial part in the cars running and future engine life.i think ill prob go with the 0w/40 fully synthetic from euro parts as i dont even think the guys at g+s will sell me the 5w/40 they have.(espcially after making me so paranoid)
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Thu 17 Nov 2005 23:22
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - Aprilia
Ow-40 will be OK, especially in winter.

0W-30 wouldn't offer any advantage except perhaps slight improvement in fuel economy. That's the main benefit of 30-grade oils. I tend to prefer a 40, especially when the weather is warmer.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 18 Nov 2005 17:20
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - quizman
Oilman, Castrol, BMW and I recommend 0W-30.

So the best bet is to get some 20W- 50 from B&Q.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Sat 19 Nov 2005 10:15
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - Aprilia
Oilman, Castrol, BMW and I recommend 0W-30.
So the best bet is to get some 20W- 50 from
B&Q.


OK, I just took the trouble to check my BMW discs on this one. The recommendation from BMW for a 2001 MY 30 6S3 engine is:

Cold climate: 5W-30. Moderate climate 10W-40. Hot climate: 15W-40. API SG.
I would say that UK is 'moderate climate'.

As I said further up, a synth 5W-40 API SL would be a reasonable choice, with winter coming up.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 18 Nov 2005 11:28
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - John S
Worth checking Halfords for their 'own brand' 5W-40 fully synthetic. Meets A3 B3, API SL and BMW LL-98 and often on offer. My BMW runs on it and like Aprilia I'm haappier with a 40 top end viscosity. Last time I got it on a buy one - get one free deal. 10 litres for £30 - unbeatable.

JS
Reply | Report as offensive | Link
Fri 18 Nov 2005 15:52
what oil for X5 3.0 ltr petrol ??? - jacks
Doesn't it depend on how often you are going to change the oil?

The BMW computer advises service interval of around 15000 miles depending on how its driven (the computer works on amount of fuel used, the more fuel used = harder driving or shorter runs, therefore the shorter the service interval reading on the computer).

Oilman , who posts on here regularly recommends for the latest BMW's:

Fuchs Titan Supersyn SL 0w-30 (fully syn)
Castrol Formula SLX 0w-30 (fully syn)
Castrol RS Power 0w-40 (fully syn)
Mobil 1 0w-40 (fully syn)

The Fuchs being the factory fill.

The 10W/40W semi synth ( Magnatec for example) recommended by mikepenn's mechanic is ok if you are going to change every 6-7K but won't last the 15K. I'm not technical (sorry) but it's something to do with the shear rate(?) I believe.

Wether or not you agree with the extended oil change intervals ( I don't personally ) is the subject of many threads on here but if mikepenn is relying on his onboard computer to decide oil change frequencies then I'd stick to the fully synthetic types meeting the BMW LL 01 spec. The brands above meet this definately but there will be others.
Reply | Report as offensive | Link

We give you the low down on how to save on insurance, little-known tricks and tips, what insurance groups mean and how to use insurance aggregators to beat insurers.

Insurance group finder and how to save on insurance