Its time for my second DIY oil change since my CPO maintenance has ended. Last time I bought the BMW oil. I am thinking of using the new Penzoil Ultimate synthetic oil instead this time. 5w-30. I never go by the BMW recommended interval. I usually change the oil around 6 months or 6,000 miles. Do you think going with this oil would be a mistake in any way?

 

just changed my oil recently with Castrol Edge, 0-40W European formula. I think Penzoil Ultimate is also on the list of approved oil by BMW. You can double check with the search function.

Honestly, I didn't save that much by doing the oil change myself since my dealer was having an oil change promotion but it just gave me the satisfaction of being able to doing the easy maintenance on my own. Just changed my cabin filters this morning...that was the quickest couple of minutes DIY maintenance I've ever done in a very long time.

RCT

 

These 3 are widely available, meeting BMW LL-01 spec:

1. BMW 5W30: Dealership
2. Mobil 1 0W40: Everywhere, including Walmart
3. Castrol 0W30: Autozone

 

http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:



?Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30


?Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40


?Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30


?Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30

 

My mistake on the Castrol oil weight formula, got the 0W-30 at Autozone. The local Walmart and Kragen do not carry Mobil 1 European formula which was a bit surprising since everyone here who posted claimed that they got it at Walmart.

BTW, how much is the BMW oil anyway? I never bother to check but may be I might have to since it could be cheaper than how much I'm paying for the Castrol at Autozone, locally.

RCT

 

Oil Change Complete! I went with the Mobil 1 0w-40. Advance Auto parts had it for $7.49 a quart. They had a special for spend $75 or more get $20 off. I spent $64 bucks for 9 quarts and the filter. Not too bad!

 

I have use racing oil 0-30 in HK before in my 525i and it was OK

 

As much as I hate Wal-Mart, you can usually find oil cheaper there. The Mobil1 5-qt jugs are usually $25 and filters I've bought from germanfilters.com. Both my 525 and Z4 take the same filter, so I bought a bunch of MANN filters (OEM brand) that including shipping broke down to about $4-5 each.

 

nice link... i did not know BMW approved other oils to use.... good to know.

 

?Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30