anothadave

i bought some parts for my 323i e46 but didnt get around to using them since i bought a 2004 e60 525i soon after. ive got some Castrol Edge 0w30 which is what the local bmw dealer said they used when they do a service. the m54 and m52 engines are quite similar so would the oil be ok for the e60? any recommendations on where to buy reasonably priced oil for future reference? cheapest i found was two 4ltr cans for £78.

similar situation with the spark plugs, would ngk bkr6equp be ok? thanks

Wolrab

M54 and M52 engines are practically identical. The same oil (and a lot of the same parts) are fine for both. You don't gain a whole lot from getting non-BMW branded oil. It's fine, and it's one of the few things they don't mark up astronomically.

anothadave

Thanks thats what i thought. When i rang up to buy the oil for the e46 the parts guy said they just use castrol edge Lol. Theyre quite a few miles away so was easier just to source my own.

dR.jonezz

It's 0w30 which is correct oil for your car.. First I used to have powerflow 0w30 but now my friend who gaved me the new oil is edge pro 0w30, so your oils should be fine..

AchtungE60

The oil is fine. The M54 and M52BTU are nearly identical but there are some major differences which I do not feel the need to mention because it doesn't pertain to you since you're asking about oil. So yes oil is fine.

kskane

I have been using the Castrol Edge Titanium 0w40 in my M54 without any problems. And ngk bkr6equp is what BMW $tealer will sell you for twice the cost instead of an outside store, in short they are fine to use.

anothadave

yeh confirms what i suspected. thought id double check first. thinking about having the rocker cover gasket done at the same time. theres a bit of a drip around the edge, its done over 140,000 so looks like it needs replacing. seen a BGautomotive one online for £30. theyre a reputable brand who've been around a long time. or GSF do one for £24 but no mention of the brand.

Wolrab

Check these guys out:

General E46 Forum - E46Fanatics

They come off as a bunch of college kids who can't really afford to run a BMW, but it's a pretty active forum with a lot of DIY information. I bring it up because there are MANY more E46s out there with the M54 engine than E60s, and by comparison this forum is nearly dead. For example, the consensus in there is that you should avoid the brand Victor Reinz when you're buying a VCG for the M54. There have been many premature failures. And don't forget to buy the 15 grommets for the bolts, and some gasket sealant for the half-moons and VANOS joint. Torque for the bolts is 10 Nm.

anothadave

yeh ive been looking for them but in the uk they just sell the gasket on its own. i notice the american sellers do it as a kit including the grommets. cant seem to find them listed on their own either.

Wolrab

There's always the option to look up the part numbers in here:

RealOEM.com Online BMW Parts Catalog

then go and get them from the dealer. We're not talking about huge cost for gaskets and grommets.