Bteljuice

Hey guys,

My last oil change was at my BMW dealer 3,000km ago and i just got a warning on my idrive "minimum oil level".

My friend told me to just top it off with some recommended oil.

Here's my question. What grade do i use? How do i know what my dealer used, BMW 0W-30 or 5W-30 or 0W-40? Castrol or Mobil1?
How am I supposed to know with what grade and what brand i should top it off.

What if they used 0W-30 and i top it off with 5W-30, whats the worst that could happen?

V70Cat

As long as it is top quality oil that meets BMW specs you should fine with 0W or 5W

Bteljuice

so its either Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30 OR Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40.

One last question, i just checked oil level and its exactly at min level. will it affect my car/engine if i drive 40km on it and my RPM <3,000. Coz im forced to go somewhere and its saturday, all shops are closed till monday.

cokeefe

If it's AT minimum level, it's still in spec and you can drive the car. I'd avoid high RPM and high-G cornering until it's topped up.

If it's BELOW minumum level, and this were my own car and I had to drive it, I would top it up with whatever viscosity and brand of automobile oil I could get my hands on, up to the minimum level. Adding less than one liter of non-spec oil in an emergency will not change the overall system (8-9 liters) enough to matter, IMO.

I doubt everyone agrees with this, but it's what I'd do. Any oil in the system is better than no oil in the system. You want to avoid oil starvation at all costs.

Good luck!

Bteljuice

appreciate ur comment cokeefe, thx

It's AT and exactly at minimum level. On my way to my trip, i will check if any stores are open, or fuel stations. Yes, i will do as you said, RPM lower than 3,000 and no High-G conering(i have a 2.2L engine, so i doubt any Gs are reached)

bradleyjs

I just had my oil serviced 2 weeks ago and they filled it with: BMW 5W-30

Bteljuice

yes you are right, BMW 5W-30 is the way to go, but in im country, 1L= 9$. Yeah, BMW in lebanon is considered one of the Ultimate luxury cars. They just rip you off badly coz people in my country WOULD pay for that price

pennetta

I think BMW uses Castrol Synthetic, I would only add the same brand because the additives between different brands are different. Use the specified viscosity for your model, temperature and load conditions.

Bteljuice

But the thing is, I dont know what brand they are using. This is exactly why i am asking. Coz i know that the chemical used in different brands differ. And a mixture of two different chemicals may cause an unwanted reaction, or an unwanted mis-mixutre.

luigi524td

toping it off with 5W-30 won't hurt but surely you want to know why it's at minimum after 3,000km / 1800 miles. They should check for leaks, a poorly installed seal on drain plug or elsewhere. Or perhaps it's a failed oil level sensor - in which case you could be over filling though the level is correct!