Hey all,

As some of you will recognise, I purchased a 530i this week, and since this is my first Bimmer, I am still learning.

I want to do an engine oil/filter change and was wondering what oil is recommended. The viscosity is quite confusing to me. The brand is perhaps not so relevant, as I am in Saudi Arabia, and we may not have the same brands here. I have checked with folks and the dealership uses Castrol (10w-40 if I am correct) and Indie's recommend a German make Liqui Moly.

The weather here is quite harsh, temperatures in Summers go upto 45-50 Celcius. So the engines take a beating.

I plan to use OEM oil filter.
Any recommendations for the oil and filter ?

 

Synthetic Engine Oils - BMW North America

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

 

Thanks for your feedback.

I am living in Saudi Arabia, where the weather is quite harsh. I am wondering if the BMW US recommendations will be valid for Saudi engines as well?

 

Generally warmer weather calls for thicker oils since they start at a higher viscosity and don’t become too thin when the engine heats up.. so if the indy you asked recommends the 10-40 which is a higher viscosity i would stick with that..
You make a valid point about questioning the US recommendations.. Stressing on the "US" part of that sentence.

 

Thanks. Since I wanted to change my engine oil very frequently initially, I have decided to try a couple of different viscosity mixtures. I will be changing my oil and filter every 1000km (~600 miles) a couple of times, so all the dirt/sludge buildup can be cleared. Last time I checked, although the oil was thick, there was not much sludge to be overly concerned.

My indie agrees to this plan, since the Saudi drivers are sadly famous for not looking after their engines. By rotating the engine oil a few times, the engine can be cleared. Ofcourse, I could go for engine oil flush service as well, but I wanted to try a few oils anyway.

I read that my engine requires 6.5 liters of engine oil. Is that correct ?

 

6.5 does sound accurate.. im not sure if it more or less, i just remember doing mine and it took a lot of oil!

Maybe look into a battery operated oil extractor / "sucker" it would make changing the oil a ten minute job..
get a long tube/hose to go down the dipstick and suck it all out. it might leave a little bit in there but it can't be much.
for peace of mind, maybe use the oil extractor and then pull the plug to see how much it didnt extract.. just a thought.

 

Hey, thanks for your input.

I did get my engine oil sucked out last night, as I wanted to:
- see the state of the oil,
- measure the quantity required.

and it turned out to be 6.5 liters. I will continue getting it sucked out using the electrical pump, so that I can see the state of the oil, and confirm the lack of any sludge.

Thanks once again.