for the record... Mobile 1 5-30 doesn't meeting BMW's specs... I can't recall the specific criteria/rating that it fails, but that specific weight is not recommended. the other wieghts/viscosities of Mobil 1 meet the criteria, however.... 5w-30 is just the odd man out.
Chicane, If your E46 M3 is still under warranty, then the oil changes cost you nothing and you have these choices. BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Synthetic Oils for BMW M vehicles equipped with S54, S62, S65 or S85 engines: * Castrol TWS Motorsport SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Engine Oil * Castrol Formula RS SAE 10W-60 Synthetic Engine Oil (BMW part number 07 51 0 009 420) Use only oils with an API rating of SJ/CF, SK/CF or higher. I, like you, have a few choices for my 2005 X5 4.4i until the full warranty is up in November. The oils listed below meet BMW's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines. 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 Further, only oils with an API rating of SM or higher. After the full warranty expires, I will have to see what the CPO warranty allows as I will be changing my own oil after Nov 2009 until Nov 2011. I am leaning toward the Amsoil engine oil products and perhaps their remote 5 and 2 micron dual by-pass filter setup and the oil analysis program. The real savings with Amsoil is in the extended oil changes, which are up to 25,000 miles or one year. If you send your oil sample off for analysis and they say its good, you just change the filters and top it off. This is exactly what they do with jet engines and have for decades. Amsoil is specifically designed for longer life and extended change periods. No where on other oils do they say 25,000 miles or one year. That said, how many claims have you seen filed, or internet campaigns against Amsoil. Remember Slick 50? After 35 years and millions of customers, if they were shady or their products junk, it would be all over the internet. The biggest knock I have against Amsoil is you have to buy it in advance, you can't find it in Costco, WalMart etc. It requires some actual planning to use and ensure you have on hand. Concerning the 5 quarts of Mobil 1 for less than $20. I would be careful of what you are buying and where. There are now two levels of M1 out there. The real deal, full on synthetic, and the "consumer" formula that is only partially synthetic, but enough that they can market it as synthetic. I am not knocking M1 at all, great products and always tend to finish near the top of comparison tests. This is the same problem they had with Zymol....what you buy in Target and Kmart is not the same stuff you buy online direct. It is less expensive and has a lower level of quality ingredients. The $20 AMsoil Preferred Customer cost is a one time annual fee. You can order as much or as often as you like for the entire year.
That's $3 to $1.50 more than Mobile One. I think I would stick with Mobile One. Great oil easily available at my local Wal-Mart and cheaper.
Warranty and Maintenance agreements are two different things. You can be under the BMW powertrain warranty but that does not cover maintenance. And Amsoil does not make a 10w60 weight oil which is required for the S54 engine. Nor do many Amsoils have API certifications (also required) for our engines. http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Owner/SyntheticEngineOils.aspx BMW requires API rated oil and gives recommendations, Amsoil is not on that list. Mobile One is. The biggest savings for me is to use a top quality API certified SM rated oil so that my engine lasts as long as possible. I would never wait 25K to change my oil, I don't care what the oil company said. The whole idea behind oil is to first, lubricate and second, suspend and then carry contaminants to the filter. I want those contaminants out of my car ASAP. My biggest knock on Amsoil is that it is overpriced, compared to comparable weight oil and not API certified for the weight that I need.
Well it seems this thread has become a battle ground so I will say that everyone has their choices and will decide what is best for them and their car. I did some poking around and decided that AMSOIL was the best choice for me, I used RoyalPurple and did some reading and found that the additive moly has the potential to clog oil lines, so I switched to AMSOIL, being "THE FIRST IN SYNTHETICS" IMOP is saying alot, and the stuff seems to doing the trick for me.
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Content/Owner/SyntheticEngineOils.aspx Ignoring the OEM's recommendations for what is best for our cars doesn't work for me. A good proven oil is cheap compared to a new engine.
