Of course, BMW has their Diesel Motor Oil privately branded and the "book" refers to Castrol SLX Professional SAE 5W-30 (which is also only at BMW dealers. So you're off to Timbuktu and you fill up the 2011 X5 35d with diesel fuel and you check your oil via the "manual" dipstick and find that you are 1 quart down. What are your options since the closest BMW dealer is not around the corner.? What are the "approved" choices?
Carry a spare... I prefer to carry a spare qt of oil somewhere in the car... since it has been difficult at times to locate on on the road. With the long oil change interval, these cars often need a qt before the next service interval arrives. All of my past bmw's have had a compartment near the firewall under the hood where I can carry it. Generally I have a old hand rag, qt of oil, and a qt of steering fluid stored there. Chuck
I'm sorry, my question was not whether to carry a quart with you rather what brands of diesel motor oil are satisfactory to use in a 2011 turbodiesel (35d) other than the BMW brand/Castrol SLX Professional 5/30 Synthetic.
good luck with BMW oil Well I've put over 200K miles on my BMW's and only used BMW branded fluids... with excellent results. Never a problem related to the lubricity or warranty, etc. I only had to substitute 1qt on a low oil signal and the oil was changed a week later... and I've carried a spare qt ever since as insurance. I've used synthetics since the early 70's when Mobil 1 first became available. Everything gets synthetic except for lawn mowers and other small engines with short interval change requirements. I have not had a lubrication related failure ever even with the extended periods (which I follow). It even worked well in a vehicle I used for 10 yrs with a 4 mile commute and was so gunked up when I tore it down for some other reason that I was surprised it ran at all. The gunk is a function of the engine not getting up to temperature and driving moisture out of the crankcase... Its the moisture mixing with the oil that forms "sludge" not dirty oil. My understanding is that BMW branded oils are supplied by Castrol. All oils have a spec and as long as you use an oil that at least meets this spec you should be ok. The actual spec for your vehicle is listed in the owners manual. In my Cat powered diesel motorhome I use Mobil's Diesel synthetic branded Delvac with excellent results as well. I have not had any reason to look for an alternative source for oil for my 335d. Chuck
Roll by a VW dealer and buy a quart (liter, actually) of their TDI oil. Although it doesn't meet BMW's LL-04, it is a low-saps oil that meets ACEA A3/B4/C3. The C3 is the low-saps piece of the ACEA spec. VW's oil is also a Castrol SLX Professional 5W-30. You might be able to find others, such as Pennzoil Platinum European Ultra Diesel SAE 5W-30 (which meets LL-04). Basically, look for A3/B3 (or B4) with the C3 on the end. There's also Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5W-30. I have not been able to find the Pennzoil or Mobil-1 products in any auto-parts store here in Seattle. In fact, the Mobil people (I called) say it's not available in the US. Google LL-04 and you'll find more confusion than you need.
Just as a F/U regarding Diesel Motor Oil: ECS has the best price for BMW Diesel Motor Oil recommended for the 2011 X5 35d P/N 07510037195 at 6.75/qt. and, in fact, beats out the other brands that are "ok" to use (from Castrol professional to Mobil 1 to Pennzoil to AMSOIL. I ordered a couple of quarts to have in between oil changes at the dealer.
As a second f/u: ECS had my order for 9 days claiming that the diesel oil had not arrived as yet for shipment. This did not make me a happy customer. I canceled the order and bit the bullet and ran down to my BMW dealer today. With my BMW CCA discount, the oil was 6.10 a quart and I brought several home. Morale to the story is:You don't "automatically" get stung by dealer prices.Caveat Emptor.
