[mit]

Just have the first post-breakin oil change at ~4000km and really amazed at how cheap it can be using the
original BMW High Performance SAE 5W-30 Synthetic Oil*
(BMW P/N: 07 51 0 017 866)

+
original F10 filter
(BMW P/N: 11 42 7 566 327)

Must thank gatoman39 for the detailed DIY guide and parts no from here
http://f10.5post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=410609

Before that, I got a quote from BMW HK for the oil change. That was $3xxxHKD using BMW-approved SHELL Helix and it takes 1 working day

If it were $2xxxHKD, I'd probably let the dealer change the breakin oil and save myself all the trouble to have it done outside. But since I intend to have extra oil change in between the dealer's maintenance schedule(every 12000km) in the next few years, the cheaper the better BTW, the oil change just take 10min

As for the oil choice, for me it'll be Motul V300 all the way after 10000km. But for the first early oil change just to get rid of all those dirty stuff from break-in, I want to go cheap and not to waste the Motul for that.

So what is safer than using all original parts?

Just copied the P/N from gatoman39's guide and showed it to 志堅行, 5min later I was given a big box of 7 Quart(=946ml) of the original BMW High Performance SAE oil(7 quart for both 528/535) and the F10 original filter( looks exactly like what is shown in gatoman39's DIY guide)
each quart = $70HKD
original filter =$70HKD
TOTAL = $560HKD

Went to a small dirty garage I used before and gave them all the parts. It just costed me another $200HKD for the change under my close survelliance(to make sure they do it right, like the above DIY guide)
So I ended up spending just $760HKD for the oil change....not bad, really not bad indeed

NS:BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils
http://www.bmwusa.com/Standard/Conte...ngineOils.aspx

[RR80]

did BMW HK use mobile 1 0-40 on our f10s?

[RC3]

Thanks mit. This is very helpful.

For the Motul, some garages said that there will be error code after using it. Not sure, wait for your update.

[mit]

Originally Posted by RR80

did BMW HK use mobile 1 0-40 on our f10s?

Not as far as I was told by BMW HK...
Q:"Which oil you're adding to my car?"
A:"Shell..."
Q:"Is there any other choice?"
A:"No, we use Shell for all the cars here"
Q:"Are you supposed to carry the original BMW engine oil?"
A:"BMW doesn't make oil...."
Q:"Can I bring in my preferred oil for the change?"
A:"We don't recommend"

So...I'm left with no choice esp when they're asking for $3xxx and req me to leave the car overnight

As for the Motul , I doubt it's really the quality of the oil that make the car's ECU complain. Probably more to do with underfilling or overfilling the engine by the garage who has no knowledge about how much oil the engine take(remember we've got no dipstick). Anyway I will try the Motul probably right after the first service and if the engine did consume more oil than I'd like to see, I will go a grade thicker till the ECU shut up

BTW, I was told by BMW HK there is a free, optional software update for my '10 F10, but it'll take 3 working days

[jxnco]

Had my oil change done at the Z shop when I hit 3800KM. It's been more than 2 weeks already. I used Pakelo Krypton XT which has BMW LL01 approval. So far so good. Cost me $1350 including oil filter change.

I had the same conversation with BMW. They were charging me $195/liter for Shell helix. And that's without labor yet.

[RC3]

Originally Posted by mit

BTW, I was told by BMW HK there is a free, optional software update for my '10 F10, but it'll take 3 working days

What's this update about? When they re-install the throttle and transmission softwares during the time I complained about the jerkiness, they took 3 days. My car still jerks now in sport mode. Not sure if this is the update to resolve this issue.

[mit]

Originally Posted by RC3

What's this update about? When they re-install the throttle and transmission softwares during the time I complained about the jerkiness, they took 3 days. My car still jerks now in sport mode. Not sure if this is the update to resolve this issue.

He said the update has something to do with the sensors or what.....but after the previous conversation, I thought i probably know more about the car than he do...so didn't bother to ask any further after I confirmed the update is optional

As for the jerks, I thought one comes from the "engine-braking" like effect when you lift your foot off the pedal at low gear. It's due to the engagement of the dynamo for charging the battery at that time(price paid for the "efficiency dynamics" )
The other jerk comes from the fact there is an extraordinary wide gap in gear ratio between the 1st and 2nd gear. At 1st gear, the car pulls like a truck but doesn't accelerate much even if you step on the pedal any further. If you stay in the 1st gear for a little too long and start shifting to the 2nd gear, the car suddenly speeds up and give you the jerk. The wide gap is there probably to counter the weight of the F10 and the rolling resistance from the tyres, both of which help giving you the excellent mpg for such a heavy beast.

Having said that, both of these jerks I believe are not easily amendable with a simple software update if giving you the best mpg is the BMW prime concern. As I used to be in full manual + sport mode 90% of the times, I learned how to avoid the jerks. Upshift immediately after the car starts moving and never completely lift off the pedals at the 2nd gear unless I intend to stop the car.

[mit]

.....

[grimlock]

Thats really cheap for that oil and filters, i wonder where they get the oil from, is it US stuff?
asking 3xxx for oil change? haha .. they r getting ridiculous.. that mean 2k for 'labour'

In retrospect, if i know how to change oil sooner, i would have changed it sooner too, around 4-6month mark for me (4k/yr, maybe 3-4month mark for ave. drivers) ..

3days for software update .. like saying "pls don't take up that option"

I think serviced car outside was even better, u get it back immediately and zero finger print marks on inside of car!

btw. curious, what does your oil level indicator display after change, i put in 6.5l (=6.9Q) but my car was little tilted up front left so not sure about full drainage, it show right at MAX, no more no less. What about u guys?

[mit]

Originally Posted by grimlock

Thats really cheap for that oil and filters, i wonder where they get the oil from, is it US stuff?
asking 3xxx for oil change? haha .. they r getting ridiculous.. that mean 2k for 'labour'

In retrospect, if i know how to change oil sooner, i would have changed it sooner too, around 4-6month mark for me (4k/yr, maybe 3-4month mark for ave. drivers) ..

3days for software update .. like saying "pls don't take up that option"

I think serviced car outside was even better, u get it back immediately and zero finger print marks on inside of car!

btw. curious, what does your oil level indicator display after change, i put in 6.5l (=6.9Q) but my car was little tilted up front left so not sure about full drainage, it show right at MAX, no more no less. What about u guys?

Made in USA with domestic and foreign Components,
Distributed by BMW NA, New Jersey

Last time I checked, they're selling like ~$50HKD in the States for every quart
(supposed to be good for all BMW except for those M-engine and diesel)
You got a huge profit margin from selling engine oil (esp those non ester based, so-called "fully synthetic" ones) and that's why almost every engine oil manufacturer can afford to put their stickers on every formula one car all these years
(Castrol, Mobil, Shell Helix, ELF, Total.....)

On the other hand, most of the run-of-the-mill type of engine oil available OTC in HK are made either in Singapore/Malaysia/Europe(aka Eastern Europe). I remembered the days when I was searching everywhere here for those German made Castrol oil which has completely different formula and spec from their Asian made counterpart

Someone's done an oil analysis of the BMW branded 5-30w, and evidence suggested it's Castrol TXT OEM available in Europe only
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums...Number=1991166

[grimlock]

Yeah, the 0w40 mobil is sing/malay ..
Is there a big difference between the EU/German and asia stuff?
Is the american stuff any better? are their requirements lower?
The shop i went to had US and EU mobil 0w40, it was cheaper than the local version, but was 1-2yrs old so didnt go for it
What's the grade of the Motul you're going to put in next? ..

[mit]

Grimlock, actually i think it isn't the place of manufacture that really matters, but whether a particular formula of the oil is available thr the local retailer of the brand. E.g. the German made Castrol Syntec, not easily available here is PAO-based and is supposed to be the next best thing after ester-based oil like Motul/Amsoil.
Most of the OTC oil(incl this BMW 5-30w) here belong to hydroisomerized oil (aka API Group III) and is nothing more than refined mineral oil to be exact....anyhow they're legally allowed to be claimed as "fully synthetic" otherwise.

NB PAO-based = API Group IV, Ester-based = API Group V

BTW, I don't think there is a effective "shelf-life" for the engine oil so to speak and you never know when the oil is made just by looking at the bottle. As long as the formula is up-to-date, probably not too much to worry anyway.

As for the Motul V300, I used 5-40w before but will definitely try the 5-30w on the F10 first......Probably will only change to 5-40w if the engine consume too much oil

[grimlock]

Mit,
How do u know if something is ester based or mineral oil based?
Why don't the premium/niche oil manufacturers make 0w40?
How 'bad' exactly is the mobil/shell 0w40 ? its overpriced for sure, but how much better is it, compared to the next grade, or are they all crap compared to the 'real' synthetics?
You prefer the '30' weight to the 40- why?
Sorry for all questions..

[mit]

i tend to avoid engine oil made by those big oil companies like Shell, Esso, Caltex... they're definitely not crap but nothing special. Relatively expensive over-the-counter but dirt cheap for the dealer/garage in bulk. >10years ago, tried the Mobil 1(silver bottle)once ...not very smooth when new and engine sounded rough right after just 2-3000km. I can't remember the viscosity of that Mobil 1 but definitely not the newer 0-40W nor the one in golden bottle. Before moving on to the Motul, my personal favorite was Castrol RS or the SLX. The other non-ester based I've used and preferred over the Mobil1 included ELF EXCELLIUM , Total Quartz, Valvoline...

As I always change the engine oil every 5-6000km, I prefered the thinner, smoother 30w over the 40 and I was told the thinner oil tends to flow better into the bearings and thus provide better protection right after you start the engine there.

[grimlock]

Does the 5w30 flow better at start up than 0w40?
I choose the '0' because supposedly its thinnest at ambient temp, compared to a comparable '5' .. i wonder if the translation is direct or something is lost, different in reality.
So '30' is heavy enough for HK temps? At operating temp its approx 11 viscosity vs. 13-14 for a '40' .. actually the differences are so small, one extra cold start per year is probably worse than then difference between one grade of oil..or is it?
Supposedly mobil 0w40 is a 'thin' 40 weight, which thins rapidly .. but not like there is much choice, if u don't leave '0' or '40' ..
The mobil 0w40 is costing 850-900 per change just for the oil.. silly considering its half the price elsewhere,
I'm tempted to go buy a bottle of the 5w30 bmw stuff u got for 70/bottle .. and compare it to the 0w40 in the fridge at -16C

[mit]

Originally Posted by grimlock

Does the 5w30 flow better at start up than 0w40?
I choose the '0' because supposedly its thinnest at ambient temp, compared to a comparable '5' .. i wonder if the translation is direct or something is lost, different in reality.
So '30' is heavy enough for HK temps? At operating temp its approx 11 viscosity vs. 13-14 for a '40' .. actually the differences are so small, one extra cold start per year is probably worse than then difference between one grade of oil..or is it?
Supposedly mobil 0w40 is a 'thin' 40 weight, which thins rapidly .. but not like there is much choice, if u don't leave '0' or '40' ..
The mobil 0w40 is costing 850-900 per change just for the oil.. silly considering its half the price elsewhere,
I'm tempted to go buy a bottle of the 5w30 bmw stuff u got for 70/bottle .. and compare it to the 0w40 in the fridge at -16C

"The mobil 0w40 is costing 850-900 per change just for the oil."
Oil stations' price?? Wrong place to buy oil i must say...

Last time I checked Motul 300V 5-30W costs only $480 per 4L from reliable auto parts store( pretty comparable to the US/UK price)

[grimlock]

Originally Posted by mit

"The mobil 0w40 is costing 850-900 per change just for the oil."
Oil stations' price?? Wrong place to buy oil i must say...

Last time I checked Motul 300V 5-30W costs only $480 per 4L from reliable auto parts store( pretty comparable to the US/UK price)

That's at the parts store! =530-550 /4L for Mobil 0w40 , gas station is 800
They're def still over charging for it though ..

[mit]

$5xx for 4L of Mobil 0-40w......................... That's why most of the time when asked for suggestion of engine oil, most mechanics from small garage will suggest Mobil 01 which should cost them about the same as my BMW 0-30W. Not bad for a 100% markup just for the oil price