The definitive "which oil" thread X5M X6M

[Bobby_Drake]

Originally Posted by Bobby_Drake

Agree.
Noticed smoother engine once I switched to Liqui Moly 5W-40 vs BMW LL 0W-30. Remains to be seen if I need to top off after 3K miles or so.

After switching to LM 5W-40 from BMW oil, I've had to top off just below 4K mi. MPG increased by about 1 mpg.
Due for another oil change at 6K from last one, and will try LM oil save to see if it helps lower oil consumption. Anyone here use LM oil saver https://www.amazon.com/Liqui-Moly-20.../dp/B00CPL8WY8 ?

[satish1015]

anyone have any experience with redline 5w50 oil? went to my indy shop and they recommended that to me. told me that's what they're using in all the M's that come into the shop

[YvesD]

That won't conform to any of the BMW approved specs, stick to those I would

👍

[ajsawyer]

Anyone use Ravenol or TriboDyn oil?

Asking because I found this blog: https://540ratblog.wordpress.com/......-wear-test.../

According to his tests, the oil film strength is as follows:
5W30 Tribodyn, synthetic = 135,434 psi
0W30 Ravenol VSW, synthetic = 135,395 psi
5W40 SHELL ROTELLA T6 Diesel Oil, synthetic: 67,804 psi

So of course I spent some time researching and found that the Ravenol for my x5 diesel, which meets the BMW longlife-04 spec, seems to be the best for the money (also 15% off right now) and may be much better than what I had been using.

Here's the link: https://www.blauparts.com/porsche-mo...-a40-5w-40-vmo...
That's enough for three oil changes, and sure enough they also had the best deal I found on filters: https://www.blauparts.com/catalogsearch/result/...


I also found this test of the specific type of Ravenol VMO I bought:

[Blue By You]

I'm a newbie to my vehicle and on here. But being a little obsessive about what I do to this vehicle, I've done some research and figured I'd chime in.

One of my local BMW specialty performance shops recommends this version of LiquiMoly - https://products.liqui-moly.com/top-...0-5w-30-2.html

It has what seems to be all of the right approvals/recommendations and the flash point is 446F which he says is vital when it comes to how hot the turbos can become and the resulting deposits of burnt off oil. (He recommends a flash point above 400F and based on comparisons this seems to be one of the highest. That Ravenol is very high too at 453F, but if I read the right information it is not approved in the manual for the F85.)

I'm probably going with oil changes every 5K miles using the dealership's 0W-30 during colder months, and this LiquiMoly oil during warmer months.

[DgjoX6M2016]

Just got my FCP oil change kit and it's 0-30. I went with the BMW branded oil.

For the hell of it I ordered the LiquiMoly flush and ceramic

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by DgjoX6M2016

Just got my FCP oil change kit and it's 0-30. I went with the BMW branded oil.

For the hell of it I ordered the LiquiMoly flush and ceramic

I learned something new, checking out the flush and ceramic now, thank you for the tip!

Just make sure that our clutch isn't a wet clutch? Because the Cera Tec is "not suitable" for them. (No idea how the clutch works in our rigs...)

Edit: I verified right on the product detail page that the Cera Tec "Not suitable for use with DSG/DCT-, automatic-transmissions or wet-clutch differentials."

Be careful with what you use on these engines too, because the dealers have ways of figuring things out!

[NikNala]

Originally Posted by Northeastern X5M

I learned something new, checking out the flush and ceramic now, thank you for the tip!

Just make sure that our clutch isn't a wet clutch? Because the Cera Tec is "not suitable" for them. (No idea how the clutch works in our rigs...)

Edit: I verified right on the product detail page that the Cera Tec "Not suitable for use with DSG/DCT-, automatic-transmissions or wet-clutch differentials."

Be careful with what you use on these engines too, because the dealers have ways of figuring things out!

We don't have a clutch(not a manual car) or a DCT. It's an 8 speed auto with a torque converter. Wet clutches are in reference to motorcycles.

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by NikNala

We don't have a clutch(not a manual car) or a DCT. It's an 8 speed auto with a torque converter. Wet clutches are in reference to motorcycles.

I was laughing at myself because I was wondering. And I couldn't find the information in the manual.

I thought that because the car could roll in D that we had a clutch. And something from my maintenance plan paperwork mentioned a clutch, so my brain applied it to my vehicle I guess.

So no liquid/oil connection between our engines and trannies at all right? Completely separate and we can do what we want with the engine?

That would be cool because I would like to check out both of these products. They make some gas flush products too.

Thanks

[KCTiger]

Originally Posted by Northeastern X5M

I was laughing at myself because I was wondering. And I couldn't find the information in the manual.

I thought that because the car could roll in D that we had a clutch. And something from my maintenance plan paperwork mentioned a clutch, so my brain applied it to my vehicle I guess.

So no liquid/oil connection between our engines and trannies at all right? Completely separate and we can do what we want with the engine?

That would be cool because I would like to check out both of these products. They make some gas flush products too.

Thanks

I've called Liqui Moly twice now and each time they recommend the Leichtlauf. That's what I use. FWIW.

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by KCTiger

I've called Liqui Moly twice now and each time they recommend the Leichtlauf. That's what I use. FWIW.

That stuff seems great. The flash point is very high.

Thanks for the tip!

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by KCTiger

I've called Liqui Moly twice now and each time they recommend the Leichtlauf. That's what I use. FWIW.

How much oil does my shop need for an oil change? Should I try to bring individual quarts or does the 5L container have hash marks I assume?

[KCTiger]

Originally Posted by Northeastern X5M

How much oil does my shop need for an oil change? Should I try to bring individual quarts or does the 5L container have hash marks I assume?

Not sure. I don't change the oil myself.

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by KCTiger

Not sure. I don't change the oil myself.

Same here. I think it's 9.5L so I'll just bring two 5L jugs. Thanks

[640ijims]

9.5 as stated in owners manual

[8202632]

So random question not related to the actual oil. Do y’all find the oil fill cap hard as hell to remove? I have to grip it with 2 hands and push/pull on opposite sides. There’s not much clearance by the engine cover to do this easily. Maybe I need a new filler cap?

[Yuille36]

During my next oil change, I'm going to give Liqui Moly 5W-40 a try, to see if this oil addresses my oil consumption issue.

[///MCollection]

I'm using the bmw ll04 oil 5w 30 which is shell and Im on 20k miles and added a litre between services which was approx 10k apart so 1 litre every 5k milesish

[Blue By You]

For anyone leaking oil, it obviously can burn off. But I also saw the other thread about valve seals leaking that could cause it.

Fortunately, I have a CPO warranty because 150 miles into ownership the main seal and oil filter cap were leaking oil which they've since replaced.

Now the oil pressure switch (if I understood that right) is leaking and they're replacing that. (My indy shop had found literally one drop of oil, and since I'm getting some post-sales work done at the dealer, I asked them to triple-check the valves and everything else to make sure that there is no oil leaking.)

Long story short, if you're losing oil from what seems to be more than burn-off (in which case make sure your oil has a high flash point too), you might want to gently hammer your SAs that you know about the valve seal issue, maybe mention my issues etc, and that you would like everything evaluated to make sure it's bulletproof.

Better to be safe than sorry!

[NikNala]

Noack is a better measure of an oil's burn off than flashpoint.

"The Noack volatility test, named after Kurt Noack,[1] determines the evaporation loss of lubricants in high-temperature service. This test is standardized as ASTM D5800.[2]

In this test, a sample is heated at 250 °C for 60 minutes with a constant flow of air over it. The weight fraction lost is the result for the Noack volatility test.

As the lighter hydrocarbon fraction of motor oils evaporate, the viscosity of the remaining oil increases, contributing to poor circulation, reduced fuel economy, increased oil consumption, wear and tail-pipe emissions."

[Blue By You]

Originally Posted by NikNala

Noack is a better measure of an oil's burn off than flashpoint.

"The Noack volatility test, named after Kurt Noack,[1] determines the evaporation loss of lubricants in high-temperature service. This test is standardized as ASTM D5800.[2]

In this test, a sample is heated at 250 °C for 60 minutes with a constant flow of air over it. The weight fraction lost is the result for the Noack volatility test.

As the lighter hydrocarbon fraction of motor oils evaporate, the viscosity of the remaining oil increases, contributing to poor circulation, reduced fuel economy, increased oil consumption, wear and tail-pipe emissions."

Thank you for the info!

Tough to find a low Noack oil that meets the LL01 standard and has a high flash point. The ones I've been eyeing from Liqui Moly have high flash but not so low Noack, in the 9.5-10 range.

Specifically looking for 0w-30, 0w-40, or 5w-40 if you know of any great ones?

[NikNala]

Originally Posted by Northeastern X5M

Thank you for the info!

Tough to find a low Noack oil that meets the LL01 standard and has a high flash point. The ones I've been eyeing from Liqui Moly have high flash but not so low Noack, in the 9.5-10 range.

Specifically looking for 0w-30, 0w-40, or 5w-40 if you know of any great ones?

One of the best ones that meets LL-01(the original spec for our cars isn't valid because LL-01 changed in 18) would probably be this at $40 for a 5L Jug on Amazon.

https://www.motul.com/us/en-US/produ...ess-gen2-5w-40

Sorry I can't find the Noack for it.

Castrol Edge 0w-40 A3/B4(~50% PAO by most accounts) is probably the best oil for the money since you can get it at Wally World or Amazon in a 5QT Jug for ~$25. It doesn't meet LL-01 anymore because it wasn't recertified when the spec changed. Still meets Mercedes Benz 229. 5 and 229. 3 and Porsche A40.

I'm going probably to try the Motul Sport 5-40 next as it's a good true synthetic with good specs and a Noack of 4.7% according to the chart at the bottom of this post. It doesn't list the new version of X-Cess because it's a few years old.

https://www.motul.com/us/en/products/sport-5w40

I don't care much about meeting LL-01 or most specs for that matter because I do 5k mile oil changes. I like reading about technical stuff and spend some time on the bobistheoilguy forums so that is where I pick up the majority of my information.

Edit:
Also Ravenol RUP 5w-40 has LL-04 and a lot of other certifications and looks to be a great oil too! Noack around 6%.

https://www.ravenolamerica.com/motor...a-performance/