Hey guys, I stopped by my local autozone yesterday to pick up some german castrol for my oil change. While I was there I was going to pick up a quart of Mobil 1 syn 5w30(because I'm low a half quart) and notice a bottle that said Euro Syn 0w40. I was wondering if anyone has heard anything about this oil. They say that the german blend of castrol is better then the mobil 1 oils but how about this mobil 1 euro synthetic.

 

I found this about oil weight, maybe it is the issue why some running mobil 1 r5w30 are consuming oil quickly

1) New BMW’s require synthetic oil. As far as weight, only certain production dates of M3’s and M5’s require the use of Castrol TWS 10w-60.



2) The Factory BMW Synth 5w-30 is a version of Castrol TXT Softect sold overseas. A few important things about the BMW oil:

It is a Group III hydrocracked oil which cannot be called synthetic in Europe.

It is a heavy 30 weight (30 weight can run from 9.3-12.5cst@100c, the BMW oil is about 12.2cst).

It is a ACEA A3 oil which means that it is approved for longer change intervals and has a HTHS (High Temperature High Shear) measured at 150c of greater than 3.5.

3) In the US, the only Group IV PAO Synthetics that are available are

Mobil 1.

Amsoil (but not the Xl-7500).

Royal Purple.

German Castrol 0w-30 (it has the red label and says on the back, “Made in Germany). Redline is a Group V PolyEster based oil. All other Castrol, Quaker State, Pennzoil, Valvoline “synthetics” are a Group III hydrocracked oil. It is debated how much better Group IV base oils are than group III, but generally they are considered better.

4) When looking for oil for any BMW that does not require Castrol TWS 10w-60, you want to purchase an oil that has either/both of the following ratings:

ACEA A3.

BMW LL-98 or LL-01.

5) Note that Mobil 1 0w-30, 5w-30, and 10w-30 are NOT ACEA A3 or BMW LL approved oils. This is because they all are thin 30 weight oils (approximately 9.8-10 CST@ 100c) and have HTHS of approximately 3.1. Mobil 1 0w-40 and 15w-50 are A3 rated and the Ow-40 is BMW LL-01 approved. For 99% of climates and users 0w-40 or 5w-40 is the appropriate grade. There are some 0w-30 and 5w-30 oils (like the BMW 5w-30) that are formulated on the heavier end of the 30 weight scale and are accordingly rated A3. These oils will work well also. LOOK FOR THAT ACEA A3 rating. If the oil doesn’t have it, pass on it.



6) Some people seem confused about how oil thickness is measured. The first number (0W, 5w, 10w, 15w, etc) is a measurement of how thick the oil is at temperatures of -35c- -20c (depends on the grade). The lower this first number the thinner the oil is at LOW temperatures. The second number (30, 40, 50) refers to oil thickness at 100c (operating temperature). 30 weight can be from 9.3-12.5 cst, 40 weight from 12.6-16.2 cst, 50 weight from 16.3-22cst (approximate). So you can have two oils, one called a 5w-30 (i.e. bmw oil) another 0w-40 (Mobil 1) that are very similar thicknesses at operating temperature. Compare this to Mobil 1 Xw-30 which is close to a 20 weight oil at 100c.



7) BMW’s recommended interval of 12,000-15,000 miles is too long. Used oil analysis has shown the BMW oil is generally depleted at 10,000 miles. Running it longer results in excess wear. It is highly recommended that you change your oil once between each BMW recommended interval (approx 7000-7500 miles). If you want to run your oil the BMW recommended interval, I would suggest that you use Mobil 1 0w-40 or Amsoil 5w-40 and change the oil filter at 7500 miles. I would encourage a full oil change at 7500 if you want your engine to last.

 

you. have alot of time on your hands!

 

Excellent information there jdmeg. Thank you

 

lol I just came across it after looking up the german castrol stuff. and after I saw Mobil 0w40 "euro blend" at autozone

 

do you have info that corraborates that mobil 1 is PAO based? I believe its a group3/group4 blend, based on mobil's claim that synpower "includes" pao based oils, but not that it is pao based. Most other oil manufacturers tout that as their claim to fame, including mobil, until the formula change after losing the court battle with castrol. Now it takes a great deal of searching on their website to even find PAO's mentioned, and "includes" PAOs along with other additives. Sounds pretty fishy to me, and the strong evidence from uoa's pre and post formula change posted on number oil forums would agree with this "blend" or PAO additive.

 

Yes, call Mobil at 1-800-662-4525, and they will tell you that Mobil 1 is a PAO based synthetic oil.

Steve
CEO of Hi-Tech Oil Co.

 

gave them a call, and they couldn't explain how a "synthetic blend" could be 100% pao base oil, only that it was a blend of synthetic oils, so still no proof that it is 100% PAO based. I'm still leaning toward group3/4 blend, so they can continue to say it is a group 4 based oil, for marketing purposes.

 

I spoke to a Manager that knew how to explain this. Who'd you speak to? As most better syntheic oils are, you have a PAO base stock and a blend of other oils and additives that comprise the entire product. Nothing scandalous there.


Steve
CEO of Hi-Tech Oil Co.

 

0W-40 is not recommended for your vehicles engine.


Steve
CEO of Hi-Tech Oil Co.

 

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I just changed my oil and filled the car with this same exact oil. Am I going to tear up my engine using it? Should I change it back to 5W-30? The only difference I see (hear rather) is that the engine seems quieter at idle in the garage than it did before, other than that, it seems normal. Please let me know, thanks.

 

I run M1 15W50 in mine in the summer.
Boost.

 

I found this article VERY interesting.
http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil%20Tests.pdf