My Garage Put in Normal Oil in...

Hi Guys,

I went to the local shop right next to my work back in November they changed: spark plugs, engine oil, tranny oil, air filter, fuel filter. I had them changed my engine oil again today which is about 8000KM later, the total of my bill was 53$
I asked him 53$ for a synthetic oil change and he also told me the last oil change (8000KM ago) he didn't put synthetic oil either.

Now I know BMW are supposed to have synthetic LL-01 oil or something like that in them but does it matter alot if i don't? I drive this thing like a grampa and i'm always on cruise control. I told myself i'll do the oil change in 5000km but am i risking any engine damage? Car has 180,000 KM on it.

Thanks

You aren't risking engine damage but don't do it again.
Why buy a bmw if you drive like an old lady?
Get a honda/toyota and do $30 oil changes if money is a concern.

Money isn't a concern i was jus surprised because i know that 53$ would not even cover for the 7 quarts of synthetic oil alone. Also i drive it like that because i care about this car, also police in Canada are idiots they pull you over for barely anything they can imagine. Also i don't know about in the states but car insurances up here are insane if you're under 25 i'm currently paying 232$ each month to be insured on my BMW and that's the lowest i found some crazy insurers gave me quotes over 5000$ a year, i even had one in the 7000$. You don't see any 18 or 20 years old driving E46's up here because of the insurance prices. I drive my car like a grampa not to get noticed so my insurance doesn't go up.

you driving is just fine, nothing wrong with granny in a bmw. MOST of the time i drive same as you, saves me fuel and piece of mind for not getting nailed for speeding.

Make that shop NOT your shop any more. An honest mechanic should look after your vehicle and direct you in the right direction. If they don't know that your car should be using specific oil, it means they don't care.

its a small issue but it shows how much they actually care.

You'll be fine till next oil change, but next time go 5w40 or 0w40 synthetic ll-01 or ll-04. change it every 12,000km - 15,000km.

what's your location? find a decent shop that knows this car.

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Bimmer App

Yea i know, i'm in Quebec, South Shore of Montreal. Local stealer is Park Avenue BMW.
I'll go to the stealership next time, I know they charge you more but i love my SA he even gave me all of the services that were performed on my car since day one, i've got around 40 service invoices which is kind of a nice thing to have.

I bought a bottle of castrol edge from a dodgy lookin fella selling bottles from the trunk of his car today. £10. Bargain.

That's kind of funny, tell him to come to Canada i'll buy 7 and flush down that normal oil.

Maybe you'll get lucky some day

I purchase my CI from someone in Montreal and the car originally was purchased and serviced at that dealership...

look around and check out maxbimmer.ca, maybe someone can help you find a good mechanic in your area that doesn't charge $120/hour

Sent from my SGH-I727R using Bimmer App

Don't take the car to the dealer instead work on it yourself. Can you diy?

The "dino" oil if correct weight will be just fine. The main reason(s) for Full Synthetic Oils are longer oil change intervals and slightly better lubrication, better "sticking" to critical engine parts for cold start-up and slightly better fuel mileage and slightly lower operating temperatures. With "dino" oil, you need to change the oil and filter more often as the conventional oils breakdown quicker, so oil and filter changes should come at 3,000 to 5,000 miles and with full synthetic oils you can go longer (though I change my oil and filter every 5,000 miles). By no means would I use full synthetic and go the 10,000 to 15,000 miles between oil and filter changes as the oil service light and owners manual suggests! Even full synthetic oils break down and get contaminated.

Originally Posted by e46alfonso

Don't take the car to the dealer instead work on it yourself. Can you diy?

^ This.

Buy a Mityvac oil extractor and suck the oil out the top. That way, you don't even have to get under the car to change your oil. I can do mine in ~20mins even if it's super cold outside.

Yep, do your own oil changes. I do it old school and get up under it, remove the guards etc. It's also a great time for a cursory visual inspection: check for leaks, torn CV boots, etc., etc.

Hmmmm, even though it can be said synth is dandy for longer change intervals there is a LOT more to the advantage of synthetics. Without getting too deep into shear and flow properties (which are clearly superior), let's talk about sludging. Dino oil has a not so good property of leaving deposits of goo under your valve cover and potentially causing passage clogging etc. It's simple - don't use it!

These close tolerance, tight engines using aluminum alloys needing critical oiling. Pay attention, the engineers are not kidding. The proper oil spec is critical for your engines life not just extended changes. Me? Yeah I'd dump that stuff and add spec synth. Driving hard or light has nothing to do with the oil properties. Junk oil is just that - junk at any RPM.