Petrol/Gas US Oil for B58 Engines

[Lars]

I know this is an old thread, but something came up recently. It’s been about 5,000 miles since my 24k service at the dealer. Rather than drive all the way to Chicago, I thought I would get an oil change locally with an independent mechanic here in town - he just does European imports, mostly BMW and Mercedes. I showed him the 0W-20 spec in the owners manual, and he said he wouldn’t recommend that in a B58 engine - he said it was too light and he had seen way too many issues (he’s serving customers AFTER warranty, so sees these with a lot of miles). He’s recommending 5W-30. Thoughts?

No difinitive answer for this will be found on forums. It Won't damage the engine, but I worry it does not have the additive packages in the LL-17 FE+ spec. My research tells me that's more important than 0/20 vs. 5/30 viscosity. Change your oil every 5-6K miles with BMW approved oil and life will be good. If for any reason you have problems/engine failure and they find out you used some other oil, game over as far as warranty repairs..

 

[Logsplitter]

Having the right spec of oil will also affect the performance of the gasoline particulate filter also I guess.

 

[INEOS OG]

That’s exactly what he said - that it was not the way to go if you prioritize longevity

BMW saw a 3% increase in efficiency by going to 0w 20 over the earlier recommended 5w 30 with no discernible reduction in reliability which is huge when selling performance cars and meeting CAFE standards across the board as a brand.

I am not sad we got the B58 B57 engine packages in the IG / IQ but helping BMW meet emissions standards for its M line at the cost of replacing a turbo or rod bearings at 100k miles does. I am 59 years old, I plan on driving my IG until I can’t at least well into my 70s.

I intend to get 300k miles out of my IG. That will never happen changing 0w 20 oil at the 12k mile service interval.

 

[Pete Brown]

Making recommendations without comprehensive, supporting oil analysis data is not much more than speculation and there is too much of that floating around. Oil analysis over time reveals the degree and kind of engine wear. With regard to some concerns, like whether some modern engines do or do not break in or require breaking oil changes, oil analysis data reveals the answer pretty objectively. ( They do.)

On the other hand, whether your engine will be better served by 0W-20 or 5W30 to a large extent will be determined by driving conditions. Long drives at constant speeds in flat Texas will impose different loads than shorter drives on varying grades in a wide range of temperatures like those found in the Rockies in the winter. Oil analysis will again point to the right answer through data.

The answers may be a bit more complicated than they appear at first sight.

Here is a place to start:

View: https://youtu.be/XyBUcxFmqn8?si=kIOGWVqd7ju6brjH

 

[Tom109]

BMW LL04 and GPF Safe.