The engine may explode at 60k miles.

http://www.bimmerfest.com/forums/showthread.php?t=177375

Check out that copper, mmm the main bearings just loved it!

I'll stick with my conservitive 8k-10k mile thing, I don't care what the computer says.

Well unless its a leaser, then screw it, its the next guys problem! :fork_off:

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Sorry, I don't buy the alarmist interpretation of those figures.

Take a more careful look at the numbers.

Iron is 72 ppm

Aluminum is 71 ppm.

If you acheived these numbers in 3K miles, you've got cause for concern. But after 20K miles, they don't look very bad at all. These figures would correspond to 10 ppm for 10K miles. That's hardly a concern.


Cu at 37

Pb at 4

Sn at 5


What's wrong with these figures? To claim elevated numbers for a 20K run is ridiculous.


Si at 17

Na at 10.


I get more sodium at 5K on the 603.

Si is not significant for 20K of use.


The only criteria which I find a bit of a concern is viscosity........83.7.........but it only corresponds to a 40W oil. In reality, it's not an issue.


.4% insolubles.

We tolerate up to 2% insolubles on diesels and have nary a care about it. How can .4% be an issue?


TBN 2.1

At the lower limit of acceptability. Perfect time to change the oil.



Sorry, Blackstone is alarmist and there is nothing that's going to cause significant harm to that engine with the figures as indicated.

Moral to story: Educate yourself as to the specific parameters in the oil and make your own judgment. Don't allow the geniuses at Blackstone to do it for you. They are comparing this oil to a typical 3K change. Obviously the figures are going to be elevated.

I was concerned about the high tin, copper, and iron readings. The universial average is about what they should be no?

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

Naturally, the "universal average" is going to be based upon the "typical" OC interval. Most folks who do oil analysis are anal and will change every 3K. So, the numbers are going to be quite low.

Extrapolate the numbers out to 20K for a universal average for that mileage level. Those numbers look fine.

Where is it stated that iron of 72ppm is unacceptable? If this was a high quality synthetic oil, I'd have no problems with the number.

Tin was 5ppm. How can you have a problem with that?

Copper was 37ppm. Again, why are you concerned with 37ppm? The oil ran 20K miles!!!

Hmm interesting, another thing is this is the original factory fill. Certainly wear metals will be higher in a new engine, until it breaks in a bit.

I wonder what caused the lab to red flag the sample?

__________________
1999 SL500
1969 280SE
2023 Ram 1500
2007 Tiara 3200

That's easy.

They compare it to the "universal averages" without regard to mileage on the oil. Furthermore, they have absolutely no clue as to what the oil is capable of holding in suspension and not causing undue wear on the engine.

If you extrapolate the figures shown to a mileage level of 3K miles, the oil looks fantastic. Furthermore, the oil did not show any accelerated wear over the remaining 17K miles. Naturally, I can't prove the wear curve, but, for 20K miles, those numbers look damn good.

I dunno what the heck you guys are talking about, but ...

I change oil at 3500 miles, sharp.

I am I good, bad or overdone?

__________________

http://www6.autonet.ca/Maintenance/Fluids/story.cfm?story=/Maintenance/Fluids/2007/03/30/3880169-ap.html

probably being overly cautious. does it hurt to change at 3,000 miles, no. But 5,000 isn't likely a problem for most either. The other half of the life rating is time. I'm curious to know if the "or every 3 months" rule is valid. I would think it is a fabrication by those with a vested interest in having us all change or oil at least 4 times a year.

I change mine every 6k and I have a VW turbo engine. Turbo hardly ever kicks in when I drive anyway.

I can't believe a mod started an oil thread.

How hard is it to change an oil in a BMW anyway? Like an MB? Suck it out with a topsider?

I can't believe I said topsider

__________________
You don't need a weatherman to know which way the wind blows - Robert A. Zimmerman

Good thread, I always wondered about Blackstone and those other oil analysis outfits.

I change mine about every 4-5K, that happens to about twice/yr with change of seasons.

__________________
'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

If that's a sample of the original fill, then analysis is virtually useless. Change the oil, run it for 3,000 miles and try again. I don't recall BMW being notorious for weak bottom ends. I'm assuming that the gasoline/engine bore incompatability is ancient history by now.

That only applied to the US and UK Nikasil M60B30 and M60B40 V8s and UK* M52 I6s from '94-'98. No other BMW engines were affected.

*The Nikasil M52 problems only showed up in the UK, as the US got iron blocks and other countries with the Nikasil M52 didn't have the sulphur problem that UK gasoline did.

Not notorious, but the M62B44 (4.4L '99-01) V8 had some bottom end issues. They put out a TSB yrs back, bearing issue if recall. Guess whose car makes this noise?

I've had it for 25k miles and hasn't effected driveability or reliability-- just as the TSB was written. However a huge issue is longevity, never mentioned by BMW. If I can get another year or 2 w/o probs, then it'll have been a cheap car to own.

Seems BMW can never get anything but the 6 cylinder right. Everything else has serious "teething" issues, then at the end of the model run, they've figured it out. I bet if you google around for the V10 M5, some probs will crop up.

Fun cars to drive, but...

__________________
'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder

My boss had an M5... Three things about that car he car he could never figure out... It never really idled smooth... The oil became DARK DARK black only 1500 miles after an oil change... That car developed a chronic misfire on (i think) cylinder number 6.

__________________
-Justin

91 560 SEC AMG - other dogs dd
01 Honda S2000 - dogs dd
07 MB ML320 CDI - dd
16 Lexus IS250 - wifes dd

it's automatic.

Hmm... I bet they're temperamental. It'll probably take BMW a few yrs. to iron that one out.

__________________
'07 Yukon 2500
'13 Subaru Outback 3.6R
'13 Orbea Carpe 9-speed

Currently Benzless
Formerly: 300TD, S600, E55, 560SEL

---= The forest breathes, listen.
-Native American elder