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2010 2011 BMW 5 Series Forum F10 BMW 5-Series (F10) Forums Regional Forums UK Where to Buy the Right Oil
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      07-01-2012, 05:57 AM   #1
StealthBomber
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Drives: 530d F11
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Where to Buy the Right Oil

Oil choice is a minefield these days.

I ran into a problem with Halfords where they recommened the wrong oil for my car.

The oil was on sale £10 off per 4l, so "only" £37.60. So I planned ahead and bought 5 (2 changes on 530). I later found (before I opened it) that they had advised me wrongly. As it was more than 28 days, they refused to replace at all initially, but then agreed, but wanted £10 per pack more as it was no longer on offer, even though both grades were the same price when I bought them and are the same price today too. £50 extra please AND it was their error in the first place. Customer services were steadfast - "pay up or shut up."

In the end I got another retailer to do a straight swap, no money required. I won't be buying from Halfords again.

And I recommend ASDA !! £35 for 4L of 0W30 or 5W30 - you need to order online for delivery or free store collection, but that's a whopping £12 less than Halfords, and cheaper than any special offer they ever run.

I am not going to advise which is the right oil for any car, but note that both the grades I selected were LL BMW04 - so the wrong one was BMW approved - its not simply a case of checking the pack. But the right one is needed to meet the economy figures quoted on newer models, and BMW assist were clear than only one was recommended for my car. I am sure that both 0W30 and 5W30 would not damage the car, but as they are the same price, having the right one makes most sense.

In case you are wondering, yes I do have a 60K service plan, but I will be dropping the oil between services because I plan to run the car 250K miles and I figure this will help over that mileage - not through the oil losing lubricity between standard service mileages, but by draining out micro-fine wear particles that don't get filtered. The oil goes black for a reason - soot. Plus, dealers never drain fully either - I get half a pint more out over night by leaving the plug out longer than the dealer will. When I changed to this regime on my last car (a VW) after 50K miles when I learned that the turbo is lubricated by the engine oil - very fine tolerances; you don't want sooty oil around that bearing surface. With double oil changes, the wear is reduced and becomes more of a polishing, improving bearing surface. That's my impression anyway and the fuel economy improved enough to pay for the oil changes plus the engine was quieter too with better low end torque. I am pretty sure doing this is break even cost effective over the regular service interval, never mind what it might save in preventing a blown turbo or failed bearing surface much later in the cars life. And the added benefit of a quieter, more refined engine with better perfornance as it gets older. Only for enthusiasts though....
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