Hello,
Like the title states, is the temperature too low now to run 15w/50 in an E36 M3?

Thanks for the help,
Matt

I like Mobil 1 0W40 for the 1998- BMW's. 5W40 Pentosin is good too.
Dave

15W50 is a bit heavy for an S52 unless it's August in death valley.

15x50 Mobil 1 synthetic is what I run in my s50b32 all year around in NJ

since we're on the topic of oil..

what's recommended for s52 during the winter months (0-30 degress).

thanks!

-mike

Is 10w40 okay for the winter time?

Is 10w40 okay for the winter time?

synthetic oil doesn't thicken up like regular oil, so 0W40 is fine all year round in the Jersey climate.
Dave

well i was refering to 10w40 convential oil.

10-40 for winter is the best, thats what i use now. 50 for the summer

well i was refering to 10w40 convential oil.

what year is your car. 10w40 is ok for winter. synthetic oil is required on the e46 and newer cars.
Dave

15x50 Mobil 1 synthetic is what I run in my s50b32 all year around in NJ

I run Mobil 1 15w50 as well all year in NJ. Sometime, whenit's really cold, the car struggles to start a bit. But once it's warm, it's good to go. I am also running a s/c that uses the engine oil forf lubrication. I am convinced that this oil is best for my application. In that past, I had a leaky valve cover and would put some M1 0w40 in when it was running low (winter time only). That seemd to work okay as well.

15x50 Mobil 1 synthetic is what I run in my s50b32 all year around in NJ

+1 I run it my S50 all year around, how ever if I dont let the car sit and warm up for at least 5 minutes it likes to run a little sludge like until its warm. I try not to drive it much in the winter tho.

I run Amsoil 5w-40 year round. I would not run a 15W in the winter. It will only increase an engines tendency to wear at startup. The advantages of the 50W when warm are not necessary in the cool temperatures.

since we're on the topic of oil..

what's recommended for s52 during the winter months (0-30 degress).

thanks!

-mike
5w30 (not m1), 5w40 & 0w40 are perfect weights for an S52 during the winter and all year round.

I believe BMW synthetic is still 5w40 and pretty cheap too.

BMW synth is 5w30 I believe, not 5w40.

BMW synth is 5w30 I believe, not 5w40.
I could have it confused with their older synthetic. they had switched it around 1999.

My 97 M3 has 111K on it and I am the 3rd owner. Both previous owners used conventional oil in the car, so I'm sticking with that. My technician changed the oil a few weeks ago and put in 5w30 and after a couple days of driving, my oil pressure light was coming on when the car was idling. So he changed it to 10w40 and now it's fine. He said that most newer BMWs and especially the Ms liked the thinner oil and that is what BMW recommends, but for whatever reason, my car didn't like it. Has this happened to anyone else? The temps here were still in the upper 50s/low 60s when this happened. My tech admitted that he could not remember which oil he put in the car the first time he changed it after I purchased the car earlier this year, but he thinks it was probably 10w40 based on the reaction my car had to 5w30. And I think I remember him putting in 10w40 before, so I don't know why he decided to try 5w30 now -- maybe because winter was approaching?

My 97 M3 has 111K on it and I am the 3rd owner. Both previous owners used conventional oil in the car, so I'm sticking with that. My technician changed the oil a few weeks ago and put in 5w30 and after a couple days of driving, my oil pressure light was coming on when the car was idling. So he changed it to 10w40 and now it's fine. He said that most newer BMWs and especially the Ms liked the thinner oil and that is what BMW recommends, but for whatever reason, my car didn't like it. Has this happened to anyone else? The temps here were still in the upper 50s/low 60s when this happened. My tech admitted that he could not remember which oil he put in the car the first time he changed it after I purchased the car earlier this year, but he thinks it was probably 10w40 based on the reaction my car had to 5w30. And I think I remember him putting in 10w40 before, so I don't know why he decided to try 5w30 now -- maybe because winter was approaching?

find a new mechanic, the new Ms require 10w60. this guy is blowing smoke up your rear.

he probably put the 5w30 in because it's what he had on hand. depending on what the brand was, it may have been an unsuitable oil for your motor.

one last thing, the US spec M3 uses the same basic motor design as the 323/325/328 and shares the same oil requirements as those motors.

-Ron

find a new mechanic, the new Ms require 10w60. this guy is blowing smoke up your rear.

he probably put the 5w30 in because it's what he had on hand. depending on what the brand was, it may have been an unsuitable oil for your motor.

one last thing, the US spec M3 uses the same basic motor design as the 323/325/328 and shares the same oil requirements as those motors.

-Ron

Thank you, Ron. Might not be a bad idea. This guy is somewhat of an old school tech who does great work on older BMWs (pre-1990s), including on my e30 before it went to heaven earlier this year, but I don't really know how much experience he has working on newer BMWs or how much training he is keeping up with. He runs a very small independent shop. I have seen recommendations for other indies in my area of CT, so maybe I'll give them a shot.

Thank you, Ron. Might not be a bad idea. This guy is somewhat of an old school tech who does great work on older BMWs (pre-1990s), including on my e30 before it went to heaven earlier this year, but I don't really know how much experience he has working on newer BMWs or how much training he is keeping up with. He runs a very small independent shop. I have seen recommendations for other indies in my area of CT, so maybe I'll give them a shot.
no problem bud and I'm sorry for sounding harsh. I just hate to see people getting the wrong info when it can be hazordous to your equipment.

BMW usually runs 5w40...that's what they stock at the local dealership in the service dept. However, some of the E-39 M series require 10w60 and others (same year) require 5w30.
Personally, I don't run a synthetic oil in the older BMW's that don't require it, but I would recommend a heavier 10w40 or 15w50.
Dave

BMW usually runs 5w40...that's what they stock at the local dealership in the service dept. However, some of the E-39 M series require 10w60 and others (same year) require 5w30.
Personally, I don't run a synthetic oil in the older BMW's that don't require it, but I would recommend a heavier 10w40 or 15w50.
Dave

Dave,

15w50 is not the proper weight to run in this weather.

-Ron

Dave,

15w50 is not the proper weight to run in this weather.

-Ron

Sorry, I didn't look outside yet today. In the winter, I run 10w40 in my customers cars...unless they request otherwise. I have BMW's that come into my shop with over 400k on them and still have the original engine and expect many more miles to come.
Personally, I don't sell synthetic oil to the older (pre 98) BMW's, but some customers insist on it.
Come spring and summer time, they get 20w50.
I'm not telling you what to run in your car...you could run 5w20 and that is fine with me. I am just giving my opinion as to what has worked for me in the past many years.
Dave

Sorry, I didn't look outside yet today. In the winter, I run 10w40 in my customers cars...unless they request otherwise. I have BMW's that come into my shop with over 400k on them and still have the original engine and expect many more miles to come.
Personally, I don't sell synthetic oil to the older (pre 98) BMW's, but some customers insist on it.
Come spring and summer time, they get 20w50.
I'm not telling you what to run in your car...you could run 5w20 and that is fine with me. I am just giving my opinion as to what has worked for me in the past many years.
Dave
Dave,

I'm not debating that 15w50 is appropriate for some cars or not, I'm just stating that the OP asked if the weather was appropriate for that oil. Personally, I have 4 gallons of 15w50 sitting on a shelf waiting for the spring to go into my cars, but 0w40 is all they get till it warms back up again. :)

-Ron

Dave,

I'm not debating that 15w50 is appropriate for some cars or not, I'm just stating that the OP asked if the weather was appropriate for that oil. Personally, I have 4 gallons of 15w50 sitting on a shelf waiting for the spring to go into my cars, but 0w40 is all they get till it warms back up again. :)

-Ron

everyone has different preferences and they use what works for them. I run 0w40 in my Benz and when the lease is up and I get my new BMW, I'll be running the 0w40 in that. I don't stock the 15w50 because I rarely use it. Only when customers request it and then I order it to suit. I stock 0w40 Mobil 1, 20w50 Castrol GTX, 10w40 GTX and seasonally 15w40 for the diesels.
Dave

Its getting cold here in NJ on some days and my car is still 2k miles on her 15w50 oil change, I might swap it out next week instead of waiting it out for 0w40 if it gets alot colder.