Its time to change the oil. I bought the oil that BMW sells which is the "factory oil". I havent changed it yet. Should i be using that or should i use castrol or mobil 1. I have a 2000 323i with 118,000.

USE the search button... Either one is good as long as its FULL-SYNTHETIC.

"Factory oil" that you get from the dealer is full synthetic. So it's fine. It used to be supplied by Catrol, but I've heard that now it's just Mobil 1 packaged differently.

Valvoline Synth. is fine too. It actually has a BMW, Porsche, and MB logo approved stickers on the back.

Any full synth should be okay although some people have their favorites.

At my location (Indianapolis) the cheapest place to get synthetic oil is at the dealer!

Believe it or not,

My BMW dealer has the best prices for oil around.

I buy most of my routine maintenance items from them.

You can shop online for the rest. There are some excellent sites.

RockAuto.com is a great website, with the best prices I have seen. Much lower than anyone I have found.

The Tire Rack is another great site. Give them a try.

I have used both, factory and Mobil 1. It is seems to me that factory is safer. I have heard that Mobil 1 is 5w30 is actually not the same weight as for the factory standard.

I always use OEM oil.

Stealership prices on oil is one of the few bargains. They manage to meet or beat the local auto stores. Go with an oil that is BMW LL-1...valvoline or castrol...i have yet to find a Mobil that meets BMW LL-1, but I have put Mobil 1 in my car and I'm at 182,000 miles and my engine hasn't blown up.

The way I see it, saving .50 cents per quart isn't enough incentive to not go through BMW.