I noticed my oil is low. It's been sitting in the garage since Dec 1. I saw a few oil spots on the floor and checked it it was halfway between the bottom of the stick and the low mark.:nono whoops.

Before I start it, in about a month I'll add more.

What brand and weight do you guys reccommend?
Also where can I get the right filter? Just AutoZone or something?

castrol gtx 20w50

castrol gtx 20w50
+1, I found a filter at my local Advance Auto.

I use castrol gtx 20w50

i use shell 20w50

might try castrol gtx next time

Guys Only Valvaline Vr1 20w50

The best filters are OEM filters. Look on Ebay for a lot of 10 or so for $15-$18. Until then, just get one from mail order or more expensive but BMW shop.

Castrol GTX 20-50 if it's warmer out, or if you are driving when the temps are in the teens then 10/40.

I switched to Mobile 1 15/50. Nice stuff, but it's total crap that you can leave it in for 7000miles in older cars. I left mine in for 4 months, shooting for 5, and it was a black mess that smelled like it needed to be changed. The engine does run smoother with it in as compared to the GTX I used, so I am staying with the Mobile 1.

Oh crap I just dumped in 2.5 quarts of Mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic blend and one quart of royal purple fully synthetic 10w-30... do you guys think I should reconsider my actions in you're opinion?

Sounds like you need more oil, what ever you do. Why did you mix those brands?

If your engine is loud and doenst sound as tight as it used to, switch to some thicker stuff. Especially if it's louder in the bottom end. Other wise just make sure that you have 4.5 quarts of stuff in.

Hey waferman, from what I have read it's okay to mix brands. I had my head rebuilt and the bottom end being a m10 in great shape feels, sounds, drives like a champ. Thanks for the tip of adding another quart ill check the oil level today and add accordingly.

I'll stand by 15w-50w Mobil 1 syth if you can afford it, good all the way down to freezing makes these old-school motors "tick" a little less too, Joe M.

I can't use 20w50 here at -10 F and only up to 60 F in the summer it's way to thick....so I use 10w40 in mine instead and it seems to do ok.

OK gents I sell lube oil for a living for a major US oil company. Let do a quick oil 101 class. Very basic.

BMW recommends a 20W/50 oil for most 3 series E30s. The 20W stands for how thick the oil will act at 32 degrees F or freezing. The W stands for winter not weight as most folks think. The 50 stands for how thick the oil will act at 212 degrees F or boiling. So good when you are running up to temperature.

The most important thing is that if you are in a cold climate you will want a lower W number so the oil will move quickly out of the pan up to the upper parts of you engine at cold crank. Then as the engine heats up will thicken up to continue to lubricate.

Synthetic oils are real good for very cold applications and very hot applications. So a good multi viscosity synthetic will do the trick if you are in a real cold area. Now days we have 0W/30 synthetics out there as toleraces in newer engines get tighter and tighter.

No problem mixing brands but if you mix different grades say at 10W/30 with a 20W/50 then you just dont know exactly what you have viscosity wise in the crankcase. So if you mix brands be sure to use the same grade.

20W/50 for nearly all applications will work the best. I run the high mileage versions...
Tim