Engine Oil Help !!

[sch21]

Hi Guys, yesterday while driving my car, the engine oil signal came on and i ran thru the computer to see that the engine oil is at a minimum. Being a complete noobie in the technical aspect of car again, i called up the BMW 24hr service hotline and spoke to the technical guy on the phone. He recommended me to get a bottle of 5W40, 0W40, or 5W50 from a petrol station and top up 1 litre of it into the engine.

I went to the nearest SPC and all i managed to find was 5W50 on the shelf. Worried that the engine oil will be used up, i bought a 1 litre bottle and poured it into the engine. The computer has after that then indicated that the engine oil is at the max lvl.

Now that i am back and read thru some forum posting, i realise i have some questions:

1) i read most guys here use 0W40 or 5W40 and its castrol or mobil brand. I actually poured a 5W50 SPC brand. Today while driving, i realise the car's pickup is actually not as good as before. Is this due to the wrong grade i am using? If this is the case, can i actually pump up the wrong engine oil i poured in and re do it? What grade and brand of oil shld i use?

2) i saw on my on board computer the engine oil change is actually wldnt be due till 09 2009. However the engine oil yestrerday fell to a min lvl? any reason on this? How often shld i top up the engine oil, and how much shld i top up? I read that BMW uses 4.6L of engine oil when u guys go servicing, so how much shld i pour in each time, and by changing the oil, what do u guys means by changing the oil?

Would appreciate if u guys can shed some light to my question.. Thanks

By the way i am driving a E90 325. Thanks!

 

[totoseow]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

first of all. if your car is new, the standard oil that bmw use on a new car is 0-30. thats the viscocity number of the oil. ie...the thickness. 30 being the relatively thin for new cars. most cars after running will be comfortable running 10-40.

10-50 oil r for relatively high performance/compression engines..or older engines. what happens is that ur oil will take a longer period of time to thin out. u need to warm up the car a lot longer...hence u feel the sluggishness...n maybe a bit of roughness. nothing wrong otherwise. all u hv to do is to go for ur regular oil change...flush out the whole thing n top up with a thinner oil.

this oil refers to the engine oil....its the stuff that makes ur engine work...ur pistons move up n down etc...most people change about every 10,000km.

 

[totoseow]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

go n read this...

Car Bibles : The Engine Oil Bible

 

[futron.sim]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

Of course your car's pickup will not be as good because you are using thicker oil. However, you don't have to worry too much about it. During your next service, you just need to change to the oil with the correct weight. Btw, you should not wait till 09/2009 to change your oil. Recommend you change oil at least twice a year regardless of mileage. Never reply on the computer to tell you when to change oil, its not accurate.

 

[TheNew7]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

I was informed that you shouldn't mix the oils. Usually, when you purchase a new car, they would include an extra bottle.

The newer engines seem to 'eat' oil. The engine oil level and the period of servicing has little correlation, in my opinion. Just top up when requested. It is not that the oil tank is empty, just that it has fallen to a level that needs a little attention.

I had this problem when I first got the car, but now, its fine.

IF I were you, since you have already mixed the oil, I would do an oil change, but that's just me though.

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

thanks for the help totoseow...

still have some questions :

1) now that i have put in 50, how do i "flush" it out to replace the oil with 40?

2) When say u change the engine oil every 10 000km, do u actually "flush" the engine oil(i.e remove the existing oil), and top up new ones, or do u just pour in a new engine oil? how much do u need to change? i.e quantity? the guy was telling me 1litre but i read its 4.6litre?

 

[totoseow]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

just send it in....the worksjop will do the flushing...they will drain all the existing oil...pour in another type of special oil to rid everything thing in the engine....n then fill it with the new engine oil...no big deal.

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihhi

thanks very much for the responses guys.. think i will go down next week maybe to flush out the oil and redo it

any workshop to recommend or must i go back to BMW workshop? also how much roughly will the whole process cost? just to get a ball park

Thanks!

 

[futron.sim]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihhi

thanks very much for the responses guys.. think i will go down next week maybe to flush out the oil and redo it

any workshop to recommend or must i go back to BMW workshop? also how much roughly will the whole process cost? just to get a ball park

Thanks!

If your car is still under warranty, recommend you to go back to PML. If not you may have problems with your warranty.

If not, just about any workshop would do. The labour should be around $20-30 or less. Flushing may not be necessary though. You can opt to bring your own oil or ask them to provide (of course there will be additional cost).

Btw, if using own oil, recommend you to avoid Castrol EDGE. I am using the 5W40 and I find it rather thick compared to other 40wt oils. Although the engine is quieter (indicating better lubrication) the pickup is more sluggish. Unless you are running Turbo, I don't think you need the extra protection.

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hmmm... okie.. i actually bot this as a second hand car from PML premium selection.. there is still 2 yr more warranty .. think i will go back to my sales guy again

 

[makimaki]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hmmm... okie.. i actually bot this as a second hand car from PML premium selection.. there is still 2 yr more warranty .. think i will go back to my sales guy again

Hi mate,

getting ur car frm PMl would gotten u a round of service prior to u collecting ur car if I'm not wrong......

wat ever e senario was, first u would hav to ask urself if e slow pick up really affecting u???

If yes: go to PML for a service n this usually includes oil change and oil filter change and e 325 has 6 litres of oil.

If no: u can just live it till ur next service tat is due....e mix in oil is only not advisable if it is of differerent grade as in 0-40 to 10-50 n so on.......if it is e same grade and different brands, it is usually non-harmful as long as it is all mineral based and not a mix between mineral n synthetic.

Hope tis info helps........


cheers

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihi...

i wld think that prior to collecting the car from the PML they wld have gone thru a round of servicing and this was promised by the sales. However the engine oil low really got me wondering

I refilled 1 litre of the 5W50, and i have no clue wat was used in the engine oil prior to me putting that in. Also the brand is SPC and if i did not remember wrongly i had poured in a fully synthetic bottle

 

[makimaki]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihi...

i wld think that prior to collecting the car from the PML they wld have gone thru a round of servicing and this was promised by the sales. However the engine oil low really got me wondering

I refilled 1 litre of the 5W50, and i have no clue wat was used in the engine oil prior to me putting that in. Also the brand is SPC and if i did not remember wrongly i had poured in a fully synthetic bottle

hello...

not to worrie if you've poured in a fully sythetic oil as if it is as most if not all bimmers are usually on fully sythetic tis days..........

like mentioned, if u r not bothered wif e slow pickup, u might as well live wif it till ur next service due.......

pmed u on some info......


cheers

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

on my way back from work, i went back to the SPC station to check on the bottle of engine oil which i bot and to my horror.. i think i have bought the complete wrong one. Apparently i bot the SPC 15w50 and not 5w50.. and its not stated anywhere on the bottle if its fully synthetic or mineral.. guess an engine oil change is imminent.. and earliest day which i am getting the appointment is on thursday.. shucks
it says there motor oil on the website : SPC: Singapore Petroleum Company

 

[TheNew7]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

You don't need to flush/change engine oil at PML. A host of workshops can do the job equally, if not better than PML. Check the sponsor folder.

My recommendation is Torco, it is good oil...

 

[motorknut]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

i wld think that prior to collecting the car from the PML they wld have gone thru a round of servicing and this was promised by the sales. However the engine oil low really got me wondering

it's not unheard of that inbetween servicings, the low engine oil comes up. I've a friend who doesn't even hit 10K a year and her 320 required a 1litre top up before her yearly servicing. But if you were promised a servicing before the PPSL guys delivered it and you've driven very little between then and now, you might want to go ask them about it.

how much do u need to change? i.e quantity? the guy was telling me 1litre but i read its 4.6litre?

the guy told you 1 litre required for TOP UP. I think your car has specific oil signals for different situations. Try checking your manual. but for full engine oil change, you'll need 6.5 (six cylinder engine)

and earliest day which i am getting the appointment is on thursday..

you can always go to BVO or J4C. but i suggest you bring your own engine oil or you gotta use/pay for whatever they have on offer. Either buy 7 1L bottles from PML and bring there, or go get some from carrefour/autobacs etc. It's just engine oil change, so it's very quick.

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

Hi guys..

finally came back from the servicing at PML and after much thoughts decided to go back there for a piece of mind as the car is still under warranty.

The oil change cost ard $270 and the 325i is running like a horse again.. put it to test on a highway and the pickup was back to what i first bought the car for...

while at PML, i spoke to the technician guy there, whom saw my RFT and mentioned that the threads were wearing off.. true enough i normally do not pay much attention to my tires but on close look the front 2 tyres were indeed almost flat.. so i had to change the two front RFTs as well, total damage another $980. The total bill came up to $1290 there abt

Just some thoughts... do outside workshop carry RFTs and change them? Also, i understand that i am still under the PML warranty but in the bill, they included the $22 for the servicing, which the sales guy said was for resetting the On board computer and also the labour for changing oil ard $30 i think. Although these amts are small compared to the total bill, just thinking what does the 3 yr warranty really do cover and do not cover?

 

[Ahbengdriver]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

u want RFT, next time go get it from Stamford lah. They carry CONTINENTAL. I also just changed my oil today at AUTOBACS. Everything all in including oil filter baloo $203/=. Now my car also running like a cheetah.

 

[sch21]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihi ah bengdriver...

thanks for the tip... but where is the stamford tyrre shop u are talking abt? will u know roughly how much one RFT cost there? mine is a 255/45 R17 at PML i got it at $466 I think for one...

 

[Ahbengdriver]

Re: Engine Oil Help !!

hihi ah bengdriver...

thanks for the tip... but where is the stamford tyrre shop u are talking abt? will u know roughly how much one RFT cost there? mine is a 255/45 R17 at PML i got it at $466 I think for one...

They have a few outlets, biggest one at Lok Yang. just google stamfors tyres n get the contect tel. Having said, some shops could get RFT cheaper, but u shld preorder them when yr existing tyre is about to botak. The usual suspects are Hurry Tyres, South East Tyre, Rays, Leong Seng, Yap Bros...