2nd Service of F30 330d

This week I've just had the 2nd service, BMW vehicle check, and MOT for my 330d xDrive. I've stayed with the main dealer because of having the extended warranty on the car, and also have the benefit that they have matched the most competitive quote from an Indy.The total for all the above work inclusive of MOT is £474, which seems reasonable as it's the big service with all filters - air, oil, fuel, air and microfilter.

When I dropped the car at service reception, I did ask them to confirm that the same long life LL04 5W30 engine oil would be used as it had in the past. Their response was that the workshop would use the BMW specified oil for my engine. So I was a bit annoyed to find out from the invoice that they have used BMW Ultra 0W30 oil. No doubt they've used whatever is in the lube tank, regardless of my request.

Now in the specified list of approved oils for the 6 cylinder engines, the vast majority are grade 5W30 with only a handful listed s 0W30. I've never been a fan of using too thin an oil in a performance engine. Since the car was new, it has never used a drop of oil between services, but I'm wondering whether that will continue as the thinner grade that they've used might have a tendency to burn off some of the engine oil.

That is the problem with having a main dealer service a car. The service reception are a barrier between the customer and the workshop, which makes it more difficult to speak to the technician carrying out the work.

Does anyone with more experience on the technical side of BMW engines have any advice regarding engine oils for the 6 cylinder Diesel engines?

 

Did you speak to a service adviser. When I go in mainsealer, I see reception, give name, reg, they take a seat and then see service address and then they go through what’s being done and then write on anything else I may ask them to do etc. Sometimes if I’m early, there is a guy standing in reception and he deals with what seems quick drop offs, as in nothing to talk to them about, jut fill in a small form, drop key and specify collectin time then. I leave.

Never checked the oil tbh, I’ve always assumed they know what they doing lol as mine is covered by service plan and manufacturers warranty still.

Kev

 

It's possible to supply your own oil and have bmw do the service. I haven't done that personally but have heard people do that.

I've found that the slightly thicker oils (5w40) made for a quieter engine on my e91. It didn't sound like one with over 200k miles on it.

I presume that 0w30 is favoured by bmw as it has the greatest effect on efficiency. Quicker to circulate from cold and slightly thinner than a 40 oil at operating temperature.

But for a performance engine that revs highly I'd prefer a 5w40, the effect on mpg would be negligible.

As long as it's ll04 spec the dealer shouldn't have a problem with you supplying your own oil.

 

There is hardly any connection between customer and anyone carrying out any work these days....
When I first started with my egr issue, the people on reception AND service dept didn’t even know what I was talking about....!


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I doubt most customers wouldn’t even know what 5w40 means...


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This is one reason that I have always done my own maintenance and servicing in the past. I know that everything is done correctly, and also what parts and fluids have been used. I've got a full workshop with inspection pit, so I might go back to doing it in the future.

 

That's true. The average modern car ownership involves the wife picking the one she likes out of the showroom because the coulor matches her wardrobe and they have to take it back to the dealer occasionally for the free coffee and biscuits, and get the free car wash.

I had to laugh to myself last week. Another customer was checking her X5 in for a service and the only point she raised was that she thought the handsfree phone system was faulty. Despite the fact that she and her friend had their phones registered on the vehicle, they could not both make phone calls at the same time. So surely there must be problem? The service rep did try to explain that although you can register up to 4 different phones, it was only possible to use them one at a time. His answer did not compute and she still did not understand why they could not make multiple calls.

 

Hi Mieke, I have no idea what grade of oil BMW used when they changed the oil in my F30 LCI 330D. However, I chose to use 0w30 when I recently did my own extra/interim oil /filter change. My rationale for doing this was my understanding that most wear on the engine takes place when it cold before it warms to full operating temperature. I had my E90 330D for 70000miles and I know it was serviced with 0w30 all its life based on the detailed paper service receipt you used to get. It never burned any oil in the time I ran it, though if I had kept it longer, I would have been prepared to move to a higher hot viscosity e.g. 0w40 when/if the oil level had started dropping.

Douglas

 

I’ve been running an E60 535d for a while now (circa 9yrs and 225k in my ownership (250k total)). It had always been filled with 5w... until for one change I couldn’t get anything other than 0w.... (Castrol keep mucking about with their nomenclature ). Anyway I did not like the sound emanating out of the bonnet so changed back to 5w.. pdq. Ran as per normal again after scouring the country for the desired grade. 0w... may reduce wear from cold but my engine has a harshness which just sounds wrong, with it in the sump.

 

I think you’re right in most cases, I did smile listening to my wife talking to the sales droid in a main dealers recently, she was looking at a vehicle with quite a nice big diesel engine, she did say she could be tempted. Sales droid said if she wanted to drive one he had a demonstrator but it had the smaller diesel engine in it, he felt sure she wouldn’t notice any difference in power.

He wandered off looking a bit embarrassed when she told him just how much difference there was in power and torque between the two engines but perhaps he also might explain how similar the drive would be considering his demonstrator was the 2wd version.......

 

@Douglas W that gives me piece of mind. Thanks for the feedback.

I'm not worried about running the car on the 0W30 grade oil as it is on the approved list, but I find it annoying when I've made a request of the service department, yet they go ahead and use something different without even asking. My car is fairly low mileage so a slightly lower viscosity should not pose a problem. In one respect it has had a positive benefit as I noticed a small improvement in fuel economy since the service. I was keeping an eye on the mpg after they had updated the EGR software.

 

Your wife is obviously the exception, Paul. I'll bet that he was stumped for words when she quoted performance figures.

 

I did ask her about it when we were walking back to the car... she said well I went to school so I can read.

See they weren’t expecting that!

 

I actually spoke to our Shell rep about what oils other dealers are keeping in their tanks. They told me that everyone just keeps 0w30 now as it's easier than keeping a choice of oils (on top of the 10w60 M oil)

Personally in this climate I'd always use 0w30 when possible.

 

I was looking on Opie site and the offers went through the spectrum

Ow-30, 5w-30 & 5w-40

I’d suggest the 0w-30 will give the best protection
The lower the "W" number the better the oil's cold temperature/cold start performance.

However I know what you mean ultimately I’d favour 5w-40 for engine silence, however fuel additives will do the same thing, I’m still running archoil through the fuel tank and there’s a notable smoothness of the tanks with and without the additive, I’ve no correlation of mpg though

 

Which archoil product are using... normal or winter additive
Thanks


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Some of this in every tank (1/3 bottle) (one bottle does three tankful)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archoil-AR...choil+ar6400-d+max+professional+diesel+engine

And a 100ml of this in every second /third tank (one bottle does ten tankfuls)

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Archoil-AR...choil+ar6400-d+max+professional+diesel+engine

Given that I’m a low mileage user, my fuel stays in the tank for a long time, uncirculated, I first noticed the benefits of Archoil in my GT & have used it since! Perhaps a false economy over premium diesel, however having used both I favour the Archoil and the engine sounds smoother with a notable less knock!

 

After the service last week, I have noticed that it is taking longer for the oil temperature to get to the normal value of 100 Deg C. Since I've had the car from new, the temperature has always got to 100 Deg C within say 10 miles, and has then remained there constantly.

I also noticed something unusual a couple of days ago, when we had to travel to my daughter's for lunch. It's a journey of about 40 miles on mainly motorway. Anyway, after 10 miles I checked the oil temp and it was at 90 C, just below normal. I then saw the needle gradually drop to 75 C, and it then fluctuated slowly between 75 C and 85 C a few times, after which it gradually increased to the normal value of 100 Deg C after about 30 miles. During this trip the car was travelling at a constant 70 Mph with cruise switched on. The ambient temperature was quite mild at around 10 Deg C.

So I'm just a little puzzled as to what might have caused this change. Could it be as a result of the software updates that the dealer has just installed for the EGR?

I have checked the coolant temperature using the hidden menu, and that is still the same value at 89 Deg C, so the thermostats appear to be OK.

 

Diesel additive:
I’ve just ran some millers diesel additive through the van and the difference is night and day..
Much quieter.... what I need to do now is check the mpg.... and see if or whether it will pay for itself...
will try Archoil next time...


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I have used Millers for years in several cars.
What i found mpg wise was it takes a few hundred miles to do it's magic but it will go up with constant use.
I also put mineral 2 stroke in the tank the 2 together make for a smooth running 6 pot 170k diesel doing average 29mpg with a lot of local and some duel carriageway(can get 38 on a good m/way run).