Is all synthetic oil created equal?
 

This week at Canadian Tire, MotoMaster Formula 1 Synthetic oil (http://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/motomaster-formula-1-synthetic-motor-oil-5l-0288712p.html#.VSqgvpN-V6A) is on sale. Should I avoid the cheaper oils and go right for the premium brands or are they all pretty much the same?

Avro

Go by the recommended oils in the owner's manual.

Go for a synthetic oil 0W30, 5W30, 0W40, or 5W40 with API SM (or later), ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 specs.
That makes for a short list. Popular choices are MINI brand oil and Mobil 1 0W40.
There are a few others.

Thanks.

Avro

Basic reasoning would tell you that there would be a very small difference between brands. For the vast majority of cars on the road, that difference doesn't matter. For ours though, our engines are built just like any other BMW and are therefore precise enough for it to make a difference.

Luckily, at least when it comes to 0W40, Mobil 1 is one of the common recommendations and is both prevalent and cheap. It wouldn't hurt to spend more, but never spend less. Basically, just don't buy Castrol.

The problem with opinions on oil is that they are never provable. I'd agree that there's very little difference between brands of oil with the same specifications. Anecdotally, I've found that, for some reason, BMW motors drink (as in leak and burn) Mobil 1 faster than Castrol synthetic. I don't know why, but it's just what I've noticed. Now that BMW has switched to Shell, we'll see how fast it disappears from BMW motors.

I'm not actually certain how or why BMW engines consume oil, though I know it does happen on purpose (same with Lexus). If viscosity or particle size play some role in how quickly they consume the oil, then perhaps Castrol is notably different. I have a non-S though, so my oil consumption is so minor that I haven't looked into it much.

I'll definitely agree that opinions on oil are almost always purely subjective and are often fanatical.

I run on Amsoil on my '05 MCS starting now. My son is a new distributor. Far and above all other brands! Contact me if you want info on it. Anything with an engine deserves it.

Just buy the recommended oil you're comfortable with and change it out regularly. The key point is maintenance and keeping things fresh. If you leave used oil in an engine, over time it will break down and will not perform like it should.

+1 on maintenance and meeting the MINI / BMW LL-01 specs.

The factory oil did go from Castrol to the New Euro Shell. Comes in a nice new bottle and now in 1 L size , Castrol silver bottle came in a QT size.

5W-30 Factory Engine Oil - 1 Liter 83212365947

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/83212365947/

http://c1552172.r72.cf0.rackcdn.com/652523_x600.jpg

There has been more typed words to this than just about anything , including religion, In fact it is some kind of religion to some.:wink: :eek2: IMHO just pay the price and go with the Mini brand. You will never get to the bottom of the question.

I've used that motomaster oil for a couple oil changes and it works just fine. As long as you use synthetic and get the proper viscosity, it really doesn't matter what brand you use. What matters most is that keep your oil topped up and change it frequently.

Mobil 1 offers $12 rebate with limit 2 per household as it expires on the end of May, I think... :thumbsup:

It's important to make sure the oil meets ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 specs. Not all synthetics are the same. Example Castrol and MOBIL 1 synthetics sold here in North America don't meet these requirements, they're actually "blends" and not full synthetic like they'd have you believe. That's why you see MOBIL 1 European Car Formula next to "regular" Mobil 1 on the shelf. Now you know why!!!

Mobil 1 0W40 European formula (sold here in North America) does meet ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 specs.
Most other Mobil 1 oils do not.

yea, we have the Mobile 1 Euro Car Formula here:

http://www.ecstuning.com/Search/SiteSearch/ES2575992/

walmart carries the mobil one euro formula

NO....Just as most condoms are made from latex, but not equal, oils are not the same...offering different levels of...er...protection for your motor...lol.
Sorry...just had to make the annology!!

Ahh! Thanks for the info! I noticed the packaging and part number have changed since last time I bought MINI OEM brand oil, part number 07 51 0 143 829, and it's taken me quite a while to find any kind of explaination about what is the difference.

I assume the new product REPLACES the older one, and is now the recommended product for my 2010 Justa (R56), right?

Crazy thing is this: Even though the Owners Manual for my 2010 (R56) American market Justa - AND the sticker under my hood - AND MINI's website ALL recommend "API SM (or later)" - fact of the matter is, MINI OEM brand oil says it meets "API SL". This is true for both the older Castrol-made MINI oil, part number 07 51 0 143 829 - and the newer Shell-made MINI oil, part number 83 21 2 365 947.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't "SL" an older spec? Can anyone tell me why MINI brand oil does not meet the recommended specification for their own car?

As near as I can tell, the ACEA A3/B3 and BMW LL-01 are far more important than the API spec, but still, why recommend SM when the OEM oil is only SL?

There is a great deal of buzz about Royal Purple, is it really that much better than other true synthetics?