fatal said:
so do i
20w50
- Thread starter Big Lad
- Start date
so do i
Big Lad said:
But that's motorycle oil designed for unit-construction engine/gearboxes with wet clutches. Not necessary for the BMW which is happy with car-type oil.
fatal said:
As I understand it (although I may just have fallen for marketing hype) bike-specific oils contain some sort of additive to withstand the shear forces between gears in the gearbox which would 'squeeze out' a film of normal car oil, thus rendering the teeth unlubricated at their point of contact and accelerating wear. That's aside from the issue of any effect on the wet clutch.
Le singe
Guest
They may very well have, but we're talking BM's here!
Wasn't me who started talking about wet clutches 
Anyway, F650's have wet clutches......
Anyway, F650's have wet clutches......
Le singe
Guest
If you've got a wet clutch,buy yourself some better waterploofs.
sproggy said:
I think that the original Mini recommendation was for Castrolite or Duckhams Q20W-50.
Anyway, the Beemer has a separate g/box!!
Greg
Perfectly good advice - exactly what I did until I discovered a cheap source of fully-synth!Le singe said:
Greg
Le singe
Guest
Castrol GTX 15w/50, 5 litres, 10,63euros here at the moment, can't find fully-synthetic for less! 
My original source was a car-boot sale: 4 x 5 litres of Vauxhall-branded 10w-40 fully synth for £20.
Now that's gone, I buy 4 litres of Chevron fully-synth - £9.99 + VAT at Costco.
Greg
Now that's gone, I buy 4 litres of Chevron fully-synth - £9.99 + VAT at Costco.
Greg
KOTM
Guest
Done an oil change this avo and put in some of this 20w50 stuff and it is noticably quieter. 
Usually use Castrol 10w40.
Usually use Castrol 10w40.
If I'm interpreting BMWs' oil selection chart correctly then 10w 40 is not suitable above about 70f. It's therefore unsuitable for summer/spring use even in this country.
Why did my GS come filled with Castrol GPS 10w 40 from it's first service? I've been using it for the last 60k miles with no ill effects.
Why does the oil selection chart for a 600cc Honda indicate 10w 40 is good for well in excess of 70f?
Honda's right, ain't they?
Why did my GS come filled with Castrol GPS 10w 40 from it's first service? I've been using it for the last 60k miles with no ill effects.
Why does the oil selection chart for a 600cc Honda indicate 10w 40 is good for well in excess of 70f?
Honda's right, ain't they?
Le singe
Guest
Honda know their engine's requirements,BMW know theirs.
BSA used to recommend Castrol R, surely BSA are right? Yes,they are,but not for a BMW.
BSA used to recommend Castrol R, surely BSA are right? Yes,they are,but not for a BMW.
boxer said:
Correct.
boxer said:
It's not uncommon to use a lighter grade of oil for the first few thousand miles to aid bedding in of engine components. For this I believe BMW recommend a mineral rather than semi-synthetic oil up to 600 miles and then 10W40 at least up until 6000.
It's entirely possible that you've used 10W40 up to 60,000 miles (as I have up to 32,000) without any apparent ill-effects however who's to say what the state of our engines will be at 150,000 compared to what it would be if we'd used 20W50 up until now?
GrahamW
Guest
How about this then, The Motorists Centre in Milton Keynes have their own brand 15w50, SJ, rated for £9.99 at the moment. That's for five litres. It's mineral, no synthetic in it but should do. I presume they have the offer nationwide.
Graham
Graham
Cheesy Mike
Guest
I spoke to BMW customer service the other day and asked about this. They told me that Castrol GPS 10W40 is perfect for UK use and the dealer is right to use it all year round. That's me happy then.boxer said:
Mike
Cheesy Mike said:
So they're going to issue new, revised manuals to all UK 8v boxer owners? Because the manual very clearly states that 10W40 is anything but 'perfect' for all-year-round use in the UK unless you've found somewhere to live where it never goes above 20 degrees.
Ignorance is bliss, they say, but now I know the correct grade to use I wouldn't believe some disembodied voice on the phone (customer services or otherwise) that told me otherwise.
Le singe
Guest
Sproggy - my opinion exactly. Why do BMW waste all that money writing these totally inaccurate handbooks and workshop manuals when a quick phone call to Customer Services reveals all.
Obviously all the staff are qualified engineers at Customer Services, and far more experienced than the technicians who designed the engines....NOT!
Obviously all the staff are qualified engineers at Customer Services, and far more experienced than the technicians who designed the engines....NOT!
pomm001
Registered user
Ownership of a GS does tend to turn one into a a bit of an 'anorak'
( i will admit to that too!) in the three years and 70 k miles that i have had my BMW car, I have never checked the oil once, and i dont have a clue what oil it takes, yet i have almost memorised that bloody oil grade versus temp guide in the manual for the bike.
Just thought i would share that with you
Its late , my minds gone
( i will admit to that too!) in the three years and 70 k miles that i have had my BMW car, I have never checked the oil once, and i dont have a clue what oil it takes, yet i have almost memorised that bloody oil grade versus temp guide in the manual for the bike.
Just thought i would share that with you
Its late , my minds gone
Le singe
Guest
You're not an 'anorak', who the hell wants to learn about cars?
You turn the key it goes, you turn the key again it stops, what else is worth learning?
You turn the key it goes, you turn the key again it stops, what else is worth learning?
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