Oil spec

gazza12adv said:
BMW used to say it was fine with 20/50 mineral oil about 11 years ago, then they changed their minds after a lot of engine problems and changed to power 1 castrol expensive, ( I used this for a while but when hot the engine rattled really badly)
I then used 10/40 semi synthetic for a while as I've been using it in my tls's for 20 years without problems,
now they seem to recommend 15/50
This came from an ex BMW chief mechanic from wollastons who serviced my bike earlier this year,
Anyway I bought silkolene 15/50 semi synthetic which he was happy to put in it whilst he was sorting out an oil leak from my front engine cover.the engine sounds quieter and feels smoother with this in it,
Click to expand...

I can concur with the engines sounding like the proverbial bag of spanners when hot, when using lower or thinner multigrades

xx/50 certainly quietens them down when hot

I see you can get a 10/50 semi synth now might not be a bad choice to cover both ends of the spectrum
 
And this is why oil threads should be banned! Thousands of them all saying "oh no you don't want to do it like that, you want to do it like this"!
 
Marki_GSA said:
And this is why oil threads should be banned! Thousands of them all saying "oh no you don't want to do it like that, you want to do it like this"!
Click to expand...

Really? Seems to me there is general agreement on XXw-50 being a bit quieter, and on a range of grades being OK.

Only disagreement is from people saying no one should be allowed to disucss this - seems like nowadays everywhere you turn there is someone trying to ban something!

Two other brief points - the question originally asked was about the brand and grade that BMW dealerships use. I don't think I've seen that info on here, so it is a sensible question. Also, when I joined this forum, I didn't bother reading the oil threads beyond first few posts. I had a look at the manual and at what BMW offers in the dealerships and then worked it out for myself - eg trying the 10w40 over winter to see how the bike ran on it.

What would be really handy, in my opinion, is a graph showing the poll results of grades that UKGSER users use, a graph showing use of full vs semi-synth, a graph of brand choices, etc.... That would be easy with a poll function, but I can't see one on here and haven't figured out how to set one up. Then anyone who wanted to know could just look at that and go from there
 
NicD said:
Two other brief points - the question originally asked was about the brand and grade that BMW dealerships use. I don't think I've seen that info on here, so it is a sensible question. Also, when I joined this forum, I didn't bother reading the oil threads beyond first few posts. I had a look at the manual and at what BMW offers in the dealerships and then worked it out for myself - eg trying the 10w40 over winter to see how the bike ran on it.
Click to expand...

I couldn't help thinking that if the dealer wasn't using some cheap and nasty oil, they would have told OP that 'they use the oil that BMW recommend'.
 
NicD said:
Really? Seems to me there is general agreement on XXw-50 being a bit quieter, and on a range of grades being OK.

Only disagreement is from people saying no one should be allowed to disucss this - seems like nowadays everywhere you turn there is someone trying to ban something!

Two other brief points - the question originally asked was about the brand and grade that BMW dealerships use. I don't think I've seen that info on here, so it is a sensible question. Also, when I joined this forum, I didn't bother reading the oil threads beyond first few posts. I had a look at the manual and at what BMW offers in the dealerships and then worked it out for myself - eg trying the 10w40 over winter to see how the bike ran on it.

What would be really handy, in my opinion, is a graph showing the poll results of grades that UKGSER users use, a graph showing use of full vs semi-synth, a graph of brand choices, etc.... That would be easy with a poll function, but I can't see one on here and haven't figured out how to set one up. Then anyone who wanted to know could just look at that and go from there
Click to expand...
No not trying to ban anything but desperately trying to get people to use the search and view the hundreds if not thousands of threads that already exist!
 
Based on my personal experience when I joined the forum, I think it would be great to have a brief summary. The thousands of threads ends up becoming the problem as it is hard to sift through. After that, reading different views is great, but you need a start point. Poll graph showing what people actually use would be a great start point in my view - a bit like an 'ask the audience'
 
Bloody hell this is turning into a hilltop thread! Sorry I asked! Haha. I've changed my mind 3 times now! The poll sounds a great idea. Might of given me the info I needed. Interesting point though, I downloaded the BMW owners manual for the 1200 and in the oil spec 15w50 isn't listed which BMW supply.
 
NicD said:
Poll graph showing what people actually use would be a great start point in my view - a bit like an 'ask the audience'
Click to expand...

Concentrate on your other poll; the one about weighty matters. For everything else, there's the owner’s manual or (if you can spare the time) ask the dealership. They spend millions of your money on coffee machines and biscuits, get your money’s worth.
 
pitrat101 said:
Bloody hell this is turning into a hilltop thread! Sorry I asked! Haha. I've changed my mind 3 times now! The poll sounds a great idea. Might of given me the info I needed. Interesting point though, I downloaded the BMW owners manual for the 1200 and in the oil spec 15w50 isn't listed which BMW supply.
Click to expand...
That's partly my point as well in that you want the BEST oil for your bike which is promptly replied to by a whole load of well meaning bods giving what THEY THINK is the best. None of which helps you because the answers are all different. The reality is that there is no right answer and pretty much all of them are acceptable.

By the way oil threads are way worse than hilltop threads, there are countless more oil threads.
 
I run my gsa on two reconstituted dead dinosaur rubber rings, one on the front, one on the back and squashed up dead dinosaur guts in the motor department, all seems fine to me:aidan
 
The only tedious aspect of this thread for me is the comments about how tedious the thread is. Are you the same people who complain about how sh1t the Spice Girls are on your Facebook while simultaneously booking the earlybird reunion tickets?!

Might be worth going to read the oil thread linked via the sticky as they are far from clear. The general advice is to use Castrol Fully Synthetic 20W-50 which, the last time I looked, doesn't exist. You can get to 10w-50, but it is not obvious that that is what the dealers use.

It's also a shame not to be able to discuss questions that I can't find threads on - that could be my lack of search skills though. For example, if BMW specd the longlife gear oil, then revised the lifetime oil guidance, and if we all change the FD oil every year or two, do we need longlife over regular 75w-90? I still use it as 50p really makes no difference, but I would like to know the answer from someone who knows how their stuff - and that isn't me. Also, I suspect the semi vs fully synth answer turns on the oil change interval, but again I do not know the mileage at which the semi synth stops working as well as when new and I have neither found the answer nor know how to answer the question myself - so I use the fully synth in the knowledge that it may be unnecessary.
 
gazza12adv said:
BMW used to say it was fine with 20/50 mineral oil about 11 years ago, then they changed their minds after a lot of engine problems and changed to power 1 castrol expensive, ( I used this for a while but when hot the engine rattled really badly)
I then used 10/40 semi synthetic for a while as I've been using it in my tls's for 20 years without problems,
now they seem to recommend 15/50
This came from an ex BMW chief mechanic from wollastons who serviced my bike earlier this year,
Anyway I bought silkolene 15/50 semi synthetic which he was happy to put in it whilst he was sorting out an oil leak from my front engine cover.the engine sounds quieter and feels smoother with this in it,
Click to expand...

Marki_GSA said:
And this is why oil threads should be banned! Thousands of them all saying "oh no you don't want to do it like that, you want to do it like this"!
Click to expand...
My post above just summarises what changes BMW have done to their recommended oils over the years from a BMW mechanic.
NicD said:
Two other brief points - the question originally asked was about the brand and grade that BMW dealerships use. I don't think I've seen that info on here, so it is a sensible question. Also, when I joined this forum, I didn't bother reading the oil threads beyond first few posts. I had a look at the manual and at what BMW offers in the dealerships and then worked it out for myself - eg trying the 10w40 over winter to see how the bike ran on it.
Click to expand...
As above.
Marki_GSA said:
No not trying to ban anything but desperately trying to get people to use the search and view the hundreds if not thousands of threads that already exist!
Click to expand...
But checking out old threads doesn't give up to date info on what BMW recommend now.
Marki_GSA said:
That's partly my point as well in that you want the BEST oil for your bike which is promptly replied to by a whole load of well meaning bods giving what THEY THINK is the best. None of which helps you because the answers are all different. The reality is that there is no right answer and pretty much all of them are acceptable.

By the way oil threads are way worse than hilltop threads, there are countless more oil threads.
Click to expand...

And yet again, as above,
 
Ah of course I completely forgot that what was perfectly acceptable oikd yesterday will make your engine blow up today because the marketing department has come up with some thing better! It's also curious how old engines suddenly need the newest best oil! Apple seriously needs to start making oil, you lot would be ripping it out their hands.

Anyway, I am done here and unsubed because this is just nonsense. I wish you all the very best in your choice of the next best designer oil and if you pray to Tim hard enough he might just produce "the best oil yet" for you.
 
Marki_GSA said:
Ah of course I completely forgot that what was perfectly acceptable oikd yesterday will make your engine blow up today because the marketing department has come up with some thing better! It's also curious how old engines suddenly need the newest best oil! Apple seriously needs to start making oil, you lot would be ripping it out their hands.

Anyway, I am done here and unsubed because this is just nonsense. I wish you all the very best in your choice of the next best designer oil and if you pray to Tim hard enough he might just produce "the best oil yet" for you.
Click to expand...

Wow, you really do care about this! Either that or Spice Girls was sold out?
 
Well I like and use Mobil 1 4t 15W-50 advanced engine oil with a MAHLE Motorbike Oil Filter OC306 delivered to my door for £47.19 by Opie Oils. Perfect.
 
Silkolene 15w50 fully synth for me, used on all of my twin cams, and I supply the dealer with it when the bike goes in for a bigger service (valves etc) so they service the bike while it's with them. The service manager confirmed that it's within spec, and will therefore not affect any warranty.
 
I stuck with what the manual recommended, Castrol Power 1 15w50.
 
Had to pick something up from BMW Battersea today. Asked about current spec and was told same as others on here. BMW using 15w-50. Not adding anything with this post, I know, but just confirming what others have written
 
Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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