oil?

[Wschnitz]

Sure this question had been asked before but what oil should I use in my 325ic.

Seattle so temps are never below zero and never above 100.

[idanity]

rotella...
or castrol, mobil1, with zinc additive.

[Herr Faust Schinken]

15w-50 or 20w-50 is what's recommended

[Keith M]

Castrol GTX 20-50.

[Wschnitz]

I am hearing allot of castrol gtx non synthetic 20-50. What about filters? Id like a MANN but they don't sell at AutoZone.

[Herr Faust Schinken]

Pelican parts there like 4 bucks I normally buy two or three at a time

[jlevie]

15w-50 or 20w-50 is what's recommended

This, and use a non-synthetic with a high ZDDP level. I use Brad Penn, but Valvoline VR1 is easier to find. Rotella used to be a good choice but I'm told it now has more "modern" ZDDP levels.

As for filters, use the BMW part or a Mobil 1 filter.

[idanity]

mann or Mahle are oem filters from azautohauz .. i buy 10 at a time....4.25 each...don't forget the crush washer.

rotella is used by many a turbo owner...but yeah...keep your zinc levels high...i havent heard of any 'new'' formula, gonna have to look into this...and ii always add a bottle with every oil change..and i change the oil twice as much as recomended...bc i live i higher rpms...


torco zinc..

if you are an economy driver, just regular maintenence is fine.

[MR 325]

I use ONLY Valvoline VR1 20w50.

[dnguyen1963]

For those of you in California, high ZPPD level in your oil will eventually kill your cat and you will have problem passing smog so keep this in mind.

[M-technik-3]

For those of you in California, high ZPPD level in your oil will eventually kill your cat and you will have problem passing smog so keep this in mind.

They were made to span a lifetime, all OEM for most part older than 20 years so Using a high Zinc content to keep engine wear at bay is better than an engine swap for most.

States like California need to consider relaxing standards on vehicles as they get older. A engine with 200K miles is not going to run like one with 5K miles.

[nando]

For those of you in California, high ZPPD level in your oil will eventually kill your cat and you will have problem passing smog so keep this in mind.

this is nonsense. a stock E30 cat is very high quality and will basically last forever.

[jlevie]

this is nonsense. a stock E30 cat is very high quality and will basically last forever.

True, provided that the engine doesn't run rich and isn't burning oil. Excess hydrocarbons in the exhaust can overheat and damage the matrix.

I've heard two reasons for lower levels of ZDDP. The most popular is that it was done to extend the life of the catalytic converters. The other reason, which I find more plausible, is that reducing ZDDP makes it easier and cheaper to recycle engine oil.

[dnguyen1963]

this is nonsense. a stock E30 cat is very high quality and will basically last forever.

Why is this nonsense? Zinc will complex with palladium/rhodium and, in effect, inactivate the metals. If your car is burning oil with high level of ZPPD then your cat will be destroyed in no time. This problem is not detrimental to properly tuned car; however, every car will burn some amount of oil. For a 20+ yrs old car, you might be able to pass emission in 49 states, but could be a problem for California drivers.

[idanity]

its nonsense b/c newer cats are cheaper and crappier...and teh U.S. govt made a law or something to force the warranty that all NEW cats are garunteed to last 120k or something...don't quote me on specifics, but thats what i read...somewhere, sometime..maybe in the deep web...the car manufactures and oil companies just came together to help each other out...and possibly the new metals in engines don't need zinc...i didn't read that last part, but its plausible.