Oil for M54 3.0i?

[GorillaPie]

Hi there,

Still getting to grips with (and loving!) Z3 3.0i ownership but wanted to ask - I gather the M54 powerplant has quite an appetite for oil and wondered if other six-pot owners have any recommendations on particular brands/specs that the engine seems to prefer?

Any suggestions much appreciated!

 

[DrWong]

I use el cheapo 5w40 Triple QX from ECP in mine and it runs fine. Last time I got 10 litres of the stuff from ECP ebay for £30 which was stupid cheap. I change it annually regardless of miles, although I rarely do more than 4k in a year.

I think regular changes with nice clean oil is more important than brand, as long as it's to spec

 

[GorillaPie]

Thanks, useful to know... I read elsewhere about some brand called Leichtlauf (?) that I'd never heard of before, but will gratefully follow your advice instead!

 

[Mint]

+1 for the 5w40 Triple QX, used it for years and like @DrWong I change it every year regardless of mileage.

 

[GorillaPie]

Thanks for the various useful suggestions - I was planning to buy Castrol or one of the other big-name brands, presumably this cheaper stuff isn't any worse for the engine and it's just branding that explains the higher cost of the former?

(also I know it's 'only' an M54, not some rarefied 1950s Colombo V12 , I get that its lubricant needs probably aren't that sophisticated in the grand scheme of things... )

 

[t-tony]

I use, and have used, the oil my previous employer bought in bulk since I got my Z3 in 2009. It's not a "branded name" but I buy it at a good rate and change it every year, same with Shirl's oil burner. We never had any issues with the hundreds of cars that used this oil so I don't really see the need to buy expensive oils. You only have to look at @Mints 2.2 to see how well that engine runs at near 200,000 miles using a less expensive lubricant regularly.

Tony.

 

[GorillaPie]

Thanks again, all - I have ordered some of the ECP stuff, as recommended.

I should really know this by my stage in life, having owned various cars before, but is it okay to top up an engine with a different brand of oil to what might already be in the sump?

I have no idea what's already in there and don't really want to go through the cost/inconvenience of a full oil change in between service intervals, so am I okay to just top-up whatever's already in there with the ECP stuff when it arrives?

Thanks for tolerating my ignorance!

 

[t-tony]

As long as you top up with the correct grade of oil it will be fine.

Tony.