choosing oil?

[jkhania]

how do you choose oil? I was going to buy lubro molly but im not sure which to get. If it makes any differnce i have a 95 and where i live its pretty hot this time of year. 90+ in the day til about septmber

[tiFreak]

you could just get something cheaper, Mobil 1 is sold at Wal Mart for a pretty good price, Lubro Moly is good but since you replace it at least twice a year there's no real harm in using a cheaper oil

[jkhania]

hmm ok, well still didnt cover my which one to get like 5w40 or 15w20 or xxxx haha. and twice a year? can you do that... my car burns oil and i need to change it pretty much every three months

[tiFreak]

gotcha, I misunderstood the question, I think 0W-30 would be better for the hot temperatures, I believe there's a chart in the owners manual that tells you what oil to use for which temperature range

[elfhearse]

Standard BMW oil is/was 5W/30. If you're in hotter climates then bump up to a thicker viscosity = 5W/40 weight. The zero weight is better if you're in a cold climate. LL-01 BMW rating for e36 and up engines.
(check out bobistheoilguy.com for detailed motor oil discussions)

[tiFreak]

oops, my bad, for some reason I was thinking you use thinner oil in warmer climates

[jkhania]

kay cool thanks a lot guys, i'll skip the expensive stuff and just go get some mobil one or something.

[elfhearse]

Mobil 1 0W/40 is BMW approved LL-01 (none of the other Mobil 1 oils are "approved" by BMW) Have to get 0W/40 at Autozone/Advance/PepBoyz etc.

[spidertri]

Metric Mechanic recommends 15w-50 all year round for the M42/44. I'm not a fan of 0w-40 oil in the summer, especially in CA...