Went to get an oil change at a local mini shop in houston, tx with a pack of mobil 1. The guy told me mobil 1 synthetic is not good, it is basically the same as regular oil. He recommends eneos or redline for true synthetic oil.

I did some research on eneos, it looks to be pretty good. I might use that on my next oil change. I have searched all thread in this site but havent found anything on eneos. Anybody had any experience out there.

The cost of eneos 5w30 is $42 for 6 qt at amazon versus $32 for mobil1 at costco.

i also mentioned royal purple but he said RP oil viscosity is too light. He knew a motor blow up because of RP. and RP is pretty expensive too. abt $50 for 6qt.

 

I've been running the Eneos 0-50 in all the race cars for a while with real good results. We lost a bearing a long time ago running IIRC it was Royal Purple. I run the 5w30 eneos in my truck. Seems to run well. The 0w50 is supposed to offer lower oil temps in extreme conditions and running it in the focus race car it stayed together for 2 45min races with the oil temp guage barried. Pulled the motor apart and it looked surprisingly good.

 

Good stuff, thats for the feedback Do you have any opinions on mobil 1?

 

Let me guess, he sells Eneos? I'm sure a company as large as ExxonMobil would put out a product called synthetic oil but make it just the same as regular oil--nobody would want to sue there. And I'm sure that BMW is too stupid to know that and will go ahead and recommend Mobil 1 in the owners manual anyway. And I'm absolutely sure the guy working at the oil change place is WAY smarter than the engineers at BMW. I mean, that's why he chose to work at Jiffy Lube and impart his enormous knowledge on everyone.

Not saying Eneos is not good, I'm sure it is. But to say Mobil 1 is the same as regular oil and that Royal Purple is no good, is just plain stupid. If you want to pay $10 more for Eneos, just do it. Don't do it because some moron at the oil change place rips on Mobil 1.

 

I found that the BMW/Mini recomends Mobil 0/40W synthetic. This product states BMW/Mini Long Life on the back of the package.

Any comments on this Mobil product ?

 

Mobil 1 has a history of thinning out over its life. M1 0w-40 was the only oil they were able to make that's BMW Longlife approved, 5w-30 isn't. I've been using Redline 5w-30 for a while now; Castrol 0w-30 before that (German Castrol as it's called). With Redline, my highway cruising oil temps have been 5-10 degrees lower.

 

Us market Mobil 1 is technically a super-upgraded dino oil ( it is broken down to it base componets, "upgradded, then re-assembled")but it has not always been this way...Mobil switched a while back.....it switched a few years back after Exxon/Mobil sued Castrol BP to stop calling US market syntc synthetic....since it used upgraded dino as the base stock....Mobil lost, and shortly there after changing the formulation....that is why mobil1 does not meet BMW long life specs....Mobil 0-40, the euro formulation is a TRUE synthetic, like red line, royal purple, Am-sol, and any European sold/made oil call syenthic....according to euro rules, synthetic oil MAY NOT use conventional oil as a base stock....that is why German Castrol Syentic oil is much better than the US made counterpart. It is more expensive to make....but still a bit better than upgrading conventional base stocks.
That having been said, Mobil 1 is superior to regular refined oil....but others are better....so there is a healthy bit of dis-information from your oil guy.....a tiny bit of truth.....
Do a search on the subject...here or Google....and thank the US lawyers....thanks to them, dino oil CAN be sold as SYNTHETIC if it is run through crackers, and upgraders, then re-assembled into oil. I would call this super premium conventiol oil...like in Europe......

 

you can't go wrong with mobil one 0w40 you can get five quarts of it for 29.99 at advance auto with a mobile one filter, i can't see paying so much for the other brands when it's a full synthetic.

 

Mobil 1 the same as regular oil? Yeah right. Every Z06 Corvette has a placard requiring Mobile 1 use. But, then, what does Corvette engineering know with it's many-million $$ budget!

I ran Mobile 1 religiously in my 96 Maxima for 176,600 miles (then I sold it). The car was showing wear, except for the engine with its zero oil consumption and excellent performance. Suffice it to say that I run Mobil 1 in my snowblower too.

 

Mobil 1 was once the gold standard of oil....but after they lost the court case with BP/Castrol, they changed it to be more cost competitive. They quietly change the group oil that it belonged to from a pure, man-made synthetic to a crude oil base synthetic oil....I used Mobil 1 for many years too with good luck...it is just not the same stuff anymore!!
Man made synthetic oils are group 5 I think...Mobil 1, the non euro formula is now a group 4 oil.....this indicates it is made from crude oil.

Our cars, most gen 1 MINI's say to use Castrol....and the dealers will tell you...the us market Castrol is not what was intended...but the euro stuff....that is why min/bmw has a list of approvd oils....and US CASTROL SYENTIC IS NOT IN THE APPROVED LIST!! this is even though our cars are tattoed with 'MINI recommends CASTROL Syntec'.

 

That lawsuit supposedly happened in the late 1990s. Why would BMW still be recommending Mobil 1 in the owner's manual of a 2006 MINI? I think people like to justify using a higher priced oil by claiming anything else is inferior. You want to pay more, do it. Me? I'll stick with BMW's recommendations. And, by the way, they KNOW their largest market is the US, and the make NO MENTION of European vs American Mobil 1. I assume BMW would also know if there was a difference, and if that difference mattered, I'm sure they would tell us. Don't we always read on this board: RTFM? Well I did, and they recommended Mobil 1 right along with the stuff from BMW.

 

Mobil 1 is on the list...the Euro version, 0W-40!!

The oil has to meet the right spec. Mobil 1 0W-40 is both ACEA A3/B3 & BMW LL-01 spec'd. that's the stuff you want, (if you're going to use Mobil 1).
http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/Mo...l_1_0W-40.aspx
Mobil 1 0W-40 meets key industry and car builder specifications for:

− Mercedes MB 229.5
− Porsche Approval List 2002
− GM-LL-A-025 (gasoline)
− ACEA A3, B3/B4

− BMW Longlife 01
− VW 502.00/505.00/503.01
− GM-LL-B-025 (diesel)
− API SM/CF



Mobil 1 5W-30 not meet MINI/BMW specs...http://www.mobil1.com/USA-English/Mo...l_1_5W-30.aspx
Mobil 1 5W-30 meets:

• GM 6094M, GM 4718M (Corvette spec)
• Ford WSS-M2C929-A
• Honda HTO-06
• ACEA A1/B1
• ILSAC GF-4 (API Certified - Starburst)

CASE CLOSED!!!

 

US market Castrol Edge DOES NOT MEET SPECS......
Check it out....none of the US market product does....
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/gener...tentId=7059886

The only Castrol Syentec product sold in the US to meet BMW specs is the EURO formula...0W-30!! (or the stuff imported from Germany).
SAE 0W–30:
http://www.castrol.com/castrol/gener...tentId=6006933



Castrol SYNTEC 0W-30 European Formula is engineered to meet the Mercedes Benz 229.5 specification*. The 0W-30 viscosity grade is ideal for winter conditions where low temperature pumpability is required. A unique, low-temperature formulation provides exceptional pumpability in cold weather and allows for unaided engine starts down to -40ºF. Exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer’s warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended. Exceeds European ACEA: A3, B3, B4; VW 502 00, 505 00; MB 229.1, 229.3, 229.5; BMW LL-01; GM-LLA-025, GM-LL-B-025 and the engine protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils.

 

So from reading this thread if i am sticking to mobil 1 i should use M1 0w-40 instead of 5w-30 because M1 0w-40 has ACEA A3, B3/B4 and BMW Longlife 01. The oil change interval around 8-10K miles is good.

 

Just so everyone knows,

Mobil 1 0/40W synthetic is available at Walmart and Kragen.

I found it to be less costly in these two stores than ordering it on-line via Amazon.

 

If you are going to go more than 7500 miles on oil changes, then going with a BMW approved oil is very important.
One little bit of trivia...all the syenthic oils I know of that have a 0w, are true syenthic oils like the euro oils, due to the fact that conventional oils, crude oil, cannot be cracked, and recombined to make a 0w oil...the plus of using this oil is that it is very common, pretty cheap (for a true syenthic oil), and the heavier weight when hot should give us great protection when we run our cars hard, while the 0w, should ensure great oil circulation at startup at any temp.

 

You know, BMW is not infallible. Not saying they are wrong in this instance, but it helps to listen to criticism with an open mind and not just use the "Oh, BMW says this so it must be so!" attitude...

 

HMMM, Mini made in England. Mini likes Castrol, owned by BP, based in England. Anyone see the pattern there? I agree with warranty issues one must be concerned. Just had my Mini serviced and the tech commented on how good the oil looked. Mobile 1 5W-30 with 8K on it. Ya really think they know without an expensive UOA? Probably not.
YMMV BTW I love oil threads.

 

Ok, look, I'm not trying to be a pain in the neck, and if you guys want to use more expensive oil, go ahead. All I am saying is that BMW SPECIFICALLY recommends Mobil 1. On Page 2 of the Service & Warranty Information 2006 BMW states, and I quote "At the time of the printing of this booklet MINI High-Performance Syhtnetic 5W-30 Oil (Part Number 07 51 0 143 829) and Mobil 1 5W-30 and 5W-40 oils are strongly recommended and approved by the MINI Division of BMW North America, LLC." I added the bold. Nothing about European blends, in fact, why would BMW North America recommend a European blend? STRONGLY RECOMMENDED. I don't think they would put it in the warranty book if it wasn't good enough.

How's that for a case closed?

 

I thought the motor was Chrysler based from Brazil not BMW Designed?

 

The big thing here is additives....some oils have enought to go the 15,000 miles, some don't....heck mobil1 is even made in a longlife 15,000 miles formula....it seems this might have more additives in it than the regular stuff...am I gonna do an oil anylasis, no, but given the choice, for about the same price, going with a oil that is certainly approved vs an oil that may be approved is a no brainer for me.

 

The only two oils RECOMMENDED by name by BMW are their own brand and Mobil 1. So, in your opinion, approved by whom?

 

Mine has Mini recommends Castrol on a sticker under the hood. I guess different year models have different recommendations. All over the radar does raise some eyebrows. Owners Manual names Mini full syn., Casrol, and Mobile 1 for an '09.

 

The brand is not the important part...for lyoality perhaps....but since oil is in economic terms a fungible product(Different brands meeting the same specs are the same...brands are created by the marketers, much like MILK brands), the important part is the specs, and I defer to ACEA A3/B3 & BMW LL-01 spec'd. That's the stuff you want. If it meets that....you can use it, and sleep good at night...knowing it is good enough...not just commonly available enough, and more than good enough to get to the end of your warranty and beyond!!
Engineers are an **** retentive bunch.....I don't ask why, just if a product meets or exceeds the specification....if it does great....but failure to meet it...is well...failure=FAIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
If the marketing department decides to go against the engineers is some company outpost (MINI-USA) because they want to ensure consumers can use commonly available products, fine....it is good enough to ensure coverage for the warranty....which I remind you only needed ONE oil change after the free maintenance was over to maintain the warranty....so the product only had to be good enough to protect the motor for ONE OIL CHANGE!! An approved product was good enough to protect the motor for its entire life from the day it left the factory.

There is a million oil threads......this is just a rehash of a million prior....you can run castor oil in your MINI if you want, just like they did during WWI in airplane engines, and have a 50 hour rebuild.....I just run what the engineers say need to be run, or better...if an oil does not meet the BASIC specifications, it by definitions does not surpass the specifications.
Will your motor blow up tomorrow...no, will it blow up in 50,000 miles...not likely...but I know I run my motor at at output that EXCEEDS what the engineers intended...so my oil must be as good or better than the designers intended!!

 

I used 0W-50 in my 08' BMW 335i Coupe. And my friend was chosen to be part of their independent test vehicle and it ran with great results. Will Eneos oil work for the 2nd Gen Mini's?????