Re: Mobile 1

[bmw4curt@xxxxxxxx (Curtis Kiser)]

>Just took my 98 M3 in for an oil change (3900 on her) today at the
Concord
>dealership and the service writer told me I should not go to synthetic
yet.
>Anything I should know about?  I have always made the switch much
earlier than
>this, the only reason being this time that 3k of those miles were made
on my
>move out here.  Are BMW's different in their need for petroleum based
oil for
>break in purposes?  Please advise.  Thanks.  Oh, and if I could get some
info
>on the club in the area.
>Dave
>1998 M3///4

Dave,
It may be more of habit than actual requirements for some need to
break-in an engine.  BMW has always had  some kind of break-in limits
[usually driving speed restrictions].  Your OK by running 10k miles on
regular oil and then switching to synthetic.  It's not like the engine is
going to have sludge at that point or have some horrible wear pattern on
a ring/bearing.  

My neighbors new Ford truck had break-in oil in it for the first 5k
miles.  It smelled different too but he wasn't about to void the
warrantee by thinking he was smarter than they were.  I recommend you do
what BMW says for the first few times.  Warrantees are hard to come by
and BMW is funny about honoring them to do work as it is.   

I know a guy who's real big on the new Corvettes and he told me that the
Mobil 1 works in the new engines just fine because of the highly polished
rings that they use.  Seating the rings in that case isn't the same as it
used to be years ago.  That's why I think it's more of habit in the way
it used to be to think along the lines of break-in procedures.  

Like the 98 do you?  Love it, polish it, but don't you dare LUG the
engine <ha>!  Have fun.

Curt Kiser
SVR - E28 division of ///Team Bubba Racing
BMW CCA #118507 Tidewater Virginia Chapter
85' 535i  
86' 325

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