E39 M5 OIL CONSUMPTION

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   I have had a series of BMWs, E28 525e, E28 M535i, E32 730i, E34 525i, E34 540i, E38 740i, Z1, and none of them have ever used any oil between services; even with mileages of 150,000 plus on the clock.
I now get an 2001 E39 M5 with 48,000 on the clock and find it uses a litre of SLX 0w-30 every 2,500 miles or so, even when cruising on the motorways.  Why??? - since the S62 engine is a derivative of the M60/M62 which uses no oil at all. 
Is there a technical reason, or is the motor knackered??
STEPHEN B

Edited by harvard468

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harvard468 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 05-August-2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 95	Topic: E39 M5 OIL CONSUMPTION Posted: 26-September-2004 at 15:05
	I have had a series of BMWs, E28 525e, E28 M535i, E32 730i, E34 525i, E34 540i, E38 740i, Z1, and none of them have ever used any oil between services; even with mileages of 150,000 plus on the clock. I now get an 2001 E39 M5 with 48,000 on the clock and find it uses a litre of SLX 0w-30 every 2,500 miles or so, even when cruising on the motorways. Why??? - since the S62 engine is a derivative of the M60/M62 which uses no oil at all. Is there a technical reason, or is the motor knackered?? STEPHEN B Edited by harvard468
	Stephen B 1990 Z1 1994 E34 540i Touring 1999 E38 740i (Had to go) 2001 E39 M5

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M3Pilot Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member I Joined: 31-October-2002 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 340	Posted: 26-September-2004 at 15:10
	The E39 M5 has a legendary thirst for oil. Are you sure about using 5w30 I thought you were suppose to use the 10w60 in those?. Still compared to some stories I've heard, your oil consumption is far from excessive. I'm not sure why they use so much though. Could be why the spec a 60 weight oil as this should slow down it's consumption.

�bermensch Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Senior Member I Joined: 14-April-2004 Location: Oswald Penitentiary Status: Offline Points: 112	Posted: 26-September-2004 at 15:49
	I think 10w60 oil is recommended for pre-angel eye ( 2001) models only, and was more to do with rattley vanos at startup rather than oil consumption, but I could be wrong.. my car (whilst never showing signs of blue smoke under load etc.) is an absolute animal on the stuff.. something like 1 litre per 1000miles i'm guessing. Its a good idea to get into a routine of topping it up every 2nd week (while its being washed or something), as it tends to get pretty low before that dash warning light comes on, and if you're into high-G cornering you could be starving some parts of the engine its vital lubrication. The brakes will turn to mush after afew hard corners, and either warp or leave pad deposits (steering judder) once your discs get piping hot, so you may want to think of bumper ventilation and\or an upgrade to stoptechs up front, but other than that, there'll probably not be any other such surprises in store..

harvard468 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 05-August-2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 95	Posted: 26-September-2004 at 17:52
	Thanks for the comments so far. I'm beginning to think mine's not all that bad for oil consumption then!!!. What is clear though is the diversity of views on the correct oil to use! After much badgering, BMW GB has last week finally clarified the oil issue for the S62 engine thus:- E39 M5 up to and including Feb 2000 production - Castrol TWS 10w-60; From March 2000 production - Castrol SLX 0w-30. I presume the same applies to the Z8 which has the same engine. I don't know what changed in Feb/March 2000 (less rattley Vanos??), because the face lift (angel eyes etc) wasn't until 2001 model year. My M5 has the extended service intervals - 15,000 or more between services, and so needs the Longlife LL-01 oil (SLX or equivalent), wheras the TWS is not a longlife oil and is not recommended to last as long as 15,000 miles. Maybe Feb 2000 and earlier M5s had more frequent service intervals. If any other owners are able to verify this, I would be most interested. Lastly - the Oilman who advises on the General Forum is a mine of common sense about oil as well as a source of competitively priced good quality stuff! I now buy all my oil for my 4 BMWs from him and I am noticing the improvement by moving from Semi- to Fully Synthetic on my older cars. He's worth a visit!! Hope to hear from more members - I'm still a Newbie so learning all the time from the vast amount of experience and knowledge of other club members. All the best. STEPHEN B Edited by harvard468
	Stephen B 1990 Z1 1994 E34 540i Touring 1999 E38 740i (Had to go) 2001 E39 M5

J7 VNK Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Visit Members Homepage Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member I Joined: 24-May-2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 450	Posted: 27-September-2004 at 03:47
	Stephen, my E34 M5 uses about a pint every 2000 miles, with 155,000 miles, normal for an M5 of this era so i suppose it is for yours as said above, my BMW owners handbook even tells me it'll use that amount! Does the E39 M5 handbook not state oil consumption?
	1999 528iA Sport Pack,Aspen Silver,17" MTech's. 1994 525i Sport, Avus Blue,SOLD (BMWCC Member) 1999 323i SE E46, Black, man, Sports Leather. My Cars "BMW's are for life, not just for Christmas"

harvard468 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 05-August-2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 95	Posted: 27-September-2004 at 05:48
	Hi J7, Your E34 has 3 times the mileage of mine and uses about half the oil my E39 does (a litre being about 2 pints)! I seem to recall that the owner's manual states Maximum acceptable oil consumption, not what you should expect! It quotes something like 1.5 litres to 1,000 km (1 litre per 416 miles) or something ridiculous like that!! Is there a technical reason for this high oil consumption compared to other BMWs? Edited by harvard468
	Stephen B 1990 Z1 1994 E34 540i Touring 1999 E38 740i (Had to go) 2001 E39 M5

e34m5 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member II Joined: 26-June-2003 Location: Near Rugby, Warwickshire Status: Offline Points: 1344	Posted: 27-September-2004 at 06:15
	It might be worth you doing a search of the Unofficial BMW M5 Message Boardas this topic has been discussed many times.... Miles
	1991 525i Sport Manual

PJSM3 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Really Senior Member I Joined: 22-July-2003 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 468	Posted: 27-September-2004 at 07:06
	I've mentioned this before but a friend's E39 m5 (40,000 miles)required a whole new engine (under warranty) after using excessive oil for some time. I understand there is a known problem with the engine.

harvard468 Members Profile Send Private Message Find Members Posts Add to Buddy List Groupie Joined: 05-August-2004 Location: United Kingdom Status: Offline Points: 95	Posted: 27-September-2004 at 17:26
	Anyone know what the known problem with the S62 engine is, as per PJSM3's post? I have looked at the unofficial M5 board and apart form on or two isolated failures, the engine seems to be pretty bombproof. It should be though, being based on the well tried M62 4.4 litre V8! It seems that in March 2000 the pistons and rings in the S62 were changed to allow the use of the high performance, longlife Castrol SLX 0w-30 FS oil; hence the change in BMW's recommendation of TWS 10-60 to SLX 0w-30 for all post March 2000 M5s. Regards STEPHEN B
	Stephen B 1990 Z1 1994 E34 540i Touring 1999 E38 740i (Had to go) 2001 E39 M5