67King

That's what I use in my cars. It meets the A40 spec, and uses the same base additive pack and base stock content as the A40 approved XF that lacks the NT (FWIW, the presence of the NT, being a deviation from the OEM's "ingredient list" will likely prevent it from ever getting the "approval" designation). So there should be no concern.

That said, for everyone's education, I usually deal with this question in the context of BMW. The US, and presumably Canada, is unusual in its gasoline in the context of sulfur content. The low sulfur countries of Europe have a cap at 10ppm S. The US is in the next tranche of countries (http://www.ifqc.org/NM_Top5.aspx) in allowing up to 100ppm. Their cap is 100ppm.......however the US is unique in that the average must not exceed 30ppm, but individual batches may contain as much as 80ppm S. The next tranche is 150ppm, then the next is up to 600ppm.....then the "high" sulfur countries are up to 2500ppm!

So, BMW is unique in that they specify LL01 here in the states, which is in line with mid SAPS. Virtually every other manufacturer bins the US with the other low SAPS lines. For BMW, that would be LL04. Mercedes has us with their 229.51 (rather than 229.5), GM has us at Dexos2. I forget the specs on VW (they have tons of different ones), but I believe theirs are low SAPS, as well.

But overall, there shouldn't be any issue with running the EE stuff here due to our fuel. Like I said, it is what I put in my street cars, so I don't know of a much better way to instill confidence!

Luxter

Here is a good start:


https://www.motul.com/system/product...pdf?1389027113


"The BMW Long Life-01 specification imposes severe constraints to the lubricant particularly due to the Valvetronic system. It covers all BMW engines from 2001 to 2004 and also all the previous BMW specifications such as BMW LL-98. From 2004 BMW vehicles require a BMW LL-04 product such as MOTUL Specific LL-04 5W-40, 8100 X-clean 5W-40, 8100 X-clean 5W-30, or 8100 X-clean+ 5W-30.
BMW LL-01 standard covers also all Gasoline engines running only outside European Union countries, Switzerland, Norway and Liechtenstein. Refer to BMW recommendations when in doubt."

BogdanR

Thanks guys, much appreciated !

Much like the US side, our Sulphur content North of the border is also capped by Environment Canada at 30ppm. Haven't checked on the rest of the details. What I did is order a kit from Blackstone so I will see how this oil will fare in my particular engine and I'll share the results when the time comes.

Can't say I'm particularly displeased with the current Castrol fill. On the contrary, oil consumption was really low (did not need to top up in 8000km but the level is one notch down from max now), there are no leaks and the idle seems just fine...

mdrums

FYI...I had a 2009 Carrera S...burned oil like a 2 stroke. I tried a few different oil...went from 0w40 to 5w40 then to Mobil 1's Porsche approved 5w50....zero difference...still burned oil like a 2 stroke...around a quart ever 650-700 miles....ridiculous. At a track day I would go through 1 quart at 75-100 miles and another quart to quart and a half later that day and into the next day.

Porsche told me this was normal...LOL

My Current 2012 GTS....burns very little to no oil. At a track day it might burn through 1 bar on the oil level indicator....that is all.

ADias

Agreed. Adding external additives is ill-advised. Motul X-Cess 8100 5W40 meets A40 and is not ester-based.

Flat6 Innovations

In response to 67king's post regarding true race oils:

The issue with using higher detergent/dispersant oils in race applications is these additives slow and inhibit ZDDP film formation. In high RPM engines, fast film formation and replenishment is critical to prevent wear. Also, higher levels of detergent and dispersant can lead to higher levels of fuel dilution and moisture retention. The fact is that major oil companies formulate the race oils for the teams they sponsor, and those oils are low detergent and dispersant for these reasons.

BogdanR

An update here... and the story is unfortunately not good.
3200 Km into my Miller experience I have black soot on my left exhaust pipes and a ticking sound from bank 2. It's not loud but it is noticeable. The car seemed to run well up until the record setting February that we had. Now at the end of this really cold month, I'm left contemplating a massive repair bill I have no money for.

Needless to say I'm heartbroken. This was a perfectly running car that took less then 250 ml of top up oil for the first 12000 km I've owned it and now because of my otherwise good intentions of preserving it and my arrogance in assuming I know better I screwed it up royally. Very fitting to my shortly upcoming birthday.

So let's this be a warning to all of you guys out there. Don't experiment if you don't have the resources to fix it, if the experiments are going wrong.

Cheers everyone!

Jake Raby

Been there, done that... The difference is, that's what my job is:-)

When testing, one either becomes a hero, or a zero.

Chrono

What is the failure mode, besides soot, and what is the repair?

BogdanR

I have a ticking sound that goes up and down with the engine's rpm emanating from bank 2 (stronger on the passenger side). I initially thought it may be a sticky lifter but an "italian" tune up yesterday ( about 60 km of highway in 3rd between 4000-6000 rpm most of the times) did not clear it. The oil change from Millers back to Castrol made it quieter but the ticking is still there, and maybe a bit more "diffuse" after the highway run. While I'm sure the noise is on bank 2 I cannot pinpoint whether is from the top or bottom side.

What's undeniable is the soot on my left exhaust pipes. There's none on the right ones. This soot leads me to believe I have bank 2 burning oil. combined with the ticking sound, the options for the failure mode remaining are not many. I did not hear a sticky lifter to produce soot. Neither a connecting rod or other things, anyone please correct me if I'm wrong.

Autowerks here in Toronto thinks it can be a rod bearing or a scored cylinder but they did not do a full diagnostic yet.

Quadcammer

sounds like you have scored bores.

not sure millers caused it though.

Chrono

I changed my washer fluid to a different brand and then threw a rod. The whole correlation / causation thing you know.

dahlhana

As someone who has gone through exactly what you are describing (in fact, my engine is on its way back to the US from Hartech as we speak), specifically request a borescope of the cylinders on the right bank (4,5,6) to check for scoring. I made the mistake of letting a porsche specialist try to figure out a "cheaper" way to fix the engine - two months and $5000 later he told me that a rebuild was needed. This was exactly what my normal mechanic said after spending 30min with a borescope.

The running theory was that the insanely cold Chicago winter last year was at blame, and combined with the poorer cooling of cylinder 6 caused it to overheat.

I ended up sending the engine to Hartech as I did not have the funds to repair it in the US. This was the best decision I made - Hartech has been nothing but awesome to deal with, and all-in with transport the rebuild was around $13k. I had gotten quotes for $25k from some places in the midwest and CA.

It took a couple of months of on/off research to get all the ducks in line to send it to the UK - let me know if you want a copy of my notes and contacts. There are some pretty specific requirements regarding the shipping crate for overseas shipping.

Good luck.

BogdanR

It's funny indeed. Just pray it does not happen to you my friend...

BogdanR

A very generous offer, thank you. PM me and I'll give you my email so we can take this off the forum.
Much appreciated :-)