-------------------- 1 --------------------
#1. RE: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - from Paul L Fisher
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 13:34:23 -0500 From: "Paul L Fisher" <bmw@paul-fisher.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? I run Amsoil European Car Formula 5W-40 Synthetic in all my cars (3 BMW's and a VW turbo diesel), of course I'm a change it when the lights go on (15,000 miles on the 540 and M Roadster, 10,000 miles on the VW, and 7,5000 miles on the 325) kind of guy. I do get every one of my oil changes analyzed and in all cases it always comes back 'suitable for additional use'. I would use synthetic in any vehicle. Mileage doesn't make a difference. MY VW has 156,000 miles, my 325 has 140K+ and most of my other cars made it well over 150,000 miles before I got rid of them. If you change your oil at 3,000 mile intervals, all you are doing is lining the pockets of big oil. Paul L Fisher 2000 540i 6 E39 M62 TU Titanium Silver Metallic 2000 M Roadster E36/7 S52 Cosmos Black Metallic 1989 325ix E30 M20 Cinnabar Red Elkhorn, WI. -----Original Message----- From: kelvin [mailto:yoda@obikwan.com] Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 1:15 PM To: E36M3 Subject: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:6:35 From: kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> Subject: Synthetic Oil needed? All, I just picked up my '95 e36m3. (former E30M3 owner here!). The last oil change was done with 20w50 oil. I called the shop to check if it was conventional or synthetic oil. The guy said to use 20w50 because the car was "older and had high milage." I thought this was kind of surprising. (I had to ask, because I need to top the oil off and didn't want to mix in the wrong kind of oil) I ran Mobil1 in my E30M3 and that car was even older! Is 20w50 conventional ok? I am a "3k mile and change the oil" kind of guy. So it's a lot cheaper with conventional vs. synthetic at 7quarts per change! What weight is everyone running? Keep in mind, I live in the SanFrancisco bay area, so it's never "freezing" here. Thanks! -kelvin ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm ************************************************* -- No virus found in this incoming message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.1/355 - Release Date: 6/2/2006 -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.1/355 - Release Date: 6/2/2006
-------------------- 2 --------------------
#2. Re: [E36M3] Hazard Lights on the Track - from Gus Iverson
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:41:15 -0700 From: "Gus Iverson" <gus.iverson@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Hazard Lights on the Track There's also the typical 2 laps of instructor driving the student's car first session of D. We usually turn on the hazards for that, too, just so eveyone knows which cars are still instructor driven as the changeover starts. On 6/5/06, Jim Bassett <jim@jimbassett.com> wrote: > Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:32:41 -0700 (PDT) > From: "Jim Bassett" <jim@jimbassett.com> > Subject: Re: [E36M3] Hazard Lights on the Track > > On Mon, June 5, 2006 11:21 am, Carey Probst said: > > Does that mean new students get no instruction or do you rate run groups > > differently out there? > > Sorry, I meant "eliminate instructors DRIVING in the "D" groups" > > We were, after all talking about instructors driving, right? :-) > > > Here A is the most experiences, D those with little or no experience. > > Same here. Instructors are OK to DRIVE <g> in A & B groups, as well as C, > being careful to operate at or near that groups speed (or maybe it's me > that gets warned about that every time :-)). Only in VERY rare instances > can an instructor DRIVE <g> in D group. > > How's that? :-) > > Jim Bassett > > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > > >
-------------------- 3 --------------------
#3. ABS question - from Mo Karamat
Top
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 14:40:00 -0400 From: Mo Karamat <karamatm@optonline.net> Subject: ABS question Carl, Hello. As a data point a friend of mine has a 325i club racer that he was also running in SCCA ITS.. Due to the rules, he had to disable the ABS in his car. He co-drive another friend's car last week in a race (Hello Ahmed!), and this car had ABS enabled.. He said it was a world of difference.. So I would say pay the $$ and have the ABS fixed. Regards, Mo -------------------- 11 -------------------- Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 10:48:41 -0600 From: Carl Stern <carl.stern@xilinx.com> Subject: ABS question Dear Collective, If your ABS (anti-lock brakes) went out would you pay $500 to repair it or would you just live with a regular braking system? Apparently, I have a short in my wiring harness between the sensors and the ABS module. This has been triggering the ABS light for the better part of a year. (there have been cases of rabbits chewing up some wires at my company parking lot, perhaps they got me too) Note 1: I do track the car occasionally. Note 2: I don't drive the car in the snow. Note 3: It rarely rains here, I drive on dry roads 98% of the time. thanks, Carl 95 M3, 43k ************************************************* Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com DIGEST INFORMATION: http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm *************************************************
-------------------- 4 --------------------
#4. Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - from Peter Loron
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 12:00:28 -0700 From: "Peter Loron" <peterloron@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? Congrats on the new M! Basically, what Paul said. Synthetic and quality dino oil these days have very good additive packages that allow extended drain intervals compared to the traditional 3K. The additivies maintain the pH, among other things. When they're worn out (and the filter isn't keeping carbon and other crud out), then you need to switch. From what I've read, the synthetic oils are better lubricators and can support even longer drain intervals than dino oil. Does that make them any better at protecting our engines? There is considerable controversy about that. The issue with running synthetic oil in older cars is that the synthetic oils tend to be a bit better as a cleaner than dino oil. Old gaskets that have had crud caked on them can dry out because they're not having any contact with the oil. When the synthetic eventually removes the crud, the dry gasket is no longer sealing properly and you have a leak. I've read that many people with higher mileage cars that switch to synthetic from dino have no problems. YMMV. -Pete On 6/5/06, Paul L Fisher <bmw@paul-fisher.com> wrote: > > Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 13:34:23 -0500 > From: "Paul L Fisher" <bmw@paul-fisher.com> > Subject: RE: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? > > I run Amsoil European Car Formula 5W-40 Synthetic in all my cars (3 BMW's > and a VW turbo diesel), of course I'm a change it when the lights go on > (15,000 miles on the 540 and M Roadster, 10,000 miles on the VW, and > 7,5000 > miles on the 325) kind of guy. I do get every one of my oil changes > analyzed > and in all cases it always comes back 'suitable for additional use'. > > I would use synthetic in any vehicle. Mileage doesn't make a difference. > MY > VW has 156,000 miles, my 325 has 140K+ and most of my other cars made it > well over 150,000 miles before I got rid of them. > > If you change your oil at 3,000 mile intervals, all you are doing is > lining > the pockets of big oil. > > Paul L Fisher > > 2000 540i 6 E39 M62 TU Titanium Silver Metallic > 2000 M Roadster E36/7 S52 Cosmos Black Metallic > 1989 325ix E30 M20 Cinnabar Red > > Elkhorn, WI. > > > -----Original Message----- > From: kelvin [mailto:yoda@obikwan.com] > Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 1:15 PM > To: E36M3 > Subject: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? > > Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:6:35 > From: kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> > Subject: Synthetic Oil needed? > > > > All, > I just picked up my '95 e36m3. (former E30M3 owner here!). > > The last oil change was done with 20w50 oil. I called the shop to check > > if it was conventional or synthetic oil. The guy said to use 20w50 > because the car was "older and had high milage." I thought this was > kind of surprising. (I had to ask, because I need to top the oil off > and didn't want to mix in the wrong kind of oil) > > I ran Mobil1 in my E30M3 and that car was even older! > > Is 20w50 conventional ok? I am a "3k mile and change the oil" kind of > guy. So it's a lot cheaper with conventional vs. synthetic at 7quarts > per change! > > What weight is everyone running? Keep in mind, I live in the > SanFrancisco bay area, so it's never "freezing" here. > > Thanks! > -kelvin >
-------------------- 5 --------------------
#5. Re: [E36M3] Hazard Lights on the Track - from Mark Dadgar
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 12:04:27 -0700 From: Mark Dadgar <mark@pdc-racing.net> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Hazard Lights on the Track On Jun 5, 2006, at 11:25 AM, Carey Probst wrote: > Does that mean new students get no instruction or do you rate run > groups differently out there? > What Jim meant was that instructors cannot go out and run their own cars, even to give rides, in D group (unless it's special circumstance like demonstrating something to a D student who just isn't getting it in their own car). The speed delta is just too high. > Here A is the most experiences, D those with little or no experience. Same here. - Mark ----- mark@pdc-racing.net Check out my JustRacing Home Page at: http://www.justracing.com/homepage/mdadgar
-------------------- 6 --------------------
#6. Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - from Kelvin
Top
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:45:43 -0700 From: Kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? What's funny is the shop that took care of this M3 before is a well respected shop in the BMW community. I won't name names, as that wouldn't be fair. But since either conventional or synthetic is okay, I'm going to just top the car off with conventional and then switch to synthetic on the next oil change (if I can find that stuff on sale!). As for changing the oil every 3k vs. lights, etc. I'm a 3k kind of guy. =P My reason is this, we all agree that the oil doesn't breakdown yet at 3k (synthetic or conventional). However, oil gets dirty regardless of type of oil. That's why I change my oil at 3k. And yes, I do run a clean/good air filter as well. =D I can definitely tell that the oil is "dirtier" if I extend the change interval. Is this scientific? Nope, but it's good peace of mind for me. Thanks! -kelvin >> >> -----Original Message----- >> From: kelvin [mailto:yoda@obikwan.com] >> Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 1:15 PM >> To: E36M3 >> Subject: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? >> >> Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:6:35 >> From: kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> >> Subject: Synthetic Oil needed? >> >> >> >> All, >> I just picked up my '95 e36m3. (former E30M3 owner here!). >> >> The last oil change was done with 20w50 oil. I called the shop to check >> >> if it was conventional or synthetic oil. The guy said to use 20w50 >> because the car was "older and had high milage." I thought this was >> kind of surprising. (I had to ask, because I need to top the oil off >> and didn't want to mix in the wrong kind of oil) >> >> I ran Mobil1 in my E30M3 and that car was even older! >> >> Is 20w50 conventional ok? I am a "3k mile and change the oil" kind of >> guy. So it's a lot cheaper with conventional vs. synthetic at 7quarts >> per change! >> >> What weight is everyone running? Keep in mind, I live in the >> SanFrancisco bay area, so it's never "freezing" here. >> >> Thanks! >> -kelvin >> >> > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > > > > > >
-------------------- 7 --------------------
#7. Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - and discussion on weight - from MDR
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 12:47:21 -0700 From: MDR <mdrlist@gmail.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - and discussion on weight On 6/5/06, kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> wrote: > > > > Is 20w50 conventional ok? I am a "3k mile and change the oil" kind of > guy. So it's a lot cheaper with conventional vs. synthetic at 7quarts > per change! > > What weight is everyone running? Keep in mind, I live in the > SanFrancisco bay area, so it's never "freezing" here. I live in the bay area and use Mobil1 for my 95M3 with 120k miles. WRT change intervals, I follow the lights, which give me somewhere between 6k - 8k miles between changes. I change the oil filter 1/2 way between oil changes - every 3500 miles or so. Here is an overly detailed discussion of oil choice for your BMW: http://forums.bimmerforums.com/forum/showthread.php?t=265292 I've been using 5w-30, but may switch based on this discussion. Murray
-------------------- 8 --------------------
#8. RE: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - from Paul L Fisher
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 15:04:04 -0500 From: "Paul L Fisher" <bmw@paul-fisher.com> Subject: RE: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? Just a data point. As I said earlier, I have a VW TDI and there is no street engine, in my opinion that is tougher on oil than it. 1st off, diesel engines are tougher on oil in general, 2nd, it has EGR which means it introduces soot back into the engine 3rd, it has a turbo. When I get the oil analyzed after 10,000 miles in that car, it is almost as good as new. I change it anyway but others have run 15,000-20,000 miles on the same oil with no ill effects and just as clean oil analysis. Obviously it is your money but rest assured that a good synthetic can take it. Paul L Fisher 2000 540i 6 E39 M62 TU Titanium Silver Metallic 2000 M Roadster E36/7 S52 Cosmos Black Metallic 1989 325ix E30 M20 Cinnabar Red Elkhorn, WI. -----Original Message----- From: Kelvin [mailto:yoda@obikwan.com] Sent: Monday, June 05, 2006 2:55 PM To: E36M3 Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 12:45:43 -0700 From: Kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? What's funny is the shop that took care of this M3 before is a well respected shop in the BMW community. I won't name names, as that wouldn't be fair. But since either conventional or synthetic is okay, I'm going to just top the car off with conventional and then switch to synthetic on the next oil change (if I can find that stuff on sale!). As for changing the oil every 3k vs. lights, etc. I'm a 3k kind of guy. =P My reason is this, we all agree that the oil doesn't breakdown yet at 3k (synthetic or conventional). However, oil gets dirty regardless of type of oil. That's why I change my oil at 3k. And yes, I do run a clean/good air filter as well. =D I can definitely tell that the oil is "dirtier" if I extend the change interval. Is this scientific? Nope, but it's good peace of mind for me. Thanks! -kelvin -- No virus found in this outgoing message. Checked by AVG Free Edition. Version: 7.1.394 / Virus Database: 268.8.1/355 - Release Date: 6/2/2006
-------------------- 9 --------------------
#9. Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? - from Kent Shephard
Top
Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 13:17:15 -0700 From: Kent Shephard <Kents@kls-consulting.com> Subject: Re: [E36M3] Synthetic Oil needed? Welcome to the fold. I was an owner of an E30 M3 also. In my Current '97 I run Amsoil Series 2000 synthetic 20/50. I extend the change interval a little but not much. I live in Hayward. Kent Shephard kents@kshephard.com On Jun 5, 2006, at 11:14 AM, kelvin wrote: > Date: Mon, 5 Jun 2006 11:6:35 > From: kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> > Subject: Synthetic Oil needed? > > > > All, > I just picked up my '95 e36m3. (former E30M3 owner here!). > > The last oil change was done with 20w50 oil. I called the shop to > check > > if it was conventional or synthetic oil. The guy said to use 20w50 > because the car was "older and had high milage." I thought this was > kind of surprising. (I had to ask, because I need to top the oil off > and didn't want to mix in the wrong kind of oil) > > I ran Mobil1 in my E30M3 and that car was even older! > > Is 20w50 conventional ok? I am a "3k mile and change the oil" kind of > guy. So it's a lot cheaper with conventional vs. synthetic at 7quarts > per change! > > What weight is everyone running? Keep in mind, I live in the > SanFrancisco bay area, so it's never "freezing" here. > > Thanks! > -kelvin > > > ************************************************* > Please help support the E36M3 list by visiting our sponsors: > > Bimmerworld http://www.bimmerworld.com > Turner Motorsport http://www.turnermotorsport.com > Eurosport High Performance http://www.eurosporthighperformance.com > Rogue Engineering http://www.rogueengineering.com > Treehouse Racing http://www.treehouseracing.com > Elephant Motorsports Inc. http://www.elephantmotorsports.com > > DIGEST INFORMATION: > http://www.bmw-m.net/resources/digest_info.htm > ************************************************* > >
-------------------- 10 --------------------
#10. '95 window keeps going up/down like opening/closing door along with - from Kelvin
Top
Date: Mon, 05 Jun 2006 13:54:22 -0700 From: Kelvin <yoda@obikwan.com> Subject: '95 window keeps going up/down like opening/closing door along with dome light Hi all, I'm still noticing odds and ends about my "new" E36. One thing that I have noticed recently is that after you close the door, the window will go "up and down" like you're opening and closing the door. (how it goes up/down 1/4" because it's a frameless window). Also, I've noticed that the dome light will turn on like the door is opened as well. I was looking for a pin switch to see if that was faulty, but I can't find one? (where the heck is it?!) And for sure I know the car door is shut all the way. I did a search and found someone had mentioned something about a "door handle sensor" and how he put a ziptie on it to fix the problem. Where is this sensor? Is this the right track? Any insight/help would be greatly appreciated. I'm afraid the dang power window motor will burn out! Also, the car has a factory alarm if that makes a difference. Thanks -kelvin PS: Thanks for all the insight on the oil. I think I maybe extending my change intervals based on tests/experiences of others.