Discussion
just word of warning,
there is a serious shortage of official oil
looked everywhere , called stealership and he explained
due to war they are having problems locating oil
even ebay has none
so if you under warranty what are you meant to do
as im sure they require original oil only to satisfy warranty
there is a serious shortage of official oil
looked everywhere , called stealership and he explained
due to war they are having problems locating oil
even ebay has none
so if you under warranty what are you meant to do
as im sure they require original oil only to satisfy warranty
Was informed of this a couple of weeks ago, I believe many main dealers inc the likes of Toyota are also struggling to source stock.
I work in the petrochemical industry and the current situation is dire, with large increases in raw material costs and lack of supply really hitting hard now.
I work in the petrochemical industry and the current situation is dire, with large increases in raw material costs and lack of supply really hitting hard now.
trickywoo said:
Is it just JASO MA2?
These extra specs like BMW LL04 for car oil are often a set of lab tests, so it might be e.g. a Rock Oil blend that meets MA2, but has also been through the tests and ticked the boxes. That's how you get oils which meet a Ford Spec, a Citroen Spec etc etc as well as being API CH or whatever.All oils are full of additives, some engine makers specs require certain additives, some disallow certain additives.
Motul for example make several oils that meet JASO MA2, including cheaper semi-synth and expensive ester synth.
The bike will want oil that meets a certain BMW spec, I would see if Motul, Rock or whoever sell anything with that spec on the label.
My previous KTM was very specific on Motorex oil. It was quite a weird viscosity & spec if memory serves. 1 litre was over £10 back in 2013 - I dread to think how much it is now!
My current Ducati specifies a Shell product. However, the bike doesn't seem to use oil & as it's under warranty, I suppose it will be a main dealer service/oil change next year at some vastly inflated cost....
My current Ducati specifies a Shell product. However, the bike doesn't seem to use oil & as it's under warranty, I suppose it will be a main dealer service/oil change next year at some vastly inflated cost....
Using manufacturer branded oil strikes me as a way to unnecessarily burn through more money than you need to.
There's nothing wrong with oil from the major oil manufacturers, which is likely what BMW etc. use rebranded anyway.
More important to change it regularly, even with a 'lesser' brand, than use over-priced corporate stuff, IMO.
There's nothing wrong with oil from the major oil manufacturers, which is likely what BMW etc. use rebranded anyway.
More important to change it regularly, even with a 'lesser' brand, than use over-priced corporate stuff, IMO.
According to Google/AI the BMW oil is manufactured by Shell:
'BMW branded motorcycle engine oils (under the ADVANTEC and Formula lines) are manufactured by Shell, which serves as BMW AG's exclusive global supplier for factory-fill and aftermarket motorcycle lubricants. Prior to the partnership with Shell, BMW traditionally partnered with Castrol.'
If it was me I would be looking to source a Shell engine oil of the correct grade/spec and just use that?
Having said that my experience with Shell engine oil has never been great, would be interested to hear the thoughts of the people in here that are in the world of oils on that, and have always used Silkolene.
'BMW branded motorcycle engine oils (under the ADVANTEC and Formula lines) are manufactured by Shell, which serves as BMW AG's exclusive global supplier for factory-fill and aftermarket motorcycle lubricants. Prior to the partnership with Shell, BMW traditionally partnered with Castrol.'
If it was me I would be looking to source a Shell engine oil of the correct grade/spec and just use that?
Having said that my experience with Shell engine oil has never been great, would be interested to hear the thoughts of the people in here that are in the world of oils on that, and have always used Silkolene.
catso said:
Using manufacturer branded oil strikes me as a way to unnecessarily burn through more money than you need to.
There's nothing wrong with oil from the major oil manufacturers, which is likely what BMW etc. use rebranded anyway.
More important to change it regularly, even with a 'lesser' brand, than use over-priced corporate stuff, IMO.
There are two issues, keeping the machine running, and keeping the warranty running.There's nothing wrong with oil from the major oil manufacturers, which is likely what BMW etc. use rebranded anyway.
More important to change it regularly, even with a 'lesser' brand, than use over-priced corporate stuff, IMO.
I'm a bit surprised the Middle East situation has affected high performance bike oil supplies, because I'd expect expensive bike oil to be fully synthetic stuff, well removed from what comes out of the ground in the sand pit.
MK3 Dan said:
According to Google/AI the BMW oil is manufactured by Shell:
Does anyone actually believe that bike manufacturers choose their oil for anything other than sponsorship/price?I'll wager that all the major (and many not so major) oil manufacturers all make suitable oil but some are prepared to sponsor race teams etc.
I wonder what oil Ducati recommend?
Condi said:
Warranty will require a specification, not a particular brand of oil.
It's literally the whole point of a published and public specification!
Exactly, I have a BMW thats under warranty, i use some Castrol 5/40 oil to top up that meets the spec, its not BMW branded AdvantecIt's literally the whole point of a published and public specification!
From the warranty booklet
1. SERVICING YOUR BMW MOTORCYCLE. An Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer reserves the right to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to non compliance with the service intervals recommended by the Manufacturer and
or the Manufacturer’s recommendations for care and maintenance of the vehicle.
If servicing has been carried out by a Non Authorised Workshop, the Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer and/or BMW Motorrad Service Authorised Workshop reserve the right
to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to inadequate servicing or the use of inadequate parts by the Non Authorised Workshop.
bogie said:
Exactly, I have a BMW thats under warranty, i use some Castrol 5/40 oil to top up that meets the spec, its not BMW branded Advantec
From the warranty booklet
1. SERVICING YOUR BMW MOTORCYCLE. An Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer reserves the right to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to non compliance with the service intervals recommended by the Manufacturer and
or the Manufacturer s recommendations for care and maintenance of the vehicle.
If servicing has been carried out by a Non Authorised Workshop, the Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer and/or BMW Motorrad Service Authorised Workshop reserve the right
to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to inadequate servicing or the use of inadequate parts by the Non Authorised Workshop.
I’d like to see them try and enforce that in court where the required oil wasn’t available.From the warranty booklet
1. SERVICING YOUR BMW MOTORCYCLE. An Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer reserves the right to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to non compliance with the service intervals recommended by the Manufacturer and
or the Manufacturer s recommendations for care and maintenance of the vehicle.
If servicing has been carried out by a Non Authorised Workshop, the Authorised BMW Motorrad Retailer and/or BMW Motorrad Service Authorised Workshop reserve the right
to reject any claim where the cause of the defect is due to inadequate servicing or the use of inadequate parts by the Non Authorised Workshop.
Condi said:
OutInTheShed said:
There are two issues, keeping the machine running, and keeping the warranty running.
Warranty will require a specification, not a particular brand of oil. It's literally the whole point of a published and public specification!
Bike oil is complicated these days, it's got all the problems of car oil, with cats and emissions and all that, plus wet clutches and gearbox in the sump.
And of course bikes rev higher.
Bike oil is expensive, I have an old bike and still pay £60 a can.
But you don't get many bike spares or much workshop time for £60.
trickywoo said:
I d like to see them try and enforce that in court where the required oil wasn t available.
exactly, and if there is no branded oil, what are the dealers using ? ....no doubt some good quality oil that meets the spec, from Castrol, Shell etcFrom the bike manual:
SAE 5W-40, API SL / JASO MA2, Additives (e.g. molybdenum-based) are not permissible because they can attack coated components of the engine, BMW Motorrad recommends BMW Motorrad ADVANTEC Ultimate oil.
I have a bottle of Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE 4T 5W-40 on the shelf but not actually needed to top up yet as only done a couple of thousand miles since last service.
bogie said:
trickywoo said:
I d like to see them try and enforce that in court where the required oil wasn t available.
exactly, and if there is no branded oil, what are the dealers using ? ....no doubt some good quality oil that meets the spec, from Castrol, Shell etcFrom the bike manual:
SAE 5W-40, API SL / JASO MA2, Additives (e.g. molybdenum-based) are not permissible because they can attack coated components of the engine, BMW Motorrad recommends BMW Motorrad ADVANTEC Ultimate oil.
I have a bottle of Castrol POWER1 ULTIMATE 4T 5W-40 on the shelf but not actually needed to top up yet as only done a couple of thousand miles since last service.
Or even a BMW spec as you'd have for a BMW car.
Check the manual for your own bike though, it may vary from model to model.
API SL is quite an old spec now.
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