M20 2.5 with a million miles

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pierrez1
Joined: Sun 26 Sep, 2004 16:43
Posts: 415

  Z1 roadster

M20 2.5 with a million miles

Post by pierrez1 »

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SCORPION
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Joined: Tue 18 Nov, 2003 18:24
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  Z1 roadster
Location: Greasby

Post by SCORPION »

I worked for Mobil when they ran this test in America (I wasn't involved on the test). I used to visit the laboratories in Essex where they did a lot of automotive tests and they were very thorough. Before and after measurements were always taken at the same room (laboratory) temperature after the components had stabilized so there was no fiddling of figures.
Needless to say, I've used Mobil 1 virtually from the day it was launched - I did get a good discount though.
pierrez1
Joined: Sun 26 Sep, 2004 16:43
Posts: 415

  Z1 roadster

Post by pierrez1 »

The point I wanted to make is that the engine is good and not only the oil :D :D

There are a lot of diskussions about using non mineral oil at the M20.
After reading them all I went for the original mineral 15W40 BMW advises for the m20. I hope this choise was a good one, after a million miles I will know :)
Last edited by pierrez1 on Sun 17 Jan, 2010 11:15, edited 1 time in total.
**Z3**
Joined: Sat 02 Jan, 2010 13:03
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  Z3 roadster 2.2i
Location: Torquay

Post by **Z3** »

can anyone tell me the low down on "oil" - I`m not mechanically minded at all - I`m totally confused which oil should be used? I have a Z3 2.2 Roadster, it has always been serviced by the dealership and so I presume they use the appropriate oil, and more importantly the best oil? Is this the case or should I be making a request for a specific oil to be used?
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SCORPION
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Post by SCORPION »

pierrez1 wrote:The point I wanted to make is that the engine is good and not only the oil :D :D

There are a lot of diskussions about using non mineral oil at the M20.
After reading them all I went for the original mineral 15W40 BMW advises for the m20. I hope this choise was a good one, after a million miles I will know :)
I'm sorry but I think you might find out before a million miles ! :cry:
When the test was run, synthetic oil was relatively new and Mobil were trying to convince people that it was worth the extra cost. What impressed me at the time was the virtual absence of sludge, tar, varnish etc. Mineral oil is something that was found in the ground and adjusted with additives for use in engines. Synthetic oil is an engineered molecule that can withstand greater extremes of temperature and pressure and requires fewer additives so there is less decomposition.
horke
Joined: Thu 03 Jun, 2004 11:13
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  Z1 Alpina Roadster
Location: Ebersburg
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Post by horke »

1Mio Miles with a constant speed, no acceleration, no bumpy road etc.
That's not a real test.
I would be interested how this enigine would look like on 50% of the distance - but driven on the nordschleife.
benslick
Joined: Wed 06 Apr, 2005 15:48
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Location: Brighton & Hove

Quite

Post by benslick »

Still quite an amazing test never the less. I always thought after 200,000 miles the engine would be at the end of it's economic life span...
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pingu
Joined: Fri 30 Apr, 2004 16:01
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  M roadster S50

Post by pingu »

Good advert for the gearbox, diff, wheel bearings and other running gear.

1,000,000 genuine miles and perfect seats and pedals - that would make me a suspiscious buyer :nerd: .
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Holland Harry
Joined: Sun 24 Aug, 2008 11:19
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  Z1 roadster
Location: Assen

Post by Holland Harry »

horke wrote:1Mio Miles with a constant speed, no acceleration, no bumpy road etc.
That's not a real test.
I would be interested how this enigine would look like on 50% of the distance - but driven on the nordschleife.
That's my kind of testing. The engine would not even survive at 10 % of the millage. :D :D :D
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felix
Joined: Sat 02 Jul, 2005 16:25
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  Z1 roadster

Post by felix »

Holland Harry wrote:
horke wrote:1Mio Miles with a constant speed, no acceleration, no bumpy road etc.
That's not a real test.
I would be interested how this enigine would look like on 50% of the distance - but driven on the nordschleife.
That's my kind of testing. The engine would not even survive at 10 % of the millage. :D :D :D
Nor would the rest of the car!
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c_w
Joined: Thu 19 Aug, 2004 16:50
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  M roadster S50

Post by c_w »

Yes I think any modern engine that doesn't have some kind of design defect would last that long. The main cause of engine wear is starting from cold and the warm-up cycle, so this test wasn't "fair" in that it was started very few times in that 1million miles? so almost always at perfect running temp so very litle wear occurs. It's also not under any load, unless those rollers were loaded up to give the engine some work to do.

Even under normal driving, with religious care during warm-up and regular oil changes they would last a lot longer than anyone would excpet but it's difficult to compare or expect this when the engine has had several owners, maybe some abuse and irregular servicing and usage.
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