I highly recommend putting oil in your engine - The BMW 3 Series (E36) Forum

On every board someone starts a thread like this. I almost wonder if it is a periodic troll or something that the OP puts in just to stir things up and increase the hit count for the advertisers.

Eventually, it degenerates into an argument over 3000 mile versus 7500 mile oil changes, brands and viscosities of oils, brands of oil filters, etc.

And then, of course, the AmSoil guy has to chime in, which stirs up a real shiite-storm and then someone says Amsoil is a cult, and then someone else says Mobil-1 is no good, and then the 3,000 mile Dino Oil guys says that's the best, while the 10,000 mile Castrol Syntec guy says that is all you need, while the Redline guy says changing the oil too often is bad for the car, while another fellow gets flamed because he relies on the dash lights and changes his oil every 15,000 miles at the dealer, and then another fellow gets ridiculed for using Fram filters, while another guy says that switching from regular oil to synthetic will ruin your engine, etc. etc. etc.

It never ends.

So let's just cut to the chase here and assume all these arguments have already been made, because, frankly they already have if you search the archives here and on any other BMW board, or any automotive board (or boating, airplanes, motorcycles, or anything relating to internal combustion engines). And let's also assume that no matter what argument is made, it never changes anyone's mind as to what is the best oil to use or best change interval, because it never changes anyone's mind anyway.

My philosophy is that oil is good for your engine. Making sure you have oil in your crankcase is a good idea. Changing it occasionally is also a fine idea, too.

As for brands, intervals, viscosities, etc., that is all style points.

Which is the "best" is like asking "what is the one TRUE religion?"

BMW branded oil is basically Castrol Syntec, and most newer BMWs have this advertised right on the oil cap. My 2002 X5 3.0 says right on the oil cap "BMW recommends Castrol Syntec." (I wonder how much they paid for that product placement and where this will lead. Will the gas cap advertise a particular brand of gasoline next?) But many BMW dealers will put Valvoline synthetic in your car, if you take it there. Nothing wrong with that, either.

But regular oil works fine, too. It just needs to be changed more often than synthetic. And other synthetics (Mobil 1, Lubro Moly, etc.) are also fine, too.

In fact, any oil meting the SAE requirements and of the correct viscosity range for the operating temperature of the car will likely work well. And any filter meeting warranty requirements will also be acceptable. Some filters cost more than others, and some have more pleats, etc. If you change your oil frequently, the quality of the filter is probably less important than for those who go 15,000 miles between changes (which BMW claims is an acceptable interval in some instances, if you buy that).

Since the demise of the carbuator, oil change intervals can be extended and are less critical to the service life of the engine. In a 1965 Chevy with a Rochester 4-barrel, every time you start the car, the carb dumps a load of gas down the throat of the intake, and washes all the oil off the walls of the cylinders. As a result, ring wear was a lot more of a problem in pre-fuel-injected cars. And much of this excess gas ended up in the crankcase, diluting the engine oil and reducing its viscosity. Such cars ran dirtier, too, so the crankcase would foul with carbon much more quickly than modern cars so. So frequent oil changes were key to keeping the engine from blowing smoke by 50K miles or so. And "long service life" back then meant 80,000 miles. Most cars were junked before 100K miles back in the 1960's.

Fuel injection rocks. Why some folks pine for the bad old days of the carburator is beyond me.

I was using the Lubro-Moly Oil and MANN filters, but I have recently switched to Mobil 1. It is about half the cost. I drive maybe 3,000 miles a year, so I change the oil about once a year.

One person on the Z3 board noted that Autozone has a deal on Castrol (I think) where if you buy X quarts, you get a free Bosch filter, all for like $26. That sounds like a bargain, too. I don't know if that is a promotional one-time deal or an ongoing thing.

I've been using this pump as of late. It makes changing the oil in a BMW a 10 minute affair, which, with six cars, two boats, a tractor and a riding mower, comes in real handy. It also can be used to pump out power steering fluid and even coolant (handy when you want to change a thermostat and not get coolant all over the floor of your garage.

See Link. Hey look, there is even a picture of an E36 with it!

Good Luck.

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Oil Extractor Rocks. No jacking up the car!