I have been using Royal Purple 36140-6PK HPS 10W-40 Synthetic Motor Oil with Synerlec Additive Technology in my car for over six years with excellent results. My supercharged engine loves this oil, and the HPS formula reduces the overall oil burn, which translates to fewer oil top-ups and colder engine operation. Your mileage may vary.

I also recommend getting a Mityvac 07400. It's one of the most useful and time-saving automotive accessories I purchased to date.

Oil change instructions for the M60 engine

  1. Run the car for approximately five minutes to warm up the oil
  2. Carefully jack the car up, chock the wheels and install jack stands
  3. Get a drain pan and position it under the drain bolt located on the passenger side of the engine oil pan
  4. Slowly unscrew the drain bolt and let the oil drain into the drain pan. The oil might be hot, so exercise caution
  5. Unscrew the oil filter housing to relieve the system pressure –allowing the oil to flow out at higher velocity
  6. Remove the filter and gasket from the oil filter cover
  7. After 5-10 minutes as oil starts to drip, ground the car and jack up the rear to get all of the old oil out. This step might be overkill, but it could be useful if the state of oil is unknown or old
  8. Jack up the front of the car back up, don't forget the jack stands and wheel chocks
  9. Use a new washer for the M22 oil pan bolt and tighten it to the pan: 60 nm (44 ft-lb)
  10. Safely lower the car back to the ground
  11. Put a towel or a couple of paper napkins around the engine oil cover to reduce the mess
  12. Open engine oil cover then pour 8 US QT of oil of your choice
  13. Coat the bottom of the cover with a little bit of oil and close it
  14. Take your new oil filter and coat it with a little bit of oil, replace the rubber gasket on the oil filter housing cover, and attach the oil filter to the cover
  15. Carefully put the oil filter housing cover (with the attached oil filter) back into the housing and tighten it to 25 Nm (18 ft-lb)
  16. Now start the car and let it warm up, inspect oil pan/filter housing for leaks before driving

Oil capacity specifications

Engine Approximate Capacity
525i M20 4.25 (5.0 US qt.)
525i M50 5.75 (6.1 US qt.)
535i M30 2.75 (6.1 US qt.)
530i/540I M60 7.50 (8.0 US qt)

Oil viscosity specifications

  • Cold climate: 5W-30
  • Mild climate: 10W-30
  • Warm climate: 15W-50

Torque specifications

  • M22 bolt for oil pan: 60 nm (44 ft-lb)
  • Oil filter housing cover: 25 nm (18 ft-lb)

Synthetic vs. conventional

There is much debate on this subject. The synthetic oil is superior when it comes to lubrication and friction protection — period. If your engine is old and worn and you have been using conventional oil to prevent leaks, try upping the weight of the synthetic oil instead.

On brands & certifications

Flushing engine sludge

You can perform a complete engine flush by pouring 1/4 can of Seafoam straight into the oil crankcase.  I like to use Seafoam before every oil change, which is probably an overkill.

The flush procedure is straightforward:

  1. Make sure the engine is cold
  2. Open the oil crank case. It's the same hold you use to put the new engine oil in
  3. Pour a little bit of engine oil to re-coat the top chains for the cold start
  4. Close the oil crankcase
  5. Start the car and let it idle for 5 minutes
  6. Give the throttle a couple of short 1,000 - 3,500 RPM bursts
  7. Let the car idle for another 5 minutes
  8. Shut the car off and let it soak for about 10 minutes before changing oil