It's the second time i've changed the oil (5w/20). I let it drain for over an hour and when dumping the oil into a disposer I noticed a light sludge in the bottom of the catch pan. I've always used Castrol GTX but never have seen this type of buildup in the oil. All freeway miles...what gives? :scratch:

 

The Castrol is the problem.
Just as Penzoil and STP oils sludge up, so does the Castrol.
Switch to Mobil1 and your sludge is gone.

 

I personally like Amsoil, so I MOSTLY agree with ponyboy66! Lose the dino oil and feed your pony the proper, FULL synthetic oil.

 

Wow, that's odd. Castrol claims their GTX oil prevents sludge buildup. As a matter of fact, before I got my V6, I used Castrol GTX on my old Civic - and I never had sludge on the oil pan.

Try switching to Motul synthetic oil.

 

you should have save a sample and sent it to them...they might have done something for you.......especialy if you wrote and good letter to go with the oil......

 

change every 3000 miles you change every 5000 mile that the problem.

 

Yeah, if you read the schedule for extreme duty carefully (The 3k mile schedule) it could apply to most people who drive their cars daily in an urban commute.

For me the combination of stop and go, dusty environment, and extreme heat in the summer pretty much dicates that I use the 3k schedule.

 

I guess that means I'll be doing 3K intervals instead of the 5K that the dealer recommends.

 

didnt we just go over this 3k nonsense a little while ago?

 

Yep.

 

He can change his oil when he wants to. I've changed my oil at 3-4k for as long as I've had cars and I'm not going to change. It's my money. But, thanks for playing.

 

Pennzoil does not sludge up :nono: Its the best dino oil I've used. Castrol on the other hand varies from very good to pretty bad. Castrol buys their base stocks from various suppliers (cheapest) and as I said it varies. Just look down into the plastic bottle after you pour your oil in. Pennzoil has no residue whearas Castrol is pretty dirty. Valvoline is pretty clean too. If you are in doubt just go ahead and use Mobil I it is excellent oil.

 

you can have your tranny rebuilt every 5k if you want to .. doesnt mean its not dumb

 

i have changed oil every 5k in my jetta, and it still comes out great.

i use castrol high mileage (car has 147000 on it)

but normal gtx works well too. i would def. try sending domehting to castrol about it though

 

Wow, I must be super dumb then... because I change mine every 2500 miles. But, I also make frequent trips to the drag strip (average 3-5 times per month), and make 10-15 runs each time. So, to me it's cheap insurance to keep clean, fresh oil in the car.

 

I'm with you guys, I change it every 3,000 miles because I can

 

It might have something to do with the engine design, but I'm just speculating. Toyota had a problem with sludge buildup in their Camarys, so I've been running Mobil 1 in my mom's car. I've generally used Valvoline or Penzoil in my cars, except when I've run a synthetic, but no oil at 4k miles should build up sludge.

 

You guys are wasting your money changing your oil at 3K miles. Blackstone Labs does oil testing for roughly 15 dollars. It will tell you, per their testing, when to change the oil. My dad's BMW 545i doesn't require an oil change until 15K.

 

yea if u think everyone goes to the drag strip 5 times a month


that my friend is special conditions...in which case id prolly rep[lace it every 2k =p

 

2K is a waste of money even under those conditions IMO. Best bet, http://www.blackstone-labs.com , send in an oil analysis. My friend used to do this on his previous car that had spray. He used to spray all the time and race often. Using Castrol GTX, they recommended 3750 mile intervals based on the chemicals found in the oil. Using a synthetic oil, such as Mobil 1 or Amsoil would increase the interval as well.

Again, BMW doesn't recommend doing a first oil change until 15K. I wouldn't push it that long, but again that's their warranty schedule.