Rex Oil requirements

[Don]

The manual says BMW recommends Castrol. Should I assume it should have a synthetic oil (Mobil 1)?

 

[mindmachine]

The manual says BMW recommends Castrol. Should I assume it should have a synthetic oil (Mobil 1)?

Maintenance is included for the first 4 years, they will provide the oil, filter, ect.....

 

[Gonville]

Fully synthetic.

 

[tallrussian]

I asked my dealer at the time when I was considering REx, and I got the following:

1) Service interval for REx is every 6 months.
2) REx uses synthetic oil
3) Service interval for BEV is every 2 years, primarily for brake fluid change + cabin air filter + various checks.

 

[RJSATLBA]

If the dealer was correct about the REx needing an oil change every 6 months I'll be quite surprised, I thought both versions were on condition based servicing. It is many years since I've had a cat that required an oil change more often than every 12 months or 10,000 miles, in fact my usage pattern is sufficientlly benign that I ran an Audi diesel on condition based servicing its limit of 19,000, or it might even have been 29,000, suffice it to say I was very surprised, before the oil change warning finally woke up.

This was something I raised when considering the REx as I had a bad experience with an aero engine (fortunately shared ownership) which had to be stripped for a shock loading check after a prop strike and despite being only 3 years old with 500 hours , landed us with a bill for £3k due to internal 'pitting and spalling' which was unrelated to the accident and therfore uninsured. Lycoming argued that it was due to insuffient use. We fought this unsuccessfully - it seemed bizarre that this should be acceptable on a certified, safety critical, engine whereas a firm like Nissan would be a laughing stock if they argued that similar engine damage should be tolerated on a budget 3 year old Nissan Micra driven for 'only' 3 hours a week by an elderly owner!

Consequently, I was concerned with how a REx engine might fare if only triggered very infrequently but assumed that BMW had covered this with the periodic autonomous running of the REx. It will be interesting to find out what sort of pattern is used - for example a weekly start-up, for a very short period simply to circulate the oil and/or a less frequent longer run, sufficient to attain full oil operating temperature maintain this for long enough to burn off accumulated corrosive impurities.

 

[stumbledotcom]

The manual says BMW recommends Castrol. Should I assume it should have a synthetic oil (Mobil 1)?

Maintenance is included for the first 4 years, they will provide the oil, filter, ect.....

True in terms of oil changes. But if (when) the oil runs low between changes, it's considered consumption so it's up to the owner.

 

[GMac67]

I have a REx... Service intervals are every 2 year...

 

[MikemcL]

My Rex did a maintenance run at 2000 km, quite a shock when it started. I assumed this was to make sure it started ok etc. I have tested it once since then, but don't expect to use it very often.

 

[bxb40]

Then better be a great oil (synthetic or not) because 2000 miles I do in 3.5-4 month based on my current driving pattern. It also means the gasoline should be of the best quality, maybe even add a stabilizer to it.
The other option is to get the REX running every 2-3 weeks (~300 miles) for a few miles, on purpose, which in US means draining the battery below 6%...
I'll take the second option.

 

[mindmachine]

I have a REx... Service intervals are every 2 year...

In the USA the i3 Rex window sticker says maintenance for Rex is every 12 months.

 

[GMac67]

I have a REx... Service intervals are every 2 year...

In the USA the i3 Rex window sticker says maintenance for Rex is every 12 months.

Interesting in the remote app it says next service call is in 2016...

 

[ecoangel]

I have no connection but most of the UK's car clubs from the oldest (Lancia Motor Club) to the latest track Day stars use the independent advice from these chaps:

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-the-oilman.aspx

It might be possible for the forum owners to get additional discount on oil.

Currently they have offers on Castrol Longlife and Fully Synthetic oils:

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/vsearch.aspx?SearchTerm=worldcup

 

[Chamillikawi]

Hello guys,

does anyone know which Castrol fully synthetic oil the rex use? I mean is it 0-20 or 5-20 or even 5-30 or just treat it as a truck and give it 10-40?? Please help.

 

[jadnashuanh]

FWIW, oil doesn't stick on surfaces forever, so an engine that is not run periodically, unless prepped for storage, is at risk for moisture accumulation, potential acidification, and pitting of parts. It also will produce more wear on the next cold start. Each engine manufacturer will have a timeline on what they consider long-term storage. On the i3 REx, the maintenance cycle should satisfy that IF you let it run, and note, it CANNOT run until your SOC is less than 75%. Also, once it starts, it wants to run until the engine reaches full temperature, which takes generally at least 10-minutes depending on ambient conditions.

Pretty much all BMW engines were designed to run on a full synthetic oil. For their ICE vehicles, if you don't hit the condition based service, they'll perform an oil change annually...and, that's probably a good idea even on the REx.

The owner's manual should tell you the recommended oil. Since mine is a BEV, at least in the on-line version, it doesn't include any REx info, but you should be able to check that if you put in your last 7 of the VIN, or look at the hard copy. On their other ICE vehicles, the general recommendation is 5-30w, Castrol, European that meets the LL01. The BMW branded version is BMW TwinPower Turbo 5W-30 Engine Oil - 1 Liter (made by Castrol). Modern engines tend to have tighter tolerances than older ones, and the lighter oil is useful to flow through the smaller clearances at normal pressures.