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Diy oil change for 2014 gsw

Emoto said:
For the most part, I agree with you. But, it is more than nickels and dimes (which I know you meant figuratively).

The bike takes about 4 quarts of oil for an oil change. My dealer gets over $18.00 per L for the BMW labelled Castrol oil; I can't recall the exact price he charges. :eek

Call it $18 X 4 = $72.00. :jawdrop


I can have a box of 6 1qt bottles of Castrol 06410 Power RS 5W-40 sent to my house for $43.14 including shipping, which equals $7.19 per Qt or $28.76 per oil change, a savings of $43.44 which is enough to buy another 6 quarts of oil. :dance



Can anyone find the BMW reference to the exact oil they are specifying? I think what I listed above is it, but am not 100% certain.
Click to expand...

The local dealer here charges only $4 dollars approx above the Castrol. I see your point and can appreciate the dilemma with those savings at stake. Quite impressive savings too. And especially when it is the product that is rumored to be in the BMW labeled bottle too. I just feel it is easier to convince a dealer/BMW to help out if they recognize the oil and specs and the filter is quality too. Not a judgement it is a decision for the owner alone to make as they will be the ones who are involved in the discussion.
 
ppaintguy said:
The local dealer here charges only $4 dollars approx above the Castrol. I see your point and can appreciate the dilemma with those savings at stake. Quite impressive savings too. And especially when it is the product that is rumored to be in the BMW labeled bottle too. I just feel it is easier to convince a dealer/BMW to help out if they recognize the oil and specs and the filter is quality too. Not a judgement it is a decision for the owner alone to make as they will be the ones who are involved in the discussion.
Click to expand...

I would encourage you, and anyone else interested, to contact Castrol and ask them which of their oils to use in the 2013-14 water cooled R1200GS. I just did, and hope to receive a reply in this coming week. You can reach them here: http://www.castrol.com/castrol/iframe.do?categoryId=4592&contentId=7081246

I thought that a recommendation directly from the oil manufacturer would be good. :dunno
 
ponch1 said:
It's not the spec I have issues with, it's the idea that only a certain spec castrol can be used. T6 is JASO MA and SJ, but not MA2, so no, it would match that spec. I am sure other oils do.
Click to expand...

This is true, AMS oil, Silkolene, and Molylube are a few oils that met the spec. I simply buy the Castrol Racing RS from Amazon in 6 liter cases. That works out to be $7.25 per quart delivered to my door. Seems reasonable to me.
 
Emoto said:
Can anyone find the BMW reference to the exact oil they are specifying? I think what I listed above is it, but am not 100% certain.
Click to expand...

Your rider's manual, about page 149: Products recommended by BMW Motorrad Castrol Power 1 Racing SAE 5W-40, API SL / JASO MA2. If you take a look at this pdf (castrol.com) it says it was co-engineered with BMW (and that the actual name is Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T 5W-40... BMW left out the 4T part of the name)

Castrol sells no such oil in the US -- unless you want to buy a 55 gal drum. It does sell Castrol Power RS Racing 4T 5W-40. Are they the same? :dunno for sure. But I think so. I have a dozen quarts in the garage on the assumption they are the same. No room for that 55 gal drum. :laugh
 
Emoto said:
For the most part, I agree with you. But, it is more than nickels and dimes (which I know you meant figuratively).

The bike takes about 4 quarts of oil for an oil change. My dealer gets over $18.00 per L for the BMW labelled Castrol oil; I can't recall the exact price he charges. :eek

Call it $18 X 4 = $72.00. :jawdrop


I can have a box of 6 1qt bottles of Castrol 06410 Power RS 5W-40 sent to my house for $43.14 including shipping, which equals $7.19 per Qt or $28.76 per oil change, a savings of $43.44 which is enough to buy another 6 quarts of oil. :dance

Can anyone find the BMW reference to the exact oil they are specifying? I think what I listed above is it, but am not 100% certain.
Click to expand...

I deal at Max's in NH They charge $11.00 a quart. Not sure who is charging $18. but would like to know.
 
kencc said:
Also no sales tax in NH. Tommy always runs high.
Click to expand...

Yup. Does he think he is on Rodeo Drive in Beverly Hills instead of Brockton? FOUR dollars MORE than Max for an oil filter. :banghead $2.00 for the engine oil drain crush washer instead of $0.68 at Max. If you order several of each, you come out ahead, even after shipping. :dance
 
Castrol Oil Works Fine!

It did not matter to me what brand BMW recommends. I do pay heed to the specs.

The manual "recommends" the CASTROL it does mandate the oil. It is not the brand it is the SAE spec.

I will use the SAE spec BMW recommends that's what I'll follow. The Castrol was a great price, cheaper than my buddy gets me AMSOIL for.

I've been through the "must use" oil thing with service writers and I say show me. No one has.

The Castrol did smooth out the shifting vs the oil the dealer sold me.
 
ghost man said:
I wanted to say does not "mandate the brand" duh.
Click to expand...

Why do some believe that these bikes are so special?? High HP twin, shared trans/engine oil, wet clutch, overhead cam?????? All been done before and millions of bikes on the road using all types of oil and as I said before oil related failures are non existent IMHO. And all oils are FAR superior to what was available 20 or 30 years ago and there are legendary high mileage /5, /6 etc out there.

Sometimes I thing BMW owners are descendents of the people of Jonestown, and cool-aid drinking mentality is genetic!
 
pffog said:
Why do some believe that these bikes are so special?? High HP twin, shared trans/engine oil, wet clutch, overhead cam?????? All been done before and millions of bikes on the road using all types of oil and as I said before oil related failures are non existent IMHO. And all oils are FAR superior to what was available 20 or 30 years ago and there are legendary high mileage /5, /6 etc out there.

Sometimes I thing BMW owners are descendents of the people of Jonestown, and cool-aid drinking mentality is genetic!
Click to expand...

You better watch it or the moderator will send you a nastygram or your posts will be redacted. DAMHIK. :uhoh
 
ghost man said:
Emoto thanks for the torque values.

The oil change went well but the shifting was rough. Hmmm the only thing different was the fresh oil.
So I checked the oil type in my manual it was the wrong oil a semi-syn and wrong viscosity.

I did buy the oil at a BMW dealer (I was out of town. I did not have my manual) I had the counter person check twice and insure it was the correct oil and vis. He stated it was.
He made a mistake as I did. Other wise he was very helpful and pleasant. I should've of asked to see a manual from a floor model and before changing the oil I should of checked my manual.

Just changed it again this time as per the manual* to CASTROL Power RS Racing 4T 5W-40 from Amazon $7.41 a quart + shipping. The engine is quieter and shifts like butter.

*The manual does state to use CASTROL Power 1 Racing 4T 5W-40 but that type is not listed on CASTROL's website the RS has the same ratings so I choose the RS. It did make a huge difference in the shifting and valve train noise.
Click to expand...


How did you buy the CASTROL Power 1 Racing oil for $ 7.41 when I checked it was $ 18 per quart.
 
A Little More

Yes it was a 6 pack on Amazon $7.41 + shipping.

I think all the bikes I own are special to me, isn't that the point. I like them for various reason. I want to take good care of them and I also enjoy working on them. Although I would rather ride them and so we are back to taking good care of them. Hence choosing a good product that makes the riding more enjoyable, like smooth shifting.

Like most of us I own/owned many different brands of motorcycles I like my GS, I like airheads also.

I have never cared for Kool Aid not that it's bad just never cared for it. I am loyal to people.

But to a brand, company or dealership they get my business if they earn it.

Almost 300 additional miles with the CASTROL Oil and shifting is getting much smoother just about 900 now.

Thanks again for being so forthcoming and sharing your knowledge and experiences.:)
 
ghost man said:
The manual does state to use CASTROL Power 1 Racing 4T 5W-40 but that type is not listed on CASTROL's website the RS has the same ratings so I choose the RS. It did make a huge difference in the shifting and valve train noise.
Click to expand...

I think it's safe to assume Power RS is Power 1 repackaged for the USA.

Care to speculate how long it would take Mobil's attorneys to call should Castrol attempt sale of motor oil in the USA with "1" in the name?

The Power RS bottle itself states "made from foreign and USA components," and I'd guess the USA component is the bottle ... a quart instead of a liter.

An interview with somebody from BMW in a recent BMW Motorcycle Magazine indicated it's quite important to use the specified full synthetic motor oil ... to ensure satisfactory clutch/transmission performance.
 
Did some searching on this before I placed my order from Amazon. Finally came up with an email reply from Castrol confirming they are the same oils. This came from another BMW motorcycle forum....

"Here's a copy of an email I received back from Castrol:
Thank you for contacting Castrol.

Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T is part of the Castrol Malaysia product line.

As many products that are carried in North America are not available in Malaysia and vice versa.

BMW Motorrad recommends exclusively Castrol Power RS R4 10W-50 for use in their new boxer model, the HP2 Sport. This is the first recommendation for a dedicated motorcycle product in the BMW boxer engine and follows the successful conclusion of in-house durability testing by BMW in Munich. This is part of a successful co-engineering program between BMW Motorrad and Castrol.

BMW also recommends Castrol Power RS R4 products in all wet clutch models (K 1200S, F650, F800 and the off road G450). The recommendation in owner?s manuals will be Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T. In the USA, the recommendation will be Castrol Power RS R4.

Castrol Consumer Relations "
 
My owner's manual for the 2013 GSW states 5W40 for the WC boxer. I have heard the same thing about the name change in the recommended Castrol oil. Legal issues with Mobil 1 forced the change in the North American market. The oil rating remains the same between the Power 1 and Power RS products.
 
Been awhile

I have a little over 3,000 miles my GSW the shifting has gotten way smoother. I really like this bike.
I bought a 2014 KTM 1190 Adventure in Dec. and literally right out the box it shifted like butter. I really like this bike too!

I am thinking about an RT next will have sell a kidney :) but it's worth it.
 
lkchris said:
I think it's safe to assume Power RS is Power 1 repackaged for the USA.

Care to speculate how long it would take Mobil's attorneys to call should Castrol attempt sale of motor oil in the USA with "1" in the name?

The Power RS bottle itself states "made from foreign and USA components," and I'd guess the USA component is the bottle ... a quart instead of a liter.

An interview with somebody from BMW in a recent BMW Motorcycle Magazine indicated it's quite important to use the specified full synthetic motor oil ... to ensure satisfactory clutch/transmission performance.
Click to expand...

I emailed Castrol USA and they confirmed to me that "Castrol 06410 Power RS 5W-40 4-Stroke Motorcycle Oil" is the same oil as "Castrol Power 1 Racing 4T 5W-40". :deal
 
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