Shell Gasoline and BMW ///M...

[bmellion]

Nice...

[E90Fleet]

Because since January 2015 they use Shell GTL oil for all BMW dealer servicing worldwide.
No more Castrol

[Used2be]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Because since January 2015 they use Shell GTL oil for all BMW dealer servicing worldwide.
No more Castrol

As kind of an insider, do you have any idea of the business side of this new arrangement? I'd assume Shell wanted to be associated with BMW performance and provides some sort of compensation for that?

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Used2be

As kind of an insider, do you have any idea of the business side of this new arrangement? I'd assume Shell wanted to be associated with BMW performance and provides some sort of compensation for that?

Castrol's contract was up and BMW opened the bidding to all companies.
Shell had just launched their new GTL range and needed a large anchor manufacturer to be associated with it (Ferrari was first to be associated, but is not big enough to be a anchor brand)

So Shell underbid Castrol to get the contract.
They need to recoup the huge amounts spent on developing the new oil.


So in exchange for a good contract price BMW "recommends" Shell, just like Ferrari does and Shell advertises both brands aswell.

Good marketing for all. Many will think if a BMW M or Ferrari uses Shell oil then they should also use it in their small car.
Same with Shell gasoline. (BP used to supply the factories with gasoline for initial fill due to Castrol deal, now Shell does)
The new Shell gas to liquids oil is also very good. So everyone wins.

[Bönz]

That's how it works in the auto industry. Bottom line, nothing else. Eh, maybe sometimes golf.

[Wills2]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Because since January 2015 they use Shell GTL oil for all BMW dealer servicing worldwide.
No more Castrol

Someone needs to tell my dealer that they're still using Castrol

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Wills2

Someone needs to tell my dealer that they're still using Castrol

You sure ?
You checked their dispensing drums ?

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Bönz

That's how it works in the auto industry. Bottom line, nothing else. Eh, maybe sometimes golf.

Not quite just bottom line.

New technology oil that meets or exceeds all current and upcoming specs and a top worldwide logistics setup being offered for a special low price. Why choose anything else ?

[Bönz]

Sure. And Castrol doesn't or can't? You said it yourself, special low price.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Bönz

Sure. And Castrol doesn't or can't? You said it yourself, special low price.

Castrol brought no new oil technology to the table and yes the Shell price was low, but that did not sacrifice the quality of the oil, infact even the top Castrol people locally admit the Shell GTL is a cleaner oil with less deposits that anything they currently make.

Castrol went in with old technology and a high price, as did other manufacturers.
Why would any company choose differently ?


Time will tell how good the new technology is in the real world.
The Castrol used here had sludging problems in certain models, lets see if the GTL oil handles that better.


Castrol would have gotten the last contract the same way

[Bönz]

Time will tell. I hope you're right.

[GarbageMan]

In my experience, I find BMW to be much more aggressive with its "recommendations" than most other manufacturers. As a person who is very mechanically inclined (I do most all of my own service), I am both amused and perturbed at the impact that this aggressive stance has on the general BMW owning public... Most know very little about oil, and not surprisingly follow BMW's "brand recommendation", via just having the service done at the dealer, which is certainly fine. The perturbed side of me comes out when owners, some who actually do their own service as well, are somewhat concerned or panicked if they don't use the brand (note I'd didn't say viscosity) that BMW recommends. This is utter poppycock, as evidenced by the theme of this thread-which details the decisions that are made for the sake of marketing, but not necessarily on quality. Based on oil analysis and history, I use another brand, and BMW has no issue with this. That said, my amusement/annoyed status promises to continue as some "sheeple" will panic if they aren't using Shell oil strictly based on the fact that BMW recommends it as the result of a marketing deal... Other car and oil manufacturers do the exact same thing, so I'm not saying BMW is at all unique here; I'm saying that the owner group as a whole seems to panic a bit more (on balance) if it isn't using the BMW recommended brand...

[Bönz]

^^I agree. All oils have to meet the same standards to receive the same API rating. According to E90, Shell has come out with a new and improved grade of which I am not familiar. I am all for progress.

But literally hundreds of millions of miles have been driven on Castrol and other brands (prior to this new Shell grade) without incident. If Shell developed something better that's great. But I doubt in the long run it is a giant leap forward. The only difference between brands is the additive package. Until I see test results between the "new" Shell and previous oil (which I doubt I ever will) I remain skeptical. I still say it's all about cost. If Shell demonstrated something equivalent or better for less money, then of course BMW will jump on it. Had this oil been more expensive, what would have been the outcome of the negotiation?

Again, I hope E90 is right. I'm all for better lubrication and the advancement of automotive science. But I am certainly not going out of way to put in Shell gasoline just because this deal included its marketing by BMW.

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Bönz

The only difference between brands is the additive package.

The Shell GTL has a much purer base than most oils, since its synthesized from gas. Gas To Liquids, thus GTL.

Know someone that will be running long term lab tests on it at a local university and he tells me the chemical analysis they have done so far shows it is very pure against most oils available.

Whether this translates into rear world gains is what remains to be seen, but it sure isnt inferior.

Shells other oils are also very good. Many owners her of multiple makes prefer them over Castrol.
Castrol has had its fair share of problems here.
Some BMW models have had slight sludging problems, while many Toyotas had huge sludgeing problems on the lower class Castrol they used till switching to Total. So many avoid them

[E90Fleet]

Originally Posted by Bönz

^^I agree. All oils have to meet the same standards to receive the same API rating. According to E90, Shell has come out with a new and improved grade of which I am not familiar. I am all for progress.

Not a new grade but new technology in the production (GTL)

There is a new BMW grade being LL-14, which is for 0W-20 oils for some of the new B series engines, but multiple manufacturers will make approved products.


API ratings are another thing. Euro oils have ACEA ratings and there may be multiple Euro oils with the same API rating but differing ACEA rating.

Castrol for example have a VW approved 5W-30 here that is not BMW approved, while their over AECA rating 5W-30 was used by BMW. There is a 3rd one used by Ford dealerships that arnt approved by the others. All have the same API and viscocity.

So manufacturers want specific additive packages while the cars are under their care (Here we get 5 to 7 years free servicing and full warranty with BMW)

Shell have apparently specifically formulated the BMW branded oils to BMW's wishes. So a pure GTL base with a specific additive package.

The additive package is also apparently specific to certain regions ( ie different in certain regions)
You can see on the back of the new bottles where the GTL base, which only comes from Qatar and nowhere else, was blended with its additive package.
I believe there are 4 locations ( UAE, EU, USA, China)


All that said, I currently still prefer Mobil 1 for the cars out of warranty I look after, but will watch the cars that use the new Shell GTL closely while they are under maintenance plans to see how it does and see what real world test results show.

One this is its a LOT cheaper from BMW dealers for teh new Shell oils than Mobil 1 is from indipendant shops.

[GarbageMan]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

All that said, I currently still prefer Mobil 1 for the cars out of warranty I look after, but will watch the cars that use the new Shell GTL closely while they are under maintenance plans to see how it does and see what real world test results show.

I use Mobil 1 for 6 vehicles I own, some in warranty, some out. Regardless, there is not one thing BMW is going to do if something happened before my warranty is out; the dealer agrees. It meets spec for viscosity and other BMW required certifications. I've never had a problem with it, and always get good oil samples back from Blackstone... I also keep meticulous records of these oil samples; not that I want it to happen-as I don't need the headache, but I'd love to see BMW "bow-up" given my aforementioned record keeping of the oil samples-in the event of a warranty issue...

[Bönz]

Originally Posted by E90Fleet

Whether this translates into rear world gains is what remains to be seen, but it sure isnt inferior.

I am certain Shell provided sufficient data to BMW to demonstrate the veracity of its new product. Otherwise BMW never would have accepted it. In order to sell this oil, Shell has to meet the appropriate API and ACEA standards. In order to be specified by BMW, Shell has to meet whatever specifications BMW dictates.

Your comment above is key. Since the new tech has to meet the old spec at a minimum, of course it won't be inferior (at least we hope not). But whether or not this translates into anything but snake oil is TBD.

The GTL tech was only introduced as a "greener" oil. Not sure I buy it - and neither would BMW if it were more expensive. I have been in the automotive industry for 30 years and it always comes down to cost. I am not suggesting that an OEM wouldn't pay more for a superior product. BMW does that all the time. But no OEM will ever pay more for an identical product nor will they ever stop cost reduction activity on an exiting product.

As I stated: I hope Shell has created the greener, superior motor oil of the future. Call me cynical, call me skeptical, but only time will tell. The fact that F1 uses it is promising, but all that means, is it works as well as the other products out there.