Tag: German

Tech Q&A: Should I use a heavier engine oil in the summer and a lighter oil in the winter?

We usually recommend to adhere to manufacturer’s recommendations on oil viscosity.  With that said, I personally prefer to go to the heavy side of the recommended oil viscosity for a given climate range.  At the shop here in Dayton, Ohio we use Motul 5W-40 for all late model German cars (except BMW M series) for all four seasons.  5W-40 easily covers the viscosity needs for these cars in nearly any conceivable temperature we are likely to see in our part of the world.  For BMW M Series we use Lubro Moly 10W-60 year round because that is what BMW recommends.  The only oil related issue that I disagree with the manufacturers on is the extended change interval now used by all the German makes.  Porsche recommends 20,000 miles or once annually between changes, BMW and Mercedes are both using condition based intervals that result in between 15 and 18 thousand mile changes.  We recommend changing the oil in half the time the manufacturer recommends or at about 7500 miles.

Danny,
P3 Autokrafte

Tech Q&A: What should I do to my car when I get it out of storage, before I start enjoying it again?

Every man or woman should own this,  it’s the “Booster Pac ES5000″.  It’s the only one out of many of these devices on the market that should be considered in my opinion.
41OFtR4mJRL._SL500_AA300_

The reason is, even if you properly prepped your car for storage for a few months ago, and you either disconnected the battery during storage, or you had the battery on one of those maintainer gizmos (more than likely) the car will still need a jump to get started.  It seems like more often than not, no matter what preparations were made for storage, after three months of not being started/charged, the battery just doesn’t have enough power to turn the engine over.   That is why you need the ES5000.  It will start the car for sure.  It’s better than the best set of jumper cables money can buy, which is why you need to own one even if you don’t store a car.

The other thing you should be prepared for is low tire pressure.  Even if you didn’t have any slow leaks in any of your tires when you parked,  the tires will almost certainly have lost some pressure.  If they are just a little low, like 10 psi or less lower than specs, or lets say no less than 20 psi, then you will want to get straight to an air source after you get the car running.  If you have a tire that is lower than 20psi then I would suggest you bring something with you to fill the tires.  Either a portable air tank or a portable tire inflator (which you can operate off your ES5000 after you get the car started).

Personally, I prefer the portable air tank over the inflator because I can fill it up in my garage with my air compressor, then I don’t need to hassle with a power source for the portable inflator option.  The downside to the air tank option is that you can only fit so much air in the tank and you might run out before all your tires are filled.

Here is a nice aluminum portable air tank from JEGS.  Aluminum means light weight, which would make a difference when you’re lugging it around.41Y8c9Dn3IL._SL500_AA300_Before you set off,  give a quick glance under the car to see if any new leaks popped up over the winter that might alert you to and potential trouble.  Check  the fluid levels to be sure.

That’s about it.  GO DRIVE!  Enjoy the sun and the fresh spring air.  Don’t forget to give that car a good hand washing after accumulating dust for three months.  I would just call Asher’s (if you are in the Dayton area).

Danny,
P3 Autokrafte