dodgy dealer, wrong oil?

Went to the dealer today ask for transmission and final drive oil for my r1100rt. He sold me this saying this is what I need. I was quite surprise that there was no mention of final drive on the bottle and not even a mention of gl-5! Got home did a bit of research and it seem that this is actually differential oil for BMW car! Is this what the dealer are using in the bmw motorcycle transmission is it hypoid, is it gl-5, or is the dealer just not bothering getting the right stuff for motorcycle?

A differential in a car is not that different. The differential has a few more parts but both have the ring and pinion gears. Even a locking differential has these parts but uses some additives for the clutch packs. So in my opinion you are good to go but peace of mind is not always that easy to get. I would return it or save it till u get the info need, go to Canadian Tire or NAPA and get a bottle of their gear oil that says GL-5 on it.

Thanks Eckhard!

Wise advice, I'm just amaze that the dealer is selling this to their customer and even more, that they use it in their shop without telling customer, don't bmw have a specific transmission and final drive oil for motorcycle?? anyone?..

Robert

Went to the dealer today ask for transmission and final drive oil for my r1100rt. He sold me this saying this is what I need. I was quite surprise that there was no mention of final drive on the bottle and not even a mention of gl-5! Got home did a bit of research and it seem that this is actually differential oil for BMW car! Is this what the dealer are using in the bmw motorcycle transmission is it hypoid, is it gl-5, or is the dealer just not bothering getting the right stuff for motorcycle?

Morning Robert

I show that gear oil as BMW automotive but a LOT of BMW oils cross over from auto to motorcycle.

If that gear oil is rated for a car differential then it MUST be a hypoid gear oil, same with GL-5 rating as GL-5 is the gear oil required for most automotive helical gear sets.

I looked in some of my older BMW oil references & can't find a GL-5 rating on that 83222365987 gear oil (it was never sold in the U.S. that I can find reference to)-- I did find a GL-4 rating but nothing on rated GL-5.

GL-4 would work just fine in a BMW 1100 transmission & would work OK in the final drive under moderate riding conditions. But my guess is that it has a GL-5 equivalent rating as it is is specified in some differential applications.

BMW does/did have specific gear oil requirement/recommendation but it has changed so many times since the BMW 1100 bike came out that the original specs are about useless. BMW has even changed recommended oil companies as they have a new vendor now.

Googling a bit, a bit, the part number (83 22 2 365 987) corresponds to the BMW labeled version of Castrol SAF-XO (now known as Syntrax Long-Life) which is a 75W-90, GL-5 gear oil.

The parts fiche at realoem.com and MaxBMW do not specify a final drive oil for the R1100, but this is the part number listed for the R1200 models, as well as many other BMW cars and motorcycles.

I think this will work for your bike.

Googling a bit, a bit, the part number (83 22 2 365 987) corresponds to the BMW labeled version of Castrol SAF-XO (now known as Syntrax Long-Life) which is a 75W-90, GL-5 gear oil.

 

The parts fiche at realoem.com and MaxBMW do not specify a final drive oil for the R1100, but this is the part number listed for the R1200 models, as well as many other BMW cars and motorcycles.

 

I think this will work for your bike.

Morning Larry

Where did you find the SAF-XO comparison? The only place I have seen that

is from snake oil salesmen on E-BAY. They will post about anything on E-Bay

that promotes a broader audience.

Did you find a credible cross reference that shows the SAF-XO cross?

I found several connections. Mainly, in Max BMW's fiche and the realoem link above, the part number corresponds to the oil for the R1200, K1200, K1300 and K1600 final drives, which we know specified SAF-XO.

Another source: http://bmwfans.info/accessories-catalog/workshop_consumables/transmission_oils_and_fluids_3/. I've no prior experience with this site, so it could be snake oil.

Another mention here: http://www.k1600forum.com/forum/bmw-k1600-maintenance-do-yourself/115257-final-drive-oil-confusion.html, though that may be considered anectdotal.

A search for SAF-XO in a pdf of a official-looking 2015 BMW catalog, page 21, gives a part number of 83 22 9 407 768 for a large container. Realoem identifies that part number as 60 liters of BMW Synthetik OSP, the same product as the original poster's container.

I found several connections. Mainly, in Max BMW's fiche and the realoem link above, the part number corresponds to the oil for the R1200, K1200, K1300 and K1600 final drives, which we know specified SAF-XO.

Afternoon Larry

That would be a pretty good usage comparison as the SAF-XO would have been the recommended gear oil at those model's time frame.

It's in realoem as the oil to use ... pretty silly to doubt the dealer

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/partxref?q=83+22+2+365+987

http://www.realoem.com/bmw/enUS/showparts?id=0330-EUR-07_2009_K26_BMW_R_900_RT_10_SF_0330,0340_&diagId=33_1624#83222365987

Since BMW is now a Shell supporter, expect the Castrol term SAF-XO to disappear

In part, I think Robert (the OP) was questioning the dealers choice because he has an R1100RT, which does not appear on that application list, and the GL-5 oil spec was not on the bottle.

I did not find an oil listed for the R1100 at realoem.com.

In part, I think Robert (the OP) was questioning the dealers choice because he has an R1100RT, which does not appear on that application list, and the GL-5 oil spec was not on the bottle.

 

I did not find an oil listed for the R1100 at realoem.com.

Afternoon Larry

The trans gear oil spec for the old BMW 1100RT was "Brand-name SAE 90 hypoid gear oil, API Class GL 5"-- This is from my BMW dealer service manual.

A lot of riders use either a 75w90 or 75w140 GL-5 in those old 1100 gear boxes without any issues so as long as it is a GL-5 (or equivalent to a GL-5 then no problems).

The final drive gear oil spec for the old BMMW 1100RT is also "Brand-name hypoid gear oil, SAE 90 GL 5"-- On this you can use a more modern 75w90 GL-5 but probably shouldn't use a 75w140 GL-5 if riding in cooler climates.

I must be quite silly than I asked for specific oil for the final drive wich bmw sell at about 10$ for 200ml, but the dealer choose to sell me this at four times the cost. And nowhere on the net or elsewhere was i able to find that this oil is recommended for model prior to the r1200

Oil puts a thread on such a slippery slope...

DR, I was just pointing out to Kent why the dealer's choice was questioned in the first place since the bottle did not provide the GL-5 spec, and why providing R1200 part numbers was not reassuring to an R1100 owner.

Richard, the FD final drive oil spec is the same for the R1100 and R!200, and we've shown that the Synthetik OSP is BMW's equivalent to SAF-XO, a 75W-90, GL-5 oil, so the FD oil from the dealer is fine, and you have enough for a few years. Next time, you will know to get your GL-5 oil from the local auto parts store where you can find suitable oil for a more reasonable price.

I must be quite silly than I asked for specific oil for the final drive wich bmw sell at about 10$ for 200ml, but the dealer choose to sell me this at four times the cost. And nowhere on the net or elsewhere was i able to find that this oil is recommended for model prior to the r1200

Afternoon Robert Mayrand

Probably the reason that your dealer didn't sell you the 10$ for 200ml bottle is that your final drive holds about .23 liters (230mL), so that wouldn't be quite enough. That 10$ for 200ml bottle is meant for the later 1200 bikes as they only hold about 180mL.

As to finding the gear spec oil spec for your 1100 bike--That is kind of gray area as at the time the oil specs were written for the BMW 1100 bikes it was specified as "Brand-name hypoid gear oil, SAE 90 GL 5"

There has been no real reason for BMW to go back & amend that gear oil spec as the SAE 90 GL 5 worked just fine in the final drives.

The thing is most BMW dealers now only carry the multi-weight 75w90 or 75w140 for the more modern BMW's.

There is no valid reason that the newer synthetic 75w90 GL-5 won't work in the older BMW 1100 bikes so that is what most dealers sell for those bikes now.

The upside to using the 75w90 is better cold morning gear oil flow so it doesn't pack into (bridge) the vent area at very cold ride-away. The (possible) down-side to the newer 75w90 synthetic gear oil is, most modern synthetics have less seal conditioner in them so can (not will) seep a bit through the seals.

Thanks to everybody for the help. I will try it, i'm just a bit concern about the fact that nowhere on the bottle or the net was I able to find any info to see if this is GL-5 ....just a bit strange