I've been running nothing but Mobil1 0W-40 in So Cal ever since I bought my E46 years ago. It's now at 243,000 miles and purring like a kitten. The last time the valve cover was off at around 215,000 miles when I replaced the VANOS seals it looked shiny and clean under there.
Here's a link (pdf) to a BMW document that shows their approved oils.
Quote:
BMW Long-life rating LL-01
Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market
Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30
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My own Z4's owner's manual shows this:
Quote:
Approved oils belong to the following viscosity
classes: SAE 0W‑40, SAE 0W‑30, SAE 5W‑40,
and SAE 5W‑30.
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