Recently had a new customer reach out after being referred by Anees, whose F30 we had worked on previously. He was driving a BMW F25 X3 20dX and wanted to get the rear differential oil replaced, as part of his regular maintenance.
First thing I did was run the VIN check, which confirmed that this X3 uses the same Hypoid axle oil spec found in the F30's. Naturally, the next thing we checked was the cost…
BMW agents charge R1800 for 1L of their axle oil.
The Motul Gear Oil equivalent? R185/L.
So for 10% of the OEM oil cost, you could use the Motul oil — without compromising on performance or spec.
Even though I was 99% sure, I still contacted my Motul SA rep to confirm compatibility. Within minutes I got a detailed technical breakdown — which is one of the reasons I rate Motul’s customer support so highly.
🔧 The Service
Once the Motul gear oil arrived, the X3 came through and we got started:
The owner (who's also a BMW Fanatics member) has been in touch since the service and mentioned that the vehicle is feeling great with the fresh diff oil, no issues there and he’s happy with the service received on his X3.
Another preventative maintenance job done right — and without overpaying for the same end result.
First thing I did was run the VIN check, which confirmed that this X3 uses the same Hypoid axle oil spec found in the F30's. Naturally, the next thing we checked was the cost…
BMW agents charge R1800 for 1L of their axle oil.
The Motul Gear Oil equivalent? R185/L.
So for 10% of the OEM oil cost, you could use the Motul oil — without compromising on performance or spec.
Even though I was 99% sure, I still contacted my Motul SA rep to confirm compatibility. Within minutes I got a detailed technical breakdown — which is one of the reasons I rate Motul’s customer support so highly.
🔧 The Service
Once the Motul gear oil arrived, the X3 came through and we got started:
- Raised the vehicle and extracted the old diff oil, which was dark and overdue.
- Checked the inside of the diff with an Endoscope, confirmed no extra wear on the bearings and we got all the old oil out.
- Filled up with fresh Motul Gear Oil, meeting BMW’s spec.
- Reinstalled the drain plug, torqued it to spec and cleaned up the area properly — neat, tidy and OEM+.
- Ran a full diagnostic scan — a few old stored fault codes were picked up and cleared.
- Final check: No leaks, no drips, no errors. ✅
The owner (who's also a BMW Fanatics member) has been in touch since the service and mentioned that the vehicle is feeling great with the fresh diff oil, no issues there and he’s happy with the service received on his X3.
Another preventative maintenance job done right — and without overpaying for the same end result.
