Key word ( said ) but did they really, who knows. Talk to a BMW mechanic in Canada and get an answer you can count on.
The E9X M3 didnāt came with block heater with the winter package.
Someone recomends it on the M3 forums after searching a while I found
" 1.5 Hrs is all they need to warm up the oil with this heaterā¦ I have used them on my VWās with great success up here in Fort Mac (you know how cold it gets up here). They work much better than a block heater because your oil is warm and it flows instantly. Heat rises so in a car with a block heater the water jackets in the block are several inches above the sump therefore your oil never heats up until the car starts"
Thereās an oil temp in the car, so Iāll get one and see if it actually works, itās selling on amazon and easy returns if it doesnāt. Nothing to lose.
Iād say give them a call and confirm what you heard. Feel free to relay your concerns about how well 10W-60 flows during cold day start ups until the engine is up to temp. All itāll cost you is some time on the phone for some piece of mind as to what is the best possible option on all fronts.
Iāll give them a call but I am skeptical. BMW mechanics in regards to M carsā¦ ehh and even in general. I called the other day and the guy didnāt even knew what rod bearings wereā¦
Youāre right nothing to lose.
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Now THAT is scary! 
I wouldnāt even talk with anyone who didnāt know something that basic.
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The point is that they owned cars 45 years ago that would not start without a block heater, your car should not need a block heater to start at -25C.
There is no harm in using an oil pan heater, I doubt you will anyone here that has on and can tell you the oil temperature on a cold morning, you will have to try it for yourself. If you are concerned about the bearings change the oil to 5W50 as shown in the manual.
Technicians donāt answer the phones in car dealers, the person that answers the phone sets up appointments.
I did a little looking around and found pour points (the lowest temp an oil can be poured from a container) of -39C for Castrol and -45C for Redline oil in the 10w60 weight. Iād use the Redline for a climate and car like yours.
That said, I also followed a thread on a BMW owners forum (from 2008) that asked the same question. A call to BMW got the answer, āonly use 10W60 BMW oil or the warranty wonāt be honoredā The forum also went on to discuss the use of 0w40 oil in the winter only to ease starting. The forum also liked block heaters rather than oil pan heaters.
Iād research 10w60 oils to find the lowest possible pour point brand since this car is an occasional driver. Otherwise youād be changing 8.5 liters of expensive oil twice a year to use the 0w40 in the winter.
Heating the oil is a very acceptable way. You do not need to heat the block. When the engine starts to fire, the block will heat up very quickly. The internal temp will be above 70 within seconds.
I lived in Massena NY one winter, and what many of the locals did there was to drain the oil and bring it insideā¦then pour the warm oil back into the engine in the morning. This was back in the 70ās before synthetic oil was common. There were days where the high temp for was -20.
That car reminds me of āThe Princess and the Pea.ā Both seem WAAAAY to high maintenance for me.
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BMW has a long history of specifying oil for 100 mph Autobahn driving with complete disregard of what heavy oil does to a very cold engine on startup. In the past they had a big lawsuit with Castrol after specifying 20W50 for all driving conditions including parking outside in Minnesota overnight without a block heater.
First I would find a synthetic heavy duty oil that matches the performance of the oil specified. A 5W50 full synthetic with a European spec might do the trick. Mobil1 has such an oil.
For cold starts, an oil pan heater will only heat up the oil, and left on too long may actually cook the oil. Most auto supply stores have a number of different wattages, and you would select one that fits the sumps size. Truckers who occasionally get to cold regions use them as well. My own preference would be a traditional block heater.
Yeah thatās the thing, 2 oil change per year can get pricey.
But now the new oil is SHELL HELIX ULTRA RACING 10W-60. Itās what you get at the dealer and which I plan to get since itās really the only way you can get this oil. Iāll stick with OEM and just heat up the oil a bit when itās super cold. Anyways the Helix racing pour point is -42c.
Itās worth it with this car. Itās the last of an era.
A relative who grew up in Saskatchewan told some tall tails about dealing with cold winters and one was draining the oil when the engine was turned off in the winter and keeping it warm near the stove until needing the car again. If that wasnāt done a small stove similar to a charcoal lighting chimney was placed under the engine to warm it.
https://www.lowes.com/pd/GrillPro-6-5-in-x-11-02-in-Zinc-Charcoal-Chimney/999982358?cm_mmc=SCE_PLA--SeasonalOutdoorLiving--GrillAccessories-_-999982358:GrillPro&CAWELAID=&kpid=999982358&CAGPSPN=pla&store_code=529&k_clickID=ed5347c6-69cd-44b4-99f9-6813d67b2242&gclid=Cj0KCQjwv_fKBRCGARIsAL6R6ejf5eTkwayNRFJwnz2oSBz74GW8CcaLKL__koHMuzn7ZkZ5whqZjboaApjDEALw_wcB
Mostly they stayed close to home though.
Yeah I called and they say 10w-60.
So 10w-60 it is, and for peace of mind Iāll get a 80$ oil pan heater and see if it works well or not. /thread
Sounds like a good solution with confirmation to me 
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Keep checking around. There might be European BMW boards that are more familiar with this issue. Did you talk to BMW-Canada about it?
I called my local BMW dealer and they told me they keep mentionning 10w-60 just to protect themselves. Theyāll say to use whatās already in the manual.
Not dealer, factory. Contact BMW-Canada and see what they say if you havenāt already. Your u might also contact the real factory in Germany. They all speak English.
By factory do you mean corporate or? Where do I get the factory number.