BMW approved oils

[shogun]

http://www.jeae.dk/BMW/Olier/Special%20oils.pdf

I just changed yesterday to Fuchs Titan Carat MC 10W40.
Approved 'special oil' by BMW.

http://www.fuchs-oil.de/home_en.html?&no_cache=1

[rob101]

shogun, can I ask you a question. What is the difference between these special oils and the Long life 98 and 02(think thats it) oils? Is it the maximum permissible drain interval?

[shogun]

I assume - but not sure- they are also considered by BMW as longlife oils.
For example this Fuchs Titan Carat is approved/released as

ACEA A3/B3, API SL/CF
MB 229.1, VW 500 00 und 505 00
BMW Longlife-98
http://i8.ebayimg.com/05/i/08/10/c2/89_1.JPG

On German Ebay 5 liters buy-now price EURO 21,95=EUR 4.39/Liter
I get it at my favorite small ex-BMW-Meister repair shop in Tokyo at 900 Yen = 5.90 per Liter including oil change work and disposal cost for the old oil. That is why I do not make DIY for that.

[BillionPa]

to be brief, in german highway conditions, LL-01 has a drain interval of 30K kilometers, verses 25K kilometers for LL-98.

to be not so brief....

LL-01 requires full synthetic. LL-98 doesnt. LL-01 is equivenent to A3/B3, and is somewhere between SL and SM in terms of additive levels. most LL-01 oils are SM rated. LL-04 is like a GF-4 oil but with higher shear viscosity. LL-04 oils are to be avoided for performance driving or anyone who wants their engine to last longer.

LL-01 is thats called an XODI oil, for extended oil drain interval. with mostly highway driving its rated for 30000K (more like 10000K for regular driving, we dont drive to work on the autobahn).

as for LL-98, i suspect its more similar to SL specs, while also requiring ACEA A3/B3. SM has a certain max level of additives, and SL has higher levels. newer oils that say LL-98 do not mean they are not as good for the engine as LL-01, in fact the opposite is usually true, but they are worse for the emissions system.

[rob101]

to be brief, in german highway conditions, LL-01 has a drain interval of 30K kilometers, verses 25K kilometers for LL-98.

to be not so brief....

LL-01 requires full synthetic. LL-98 doesnt. LL-01 is equivenent to A3/B3, and is somewhere between SL and SM in terms of additive levels. most LL-01 oils are SM rated. LL-04 is like a GF-4 oil but with higher shear viscosity. LL-04 oils are to be avoided for performance driving or anyone who wants their engine to last longer.

LL-01 is thats called an XODI oil, for extended oil drain interval. with mostly highway driving its rated for 30000K (more like 10000K for regular driving, we dont drive to work on the autobahn).

as for LL-98, i suspect its more similar to SL specs, while also requiring ACEA A3/B3. SM has a certain max level of additives, and SL has higher levels. newer oils that say LL-98 do not mean they are not as good for the engine as LL-01, in fact the opposite is usually true, but they are worse for the emissions system.
Thank you, I especially liked the comparison between the LL specs and the API classes. I think there is a Fuchs (supersynth SL) oil that is to LL-98 specs and it isn't synthetic so that makes sense(i don't think I will have to check my work got sent some fuchs catalogues and price sheets recently as they are trying to muscle in on castrol's business me thinks).
also i sometimes wonder what the MB 229.1 specification is and whether it is a long drain interval spec.

[Zeuk in Oz]

http://www.jeae.dk/BMW/Olier/Special%20oils.pdf

I just changed yesterday to Fuchs Titan Carat MC 10W40.
Approved 'special oil' by BMW.

http://www.fuchs-oil.de/home_en.html?&no_cache=1

Interesting that there is not a single Mobil 1 oil on that list !

[ryan roopnarine]

Interesting that there is not a single Mobil 1 oil on that list !

there's maybe one us market oil on that list. bmw's house synthetic in the us isn't on that list either. if you look at the viscosity range "diagram" in any bmw manual, you'll see that "special oil" usually encompasses an unusual temperature spread as opposed to the generic grade recommendation. it doesn't mean that a specific brand is unsuitable in a (bmw) application.

[Paul in NZ]

for what its worth the castrol 5w 30 i use is LL01 and at the dealer they refer toit as softec LL01.That info is good,it makes me even more happy that i run it for a measly 12000 ks...

[BillionPa]

as long as its not the castrol edge slx 5W30 that is LL-04 you should be ok. the flash point is so low that it couldnt possibly be even synthetic blend. the LL-04 also has a TBN of 6, whereas TXT LL-01 has a TBN of 11.

the flashpoint is also low in comparison to most group 4 synthetics, but since its designed for fuel economy and long drain intervals vs performance, thats ok.

keep in mind though, that the flashpoint is actually HIGHER than silkolene Pro R 15W50 full synthetic racing oil! not too shabby eh.

[Paul in NZ]

definetly the LL01 (http://www.castrol.com/liveassets/bp_internet/castrol/castrol_australia/STAGING/local_assets/downloads/t/TXT_Softec_LL01_B1567_02.pdf) version

[Airborne001]

LL-01 is thats called an XODI oil, for extended oil drain interval. with mostly highway driving its rated for 30000K (more like 10000K for regular driving, we dont drive to work on the autobahn).

OK, so let me make sure I understand. For normal US traffic speeds, driving to work everyday, temps from 0-100F, and just the very rare occasional foray into triple digits speeds, this is the oil to use.

Is 20,000 mi a reasonable interval?

Given this, exactly what brand and weight should I look for?

[shogun]

The interval is calculated by the BMW computer and you will see the green lights in the check control.
That depends on cold starts, driving distance and many other items the computer takes into consideration.

Brand is a kind of religion.
Best is you use something which is approved by BMW, so no problem.
I am just experimenting with the Fuchs Titan Oil as mentioned before, as I have read a lot of positive comments.

[Bill R.]

synthetics and as you said unusual... That listing isn't really complete, it doesn't list the LL98 and LL01 approved oils. I posted these lists a long time ago. Here is the link for the LL01 listing which does have mobil one 0w40 on it.

(http://www.bimmernut.com/%7Ebillr/images/m52tuSpecialOils.pdf)I don't have time to reload the other tis right now that has this info on it, otherwise i would post all the oil charts, special,ll98,ll01 etc.


there's maybe one us market oil on that list. bmw's house synthetic in the us isn't on that list either. if you look at the viscosity range "diagram" in any bmw manual, you'll see that "special oil" usually encompasses an unusual temperature spread as opposed to the generic grade recommendation. it doesn't mean that a specific brand is unsuitable in a (bmw) application.

[Bill R.]

be nice and sludged up. Whit posted photos awhile back of late model bmw engines that followed the maintenance reminder and what they looked like when the pulled the valve cover at 80 or 90k miles... Lotsa sludge on these 12 to 15k mile oil changes. I wouldn't go beyond about 7500 to 8000 miles on any oil



OK, so let me make sure I understand. For normal US traffic speeds, driving to work everyday, temps from 0-100F, and just the very rare occasional foray into triple digits speeds, this is the oil to use.

Is 20,000 mi a reasonable interval?

Given this, exactly what brand and weight should I look for?

[BillionPa]

Airborne, grab some 0W40 (M1, lubro moly synthoil), 5W40 (castrol syntec, lubro moly synthoil, caterpillar deo, mutol 300V), 10W40 (amsoil amo), or 0W30 (castrol syntec made in germany). whichever one is easy to get, or cheap.

then at the 7500 mile mark, have some of the used oil analyzed to determine if you can run it for longer.

in order of personal preference, weighted against easy availability, i would go with M1 0W40, followed by Amsoil AMO, then Castrol 5W40. i wouldnt go over 7500 with the castrol though.

[Airborne001]

Thanks all