The level of enforcement from dealers amounts to entering your VIN and then pouring whatever the computer tells them to use. Aside from min HTHS BMW engines aren't picky about grades. Engine failures are material/engineering decisions rather than lube related. The big failures are all engineering related. As long as there is no sludge no questions asked.
BMW 0W-12
- Thread starter stevestroke08
- Start date
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
BMW is really good warranty wise. When I had SCR failure on X5 they asked:
- Wht oil you used?
Me: Mobil 1 ESP 5W30, LL04.
- WHo changed it?
Me: ME.
-OK, thank you, here is new SCR.
Your only risk is if you have a brand new engine design and it fails, gets examined by BMWNA, and they notice you’re running 5w-40 and feel like being jerks. This hasn’t really happened that I know of except back in the day with S54 where BMW was really serious about the 10W-60 post recall.
Both LL-01 and LL-04 oils provide the same 'wear protection'.
Since ultra-low sulphur fuel is used I personally prefer running LL-04.
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Sure anything is plausible. I mean if you had premature failure of an emissions component like a DPF or OPF I could see where BMW would want to make sure you were using the correctly formulated oil. As for the S54 that's a little different whereas it was a known issue which BMW tried to fix via oil grade. Notice they went thicker rather than thinner.
As for the B-series VVT actuation is electronic so no "oil grade too thick or thin for my VVT?" question. Bearing tolerances haven't changed that I'm aware of. The only lubricant thing I've seen with the B-series is a 4 cylinder (can't remember if diesel or gas) in Germany which had some chain guide wear that was not expected for the mileage but it failed for a different reason.
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It’s more psychological than technical, the people you’ll deal with are largely morons so I always try not to let them find any reasons to deny a warranty claim.
I tried to force AI to make a silver jug. And it did....but also made spelling mistakes. Like "mobiii W400" and so on... After a million attempts I settled on the one I posted lolThat is clearly Castrol design in Europe
My owners manual states the following as far as oil spec:
Suitable engine oil types
When topping up engine oil, the following oil specification applies:
Gasoline engine
BMW Longlife-01 FE.
BMW Longlife-22 FE++
The BMW Longlife-22 FE++ oil specification is not suitable for the 60i gasoline engine.
Alternative engine oil types
If an engine oil suitable for continuous use is not available, up to 1 US quart/liter of an engine
oil with the following oil rating can be added:
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Welcome to BMW’s confusing oil recommendations.
Lol. I am figuring that out. I've owned a few MB & Audi vehicles over the years and always did my own maintenance and never really had trouble finding maintenance items for the model year I had ever if it was new that year, but finding 2024 or even 2023 BMW parts on the euro parts sites I have used in the past is challenging. One of them has X5 parts up to 2022. On a side note my local dealer wanted $45 dollars for the oil filter when after some research and finding the oem part number you can get Mann, or Mahle for around $10.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
Audi generally had somehow more confusing oil recommendations. You ended up being lucky there. MB is generally much better in that department.
There are numerous topics around this and we talked what each approval is. I would use thicker option while under warranty. After that, LL04 would be my go to.
As for parts, not sure what is the deal there. Euro sites are much better than rest in sourcing parts. I would go OE filter during warranty. Why it is so expensive? They had issues with OE filters being stuck in OFH. Maybe there is additional QC, who knows.
Don't cheapen out on the filter. The B-series is less forgiving with improperly sized filters. Then there's this for the B58. What a pain.
https://www.turnermotorsport.com/p-5189116-b58-oil-catch-tool/
What's confusing?
Use LL-01FE or LL-22FE. You can add up to one quart of non-approved oil if required.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
It is:
LL22FE is low-SAPS oil, and LL-01FE is high-SAPS oil.
Why there is no LL17FE option or LL04? LL17FE is closer HTHS wise, Low-SAPS. This just confirms that using thicker oil is not an issue.
If their intention was oil availability, LL01FE cannot be found anywhere but the dealership or online. LL04, on the other hand, one can get in Wal Mart.
so what will be the next bmw oil suggestion? 0w-00 ? HTHS 1.0 ?
No, you're making it confusing. Anyone who doesn't hang out here and just reads the manual, it is clear as day.
Thank you for the information. I don't know why they wanted so much for it and I am not sure who the oem supplier for BMW is for the oil filters. I am going with the BMW 0W30 oil with the LL-01FE cert.
Sure but try to act on the information. You can only buy online or at dealership.
edyvw
$50 site donor 2026
OE suppliers for filter as MANN, Mahle and Hengst, depending on model. All three are safest bet if going aftermarket.
Only if you DIY, and most people don't. If you're just looking for a quart of oil to top off you can buy it anywhere.