LL01 or LL04 for a BMW X5 (B58)

[lgndryhr]

I recently purchased my wife a 2022 BMW X5 with the B58. We spent many months trying to find the right car for her features wise and the right color combos. I am new to the Euro car world and Euro oils. I have spent some time reading on here and bimmerpost about what oil to run in my wife's car. When we first got it, I immediately swapped the air filter, cabin filter, oil filter, and oil. The dealer did replace all of it but used cheap to me filters, STP. The cabin filter had a cheap perfume smell to it. Poor tech had put the filters in upside down too. I at the time bought into the marketing and ordered Liqui Moly from FCP. Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600 0w20 with a UFI filter. Next oil change I tried out Mobil 1 0w40 FS with a Mann Filter. Car seems quieter at idle. This is her daily driver and sees a mix of 60 highway / 40 city driving. She is not an aggressive driver by any means. I drive it more aggressively when I take it to fill up at the gas station once a week. It's life prior to us was oil changes at the local BMW dealer every 10k miles. I have been changing the oil every 5k miles. I see some conflicting info when I read on here and bimmerpost. I was curious if Mobil 1 0w40 FS LL01 was the best choice for the B58. Goal is for the engine to last her a while. We don't care about MPG. She keeps cars a long time especially if she loves the car like this one. I have seen some discussions around using a LL04 oil in the B58 over a LL01 oil. Thoughts on Amsoil for Euro cars? Started down this BITOG journey a few months ago as a guest user and now I look at oils so differently I worry I have started overthinking it and over analyzing.

 

[kschachn]

You can use either Longlife-01 or -04. The minimum HT/HS is the same. Longlife-04 is fine with today’s low sulfur fuel and either one is acceptable. Comparable approvals would be something like VW 502 00 and 504 00. There are several oils on the shelf at Walmart that carry these approvals.

Euro Amsoil is good too. Do what you want.

 

[JavierH19]

I'd change more frequently just to play it extra safe at about 3k. I don't trust these turbo gdi engines, I'm sure they can last a long time but not without perfect maintenance. Don't care what tan and tbn says anymore i believe it's best to keep fresh oil in there. Can't go wrong with Mobil 1 ESP 0w-30 or 0w-40 FS so you can keep using that.

I've found that pennzoil platinum and quaker state euro run the quietest and both are GTL. Castrol is the next quietest and Mobil 1 0w-40 after that but all are much quieter than 0w-20. Change the transmission fluid too. Valvoline Extended Protection ATF is great for the zf8. Maxlife works too but it's a cheaper product in comparison and i wouldn't use it in it.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I recently purchased my wife a 2022 BMW X5 with the B58. We spent many months trying to find the right car for her features wise and the right color combos. I am new to the Euro car world and Euro oils. I have spent some time reading on here and bimmerpost about what oil to run in my wife's car. When we first got it, I immediately swapped the air filter, cabin filter, oil filter, and oil. The dealer did replace all of it but used cheap to me filters, STP. The cabin filter had a cheap perfume smell to it. Poor tech had put the filters in upside down too. I at the time bought into the marketing and ordered Liqui Moly from FCP. Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600 0w20 with a UFI filter. Next oil change I tried out Mobil 1 0w40 FS with a Mann Filter. Car seems quieter at idle. This is her daily driver and sees a mix of 60 highway / 40 city driving. She is not an aggressive driver by any means. I drive it more aggressively when I take it to fill up at the gas station once a week. It's life prior to us was oil changes at the local BMW dealer every 10k miles. I have been changing the oil every 5k miles. I see some conflicting info when I read on here and bimmerpost. I was curious if Mobil 1 0w40 FS LL01 was the best choice for the B58. Goal is for the engine to last her a while. We don't care about MPG. She keeps cars a long time especially if she loves the car like this one. I have seen some discussions around using a LL04 oil in the B58 over a LL01 oil. Thoughts on Amsoil for Euro cars? Started down this BITOG journey a few months ago as a guest user and now I look at oils so differently I worry I have started overthinking it and over analyzing.

Compared to BMW engines developed over the last 20 yrs the B-series has wider bearings and they are polymer coated. In addition BMW uses oil coolers to help maintain minimum oil film thickness. If you're doing 5k mile intervals you can run just about anything you want in the 20 through 40 grade. Amsoil on a 5k interval is a waste of $$. You're just not getting better results for the $$ over such a short OCI. BMW oil certs focus on long drain intervals. Wear, cleanliness, viscosity retention over a long interval. I would probably run any 0w30 or 0w40 in Mobil 1 Full Synthetic or ESP or Pennzoil Euro/Euro L or Lx because I'm a Mobil 1 and Shell fanboy. Highway miles are easy on an engine.

Below is a link to the approvals BMW dealerships must follow based on engine type and location.
https://cdncloudcart.com/30518/files/doc/bmw-oil.pdf?1705582825

 

[BHopkins]

Congratulations on your new-to-you X5. I also bought a '22 X5 for my wife, back in February. I was also considering a MB GLE350. There are many things that I often missed about the MB, and wondered if I made the right choice. But now that we have driven it for a while, I have fell in love with the sportiness of it, and don't know if I could trade for an E350. So far the B58 has been a great experience.

I went down the same rabbit hole, trying to select the right motor oil, including going through discussions on Bimmerpost. With the Owner's Manual stating that LL01 FE, LL14 FE+ or LL17FE+ are the recommended oils, in either 0W-20 or 0W-30, it really limits the available choices here in the US.

From what I have gathered, I am under the impression that the B58 is one of the newer engines that was designed with the thinner motor oils in mind. While I have plenty of Mobil 1 0W-40 Euro FS in the garage, since that is what I used in my E350, lawn mower and snow blower, it never crossed my mind to use it in the X5.

I have seen plenty of reports of BMW engine failures when the wrong motor oil is used, so I decided to take the cautions approach. Since my wife's X5 was still in warranty when we bought it, I had the local BMW dealership do the first oil change, so it got BMW Twin Power Turbo 0W-20 LL17FE+ with a BMW filter. I recently did it's second oil change since I bought it, and decided to go with Motul 8100 0W-20, which meets LL17FE+, with an UFI filter. (I've never been fully sold on Liqui Moly.)

Would a thicker oil be a better choice for engine longevity? I'm not sure. I'm a little hesitant myself.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

I have seen plenty of reports of BMW engine failures when the wrong motor oil is used, so I decided to take the cautions approach. .

Can you expand on this because context is really really important?

 

[BHopkins]

Can you expand on this because context is really really important?

My first experience with this was at an indy shop that specializes in BMW. They had a picture posted in the lobby, of the internals of a BMW engine that had failed because of the wrong motor oil being used. I'm not all that familiar with different BMW engines, so I couldn't begin to recall which engine it was.

I also have seen some comments on Bimmerpost that it is very important to use the correct oil, to avoid engine failure.

"Plenty" was probably the wrong word to use in my comment.

 

[kschachn]

My first experience with this was at an indy shop that specializes in BMW. They had a picture posted in the lobby, of the internals of a BMW engine that had failed because of the wrong motor oil being used. I'm not all that familiar with different BMW engines, so I couldn't begin to recall which engine it was.

I also have seen some comments on Bimmerpost that it is very important to use the correct oil, to avoid engine failure.

"Plenty" was probably the wrong word to use in my comment.

Wrong in this context would be one that does not have a proper approval, such as an ILSAC oil. Or one with an insufficient HT/HS. However, in this case the only difference in using an oil with Longlife-01 or Longlife-04 is an increased HT/HS which is beneficial, not detrimental.

One needs to discriminate what is "correct", not just run blindly with half the story.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

My first experience with this was at an indy shop that specializes in BMW. They had a picture posted in the lobby, of the internals of a BMW engine that had failed because of the wrong motor oil being used. I'm not all that familiar with different BMW engines, so I couldn't begin to recall which engine it was.

I also have seen some comments on Bimmerpost that it is very important to use the correct oil, to avoid engine failure.

"Plenty" was probably the wrong word to use in my comment.

Okay. I could see that with some older designs which required a min hths of no less than 3.5cP or when cheaper conventional was still found in the shelves.

 

[BISCUT]

You can use either Longlife-01 or -04. The minimum HT/HS is the same. Longlife-04 is fine with today’s low sulfur fuel and either one is acceptable. Comparable approvals would be something like VW 502 00 and 504 00. There are several oils on the shelf at Walmart that carry these approvals.

Euro Amsoil is good too. Do what you want.

Said it. Great engine. I'm running Mobil 1 Euro 0w40 in 14 X3 with a GTDI. I'm sticking with that oil too. I would also be running a 5k or maybe 6k OCI on that engine.

 

[edyvw]

My first experience with this was at an indy shop that specializes in BMW. They had a picture posted in the lobby, of the internals of a BMW engine that had failed because of the wrong motor oil being used. I'm not all that familiar with different BMW engines, so I couldn't begin to recall which engine it was.

I also have seen some comments on Bimmerpost that it is very important to use the correct oil, to avoid engine failure.

"Plenty" was probably the wrong word to use in my comment.

Oil pump on 2020/21 was failing. BMW first tried to get out of it by claiming it is thicker oil than recommended, disregarding their own recommendations of LL01FE and LL04 in some markets.
Of course, it was not oil, as oil pumps in strictly dealership-maintained cars failed too.
They changed the oil pump design for 2022 and after to the same as it was prior to 2020.

 

[edyvw]

I recently purchased my wife a 2022 BMW X5 with the B58. We spent many months trying to find the right car for her features wise and the right color combos. I am new to the Euro car world and Euro oils. I have spent some time reading on here and bimmerpost about what oil to run in my wife's car. When we first got it, I immediately swapped the air filter, cabin filter, oil filter, and oil. The dealer did replace all of it but used cheap to me filters, STP. The cabin filter had a cheap perfume smell to it. Poor tech had put the filters in upside down too. I at the time bought into the marketing and ordered Liqui Moly from FCP. Liqui Moly Top Tec 6600 0w20 with a UFI filter. Next oil change I tried out Mobil 1 0w40 FS with a Mann Filter. Car seems quieter at idle. This is her daily driver and sees a mix of 60 highway / 40 city driving. She is not an aggressive driver by any means. I drive it more aggressively when I take it to fill up at the gas station once a week. It's life prior to us was oil changes at the local BMW dealer every 10k miles. I have been changing the oil every 5k miles. I see some conflicting info when I read on here and bimmerpost. I was curious if Mobil 1 0w40 FS LL01 was the best choice for the B58. Goal is for the engine to last her a while. We don't care about MPG. She keeps cars a long time especially if she loves the car like this one. I have seen some discussions around using a LL04 oil in the B58 over a LL01 oil. Thoughts on Amsoil for Euro cars? Started down this BITOG journey a few months ago as a guest user and now I look at oils so differently I worry I have started overthinking it and over analyzing.

You can run that oil with no problems.
My choice in X5 would be Castrol Edge 0W30 (available in Auto ZOne and Advance Auto Parts, $37 with filter for 5qt, and they sometimes carry MANN filters).
If out of warranty, Mobil 1 ESP 0W30 in Walmart is an excellent choice, but no LL04 (discussed a lot here). However, no problems using it.
If you want LL04, they carry Mobil 1 ESP 5W30, which is also an excellent oil.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Oil pump on 2020/21 was failing. BMW first tried to get out of it by claiming it is thicker oil than recommended, disregarding their own recommendations of LL01FE and LL04 in some markets.
Of course, it was not oil, as oil pumps in strictly dealership-maintained cars failed too.
They changed the oil pump design for 2022 and after to the same as it was prior to 2020.

Yep. I saw a video by FCP Euro who claimed the same thing about "wrong oil". They also said BMW was denying warranty claims if oil filter brand was not UFI.

 

[edyvw]

Yep. I saw a video by FCP Euro who claimed the same thing about "wrong oil". They also said BMW was denying warranty claims if oil filter brand was not UFI.

They used plastic impellers. Whatever.
Bunch of BS.

 

[FranklinJL]

The Mobil 1 0w40 FS is probably the most proven oil in that segment.....use it with supreme confidence. Its a fantastic oil for the $$$. Id use HPL or Ravenol, but its not needed

 

[svenson]

because I'm a Mobil 1 and Shell fanboy. Highway miles are easy on an engine.

i recall recently that you used LM .
which shell do you prefer most?

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

i recall recently that you used LM .
which shell do you prefer most?

Correct. However, I can't change my own oil so the shop I use is on the LiquiMoly train.

 

[f355spider]

Would a thicker oil be a better choice for engine longevity? I'm not sure. I'm a little hesitant myself.

I don't believe it is thickness you should be chasing but HTHS (high temperature high sheer) rating. LL-01 and LL-04 would be minimum HTHS of 3.5 or greater. LL01 FE, LL14 FE+ or LL17FE+ are 3.0 or greater, 2.9 or greater, or 2.6 or greater respectively.

HTHS is not the end all specification, it is one of many to consider.

 

[SEBZX79]

I buy the Bmw 0w20 oil change kits from fcp euro. One was sold at 146k. Another is at 131k and the new one is at 24k. No consumption issues. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Most of its life was 10k changes

 

[f355spider]

I buy the Bmw 0w20 oil change kits from fcp euro. One was sold at 146k. Another is at 131k and the new one is at 24k. No consumption issues. Don't try to reinvent the wheel. Most of its life was 10k changes

I would agree that if you use the correct spec BMW oil (or a higher HTHS BMW approved oil) and use the factory change intervals, you are unlikely to have issues. Being on BMW forums for 23 years, all the cases of sludged engines or other oil related issues were all from using the incorrect, unapproved oil, or the oil change intervals were unknown or super long...like 20k+ or both unapproved oil and extended oil change interval.

Since new, my 2001 E39 540 with M62TU engine has had only LL-01 or LL-04 oil, and changed at half the factory interval of 15,000 miles...so every 7,500 miles. Works for me, but I know plenty of owners that changed at 15k and never had an issue during their ownership...but they all got rid of their car by 150k miles or so. I'm now at 385,000 miles with the original engine (did timing chain guides at 263,600 miles). Maybe I could have got here with factory change intervals? I change my own oil and it is cheap with BMW approved oils at WalMart and oil filters inexpensive online (Hengst, Mahle or Mann), so I don't mind doing it early.