Yeah there are a lot more options of manufacturer approved oils at 5w-30 compared to 0w-30. I also almost went 0w-30 Valvoline, but then opted for their 5w-30 XL-III instead. Unless you live far north I where the temp is regularly in the single digits Fahrenheit, I don't know if 0w is really worth the trouble.
I am driving a 2021 Audi S5 with 35k miles and wanted something else besides 0w-20, so I did a ton of research to find the most-approved 5w-30 oils. There are a few of 0w-30 oils with all of the approvals besides API SP. I'm not sure how necessary API SP for LSPI protection is in a German vehicle. I think MB 229.52 has some LSPI protection but through a different mechanism than API SP. There doesn't seem to be a Pennzoil Euro version oil that has both VW 504 and BMW-LL04, so there's no Pennzoil on the list unfortunately.
As of December 2024, these 4 oils have essentially the same approvals. I really don't think you can go wrong with any of them. Pay attention to what's in
BOLD or you might get the wrong oil.
- Mobil 1 ESP 5W-30
- Castrol Edge 5W-30 K
- Valvoline European Full Synthetic XL-III 5W-30
- Liqui Moly Top Tec 4200 5W-30 New Generation
These oils all have:
- VW 504/507
- MB 229.52
- BMW LL-04
- Porche C30
- ACEA C3
- API SP
I'm assuming that you can't go wrong with any of these oils. From what I can tell, Mobil 1 seems to be the tried and true oil for German car enthusiasts, followed closely by Castrol Edge. Liqui Moly is popular amongst purists and German mechanics. Valvoline's XL-III seems to be the new kid on the block and hasn't gained a lot of popularity yet in the shadow of the other three, but it's similarly priced as Mobile 1 or Castrol and ships free direct-to-consumer on Valvoline's website with discounts if you buy more than one jug. Liqui Moly is the most expensive at about $90 for 8 liters from FCP Euro. I'm not sure if ECS has the "New Generation" Liqui Moly 4200 in stock that has the API SP approval.