Help - very confused about oil

[[TW]Fox]

Hi guys.

My Inspection 1 is next week and I've decided to supply my own oil.

I called a BMW dealer, and asked them which oil they would use in the service. They told me they would use Castrol Edge 0w30.

Brilliant. Castrol Edge 0w30 it is then. But then I spot a thread on another forum where a guy says he's been told by BMW to use 5w30 instead for the M54, to reduce oil consumption.

So, I telephone BMW Customer Information myself and they tell me I should use Castrol Edge 5w30.

But visiting the Castrol Edge website and looking at the datasheet and Castrol Edge 5w30 is not BMW approved - it meets only VW Longlife specification.

I really dont understand which oil I should be using. The specifications tell me one thing, BMW tells me another. I don't want to get a load of 5w30 only for the dealer to turn around and refuse to use it becuase it isn't LL01 approved. But I don't want to use 0w30 if it's going to drink it all in 30 seconds. Why are BMW head office advising use of a non LL01 oil? Is it perhaps newly LL01 and the datasheet has not been updated?

Car has high mileage and will be used mostly around town - its a December 01 530i Sport.

I dont understand the differences and I dont fully understand the consequences of picking the wrong type of Castrol Edge.

[NickXX]

My dealer uses Mobil 1 0w40 and were happy to use the bottles I supplied in my last service. IIRC, they said they'd be happy using any oil as long as it was Fully Synthetic.

[Mustard]

Hand book states 'BMW LL01' APPROVED

If thats on the can then its ok

[[TW]Fox]

The Edge 0w30 I've bought is fully LL01 approved.

What I am confused about is that BMW Head Office have told me I should be using 5w30, which is not branded as LL01 approved.

Whats the difference between 0w30 and 5w30?