320i oil advice?

[Jonnorth]

Hi,

Old habits die hard. Was eyeing up a 1l bottle of Castrol Edge 5w30 (spec includes LL04) on my shelf and was wondering if I should shove it in the back of my F31 320i ‘just in case’.

It’s in the list of oil grades specd in. My manual.

Did make me wonder what the best oil is to put in it?

Manual lists LL01, LL04, LL12FE and LL14FE+ with grades 0w-40, SAE0w-30, 5w-30, & 5w-40 with a few others.

For UK driving I was wondering which is best?

Cheers

John

[helix402]

Pop your details in here and check:

https://lubes.mobil.com/UK-English-LCW/carengineoi...

I think you may have misread your manual. Most of the oils on your list aren’t suitable for your car, LL01 definitely isn’t. Without knowing your chassis no or reg I can’t be 100% sure which oil you need. I think it’s probably LL04, so your 1l container will be fine.

LL04 is available is various grades. A Google search will list them.

[Jonnorth]

Hi,

Thanks for the reply. Checked the manual, they are there, but there is a bit of translation clumsiness. It says that ‘Emgine oils with the following specifications can be topped up:’. Then the list.

Oh well there are several errors in the manual elsewhere anyway.

Did wonder about viscosity. 0w 30 vs 5w 30 or 40 though?

I’ll check Mobil’s site. Castrol reckoned 0w 30 tho.

Maybe I’ll speak to the service dept but it’s always s a bit of a pain on the phone.



Cheers

John

Edited by Jonnorth on Wednesday 1st May 23:28

[helix402]

The viscosity is your choice, when I worked at a main dealer we used 5w30, but it doesn’t really matter which one you choose.

[Locknut]

helix402 said:

The viscosity is your choice, when I worked at a main dealer we used 5w30, but it doesn’t really matter which one you choose.

I agree with that, but there is not much point in paying extra for 0w30. I know that BMW approve it but it is suitable for ambient temperatures down to -40 degrees and you don't get that in Britain.

[Jonnorth]

Hullo, Me Again

I’ve hit an unexpected issue! Kinda set on a 5w30 but I can’t see many oils that are actually quoting BMW LL04 spec. Well tbh there are quantum, petronas and some mixed synth/mineral oils at the cheaper end of the market but struggling to find a Castrol Edge or Mobil 1 grade that actually quotes it. Find that a bit odd. The Mobil oils selector refers me to their helpline and Castrols refer me to the 0w30 that doesn’t quote LL04 as a spec. Call
Me cynical but I’d like to see it In black and white. Oddly enough my old bottle of Edge (that was half used) does quite LL04.

Any thoughts?

Cheers.

John

[stevemcs]

We always use 5w30 LL04 in BMW's

[Jonnorth]

Hi

Cheers.

Any brands? I could buy the BMW stuff at £17 a litre but kinda suspect that it’s a middling grade that I could get cheaper elsewhere? Or am I being unreasonably suspicious?

J

[helix402]

[Jonnorth]

helix402 said:

Nice one!

Thanks.

J

[stevemcs]

Quantum Platinum plus (made by Fuchs) although I always use Shell Helix in my Mini, have a look on Opie oils. Asda and Tescos sometimes have offers on Castrol

[Jonnorth]

Hi

Like the idea of the Shell helix oil. They do a LL04 spec in 5w30 ! The helix Ultra AM-L. But can I find a consumer quantity in the UK? No!

Min quantity I can find is 12l ...

Cheers.

J

[Jonnorth]

Update.

Smith and Allen Lubricants.

https://www.smithandallan.com

Amazing range of stuff including full BMW spec oils.

Nice and cheap too. Yes.

And driving distance for me....

I’ll be popping round next week.

Magic.

Thanks guys.

John.

[lythaby]

The Euro car parts triple qx does an LL01/LL04 version.

[DailyHack]

LL04 from Asda - usually 5w40 on my BMW 318d diesel, £21 for 5L does the job, manufactured by Tetrosyl if the snobs say anything