Originally Posted by JCL

*snipped*

What is the value of the LL-98 rating in 2009, in your opinion? It has been obsolete for 8 years, since LL-01 came out, which was prior to LL-04, and any oil that has an eight year old formulation would be pretty suspect. Or is it a newer formulation that they haven't retested to the more recent standards? I just don't get why they would be using that spec and advertising it, unless they couldn't meet the newer ones. I don't look for the LL designation myself, since BMW isn't calling for it in any of my recent owner's manuals, and many oil manufacturers didn't bother to certify to it. That didn't mean that their oil couldn't meet the newer LL standard, just that they didn't see the point in paying for the test. When an oil company purposely advertises that they meet an outdated spec, I wonder about their motivation and thought processes.