Quote:
Originally Posted by FCBuff
This is why. Taken by me, today from BMWUSA's website. These are the only "approved" oils on BMW's list if you chose to get something other that BMW Castrol 5W-30. They still use LL-01 as the standard whether or not you think it is outdated.
BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:
- Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
- Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
- Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
- Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30
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There was another thread on this not too long ago, so I don't want to rehash it all, but there is confusion around the concept of approved oils. I think we need to read that phrase on BMWUSA in full context.
BMWUSA actually seem to say that LL approved oils are
acceptable, and the following four oils are
approved to meet the LL-01 spec. I don't think they are saying that only those oils are approved for a new BMW. The actual requirement is simply that the oil meet an API-SM spec. That seems to fit with your Magnusson-Moss act as well, in that it doesn't impose preconditions for warranty that can't be shown to be reasonable. The phrasing seems to include carefully chosen words designed to engender confusion, IMO, because the oils aren't the only ones approved for the US market, they are just the only ones that meet the 2001 standard and have API-SM certification.
Quote:
The oils listed below meet BMW's Long-life rating and are acceptable for use in BMW Passenger vehicles and SAVs in the US market with gasoline engines.
BMW Long-life rating LL-01 Approved Synthetic Oils for the US Market:
- Castrol Syntec European Formula SAE 0W-30
- Mobil 1 SAE 0W-40
- Pennzoil Platinum European Formula Ultra SAE 5W-30
- Valvoline SynPower SAE 5W-30
Use only oils with an API rating of SM or higher.
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It gets even better when you see that the owner's manuals (up through the 2009 version that is posted on this site) say to use LL-04 in the US, even though they have specifically said not to do so in BMW technical bulletins.
My last two new BMWs came with owner's manuals that make no mention whatsoever of the LL specifications, relying only on API standards (this is in Canada, not the US). It just seems that the LL standard is dying out, thankfully, but maybe not so quickly in the USA and within BMW's marketing organization there.
I don't think there is anything wrong with the oils you mention, they are all great oils. It is just that I would use them for that reason, and not because they have an LL-01 stamp (because there are lots of LL-01 labelled oils that don't meet current specs)