Castrol oil-feeling confused!

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 1:35 pm

Hi everybody...I am due to do an oil change on my bmw z4 e89 (2011) sdrive 30i. I have always been inclined to use castrol oils. Now I found these and I am completely confused about the difference between these.

Oil no1:
https://www.amazon.com/Castrol-03087-Ex ... +edge+5w30

Oil no2:
https://www.amazon.com/Castrol-03037-5W ... +edge+5w30

Oil no3:
https://www.amazon.com/Castrol-03084-5W ... +edge+5w30

My manual says to use 5W-30 oil type hence why all the above 3 I presented are all 5W-30.

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 4:59 pm

And then there is this which I found on rmeuropean.com. I cant understand how this is so cheap! Maybe because its US made?

http://www.rmeuropean.com/Products/0303 ... 878804706f

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 8:51 pm

Got my last oil from Europarts. Although it take 6.5 litres it was cheaper to buy 2 x 4 litres and have some left over. Priced it online then went into the shop and they priced matched the online price.

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 11:17 pm

Hi Nanu, yes but cant you see the difference in the links I provided? I mean to start with are these oils all of the same grade?

Tonyh2 · Post by **Tonyh2** » Wed Feb 22, 2017 11:53 pm

I'm no expert.... but if I believe for european countries BMW approved LL01 oil is what you need.
But I'm sure someone will be along soon to either correct me or confirm it.

hopz121 · Post by **hopz121** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 8:37 am

LL04 is the spec needed on the Z4 either 5w-30 or 0w-30 I would go for 5w-30

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:25 am

What? Are you sure its LL04??? I thought it was LL01! Yes I always used 5W-30 oil as recommended by bmw, but you have confused me now, are you sure its not LL01?

hopz121 · Post by **hopz121** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:27 am

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/pdfs/BMW-Oil- ... d-Recs.pdf

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:30 am

That link actually shows that both LL-01 and LL-04 can be used then, right?

hopz121 · Post by **hopz121** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:33 am

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=541486

http://www.oilspecifications.org/bmw.php

http://www.bimmerforums.co.uk/forum/f18 ... a-t125168/

It seems that LL01 or LL04 will be fine I have always used LL04 though

Either way the first and third link in your post are incorrect oils and the second meets LL01 spec

hopz121 · Post by **hopz121** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:36 am

From another forum, looks like LL01 is better for countries outside of Europe.

Originally Posted By: d00df00d

I suspect that LL-04 will work with ethanol-containing fuel if you just keep your OCIs short, but that's just a hunch.

That's the gist of it, yup. Basically any LL-04 oil is a low/mid SAPs oil. Such oils don't hold up for very long when subject to our fuels in the US. That is why BMW states that LL-04 oils should not be used in their gasoline engines outside of Europe.

Hassam, you'll find a note regarding this on the BMW engine/oil spec matrix image that I posted for you in the other thread.

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Thu Feb 23, 2017 9:40 am

Yes hopz, true!

I was gonna kill myself, I thought I used the wrong oil for my bmw z4!

Like you said, bmw states that both LL01 and LL04 are good. So yes its the second link that is the oil I should use. Speaking of links, click on my fourth one, just below the first post, and tell me how it shows the same oil of link2 but with such a cheaper price. Do you think its because its not made in Germany?

Nanu · Post by **Nanu** » Sat Feb 25, 2017 9:03 pm

just done a little research and found this explanation if it helps.

"The difference between LL01 and LL04 is that LL04 is formulated for improved exhaust cleanliness. It is a must have for the new BMW clean dielels with particulate filters. There is also some additional additives in it to help keep engine internals even cleaner than LL01 does. Those are the big differences... BMW LL04 can be used in both petrol and diesel BMWs."

4zwmb · Post by **4zwmb** » Tue Feb 28, 2017 5:14 pm

Hi Nanu thanks for your input. I found what you said upon researching a bit more in detail. So basically both are good oils for my engine which is the N52 but LL-04 perhaps performs a bit better.

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