[yuriydee]

So my M2C is telling me to top up the engine oil now and I'm wondering what the best one to use is.

On my break in period oil change I see the dealership used 83-21-2-450-384 LL-01 Fe oil which is 0W30. All the threads coming up on bimmerpost are like 3-4 year old so I thought I'd ask again.

Can I use any 0W30 oil thats BMW LL-0 certified? I read on the other threads Motul was good but it will take few days to ship from Amazon for me.

Are there any good oils you guys would recommend I can buy (at any of the mainstream stores) for time being to top off my car until my next oil change?

[KevinM]

There are probably a number of quality synthetic oils that can be used, but for a new car under warranty why bother? Just stop the the dealership and pick up a liter. Heck, if you want to wait a few minutes, the dealer will top it off for free.

You can also order it from Amazon - if you have Prime, you'll get it by Friday.

[BigKutta]

The Manual says BMW Longlife-01 FE, and 0W30. Since its hard to find Motul Oil, I'd go with a Mobil 1 or Castrol Edge 0W30, or just go to the BMW dealer. And while you are there ask which brand they use when they do oil changes.

[DanG]

The dealers use to use Shell. I understand that they have switched back to Castrol. You need an LL-01 approved synthetic oil.

[KevinM]

The dealers use BMW-branded oil (at least for newer cars/under warranty), probably made by Shell given their agreement with BMW. One (internet) reference I saw said it was made by General Oil Company.

I don't have a bottle to look at the back to see if it states who makes it. When BMW partnered with Castrol, it was all over the BMW-labled bottle.

[chris719]

Top it with any LL01 or LL01FE oil that's 0W-30, 5W-30, 0W-40, or 5W-40 basically.

Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 is a good choice if you want a more robust oil. I wouldn't lose sleep over it though, just make sure you use LL01 or LL01FE since you're under warranty.

[KevinC]

Originally Posted by KevinM

The dealers use BMW-branded oil (at least for newer cars/under warranty), probably made by Shell given their agreement with BMW. One (internet) reference I saw said it was made by General Oil Company.

I don't have a bottle to look at the back to see if it states who makes it. When BMW partnered with Castrol, it was all over the BMW-labled bottle.

Shell is out, Castrol is back in.

https://www.castrol.com/en_us/united...-supplier.html

[nearwater4me]

Originally Posted by chris719

Top it with any LL01 or LL01FE oil that's 0W-30, 5W-30, 0W-40, or 5W-40 basically.

Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40 is a good choice if you want a more robust oil. I wouldn't lose sleep over it though, just make sure you use LL01 or LL01FE since you're under warranty.

That's what I use for mine.
I might be imagining things, but the engine seems to run quieter.

[Fly320s]

Originally Posted by yuriydee

So my M2C is telling me to top up the engine oil now

Is that normal?

A brand new car that needs to have oil added says to me something is wrong. How many miles do you have on it?

[yuriydee]

Originally Posted by Fly320s

A brand new car that needs to have oil added says to me something is wrong. How many miles do you have on it?

My car is a just under a year old and has a little over 7k mi on it right now. Ive only done the break in period service on it up until now.

[f87kevin]

Originally Posted by yuriydee

My car is a just under a year old and has a little over 7k mi on it right now. Ive only done the break in period service on it up until now.

That sounds like that is the first full oil service not a top off. Call the dealership should be no cost for you.

[msdss]

I used Pennzoil platinum 5w-40 full synthetic

[DanG]

Originally Posted by msdss

I used Pennzoil platinum 5w-40 full synthetic

Not LL-01 approved.

[msdss]

Originally Posted by DanG

Not LL-01 approved.

Yes it is.
source: https://www.shell-livedocs.com/data/...ca6b02d1a3.pdf

[eijiboy]

Only the best. Bought it at napa while it was half off.

[Enabled]

Motul xcess Gen 2

[gmhl10]

I have some Motul Specific 5W-30 for daily driving and some Motul 300V 5W-40 for upcoming track day in the garage.

https://www.motul.com/us/en-US/produ...ll-01-fe-5w-30
https://www.motul.com/us/en-US/produ...-power-5w40--2

[yuriydee]

Originally Posted by f87kevin

That sounds like that is the first full oil service not a top off. Call the dealership should be no cost for you.

I stopped by there and they said its normal for these cars.

I just bought a liter and topped it off, so far so good and it was only a couple of bucks. My actual service is due in Sept apparently.

[KevinM]

Originally Posted by yuriydee

I stopped by there and they said its normal for these cars.

I just bought a liter and topped it off, so far so good and it was only a couple of bucks. My actual service is due in Sept apparently.

Cheap fix. Sounds like your oil use is within tolerance, although most S55s don't use oil in between services. I'm assuming your car will be due for the one year service in September. If you are past one year, your oil/filter can be changed now based on the included maintenance.

[chris719]

Does anyone know if LL01 is permitted for S55 even if your model year manual says LL01FE only? Obviously we know S55 was designed for LL01, pre-FE, but sometimes people can be quite rigid.

[F87source]

Originally Posted by chris719

Does anyone know if LL01 is permitted for S55 even if your model year manual says LL01FE only? Obviously we know S55 was designed for LL01, pre-FE, but sometimes people can be quite rigid.

Yes ll01 is fine, if you go to ista it'll list all the acceptable oils and the brands that are approved by bmw under each certifications. LL01 is permitted for the s55.

The reason why ll01fe is pushed so heavily is because of fuel efficiency regulations otherwise it's not really the best oil to be running.



Personally I use Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40, for you Americans quaker state euro 5w40 is the exact same oil but repacked under the quaker state banner (shell owns both quaker state and Pennzoil) this way you guys can have easy access to this oil at Walmart for $19/5L jug. Alot cheaper than scouting Amazon for Pennzoil which often is alot more expensive and less readily available in the USA on every state for some reason.


A better oil (a bit better than PPE so it might not be worth it because it's alot more money) is motul xcess gen 2 5w40, it has to be the gen 2 version gen 1 was meh. I'm personally thinking about this oil myself but it is 2x the price and I'm pretty sure it's not 2x better it is only a slight bit better. Both oils are really really good and pass really stringent tests so don't over think it.

[nearwater4me]

Originally Posted by F87source

Yes ll01 is fine, if you go to ista it'll list all the acceptable oils and the brands that are approved by bmw under each certifications. LL01 is permitted for the s55.

The reason why ll01fe is pushed so heavily is because of fuel efficiency regulations otherwise it's not really the best oil to be running.



Personally I use Pennzoil platinum euro 5w40, for you Americans quaker state euro 5w40 is the exact same oil but repacked under the quaker state banner (shell owns both quaker state and Pennzoil) this way you guys can have easy access to this oil at Walmart for $19/5L jug. Alot cheaper than scouting Amazon for Pennzoil which often is alot more expensive and less readily available in the USA on every state for some reason.


A better oil (a bit better than PPE so it might not be worth it because it's alot more money) is motul xcess gen 2 5w40, it has to be the gen 2 version gen 1 was meh. I'm personally thinking about this oil myself but it is 2x the price and I'm pretty sure it's not 2x better it is only a slight bit better. Both oils are really really good and pass really stringent tests so don't over think it.

Love the information you provide.
Thanks. I might just ignore my skepticism and go with Quaker State next time.