[doughboy]

My understanding of LL04 oil is that the 'LL' stands for long life and it is what you should use if you want to take advantage of the now standard long interval oil changes.

Personaly, I prefer to get the oil changed every 8K or so.

So, does this mean I can forgo the LL requirement and use non approved, but better, performance oils (which are also less than 1/2 the price)

For eg Silkolene Pro S 5W-30 full Ester Synthetic.... £49 / 5 litres.

Can the oil change interval be reduced by an indy garage or does it always reckon on LL oil being used?

[creepy coupe]

I have mine done between 6/8k and have the service schedule reset, have it done when you want.

[doughboy]

But do you still stump up for Long life oil even though you don't need / want the longlife interval?

I'm not really bothered about the idrive oil change advice, as I change it early anyway, but it would be nice if you could make it be truthful when using regular oil and give you a shorter interval.

My main point was do you still need LL oil?

[creepy coupe]

Originally Posted by doughboy

But do you still stump up for Long life oil even though you don't need / want the longlife interval?

I'm not really bothered about the idrive oil change advice, as I change it early anyway, but it would be nice if you could make it be truthful when using regular oil and give you a shorter interval.

My main point was do you still need LL oil?

Difficult one to answer, because I know the workshop forman very well and he takes care of it, I give him a drink and get a very good rate on the oil, I can't see the point of going LL if you're changing every 5/6/7/8k though.

[E92Fan]

LL04-spec oil isn't necessarily more expensive than non-LL04 oils, and whilst there may be cheap oil available I would strongly recommend you avoid these basic oils.

The most important thing is to use a GOOD oil that is SUITABLE for the engine. For example, Castrol TWS 10W-60 is a great oil, used on the M3 engine, but is a REALLY bad idea for the N54 335i because it's too viscous at low temperatures and clogs up certain parts of the engine leading to reduced performance and increased oil consumption.

The main reason for using Longlife oil is that to meet the LL04 specification, the oil must resist structural breakdown for a minimum determined period, hence why you can maintain 15k mile oil changes.

Theoretically you could get away without using LL04 oil if you do oil changes every 6 months. However having directly experienced the delicate nature of the N54 engine in terms of how different oil grades can affect the oil separator and filtration components in the cam cover, I would recommend in the strongest possible terms sticking with an LL04-spec oil, or better. The last thing you want is for broken-down oil deposits clogging up the cyclonic filtration, resulting in having to replace the cam cover amongst other thigns (yes, this happened to me!)

That isn't to say though that you are stuck using Castrol Edge. There are A LOT of oils out there which meet LL04 specification, and there are many that exceed LL04 in terms of resistance to breakdown and degradation. I personally dislike the Castrol Edge oil because I think it gets far too thin at high temperatures and when the engine is really being pushed, allows too much heat to be generated. Not every 5W-30 oil has the same viscosity properties at a given temperature, despite the 5W-30 nomenclature.

As an upgrade to the Castrol oil, I would suggest you look at the LL04-spec Fuchs Titan GT1 Synthetic oil in either 5W-30 or 5W-40 specifications. It costs the same as the Castrol Edge but is a more stable oil at high temperatures.

If you want the absolute best oil available, then you should get the Silkolene ProS 5W-40. It's not marked as LL04, but it far exceeds the specification and provides the greatest possible protection to the engine at high running temperatures.

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

If you want the absolute best oil available, then you should get the Silkolene ProS 5W-40. It's not marked as LL04, but it far exceeds the specification and provides the greatest possible protection to the engine at high running temperatures.

Tony,

I would never use basic oil! Good Heavens man!

But you have answered my question exactly - the ProS, for example, far exceeds the LL04 spec, but it doesn't say LL04 on the bottle so it isn't officially LL04 approved if you get my drift? So even if I wanted to I shouldn't use this oil for the extended interval right? It may have the performance elements, but the longevity is good enough else they would get it LL approved?

The ProS is £49 / 5 litres, which is cheaper (bar special offers) than regular LL04 Castrol Edge at £45 / 4 litres (from opie oils)

ProS 5W-40 it is come next month then!!

[E92Fan]

Originally Posted by doughboy

Tony,

I would never use basic oil! Good Heavens man!

But you have answered my question exactly - the ProS, for example, far exceeds the LL04 spec, but it doesn't say LL04 on the bottle so it isn't officially LL04 approved if you get my drift? So even if I wanted to I shouldn't use this oil for the extended interval right? It may have the performance elements, but the longevity is good enough else they would get it LL approved?

The ProS is £49 / 5 litres, which is cheaper (bar special offers) than regular LL04 Castrol Edge at £45 / 4 litres (from opie oils)

ProS 5W-40 it is come next month then!!

To be honest, the price difference isn't an issue really is it? It's more about the quality of the oil surely?

And yes, ProS is the best choice - haven't used Castrol for ages now!

[doughboy]

Originally Posted by E92Fan

To be honest, the price difference isn't an issue really is it? It's more about the quality of the oil surely?

And yes, ProS is the best choice - haven't used Castrol for ages now!

Yes, it was always about the oil quality, that's the reason for going for a 'non approved' oil to actually get a better product regardless of price really.

But if the spare change will buy me a pint or two then all the better!

[creepy coupe]

Pro-S 5/40 is even cheaper from Opie. which is nice.