What oil should you put in a BMW?

Section BMW approvals, article 1 of 2400 words, 3 minutes

In this section: 2 articles
  1. What oil should you put in a BMW?
  2. Longlife-04
BMW engine oil approvals

BMW engine oil approvals

According to BMW's specifications, for cars in the 1, 3, 5, 6 and 7 Series with petrol engines, only engine oils that have passed a special set of tests and been officially approved by BMW may be used. For cars in the same series with diesel engines, universal engine oils that meet the requirements of certain ACEA classes are permitted (as specified in the car's documentation).

BMW approvals on an engine oil label If an engine oil has passed the necessary tests and been approved by BMW, the corresponding approval must appear on the oil's packaging, as shown in the photo. The absence of this information on the label plainly means the oil has no BMW certificate. BMW Special Oil is the general classification for BMW's petrol and diesel engine oils. Special oils are engine oils with a high degree of flow, usually with an SAE viscosity of 0W-40, 5W-40 or 10W-40. Each grade of such an engine oil is approved for use as first-fill oil in BMW cars solely on the basis of factory testing.

BMW Longlife-98 covers oils for certain petrol engines built from 1998 onward. These engine oils may be used in engines that follow the extended Longlife service interval. The base requirements of this approval are built on the ACEA A3/B3 classification. Using such engine oils in earlier-built engines, or in engines for which the Longlife service interval is not provided, is not recommended.

BMW Longlife-01 covers oils intended for certain petrol engines in BMW cars built from 09/2001 onward with the extended Longlife oil change interval. The base requirements of this approval exceed those of the ACEA A3/B3 classification.

BMW Longlife-01 FE is the same as the previous category, but these engine oils are intended for engines operated under more demanding conditions and built after 2001.

BMW Longlife-04 is an approval introduced in 2004 for engine oils cleared for use in modern BMW engines. Whether such engine oils can be used in engines built before 2004 is not established, and it is therefore not recommended.

Read more about what oil approvals are and why engine oil must be chosen with the engine maker's approvals in mind.