Liqui moly numbers

[300kplus]

What do the numbers in the liqui Molly descriptions mean-model and year specific?

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[Elvir]

What do the numbers in the liqui Molly descriptions mean-model and year specific?

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It is same descriptions like on some another oil.

[Mike WW]

BMW BMW Oil Specifications

BMW Longlife-98 (BMW LL-98)Special long-life engine oil, approved by BMW. Also meets ACEA A3/B3, API SJ/CD, EC SAE 5W-40. Usually required for BMWs manufactured before MY 2002. Obsolete since 2009.
BMW Longlife-01 (BMW LL-01)Special BMW approval for fully synthetic long-life oil. Product meets ACEA A3/B3 and API: SJ/CD EC-II. Usually required for BMWs built after MY 2002. Can also be used where a BMW Longlife-98 oil is recommended.
BMW Longlife-01 FE (BMW LL-01 FE)Fully synthetic long-life oil with fuel economy properties. Oils meeting this specifications must have a low HTHS viscosity to meet the manufacturer's fuel economy requirements. These oils are only suitable for the following engines: N1x, N2x, N54, N55, N63, N74.
BMW Longlife-04 (BMW LL-04)Special BMW approval for fully synthetic long-life oil. Viscosities are SAE 0W-30, 0W-40, 5W-30 and 5W-40. Usually required for BMWs equipped with a diesel particulate filter (DPF). Can also be used where a BMW Longlife-98 or BMW Longlife-01 oil is recommended.
BMW Longlife-12 (BMW LL-12)Special motor oil for certain approved gasoline engines and the following diesel engines only: Nx7K1, Nx7U1, Nx7O1 from model year 2013. Not suitable for engines with 2 or 3 turbos.
BMW Longlife-14+ (BMW LL-14+)Special motor oil for the following gasoline engines only: N20, Bx8 from model year 2014. Not allowed for diesel engines.

Is this what you're looking for? Personally I don't put much stock in it since they are recommending crazy thin oils for older BMW engine such as the legendary M30 which was the first auto engine I heard of to routinely go 300K and was spec'd with 20-50 oil.

From https://www.oilspecifications.org/bmw.php

[geargrinder]

OIL THREAD!!!!!!!




Yeah, I agree mostly with the 'don't pay much attention to the ratings' bit.... LL-01 is a good thing to see. The later stuff is mostly about emissions and mileage I think.

However I would prob respectfully just add that modern lower-visco oils are not your old-skool low-visco oils... and that they are pretty established to be the some of the best stuff ever made.

The stuff like the modern 5W40 full syns are tremendously good oils and perfectly fine if not better/excellent than what we thought was great BITD (ex: Castrol conventional 20w50...) The conventional thinking "higher visco is better! performance cars all get THICK STUFF!" is pretty outmoded now...

I run PZ Plat Euro 5W40 in the 540. Its great. Super low consumption, engine stays super clean inside vs how it looked under the previous owners usage. Never did UOA but maybe I will some day...

We run LM Super Leichtlauf in the A3 - tremendous for that oil-eater engine w/ a defective factory PCV design. I dunno if it passes VW spec but honestly I don't give a crap as I know its high quality and it solves our oil-eating problem (which VAG says "is within normal guidelines"... efff off VAG...)

I will admit I still run the "original special" TWS in the M3... and they did used to insist that that motor really wanted a specific oil characteristic... and it does call for a thicker visco... But honestly I'm sure any similar visco product from M1, PZ, LM, Amsoil, Motul, etc. is 100% fine. But there are religious wars about this on the M3 forums so... dont tell anybody I said that... Honestly BMW even themselves backed off and now says you don't have to run only 20W60 in the S54 / S62... you can use an equivalent 5W30 Castrol grade... And that is probably actually better for those motors when its not super hot...

[f355spider]

Is this what you're looking for? Personally I don't put much stock in it since they are recommending crazy thin oils for older BMW engine such as the legendary M30 which was the first auto engine I heard of to routinely go 300K and was spec'd with 20-50 oil.

From https://www.oilspecifications.org/bmw.php

In reality it isn't all that crazy. If one were to use a 0w-40 LL01 oil in place of the 20-50, you are only going from a 50 to a 40 weight at operating temperature. The lower numbers are only of relevance at cold start...which is a good thing...a 0W will get to key areas of the engine faster than a 20 will at cold start of the engine. The 20-50 will thin to a 50 at operating temperature, while the 0w-40 will thin to a 40 at operating temperature.

[300kplus]

Great stuff! Thanks guys!

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[Mike WW]

In reality it isn't all that crazy. If one were to use a 0w-40 LL01 oil in place of the 20-50, you are only going from a 50 to a 40 weight at operating temperature. The lower numbers are only of relevance at cold start...which is a good thing...a 0W will get to key areas of the engine faster than a 20 will at cold start of the engine. The 20-50 will thin to a 50 at operating temperature, while the 0w-40 will thin to a 40 at operating temperature.

Really? According to the original owners manuals, 5-30 is acceptable for E39s. In M30 cars it's acceptable for -40 to 20F. 10-40 is rated as acceptable for -20 to 50F. Modern oils are better in many respects, but not all, and you can if you want, but I'm not about to run an oil rated for 70F or 100F below what I may be looking at. And BTW, a 20-50 isn't really as thick as a 50 straight weight at temp, nor is a 5 or 10-40 as thick as a straight 40.

[geargrinder]

yeah errr OK, but that's kinda getting sucked into the "THICKKKER ALLLWWAAAYZ BETTER" mindset which is pretty much archaic with modern oils...
modern oils are better in ALL respects pretty much.

the old-motor 'vintage' specs you're referring to were written in reference to what Castrol grades were available off the shelf in 1978 or whatever.

modern oils have far better Viscosity Indexes (witness today you can buy an oil with a 50 grade-point range - 10W60 - vs BITD when a 30W range was the state of the art... 20W50...) so it stays closer to its visco spec - even at extended-beyond-op-temps, AND, has all kinda majikmojojuice in it to help prevent/mitigate shear even in worst case conditions.

and straight 40 is absolutely NOT 'thicker than 10-40' except below op temp which is by exact design, and is a GOOD thing.... at op temp, unless the spec is wrong or the multi-grade is all worn out, they'll both be 40w. derrr cuz that's how the whole system works. and, in fact above op-temp straight 40 will be thinning faster (worse ViscoIndex). look - the internet has pictures!



that's not to say I dont' think there might not be some small grain of merit to your argument, because I do think some of the OE's "re-writing spec history" stuff is can be questionable marketing-related stuff ("ONLY USE CASTROL!!! NO - WAIT... CASTROL SUCKS ONLY USE SHELL!"), and probably the actual counter argument with some meat on the bones is that old motors tend to have much larger clearances which actually DO prefer empirically higher viscos... vs modern tight engines which are happier with a thinner oil...

but "thicker oil is thicker and we all know thicker is always always better therefore thicker oil is better so should use thicker oil" is an oversimplification.

for the most part any of these modern super oils at 0W40 / 5W40 or similar grades is 100% fine and in fact probably way better for whatever car you're talking about than the old school oil. and OK - if you think you have a sloppy vintage motor that really needs high visco, then there's modern products like M1 5W50 that go up to heavyweight too... but civilians shouldn't be fed the propaganda of "thick oil always betterrrrrrr!!!!"

[djb2]

If your engine is burning oil (e.g. M54), make certain that the oil has a SN rating. That limits (but doesn't eliminate) additives that degrade catalytic converters.

[300kplus]

Ok soooo... I have a very high mile E39 M62... I've heard great things about liqui Molly and want to give it a try. I live in New England now, don't drive the car much in the winter but it is not currently garage kept.
So which weight would you guys recommend keeping it simple :-)
Thanks again!


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[f355spider]

Ok soooo... I have a very high mile E39 M62... I've heard great things about liqui Molly and want to give it a try. I live in New England now, don't drive the car much in the winter but it is not currently garage kept.
So which weight would you guys recommend keeping it simple :-)
Thanks again!

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Use what is recommended in the owner's manual or by current BMW factory recommendations for your M62, which means stick with an LL-01 rated oil. I have a very high mileage M62TU with 287,000 miles (never been rebuilt, only chain guides replaced)....I just use an LL-01 rated oil, which ever I can find cheapest. For the past couple years, that has been Castrol Edge 0w-40 in gallon jugs at WalMart. I pay around $25 per jug. If you stick with the LL-01 rating, you will find all the weights are very similar... It will be one of the following: 0w-30, 5w-30, 0w-40 or 5w-40. If you read the actually detailed specs, the viscosities are actually very similar on the top end, the only variance is the lower end...either a 0w or 5w. The 30s will be very thick and at the top end of their range, whereas the 40s will typically be rather "thin" and at the lower end of their range. I prefer an oil that flows better at cold start, so I lean toward the 0w offerings. I don't care if it is a 40 or 30 at operating temp...If I am getting an LL-01 rated oil, they will be very close to the same.

[300kplus]

Use what is recommended in the owner's manual or by current BMW factory recommendations for your M62, which means stick with an LL-01 rated oil. I have a very high mileage M62TU with 287,000 miles (never been rebuilt, only chain guides replaced)....I just use an LL-01 rated oil, which ever I can find cheapest. For the past couple years, that has been Castrol Edge 0w-40 in gallon jugs at WalMart. I pay around $25 per jug. If you stick with the LL-01 rating, you will find all the weights are very similar... It will be one of the following: 0w-30, 5w-30, 0w-40 or 5w-40. If you read the actually detailed specs, the viscosities are actually very similar on the top end, the only variance is the lower end...either a 0w or 5w. The 30s will be very thick and at the top end of their range, whereas the 40s will typically be rather "thin" and at the lower end of their range. I prefer an oil that flows better at cold start, so I lean toward the 0w offerings. I don't care if it is a 40 or 30 at operating temp...If I am getting an LL-01 rated oil, they will be very close to the same.

Will do. Thanks again!

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