[Ol' Fart]

Interestingly, I just had my 28d serviced at our local dealer. The paperwork didn't show oil brand, I assume BMW branded, but it did say it met LL-12 standards. I was expecting LL-4 since that is what is recommended for my diesel.

[richardodn]

Originally Posted by Ol' Fart

Interestingly, I just had my 28d serviced at our local dealer. The paperwork didn't show oil brand, I assume BMW branded, but it did say it met LL-12 standards. I was expecting LL-4 since that is what is recommended for my diesel.

LL-04 or from 2014 on LL-12. See the links in my previous post.

[romero1990]

@richardodn It feels like going LL01/5W-40 will be one for me. I prefer to keep my engine in better protection than FE given I want to keep it as long as it runs. ( but probably it will never make that much of a differences)

thank you all

[VTbx3]

My 16'28d went in for oil change yesterday. The paper work just say 5w30. No mention of ll04 or ll12

[richardodn]

Originally Posted by VTbx3

My 16'28d went in for oil change yesterday. The paper work just say 5w30. No mention of ll04 or ll12

Assuming they used a BMW branded oil, that was most likely an LL-04 or LL-01 approval as they both come in 5W-30 viscosities.

[bittux3]

My owner's manual states that they recommend BMW original engine oil, but says all the following are accepted:

SAE 0W-40
SAE 0W-30
SAE 5W-40
SAE 5W-30

Sometimes the BMW dealership has good prices on the oil by the quart, always worth calling and checking.

[kevink1]

I wonder how accurate the iDrive level display is for oil. Is it optimistic? I've never had it show anything other than "max" even after 9,000 miles.

[kevink1]

I'm cautiously optimistic that my minor coolant loss of the last few years is resolved now that I've had the fix for the EGR Cooler recall performed.

[andreigbs]

I have yet to have this recall work performed, but I'm a new owner so I may not have received the initial notice. Checking my VIN, the BMW site only lists the car seat recall as being open on mine; not a priority since my chocolate lab rides in the cargo area.

As for oil: the recommended 12FE stuff will only be 0w30 and is unsuitable for diesel engines that have more than one turbo. To me that indicates it provides minimal protection in exchange for fuel economy savings.

For those out of warranty or that prefer to do their own maintenance I would suggest finding a high-quality diesel-rated oil that meets LL-04 as well as MB's 229.51 or 229.52 specs. There are several that are easily available, such as Pennzoil Platinum Euro L (comes in 5qt jugs for $23 at Walmart) Valvoline SynPower MST 5w30, or you can order online to your heart's content. Total INEO MC3 5w30 is another great alternative.

Then again, there are also the heavy-duty full synth diesel oils like Rotella T6, Mobil Delvac ESP, Delo, and many others. All will protect your BMW diesel engine and turbo, some might say better than any 12FE spec oil.