In this article we will select optimal oil for BMW cars with mileage over 250 thousand km. Let's find out why you need to fill it exactly good quality product in this car.

What oil does Liqui Moly recommend for high mileage BMWs?

BMW creates some of the most durable and reliable cars, which have been the most popular for many decades. For this reason, the owner must know what kind of oil to pour into the engine.

Let's take for example a BMW with a mileage of 250,000 km.

For such a car you need a special oil that meets all the requirements of the BMW concern. Properly selected oil will greatly enrich and renew your engine. Oil changes must be carried out on time and the correct oil must be used. motor oil.

Be sure to use your car before purchasing oil, and you will never be mistaken in choosing the right product for your car’s engine.

You've probably heard that oils from popular brands are supposedly marketing gimmicks. Anyone who believes this hardly knows how important it is to use the right oil. IN BMW engines, which are complex independent systems, the use of synthetic oil ensures trouble-free operation and significantly reduces friction of engine parts, especially in cold weather.

Let's look together at which oil is universally suitable for cars with high mileage.

Why Liqui Moly for my BMW?

1. All products are manufactured only in Germany.
2. high quality.
3. best brand in Europe for the 5th year in a row.
4. The best mineral base for oils.

The manufacturing company did not spend a single euro on marketing; all funds were invested exclusively in the composition of the oil. Some oil manufacturers use certain additives, so Liqui Moly satisfies many BMW requirements. It is very important to check the viscosity and make sure it is correct.

Some people believe that full synthetic oil is no better than standard oil, they are sure that this is just a marketing ploy. The reality is that synthetic oils operate as efficiently as possible, even in extreme conditions, which improves fuel efficiency. This is especially noticeable at temperatures below zero, when the engine, in very rare cases, fails to start.

Synthetic oil has a peculiarity: it begins to work more efficiently in the cold than under normal conditions. Motor oil is the most important aspect keeping the car in good condition. Oil change on time and using the right oil can add many years and hundreds of thousands of kilometers to your car. BMW recommends LiquiMoly "Full Synthetic" for its cars and, apparently, it is better to listen to them.

Many car owners are interested in the question of what kind of oil to fill in a BMW and whether it is possible to mix different types of engine oils. If it is necessary to change the oil, it is also important to question whether this procedure is carried out correctly, and whether there is a need to flush the engine before filling.

First of all, you need to open the car’s passport data, which will tell you what type of oil is prescribed for replacement by the manufacturer. If you purchased a used BMW, you need to ask the previous owner what oil they used previously.

Several types of oils should be avoided. In any case, after purchasing a used car, you should immediately flush the engine and replace the required type of oil. Original grades of motor oils from leading manufacturers are quite expensive.

However, cheaper analogues are sold in auto centers and stores. The quality of these oils is quite high, and auto center consultants will help you choose necessary option for your “German”.

What types of motor oils are there?

What kind of oil should I put in a BMW - synthetic, mineral or semi-synthetic? Let's immediately make a reservation that before filling, you should not flush the engine using various flushing fluids. This applies to engines that are equipped with so-called hydraulic compensators that regulate valve clearances.

Respectively, if the oil is approved for use, then the packaging must have a corresponding inscription, otherwise the product has not passed certification.

In general, BMW engines do not need pre-flushing before adding oil, since a high-quality certified product can “wash” the engine very well. Now you know what kind of oil to fill in BMW. There is also no need to flush the engine if you decide to change the type of oil used. When replacing one engine oil with another, it is desirable that they be of the same brand, and the replacement itself should be carried out every 13 - 15 thousand km.

Despite experience and a wide variety of lubricant products, owners often find themselves at a dead end when choosing engine oil for BMW, not understanding which one is most suitable for the engine. On the one hand, you need to fill in what the car manufacturer recommends. On the other hand, the recommendation is not very clear, since there are recommended and accepted ones. Moreover, approval is issued to almost all compositions that meet the quality and viscosity characteristics.

So, every driver of such a car should know that lubricants for BMW car divided into two groups:

1. Certified, they are also recommended;
2. Permitted, or admitted.

According to the manufacturer's specifications, BMW gasoline models can be filled with oils that have passed laboratory tests and have received official confirmation from BMW. This group includes almost all motor oils, ranging from semi-synthetic API classes SJ, SH, to SAE 10W-40 and higher.

In vehicles equipped diesel installation, it is allowed to use a universal fluid if its characteristics meet the requirements of the technical documentation of the car. The ACEA standard is taken as the basis. The appropriate approval must be printed on the packaging of engine oil that has received BMW approval. If it is missing, therefore, the oil has not passed BMW certification, it is prohibited to use it.

Certified lubricants are called Longlife. The properties comply with the current ACEA-A3,B3 standard. They have been tested in the BMW laboratory and are designed for long-term operation, are all-season.

What kind of oil to put in a BMW

Since 2001, the BMW concern began to produce completely new power plants. They required the development of new lubricating products with more stringent requirements. The result was several types of oils with a long service life.

Longlife-01

The technical characteristics of the lubricant meet all BMW requirements and can be used in cars equipped with an N62 - N42 engine. Can also be poured into early BMW models produced before 2000. The exceptions are S62, CNG, M43.

Longlife-01 FE

It differs from Longlife-01 in its very low viscosity coefficient. Promotes economical consumption of fuel used. May only be used in installations capable of operating on low-viscosity lubricants.

Longlife-98

The technical parameters meet the OilService standard, which came into force after 1998. Applicable in vehicles equipped with forced ignition. It is prohibited to fill S54, N42, S62 power units.

Longlife-04

This approval applies to motor oils that have been tested in the BMW laboratory. These products can be safely poured into latest cars. Do not use in cars manufactured before 2004.

Compositions belonging to the Special Oil group, similar to certified products, meet the requirements of ACEA-A3, B3. Basically, this is an early version of motor oil BMW series Longlife.

Similar lubricants professionals advise filling the engine with obsolete BMW cars. The replacement period should not exceed 15,000 km. All special oils belong to the all-season group. The exception is SAE 10W-X. It can only be used at temperatures above 20 degrees.

When choosing which oil to pour into a BMW engine, it is better to use only the oils listed above. No matter how wonderful any other lubricant is, if there is no BMW approval message on the packaging, its use is strictly prohibited.

A few words about cars that have undergone major repairs. For BMW engines There is no break-in oil. You can immediately upload high-quality certified material. Each driver selects the brand individually, adhering to the above recommendations.

Each manufacturer, be it Audi, BMW, Mercedes, Volkswagen or others, determines for its cars the tolerances for lubricants that are best suited for its engines. For example, the original BMW engine oil, which has been produced by Shell since 2015, is intended for cars of this manufacturer. It fully meets its requirements for quality and characteristics.

What is a tolerance

In order for an oil to receive approval for use in cars of a particular manufacturer, it is necessary to have characteristics and quality indicators that will be optimal for power units cars These indicators are determined by the quality basic basis oil composition, as well as additives used to improve its basic properties.

Due to the fact that competition famous manufacturers on the world market is very high, everyone is trying to get approvals for their oil for popular car models. This is a kind of quality certificate for lubricants. But the procedure for obtaining such permission is long and painstaking. It is required to pass all kinds of tests - both in laboratories and in real road conditions.

But when such a certificate is received, specific brands of cars for which the oil composition is approved will appear on its label - this will be the best indicator of the quality of the product. In this case, in addition to advertising the quality of its products, the manufacturer receives an increase in sales. In an attempt to avoid counterfeits, the word “original” is often added to the lubricant label. But this decision, unfortunately, does not stop scammers. It is sometimes simply impossible to distinguish fake oil from the original - the label is the same, and the color of the liquid is similar. But, pouring such “lubricant” into the engine a couple of times can kill it. For this reason, it is best to purchase lubricants from trusted suppliers with a good reputation.

The tolerances will also be related to the standards of quality indicators that are displayed on the label: SAE, which determines parameters for temperature and viscosity, American API, European ACEA and American-Japanese ISLAC. The adoption and use of these standards is due to the wide variety internal combustion engine designs, each of which will work well only with certain lubricants.

SAE

Original car oil BMW brands classified according to temperature limits of application and viscosity. The word “viscosity” does not mean that the lubricant itself is more liquid or viscous. This term means that the film created by the motor fluid is designed for certain gaps between engine parts. For each power unit from different manufacturers, these gaps have their own size. Therefore, lubricants also have different tolerances for kinematic viscosity. It is determined at temperatures of 100 and 150°C.

SAE is a standard from the American Society of Automotive Engineers. The first digit in it, for example 0W40, means that characteristics such as engine crankability and its pumpability through the system will remain unchanged to a minimum temperature of -35°C. This is the so-called low-temperature viscosity. The letter W (winter) means that it is - winter oil. In summer lubricant compositions, the first number and the letter W, according to the standard, are absent. For example, SAE 20, 30, 40, etc. The second number is an indicator of kinematic viscosity at high temperatures (+100°C). As a rule, winter tires are suitable for Russian operating conditions. motor lubricants.

The higher the number, the more durable and thick the film layer is formed. Some service station experts say that it is better to pour W50 and W60 motor fluids. This is not true - more viscous lubricants increase friction in piston group and in other details. Such a lubricant composition is more difficult to pump through the system, and with small gaps it can cause oil starvation, because the film simply cannot fit into the gap between the parts. That's why best option– use motor lubricant with the SAE specified in the technical documentation for the vehicle. The original lubricants recommended by BMW for their cars are assigned the following SAE categories: 5W30, 5W40, 0W30, 0W40, and 10W-60.

API

Together with SAE, this is the most common standard defining quality characteristics. According to the API, each original engine oil has its own designation. BMW cars. API was developed by the Petroleum Institute in the USA; it is the most demanding in terms of quality indicators of lubricating fluids. Letter designations begin with S (for gasoline power units) or C (for diesel engines).

The letter designations of certain qualities of lubricant compositions correspond to engines produced since a certain time. For example, oil groups SC–SG are intended for engines manufactured from 1964 to 1993. They have not been produced for a long time. Today for gasoline engines The most common are four groups of oils.

1. SJ - this category began to operate at the end of 1995 and was intended for engines produced since 1996. For energy saving it can be certified as SJ/EC.
2. SL - lubricant compounds are intended for car models produced since 2001. They are widely used at present, characterized by good stability, reduced volatility and reduced exhaust toxicity. Replacement can be done at extended intervals, but not in Russia.
3. SM - currently popular oils, the original BMW of this category, are intended for modern engines produced since 2004. This lubricant can be used for turbocharged and multi-valve engines. Motor fluids of the SM category, compared to SL, have increased resistance to oxidative processes, are better protected from high-temperature deposits, have better wear resistance, as well as increased stability and a long service life.
4. SN is the most new category, introduced in 2010. The most suitable for oil compositions are: high demands. To date, these are the best lubricants for modern engines produced since 2010. All the qualities inherent in SM category lubricants are even more pronounced in these motor fluids. In addition, the phosphorus content is limited. Also recommended for use in multi-valve and turbocharged engines. They retain their qualities well at very high temperatures.

1. CH-4 - this category is intended for engines produced since 1998. Provides low toxicity level exhaust gases, also allowed for use diesel fuel with high sulfur content - up to 0.5%. It is a replacement for oils of earlier categories - CD, CE, CF-4 and CG-4.
2. CI-4 - standard introduced in 2002. Has the same performance characteristics as CH-4, plus more stringent emission, soot, deposit and viscosity requirements. In 2004, an additional category was adopted - CI-4 Plus with even more stringent requirements for oil.
3. CJ-4 is the most modern class, adopted at the end of 2006. CJ-4 oil compositions are used in engines operating under heavy loads; they are suitable for diesel engines produced since 2007. In oils of this category, the level of ash content is limited, its indicator is less than 1%. The phosphorus content was reduced to 0.12%, and sulfur to 0.4%. Oil formulations can be used instead of earlier classes - CI-4 PLUS and CI-4, while corresponding to higher environmental requirements.

API has another type of oil - energy-saving. It has been assigned EU class. Recently, universal motor fluids have become increasingly popular. They can be poured into both gasoline and diesel engines. A large number of additives, as well as a wide range of temperature stability, make this possible. They are designated, for example, like this: API SM/CI-4. In first place is the class for gasoline engines. This means that the lubricant composition is more optimized for gasoline, but it can be poured into diesel, where the CI-4 lubricant category is used.

ACEA

The European Automobile Manufacturers Association standard imposes more stringent requirements for motor oils compared to the API. The combination of the letters “A/B” in the classification indicates that the motor fluid can be used for both gasoline and diesel engines. Each letter has a number behind it. The larger it is, the better the quality indicators of the lubricant composition. For example: original oil TwinPower Turbo Longlife 01, produced for BMW cars, has an ACEA A3/B4 classification, intended for engines with direct injection.

Modern motor lubricants for turbocharged, highly loaded engines have high protective properties and minimal viscosity to improve environmental performance in terms of emissions and minimize friction. This is the highest category of oils according to ACEA (A5/B5). Such compositions are better in their characteristics than, for example, modern API SM/CI-4. There is also a letter designation: C - for oils that meet environmental requirements for exhaust gases Euro-4, compatible with particulate filters and catalytic converters. This class applies to all engines - diesel and gasoline.

It should be noted that class A5/B5 lubricants cannot be used for all engines. It is better to use the category recommended by the manufacturer.

ISLAC

The brainchild of the International Committee for Standardization and Approbation of Motor Oils is a joint project of American and Japanese specialists. His distinguishing feature The point is that all classifications correspond to those defined in the API. For example, ISLAC GL-2 is similar to API SJ, ISLAC GL-3 is similar to API SL. To date best category oils – ISLAC SN/GF-5, adopted at the end of 2010. It is intended for engines manufactured after 2004.

Modern lubricants for BMW

All modern engines They react very sensitively to the quality properties of the base and additives that make up the motor fluid. Therefore, a mistake when choosing a lubricant composition can lead to the death of the motor.

For BMW is better Just use the original engine oil produced today by Shell. Both approved lubricants and special motor fluids (Special Oil) are used. For BMW car In all series, from 1 to 7, only lubricants that have passed comprehensive tests and approved by specialists from the German manufacturer are used. Such oil must have the appropriate approval on the packaging. Otherwise, its use is not recommended. For diesel engines, universal lubricants can be used if they comply with the ACEA standard. Original lubricant, recommended by BMW for use, received the name of the series - Longlife, which translates as “long life” (of the engine).

The scope of application of so-called special oils is older models of BMW cars. As a rule, these lubricants are all-season, they were used even before the introduction of the Longlife series. Motor fluids produced by BMW in Germany have the names:

Alternative motor fluids

In addition to the above, car owners BMW lubricants from Motul are highly respected - in particular, its 300V and 8100 X-cess series. They are approved for use in BMW. For M50, M52 and M54 engines, Motul 300 V Chrono 10W40 is well suited. For “sports” engines, you can use Motul 300 V POWER 5W40 with a high content of molybdenum, which is used to modify friction. But all this is provided that the oil is original, and not “scorched”, which can now be found on sale.

Specialists service centers BMW believes that one of the most successful oils is Xenum WRX or Xenum VX. The advantage is that it is almost impossible to fake. In addition, it contains the most modern friction modifier - hexagonal boron nitride, and is also resistant to high-temperature conditions.

Bardahl lubricants are very popular today - in particular, its brand XTC C60. Here the friction modifier is based on “C60” carbon. The series is manufactured with a wide range of viscosities and contains a good set of additives.

We have listed only a small part of the entire variety of motor oils produced today. But the last word, as always, remains with car enthusiasts.

What do you need to know when choosing oil for BMW engines? Which oil is suitable for a particular engine? It is these two questions that most concern BMW owners who have not decided on the choice of oil when its scheduled replacement approaches. First of all, you should remember that motor oils for BMW are divided into certified(admitted) and special(Special Oil). Moreover, according to the automaker's specifications, for gasoline modifications BMW 1,3,4,5,6,7 series may only use motor oils that have passed special tests and received official approval from BMW. For diesel versions of the same models, the use of universal motor oils is allowed, provided that they comply with the documentation requirements for each car model (according to ACEA classification). Motor oil approved by BMW must have the appropriate approval indicated on the packaging. Its absence indicates a lack of BMW certification; therefore, its use is not recommended.

Oils certified by BMW are called Longlife. These oils meet ACEA:A3/B3 specification standards and have been tested by BMW for their ability to provide extended service intervals. maintenance(OilService). The use of these oils is allowed both in summer and winter.

Since 2001, BMW began producing new generation engines, which entailed stricter requirements for oil properties. As a result, long-life oils were divided into four categories:

   1. Longlife-01- oils that meet the full list of BMW requirements for technical fluids and recommended for use in N62/N42 engines. In addition, these oils are recommended for use in older BMW engines (manufactured before February 2000), except S62 (E39), CNG, M43.

   2. Longlife-01 FE (Fuel Economy)- oils with the same standards as Longlife-01, but with a lower viscosity, which results in reduced fuel consumption. The use of these oils is allowed only in those engines design features which allow the use of low viscosity oil.

   3. Longlife-98(original name - Longlife) - oils that meet the standards with extended maintenance intervals (OilService), introduced in 1998. The use of these oils is recommended for BMW with engines equipped with forced ignition (except S54, N42, as well as S62 (E39) manufactured before February 2000).

   4. Longlife-04- this tolerance was introduced for motor oils that have passed the full test cycle at BMW. Oils with this approval can be used in modern BMW engines and is not recommended for vehicles manufactured before 2004.

Category special oils (Special Oil) as well as the certified one meets the ACEA:A3/B3 specification standards and is an earlier version of BMW Longlife category oils. The use of special oils is recommended for older BMW models with a replacement interval of up to 15,000 kilometers (according to OilService regulations). Special oils are all-season. An exception is oils with viscosity class SAE 10W-X - its use is allowed at an ambient temperature of at least 20 ° C.

It should be remembered that for BMW engines it is recommended to use only motor oils that meet the above recommendations. The presence in the names of oils of such formulations as “fully synthetic (easy-flow) motor oil”, etc., does not indicate the possibility of their use in BMW engines and can only be considered as a general name. The decisive factor in determining the suitability of the oil can only be an indication of approval from BMW.

In conclusion - a few words about oils for new cars and engines after overhaul. And if hardly anyone will produce independent replacement oils outside the official service in new cars, then for owners of BMWs with engines after the “overhaul” it will not hurt to know that BMW engines do not use so-called “break-in” oils. Therefore, when changing oil in engines after major overhauls (as well as for new engines), it is recommended to use only the above-listed certified oils.

Engines/oils	Longlife-01	Longlife-01FE	Longlife-98	Specialist. oils	SAE 10W-60	M610	Specialist. ACEA
M43TU	+		+
M43/CNG						+
M47	+		+	+			+
M47TU	+		+	+			+
M47TU after 03/2003	+
M51 (e34/36) after 09/1995	+		+	+
M52TU	+		+
M54	+		+ (from 08/2001)
M57	+		+	+			+
M57TU	+
M57TU after 03/2003	+
M62LEV	+		+
M67	+		+	+			+
M67 (e65)	+
M73 (e31) after 09/1997	+		+	+
M73 (e38) 09/1997 - 08/1998	+		+	+