BMW 0W12

[BMWTurboDzl]

LL01FE is a full SAPS spec but does it have minimums? I would imagine you could pass the tests with an "LL12FE" oil. I have to say that my own analysis of the LL01FE oil looked the same and does seem to be mid SAPS levels of ZDDP and detergents. This oil is API SP licensed and 30 grade, so it must have 0.06 - 0.08% phosphorous, and it is very close to that upper limit. I sometimes wonder if BMW does this in North America because dealers seem to fill every car with this oil and it's now safe for cars with GPF.

Min TBN for LL01FE is 9.5. I don't think it has API SP donut but it probably meets the performance requirements of SP. I couldn't find this oil on the API lookup.

 

[chris719]

Min TBN for LL01FE is 9.5. I don't think it has API SP donut but it probably meets the performance requirements of SP. I couldn't find this oil on the API lookup.

Good points that I missed. I thought I saw it SP on a bottle but maybe I’m going crazy.

 

[BMWTurboDzl]

Good points that I missed. I thought I saw it SP on a bottle but maybe I’m going crazy.

It may very well have SP on the bottle but not the donut. We're all crazy.

 

[bigjl]

i remember a lot of diesel mercedes -not taxis or other vehicles for professional drivers- -on the street back at the '80s ,but only mercs from german brands.
some countries and cities also ,back then in europe, prohibited diesel engines bcs of environmental issues .

The 2.0d Mercedes diesel that came out for the new shape E Class (2016 model year if I remember correctly) had issues with camchains and bottom end failure in the 1st few years of production

The older 2.1 was pretty bulletproof.

The 2.9d in the mk1 Sprinter is bulletproof, late CDi Sprinters a little bit more fragile when used in areas with poor fuel quality.

But the pick of the bunch in the mk2 was the 2.7cdi in the 416

The 3.0v6 diesel was not quite as reliable as the early 2.9d but would be my pick of the bunch.

NHS Sprinter Ambulances do up to 70k miles a year in County services away from large Cities, many have done over 500k miles

 

[stevestroke08]

What's confusing?

Use LL-01FE or LL-22FE. You can add up to one quart of non-approved oil if required.

What is actually confusing is the dealer and online BMW forums tell you to run the weight specified on the sticker under the hood and it says 0W12. I believe there is a thread on hear where a gentleman bought an 2022 X7 (I believe, it was one of the first models with the TU2 engine) and the specs in the manual where the LL01FE & LL17FE and under the hood was the 0W12 sticker which doesn't meet either of those specs.

 

[bigjl]

What is actually confusing is the dealer and online BMW forums tell you to run the weight specified on the sticker under the hood and it says 0W12. I believe there is a thread on hear where a gentleman bought an 2022 X7 (I believe, it was one of the first models with the TU2 engine) and the specs in the manual where the LL01FE & LL17FE and under the hood was the 0W12 sticker which doesn't meet either of those specs.

Just because it’s specced in the USA doesn’t mean the engine can only run on that oil.

The engines are the same

If you search a vehicle on any of the oil checkers and out your location as the UK or Germany you will usually see the other specs that can be used.