# New Castrol LL-01 Certified Oil



## Bill85208 (Jan 19, 2013)

Don't know if this has been covered or if it is in fact "New" but it is new to my Walmart and new to me. Castrol 5W-40 European Formula with BMW LL-01 certification.


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

My UOAs for that oil show it to be inferior to non-LL01 Castrol 0w-40. 2008 N52, 182k miles. 


Via the interwebs


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

Castrol 5W40 always had LL01 approval. 
As mentioned, it is mediocre oil. In N51,52,53,54,55, 63 Castrol 0W40 is much better option. Valvoline 5W40 is also better option. 
For N20/26 go Pennzoil Platinum Euro 5W40. 


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## HotGrbg (Apr 23, 2021)

Without doing an insane amount of research @edycol what’s the best recommended oil for N52k in the 5W30 viscosity? Thanks


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## smokeyyy (Oct 29, 2005)

Castrol 5W-40 always had BMW LL-01. What is "new" is now it also has Mercedes 229.5 (for a year or so).


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

smokeyyy said:


> Castrol 5W-40 always had BMW LL-01. What is "new" is now it also has Mercedes 229.5 (for a year or so).


Yes. But they achieved it through simple, cheap trick. 
Previous 5W40 had KV100 of 14.2. And HTHS 3.7. It was pretty high KV100 for such HTHS indicating cheap base stocks. They reduced KV100 to 12.8 which is barely 40 grade. That allowed them to reduce evaporation loss and deposits to be compliant with MB229.5. I highly doubt HTHS is above 3.6 which is really poor for grade 40. 


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

HotGrbg said:


> Without doing an insane amount of research @edycol what’s the best recommended oil for N52k in the 5W30 viscosity? Thanks


In LL01 flavor probably Castrol Edge 5W30 A3/B4 (Wal Mart), or Pentosin High Performance 5W30. 
But, looking at VOA of BMW TPT 5W30 made by Castrol, it seems really good oil. 
Old TPT 5W30 made by SOPUS was probably best 5W30 oil in LL01 flavor. 


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## ard (Jul 1, 2009)

and SOPUS = shell. 

No relation to POTUS ..I assume?


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

ard said:


> and SOPUS = shell.
> 
> No relation to POTUS ..I assume?


LOL, no.
Shell Oil Products United States.


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## HotGrbg (Apr 23, 2021)

edycol said:


> In LL01 flavor probably Castrol Edge 5W30 A3/B4 (Wal Mart), or Pentosin High Performance 5W30.
> But, looking at VOA of BMW TPT 5W30 made by Castrol, it seems really good oil.
> Old TPT 5W30 made by SOPUS was probably best 5W30 oil in LL01 flavor.
> 
> ...


Are you talking castrol before SOPUS or after? LOL


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

HotGrbg said:


> Are you talking castrol before SOPUS or after? LOL


LOL, after. 
So, LL01 must have HTHS minimum 3.5. From VOA, it seems very light 5W30, around 10.5cst. To derive such high HTHS from that KV100, it must have really good base stocks, probably PAO based. I am still waiting for IR spectrum someone to do it to confirm that.


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

Just to add, for N51/52 engines, Mobil1 0W40FS, Castrol 0W40, Mobil1 5W40 FS are best bet. All available in Wal mart for cheap, and all, especially Mobil1, are basically capable of track use.


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

edycol said:


> Just to add, for N51/52 engines, Mobil1 0W40FS, Castrol 0W40, Mobil1 5W40 FS are best bet. All available in Wal mart for cheap, and all, especially Mobil1, are basically capable of track use.


From my few data points on the trend line, all I’ll use is castrol 0w-40, based on several high mileage UOAs. I don’t really give a s*** about LL01, I change my oil every 5k miles. I couldn’t care less about dollars saved by extending a little bit. I posted a few videos showing negative *F cold flow for visual and pumping pressure purposes. My N52 engine runs quieter at cold winter startup with Castrol than the M1. I will probably even switch my ACVW from the current 10w-30 mineral to 0w-40 full syn once I’m done breaking in the engine I built for it. 


Via the interwebs


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

dukedkt442 said:


> From my few data points on the trend line, all I’ll use is castrol 0w-40, based on several high mileage UOAs. I don’t really give a s*** about LL01, I change my oil every 5k miles. I couldn’t care less about dollars saved by extending a little bit. I posted a few videos showing negative *F cold flow for visual and pumping pressure purposes. My N52 engine runs quieter at cold winter startup with Castrol than the M1. I will probably even switch my ACVW from the current 10w-30 mineral to 0w-40 full syn once I’m done breaking in the engine I built for it.
> 
> 
> Via the interwebs


M1 always had rougher starts. 
But, both oils are as good as it gets. Cream of the crop. 
Both come from top manufacturers and will perform very similar. Castrol is bit more friendly though to turbo direct injection engines. 
M1 packs so much additives that it is actually not so friendly for direct injection engines. It will also oxidize more. 


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## HotGrbg (Apr 23, 2021)

Any thoughts on the Mobil 1 full synthetic 5W30? That’s what I was throwing in there but am willing to change it


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

edycol said:


> M1 always had rougher starts.
> But, both oils are as good as it gets. Cream of the crop.
> Both come from top manufacturers and will perform very similar. Castrol is bit more friendly though to turbo direct injection engines.
> M1 packs so much additives that it is actually not so friendly for direct injection engines. It will also oxidize more.
> ...


I did just pick up a jug of M1 Truck/SUV 0w-20 for our ‘21 Pacifica, currently with 100 miles. Break in oil change around 800. It takes the same grade as my Silverado, which loves Shell Rotella Gas 0w-20 for the past year, currently has PP in it. I’d wanted to get the PP for the MOPAR, but got a deal on the oil/filter bundle from AA. It’s nice when the vehicles share oils, less I have to keep track of. I didn’t know M1 had a Truck oil, maybe I’ll try it next year. From the reviews and tests I’ve read of the PP (natural gas), it seems to be excellent. I’d use PP euro in the BMW if I could ever find it…


Via the interwebs


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

HotGrbg said:


> Any thoughts on the Mobil 1 full synthetic 5W30? That’s what I was throwing in there but am willing to change it


It is ILSAC GF6 oil. It would be in LL01FE range. 
But it lacks any other approvals to make it viable option. I know a lot of people use it in BMW engines, turbo too. 
So, the question is what is ultimately consequence of using such oil in engine that basically requires higher HTHS and pretty strict oxidation control?
First, oxidation might be worse than oil that have MB229.5 approval like Castrol or M1 0W40. Much worse than LL approved oils. Long term, VANOS might start having issues. 
Lower HTHS? This is where things are strictly long term unless vehicle is tracked. 
HTHS matters most around bearings and piston rings. Using lower HTHS oils ultimately can result in sooner oil consumption down the road. Considering we are talking N52 engine, we are talking vehicle that already has some miles. So poor oil choices etc. might start showing. 
I mean considering availability of LL01 oils in Wal Mart or online, it really doesn’t make sense going M1 5W30 route. 


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## HotGrbg (Apr 23, 2021)

Actually I had to replace her engine due to an unfortunate highway rock incident. It wasn’t a junkyard engine either. I bought from bmw for just over 8K and had insurance reimburse me 6500. So technically the engines got maybe 20-30k on it.
When it happened I gave her the choice of new car or fix hers but she loves her E90 and it’s otherwise flawless so here we are.


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## dukedkt442 (Feb 12, 2013)

HotGrbg said:


> Actually I had to replace her engine due to an unfortunate highway rock incident. It wasn’t a junkyard engine either. I bought from bmw for just over 8K and had insurance reimburse me 6500. So technically the engines got maybe 20-30k on it.
> When it happened I gave her the choice of new car or fix hers but she loves her E90 and it’s otherwise flawless so here we are.


N52? Do a search for my started threads for N52 oil analysis using 0w-40 and judge yourself. I’ve posted 3-4 UOAs. As far as I’m concerned, any oil that flows slower than water on cold start up is too thick. 


Via the interwebs


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## edycol (Jul 8, 2015)

HotGrbg said:


> Actually I had to replace her engine due to an unfortunate highway rock incident. It wasn’t a junkyard engine either. I bought from bmw for just over 8K and had insurance reimburse me 6500. So technically the engines got maybe 20-30k on it.
> When it happened I gave her the choice of new car or fix hers but she loves her E90 and it’s otherwise flawless so here we are.


If you think engine might have sludge etc. get Mobil1 0W40FS. Nothing cleans like that stuff. Period! 


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