Lets get back to the original question ...

Which of the various Fuchs / Motul / etc fully LL-04 (Low SAPS, no damage to DPF) oils should we be choosing ???

Massive difference in pricing, and no way of telling if there is really any difference in quality .. Some of the US posts talk about "base stock" being better for MOTUL (is this a red herring) ...

Finally, I have no intention of going beyond 10,000-miles in the oil changes .. will religiously change before I hit 10,000-miles ...

My feeling is that going with a less expensive fully LL-04 oil will FULLY protect the engine for 200,000 miles or so if BMW have genuinely uised the right LL-04 oils when they have done the work (currently at 80,000 with only 3-BMW main dealer oil changes ... ).

Critical differecne between LL-01 and LL-04 is the "low SAPS" .. which in theory produce less ash to clog the DPF, so LL-04 I will use !

Has ANYONE used one of these LL-04 alternates for an extended period, and can they give a few opinions ...

Finally, I am about to buy MOTUL SPECIAL LL-04 for ?5.43 / litre (1/3rd of the BMW dealer price for Castrol Edge in 1-Litre bottles) from OPIE oil (google it) .. 4 x 5-litres for ?108.68 .. That is unless someone sets alarm bells ringing about the MOTUL quality ...


Thanks,

Ian

(E61 525D 2005 manual gearbox, ?8k of options - roof, seats, Hi-Fi. Bought for ?9,500 with 75,000-miles at 3.5-yrs old .. full dealer history, no accidents, etc,etc ... there are some real bargains out there if you have cash ...)