[alFR]

I like to keep a bit of spare oil in just in case I need to top up. Manual for my G21 suggests one of:

BMW Longlife-12 FE
BMW Longlife-17 FE+
BMW Longlife-19 FE

in either SAE 0W-20 or SAE 0W-30. Questions:

• Which of these will be in there from the factory? Maybe doesn't matter but it seems common sense to get the same type. Manual doesn't say which is the default factory fill.
• Anyone got any recommendations for brand? Or do people just go to the dealer and get a bottle of "official BMW"? Always used Shell Helix in the past but that was with my old diesels.

[bmnut]

Pretty sure it's 0W-30 and Shell as that's BMW's current 'technology partner' since they switched from Castrol several years ago.
It's BMW Longlife but I have no idea which of the three you've listed.
I'm aware they use a different rated oil in the M engines but assume it's not an M3 or M4 you're talking about?
Maybe ask your BMW dealer to clarify?

[Riccardog]

I just "got a bottle of the official stuff". But your questions are valid and I'd be interested in knowing if you find anything more out.

[alFR]

Originally Posted by bmnut

Pretty sure it's 0W-30 and Shell as that's BMW's current 'technology partner' since they switched from Castrol several years ago.
It's BMW Longlife but I have no idea which of the three you've listed.
I'm aware they use a different rated oil in the M engines but assume it's not an M3 or M4 you're talking about?
Maybe ask your BMW dealer to clarify?

Yeah, not a M car - I think they have different, lower-viscosity oil from factory that gets changed at the running-in service anyway, so default factory fill isn't relevant to them really. Might try asking BMW in their online chat...

Edit: tried live chat. They didn't know, they only had the same info from the manual as I quoted above...

[alFR]

OK, update on this: went to the local BMW dealer and asked to buy some oil / if they knew what oil was in mine from factory. They took my reg number, found the VIN, then put that into their service system which told them my car needed LL04, 0W-30. I queried that vs the manual recommendations as quoted above, they said "what it says in the manual isn't what's in your car, this I what we would put in if we changed the oil here". So, I bought 1L of that but now I have literally no idea whether I actually have the right stuff or, if I do, why the manual apparently says the wrong thing.

Might put a post in the "what oil to use" thread in the maintenance forum and see what the resident experts there say, will report back if I learn anything...