Engine Oil with BMW Longlife-04

BMW Longlife-04 is the approval for BMW and Mini models with a particulate filter and Condition Based Service: low ash and stable enough against ageing for the intervals the electronics calculate. It is not the same as Longlife-01 - the oil finder shows which one your engine needs.

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Longlife-01, -04, -12 FE, -14 FE+ - who needs what

BMW has several Longlife approvals, and they follow the exhaust after-treatment and the intended viscosity:

**Longlife-01** - high-performance oil with no ash limit, for models **without** a particulate filter, often in 0W-40 and 5W-40. Many older M engines belong here.
**Longlife-04** - Low SAPS, for models **with** a particulate filter. The normal case for European diesels from Euro 4/5 and many petrol engines of the same period.
**Longlife-12 FE** and **Longlife-14 FE+** - designed for lower viscosity (0W-30 and 0W-20 respectively), for newer engines expressly specified for them.

These approvals are not automatically backwards compatible. Putting an FE oil into an engine that calls for Longlife-04 is just as wrong as the other way round.

Handling Condition Based Service properly

BMW works out the oil change from driving profile, fuel consumption and operating conditions, not from fixed mileage. Two conditions for that: an approved oil, and a service item that has been reset correctly.

What CBS cannot see is which oil is in the engine. Top up with an oil that has no Longlife-04 and the system keeps calculating with the long service life - while the oil is finished well before then. On mostly short journeys it pays not to run the date the system suggests right to the limit.

Viscosity grades and typical models

Oils with Longlife-04 come in 0W-30, 5W-30 and 5W-40. Which one applies to your engine depends on the engine variant: N47 and B47 diesels, N20 and B48 petrol engines and the Mini engines of the same generations have different requirements, even though all of them may call for Longlife-04.

For BMW models that use oil by design - older sports engines above all - one more rule applies: carry top-up oil to the same approval in the car and check the level regularly via the on-board electronics, since many models no longer have a dipstick.

Reset the service item when you change the oil, or CBS carries on with the old service life. And order the oil filter together with the housing seals: on most BMW engines it is a cartridge in a housing, not a spin-on filter.

Frequently asked questions

Is BMW Longlife-04 the same as ACEA C3?

Not the same, but related: most Longlife-04 oils meet ACEA C3. C3 on its own does not replace the BMW approval, though - if your vehicle calls for Longlife-04, that designation has to be on the pack.

Can I use Longlife-01 instead of Longlife-04?

Not in a vehicle with a particulate filter: Longlife-01 is not low ash and shortens the filter's life. The other way round, Longlife-04 in an engine without a filter is usually unproblematic, provided viscosity and approval are right.

Which viscosity for my BMW?

Longlife-04 comes in 0W-30, 5W-30 and 5W-40 - the approval does not fix it. What counts is the specification for your engine variant; the oil finder shows it together with the approved oils.

My BMW has no dipstick - how do I check the oil level?

Through the on-board menu, on level ground and with the engine at operating temperature; depending on the model the measurement needs a few minutes of running time. Check before longer journeys, and carry a litre of oil to the same approval - on engines that use more oil by design that is routine, not emergency kit.