Guide
What oil does a BMW, Mercedes-Benz, Audi or VW need?
European engines need oil that carries a specific manufacturer approval, such as BMW Longlife-01, Mercedes-Benz 229.5 or VW 504 00. Viscosity alone, like 5W-30, is not enough. The approval your engine needs is listed in the owner manual.
Approval versus viscosity
The numbers on the front of the bottle, such as 5W-30 or 0W-20, describe how thick the oil is when cold and hot. The approval on the back describes what the oil was tested to do in a particular family of engines.
Two oils can both be 5W-30 and carry different approvals. Only one of them may be right for your engine.
Common approvals
These are the approvals we see most. Your owner manual lists the one for your engine.
- BMW: Longlife-01, Longlife-04, Longlife-12 FE, Longlife-17 FE+
- Mercedes-Benz: 229.5, 229.51, 229.52, 229.71
- Volkswagen and Audi: VW 502 00, 504 00, 507 00, 508 00
- Porsche: A40, C30, C20
Why it matters
European service intervals are long, often around 10,000 miles or one year. The oil has to protect the engine for that whole interval.
Diesel and some gasoline engines have particulate filters that are damaged by oils with too much ash. Low-ash approvals such as BMW LL-04, MB 229.51 and VW 507 00 exist for those engines.
Newer engines designed for thin 0W-20 oils need the matching approval. A thicker oil is not a safer choice in those engines.
How to check what went in your car
Ask for the oil brand, viscosity and approval to be written on the invoice. We list all three on every oil service.