I just use LiquiMoly 0W-20 with the VW spec
From personal experience I have always changed oil every 3500-5k miles depending on how I drove. I used to do 6500-7500k and I noticed on my 540i last winter on days when it got below 20 degrees the engine was very noisy during the first 5-10 mins driving. It was so noisy I was convinced it was piston slap or something. It wasn't a low oil "thunking" sound though. Always kept it under 3k rpms and was very gentle on those cold mornings. This was when my oil had 4-5k+ miles on it and it was last changed in Sept 2024 and this was Jan 2025 back then. So I scheduled an oil change worried my oil was low or something and the noise went away. Oil quantity came out normal no burn or leak! After that I reduced my intervals to 5k max and I also always changed the oil before winter/summer (mid-late Oct and early-mid April) ever since following this personal guideline of mine I have never experienced that cold rough engine sound in the winter anymore. Also two examples of manufacturer oil recommendation being shite is the B58 states 0w-20 but the manual says 0w-30 is acceptable. I also noticed that switching to 0w30 the engine sounded/felt smoother especially on cold idle. Second example is N63tu2 BMW used to recommend 5w-30 but then they dropped it down to 0w-30. Many cases of those motors particularly found in 2018 M550i's etc were consuming 1qt every 3k-4k+ miles yikes! But once switching back to the original 5w-30 recommendation all consumption ceased.
I’m up to 150k miles on my B58. Oil changes every 10k miles from new. Still running smoothly, not burning any oil, pretty sure it’ll go another 50k miles at least. Personally, through 5 BMWs, I’ve always just stuck with the factory recommendation and never had the slightest issue. It’s always been the rest of the car which has gone before the engine.
Liqui moly solved lifter noise on my old Kadett.
Liqui Moly Molygen 5w-40
I recently changed the engine and transmission oil in my car and opted for Liqui Moly, as from what I researched it withstands higher temperatures compared to the OEM.
I run 0W20 that is approved by BMW and have 255K KMS. No issues at all.
I’ve personally been running Liqui Moly LL-04 5W-30 as this grade seems a lot better to be using in a high performance engine to induce longevity. Plus the gen 2 B58s don’t have the same oil pump issues as the gen 1.
I did an oil change with liquimolly 5w-40 and added liquimolly lifter additive, and drove it for a week hoping it would go away.
0W-20 at 5K interval. 74k miles.
Gen 1 B58 with plastic oil pump. Increasing oil viscosity is a recipe for failure, especially in cold climate.
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If choosing engine oil across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare engine oil across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY were overall better than OEM BMW.
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY were overall more popular than OEM BMW.
By vote balance, engine oil LIQUI MOLY surpassed OEM BMW:
By number of reviews, engine oil LIQUI MOLY surpassed OEM BMW:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, engine oil LIQUI MOLY led more car-specific ratings than OEM BMW:
LIQUI MOLY are chosen by owners of cars such as: Audi A4, Porsche Cayenne, Volkswagen Golf, Audi A3, Audi S4, Audi S5, Audi SQ5, Volkswagen Tiguan, and others.
Engine oil OEM BMW have not yet taken leading positions in car-specific ratings. You can help by adding a review and specifying your car.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of engine oil LIQUI MOLY with: Mobil, Castrol, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
Also available: comparisons of engine oil OEM BMW with: Mobil, Castrol, MOTUL, Shell, AMSOIL, VALVOLINE, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol.
You can also see who is better among other engine oil manufacturers: Mobil or Castrol, Mobil or LIQUI MOLY, Mobil or MOTUL, Mobil or Shell, LIQUI MOLY or Castrol.
