What LongLife means for engine oil

LongLife (LL) means the car has an extended, variable oil change interval set by the on-board computer. The oil needs the carmaker's approval for it.

LongLife by brand

Volkswagen, Audi, Škoda and Seat: VW 504 00 for petrol and VW 507 00 for diesel (LongLife III, 5W-30), newer VW 508 00 and VW 509 00 (0W-20). Mercedes-Benz: MB 229.51 and MB 229.52. BMW: BMW LL-01 and BMW LL-04.

With a fixed interval (e.g. once a year or every 15,000 km), older specifications such as VW 502 00 and VW 505 00 are enough.

What to watch out for

If you put oil without LongLife approval into a LongLife car, the service interval should be switched to fixed. Otherwise the oil may stay in the engine longer than it can last.

0W-20 oil to VW 508 00 is not backward-compatible: it does not belong in older engines that call for VW 504 00.