I'm afraid SB1500 you've fallen into the advertising trap. You have just admitted that you are no expert when it comes to the make up of oil, but you are nudged by Castrol's spiel. I used to work in the trade. Your base stock oil comes from the same place. The likes of Halfords & other outlets such as supermarkets obviously don't make their own oils, but are supplied from the same refinery.

I keep trying to explain, the likes of yourself & others whose logic just doesn't make sense when it comes to engine oil, as long as the spec is correct, the oil will be fine. I suspect I'm preaching on deaf ears.

Had a wee giggle about your thoughts regarding Halfords oil & then likening this to their staff & bikes & their product range.. That just doesn't make sense at all. They stock items that other places have. The only downside really is that they tend to be quite expensive in their prices, but that's another story. I have a trade card... again that's another story....

jimboy said:

I'm afraid SB1500 you've fallen into the advertising trap. You have just admitted that you are no expert when it comes to the make up of oil, but you are nudged by Castrol's spiel. I used to work in the trade. Your base stock oil comes from the same place. The likes of Halfords & other outlets such as supermarkets obviously don't make their own oils, but are supplied from the same refinery.



I keep trying to explain, the likes of yourself & others whose logic just doesn't make sense when it comes to engine oil, as long as the spec is correct, the oil will be fine. I suspect I'm preaching on deaf ears.



Had a wee giggle about your thoughts regarding Halfords oil & then likening this to their staff & bikes & their product range.. That just doesn't make sense at all. They stock items that other places have. The only downside really is that they tend to be quite expensive in their prices, but that's another story. I have a trade card... again that's another story....

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It largely just comes down to the fact there's a £2 difference for the same quantity and that I just want to use the same stuff to avoid any possible damage.

I've heard some people say going from synthetic to non synthetic can screw things up so whilst I'm unsure if it's true for the small price difference I'll just stick to Castrol!

I understand you actually do know about all of this, so you decide not to do that. But to me, that's how I've seen it. I could start using Halfords stuff now that I've heard what you say but at the same time, you're a guy from the internet and for £2 I'll just stick to what I know as it can't do any harm!

I'm a guy from the internet LOL first time I've been labeled that.


I consider myself an old petrolhead in my 60's who has been round the block a few times. I've never considered myself as an out & out expert, but let's just say I've gathered some interesting worthwhile knowledge on my travels.. I get the feeling you are a young chap & are an advertisers dream... You say you've heard things about synthetic oil, well you obviously haven't heard that your oil is semi synthetic, instead of just hearing things, you may want to do some detective work & actually read up what some engine builders & the like are saying about Castrol. Synthetic technology is a far cry from actually being fully synthetic. As I've said, Casrtol were up in court about their use of the synthetic term, but got off on a technicality. It's not really all about price for me, it's the shear lies & inflated properties that Castrol claim their oils to have.

The wee Panda really doesn't need that special an oil, but hey I get that people want to feel "safe" about their car. Again I'm landing on deaf ears but hey ho, it keeps me active.........

jimboy said:

I'm a guy from the internet LOL first time I've been labeled that.





I consider myself an old petrolhead in my 60's who has been round the block a few times. I've never considered myself as an out & out expert, but let's just say I've gathered some interesting worthwhile knowledge on my travels.. I get the feeling you are a young chap & are an advertisers dream... You say you've heard things about synthetic oil, well you obviously haven't heard that your oil is semi synthetic, instead of just hearing things, you may want to do some detective work & actually read up what some engine builders & the like are saying about Castrol. Synthetic technology is a far cry from actually being fully synthetic. As I've said, Casrtol were up in court about their use of the synthetic term, but got off on a technicality. It's not really all about price for me, it's the shear lies & inflated properties that Castrol claim their oils to have.



The wee Panda really doesn't need that special an oil, but hey I get that people want to feel "safe" about their car. Again I'm landing on deaf ears but hey ho, it keeps me active.........

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I definitely don't mean to get into an argument situation. Or to be offensive or act like I know better - I don't.

I'm just telling you what I've thought personally when I bought this stuff.

And of course, we're all 'guys on the internet' on here , unless we've met in person! Lol

I do note all of your points though. In my next car I'll probably find the cheapest suitable grade and spare myself the marketing terms!

Whilst I have access to your knowledge, any idea what exactly Castrols 'C3' suffix on my Magnatec means or does?!

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

I always advise the honeycoloured oil in a plastic container

gr J

Don't worry SB1500, I've not taken any offence, if anything I'm a bit tickled in as much forums are great learning places in so many ways. The old cynic in me works overtime when one of my "projects" rears its head so to speak. There are far worse things to worry about when running a car. The add ons that promise so much BHP & more ranks up there the worst, I'll stop now as that's another story......

A3jeroen said:

http://www.carbibles.com/engineoil_bible.html

I always advise the honeycoloured oil in a plastic container

gr J

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I always liked the green stuff in a tin


(Duckhams Q for those who remember it)


Robert G8RPI.


More seriously, don't use a modern low SAP oil (synthetic or otherwise) on an older non-catalyst car. The sulphur and phosphorus are surface modifying and aid lubrication.


Robert G8RPI.

Aye, green Duckhams Q. That's when life was so much simpler & people actually spoke to each other face to face.

The last time I used Castrol was when I had a bike that needed JASO MS spec oil. That's a 1990's mineral oil spec from Japan. I bought a box of twenty x 1 litre bottles for £1 a bottle. A bargain at any price.

When that was used up I went to diesel engine spec semi synthetic 10w40. It worked perfectly and (contrary to what many bikers believe) had absolutely no negative effect on the clutch. BTW, most bikes have a clutch that runs in oil.

At 75,000 miles I opened the top cover and reset the valve clearance shims. There was no measurable wear on any of the journals and the bearing surfaces still showed the original machining marks. That engine made at least 90bhp at 8,250 revs with max torque (77.5 Nm) at 7000 rpm. At 70 mph it was spinning at 4500 revs.

My point is that the Fiat 1200 makes just 60bhp so really isn't highly stressed and the oil does not have to cope with clutch debris. Semi synth 10w40 of any brand is more than good enough. The most important thing is to change the oil at least to the schedule and always change the oil filter. If you do lots of short runs and cold starts consider changing the oil more often.

My grandfather who has the Ford Orion 1.9D and the 98 Passat 1.9 TDI uses engine oil from his work lorry in those two cars! And you know what.. miraculously.. the oil pumps are still coping!!!

If you are happy to stick with Castrol and shop around, then you should really go for the Edge 5W/40 (premium) or Magnatec 5W/40 (still fully synth).

10W/40 (semi) is fine for a high-ish mileage Panda but Fiat did move to a slightly lighter, more modern oil for its mainstream FIRE motors a while back. Obviously now they've gone thinner again to help squeeze out a bit more economy and maybe performance.

Bear in mind you have a fairly small oil (and filter) capacity so the oil works quite hard in a buzzy little engine (and also in traffic)... the oil doesn't just lubricate, it cleans and cools. So the better the oil you put in, the longer it will hold together between changes - obviously that's why we now have extended drain intervals. So despite what some might say (including Halfords!), it's not just a matter of looking at the A, B or C rating on the label to see if it "meets the specs", it is a fact that cheaper oils generally have cheaper ingredients and do not perform as well for as long. Their vendors will try to make them more attractive by selling 5L containers cheaper than 4L containers from a bigger brand on the next shelf.

Obviously someone has to pay for advertising budgets as well as R & D, which is why the likes of Castrol (and Michelin etc) often appear overpriced and over-rated.

bluejohn125 said:

If you are happy to stick with Castrol and shop around, then you should really go for the Edge 5W/40 (premium) or Magnatec 5W/40 (still fully synth).
.

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If you buy when they are on offer the price difference is pretty small compared to other recognisable brands (Halfords, etc.). - Asda often has promotional deals, as do others. On the other hand, if none of the current offers are suitable, I would use Halfords or even Asda brand without being too concerned.

I still stay away from brands I have never heard of...

This is not because I am dazzled by slick (pun intended) advertising. I have seen some very dodgy practises in the bargain basement supply chain, and engine swaps are a pain in the a***. And expensive.

Personally, I don't think it's worth the risk to save a few quid in the hope that the cheap plastic container, with the badly printed label in broken english, with a distinctly marginal seal contains something which is actually what I want in my engine.
Counterfeiting and label fakery are everywhere now, even on "low value" items.

But it's my engine, and my opinion. No criticism of anyone intended.

I have noticed that due to changing my oil like clockwork every 7,000 miles that the oil is coming out cleaner each time, I think it's doing the engine a world of good

7k miles seems pretty OTT unless you're stuck in traffic or doing short journeys all the time, especially if you use a decent-ish oil.

Colour is not the only indicator of an oil's condition and performance. You may be gradually cleaning out sludgy deposits from an earlier, lazier life with the engine, but I wouldn't obsess over it.

Once a year should be fine as a rough guide... you've indicated previously that you do lots of longish cruising journeys which is great for an engine and its oil.

Your car will be happier with several cheap oil changes than one extended 'posh oil' one.

Gavv8 said:

Your car will be happier with several cheap oil changes than one extended 'posh oil' one.

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Spot on.....

Someone should tell Fiat and every other car manufacturer...

Also the oil companies wasting all that effort developing high-tech products.

Don't these people ever go on Internet forums???

& there we have it....!!!

You should move to America... they still swear by 3000 and 5000 mile oil change intervals.

bluejohn125 said:

Someone should tell Fiat and every other car manufacturer...



Also the oil companies wasting all that effort developing high-tech products.



Don't these people ever go on Internet forums???

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Right, because car and oil companies are completely altruistic and truthful aren't they.