Grande Punto Engine oil

[GrandePunto07]

So completely new to this mike here I have a Grande Punto 2007 1.4 8v not sure on what group forum to join for the question I have but if anyone can lend a hand I just want to know about the engine oil because finding 5w 40 semi synthetic can be a pain it seems the person who owned my car before me always used 10w 40 which I do know is supposed to cause wear and tear overtime due to being the incorrect viscosity and not coating all the engine components in good time apparently but the car runs great and is silent you could hear a pin drop however I've heard because the engine has been run on 10w 40 for so long changing it back to 5w 40 could cause it to start knocking and I just wanted an overall opinion hopefully factually based on your own experiences on how true any of this information is and if it is best to carry on as the previous owners or to drain all the oil this summer and switch to a 5w 40 fully synthetic instead okay so that's my introduction with a question all in one hope that is okay I've not a clue how this all works yet bit of trouble for me may not fully get it so help where you can please cheers

 

[DGPunto]

Personally I wouldn't use semi synthetic.


You can get the right stuff from Shop4parts (Link). Don't forget if you're a paid up member of the forum here you get a discount with them

 

[GrandePunto07]

I appreciate the answer you gave but do you have any idea on the rest of what I mentioned because if switching the oil now will do more harm than good then there is literally no point in doing so also I can easily find fully synthetic 5w 40 to be honest the reason behind the semi synthetic is even if you drain the oil residue will be left behind and fully synthetic would not blend where as semi synthetic allows some wiggle room to blend with whatever is left afterwards and do a better job overall but that is on the big if that changing the oil now wont cause further problems due to it being ran on a higher viscosity for the life of the engine thus far which obviously changes the amount of friction on the internal engine parts and at this point might well need the higher viscosity but I'm here for a second opinion on that if you or anyone else could answer that would be incredibly helpful as I can not find that information anywhere and I figure only other owners would know p.s thank you for your quick reply earlier

 

[jackwhoo]

I appreciate the answer you gave but do you have any idea on the rest of what I mentioned because if switching the oil now will do more harm than good then there is literally no point in doing so also I can easily find fully synthetic 5w 40 to be honest the reason behind the semi synthetic is even if you drain the oil residue will be left behind and fully synthetic would not blend where as semi synthetic allows some wiggle room to blend with whatever is left afterwards and do a better job overall but that is on the big if that changing the oil now wont cause further problems due to it being ran on a higher viscosity for the life of the engine thus far which obviously changes the amount of friction on the internal engine parts and at this point might well need the higher viscosity but I'm here for a second opinion on that if you or anyone else could answer that would be incredibly helpful as I can not find that information anywhere and I figure only other owners would know p.s thank you for your quick reply earlier

Don't over think it.
5w40 fully synthetic oil will be absolutely fine , it doesn't matter that 10w40 has been used before, it doesn't matter that it has had mineral oil or semi synthetic previously.
I would reccomend using a decent brand of oil.

 

[nikrox]

As said it wont hurt none to change to oem spec. Maybe use an engine flush or flushing oil if it makes you feel better...use a QUALITY oil too...

 

[GrandePunto07]

Thank you for answering my question and taking the time to help really appreciate it

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Agree with all above. I run both our 2010 1.2 Panda and my boy's 2014 1.4 8 valve Punto on 5W-40. If I'm ordering parts from Shop4parts - who I can thoroughly recommend - I buy their Petronus oil option : https://www.shop4parts.co.uk/?name=store&op=Product&ProdID=9076 It is a first class oil and a bit cheaper than the OE Selenium branded product - which I believe is also made by Petronas? I also look after some other family cars which aren't Fiats and I buy Fuchs oil from Opie for them :https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Fuchs-TI...015197&hash=item27d9a67e62:g:95wAAOSw9~5ZVh4Z Worth knowing that Opie often have offers on ebay, as here, considerably cheaper than on their main website which is showing this at £29.95 today.

5W-30 as against 5W-40? splitting hairs here. Once up to operating temperature their viscosity will be the same. When cold the 30 weight is going to be just a little "thinner" than a cold 10 weight. but I view that as an advantage because the oil is likely to find it's way up from the sump to the oil pump and then through the passageways more quickly so bringing lubricant to where it needs to be more quickly. By the way don't be alarmed if there is a small "rattle" from the top end of the engine when starting from cold, especially if the car has stood for a few days without being run. It's just the cam followers and should quickly stop, typically after just a few seconds, as the oil floods out of the spray holes over the cam lobes. This noise is not "big ends" and they pretty much all do it to a greater or lesser extent. Our Panda is quite a lot more noisy than my boy's Punto but both settle down to run quietly after even just a couple of seconds, which probably equates to a couple of dozen rotations of the crankshaft and they don't really do it if being run every day (ie going to work in the morning and then home at night.)

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Ps to the above. Don't get yourself in a twist over mixing "mineral" and synthetic" engine oils. You are very unlikely to do any damage. They've been mixable for years. - I wouldn't deliberately mix say half a dozen nearly empty cans to get enough for an oil change though! -If you are doing a complete oil and filter change the quantity of oil left behind is minimal and is of little consequence. If you, say, fill up with fully synthetic at oil change time and then top up with substantial amounts of mineral during running you will be degrading the efficacy of the fully synthetic product but, as long as you are using an oil of the correct viscosity you are unlikely to do any real damage - especially on a relatively simple and unstressed engine like our FIRE engines. Oils today are all about their base stocks and the highest performance oils are very expensive - for instance Fuchs Race Pro is an Ester/Poa based synthetic : https://www.powerenhancer.co.uk/fuchs-titan-race-pro-s-5w40-fully-synthetic-engine-oil.html. If I was running my car on that I wouldn't be mixing it! but for the sort of stuff I can afford and which my cars are very happy running on, I'm very happy to fill up with the Petronas at one service and the Fuchs at the next. I've even been known to top up with the Petronas when it's been a Fuchs fill at service time.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Another Ps. When choosing your oil find out what the Fiat spec for your car/engine is. My Panda is 9.55535-S2 It's in the manual. Look now at the specs for the Fuchs Titan GT1 5w-40 and there it is as a recommendation under the specifications : https://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-60166-...Rqxap3ASDFeYh2CCKYuDHDCyXkhH0mKRoCI5UQAvD_BwE

Alternatively an oil with a 5W-40 viscosity which complies with the European spec ACEA C3 which is a more generic spec, would be good. However if you look for the Fiat number then it's actually been certified to meet Fiat's requirements.

 

[brodare]

Fuchs GT1 Titan 5w40, just changed it with it in mine(1.4 8v) and it purrs like a kitten. Paid 22€ for 3l.

 

[Pugglt Auld Jock]

Fuchs GT1 Titan 5w40, just changed it with it in mine(1.4 8v) and it purrs like a kitten. Paid 22€ for 3l.

Last year my Ibiza was 4 years old so it was out of warranty. I'd been getting the services done at the SEAT main agent just in case any warranty work was needed and I'm glad I did as the Turbo seized it's wastegate when nearly 3 years old. It did enough damage the whole unit had to be renewed. No cost to me under warranty though, Maybe a couple of thousand pounds otherwise!

Anyway, now out of warranty I'm doing my own services. The dealer told me they were using Castrol but couldn't, or wouldn't tell me precisely what Castrol product they were using. To be fair I think the garages get a bulk delivery called Castrol Professional or something like that? I looked up the best Castrol product recommended for it and it was pretty expensive and only comes in a 4 litre container which is just enough to fill the sump with nothing left for top ups. With the engine being a small direct injection turbo petrol unit I know it's going to place pretty extreme demands on it's oil so after making a short list of a half dozen possibilities I emailed the various manufacturers with, what they probably thought were "silly questions". By far the most informative reply came from the Fuchs people and when I followed up with a request for clarification on a few points I got a very polite and informative reply back. I definitely got the impression these guys care and are themselves enthusiasts. So I went with the Fuchs Titan GT1 PRO C-3 XTL 5W-30 fully synthetic which is fully compliant with the VAG VW 504.00/507.00 specs. and comes in a five litre container - lovely jubbly! That was a year ago. The level has dropped by about a half of the mark on the dipstick in the nearly 6,000 miles I've done this year so I haven't actually had to top her up and she's just flashed up her service reminder again so I'll be buying another 5 litres from Opie, just seen one of their Ebay offers at a worthwhile saving, or I may just buy 4 one litre bottles this time.

Ps Another deciding factor was that I discovered Fuchs is now the supplier of the Quantum branded oils I used to buy from TPS (VW's trade factors) before they went trade customers only. (being retired I now can't easily access them) before that it was a Castrol product.