Two questions on a Panda 1.1 2006
I always use fully synthetic (why would you not?).
I agree mainly because it's going to have the very latest in additive packages. However having said that, our wee F.I.R.E. engines are pretty "agricultural" and basic in design. Unlike the Multi air and Twin air units which, from all the posts on here, are VERY critical of their oil. However, if I was really wanting to save every last penny I'd not be too worried about feeding a F.I.R.E. engine on semi synthetic or even straight mineral oil - but to the correct spec. Regular changes of oil being much more important in my view.
1). Book says 10-40w but I favour 5-40w as it is better when starting in winter and the 40w weight is still thick enough in summer. Seems to go well enough and is a good starter. Any views on this choice. What about mainly 5-30w and maybe a litre of 10-40?
I run our Panda 1.2 (60hp) on Fuchs 5W-40 and used to run my boy's Punto 1.4 VVT on the same and the results have been excellent with the inside of the engine staying really clean and the thinner cold rating - 5W - helping the oil to circulate quickly which helps the "cold start tappet rattle" disappear very quickly. I used to run Felicity, the panda in my avatar picture, on 10W-40 but back then 5W-40 wasn't a common spec. The 10w only means it's slightly more viscous when cold compared to the 5W stuff. As both are 40W when hot they will be largely the same for most of the run time on the engine.
Mixing 5W-30 and 10w-40, I have to ask what's the point? It's going to make so little difference to viscosity it will be pretty much impossible to detect. Also, unless you use exactly the same make of oil, you may compromise the additive effectiveness and the additives are very important in modern oils. So no, I wouldn't do it.
2). Anyone used Mannol. It is 1/2 price other oils. It must meet specs or would be rejected in the UK, but I am suspicious. Given the car is 16 years old and I change the oil every 5K miles and given that oil technology has come on in those years, if the oil is not as good as Mobil 1, does it matter?
Interested in opinions.
I've seen Mannol advertised but non of my suppliers deal with it so I've never used it. If it complies with the Fiat spec (955535-S2 for our Panda and the boy's Punto) then it'll be fine. Mobil1 is a fine oil but bit of an overkill for something like our wee Fiats.
I'd just like to add. We're looking at a pretty basic engine here, No turbo, no hydraulic valve tappets, (all right, later versions have VVT cams but they don't seem to be "oil fussy") also on newer engines there are often calibrated oil restrictors for oil supply to camshafts, piston cooling sprays, etc, etc. These more modern engines are VERY oil critical and many require very specific oils to function properly - just look at the posts on here regarding the Twin air problems when people have used the wrong oil. So, be very careful indeed as to what you stick in any of these wee modern engines. For me, if it's a car/engine I'm not familiar with then a good indicator is whether it has a turbo or not. Turbos are very hard on their oils due to the extremes of heat they induce in the oil - most actually use the oil flowing through them as a coolant - So, as soon as I see an engine with a turbo It's shouting out to me to check what the Manufacturer's oil spec is and then buy an oil which meets that spec (I'm talking about the actual manufacturer's spec here, not simply that it's a 5W-30 for instance. So the Panda runs on 5W-40 to FIAT 955535-S2 and the Scala runs on 0W-20 to VAG VW508.00/509.00 and you'll find these manufacturer specs on the tin if you look hard enough. In fact the Scala, being new, may well be filled with a Fuchs product as Fuchs are an original fill supplier to Skoda/VW
Just for illustrative purposes here's a container of actual VW product for the Scala:
https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/12653265...XFcn_lycnySSQkUkliZSIY2gQdQVkC3hoCehwQAvD_BwE You can see both the SAE (Society of Automotive Engineers) viscosity rating and the , much more important, VW specification in smaller lettering underneath.
