A lubricant engineer is a good contact to have then !Hello all,
Just a cautionary bit of advice for you. As some of you may have seen me mention, I am a lubricant research engineer. Basically I work for a worldwide corperation, testing both our current and future lubricants against manufacturer's specifications and comparing out products to the competition on paper, but also in lab and real world conditions.
My sister has decided to sell her Panda and asked me to go over the service history, paperwork and invoices with her, in which I found that the dealer group she uses (which I think is the largest in the country) has been filling her car with Shell Helix Ultra each time it has been serviced.
First of all, I'm not slating this product, it is a quality engine oil. However it does not meet 9.55535-S2, nor does it fit ACEA C3, which is the required spec for factory and service fill for the 500, panda and most of the fiat range, regardless of 1.2 or twinair.
I have done a little digging and contacted multiple dealers within the chain who all said that oil is what they use as service fill if your car is taken in. Seems to be a company wide thing. I also contacted Fiat UK who stated very very clearly that if engine damage occurs which is in any way attributable to the oil used, the warranty is invalidated due to the use of oils not fitting the fiat technical standard.
Basically the short and curly of the situation is check your service invoices now and in future. Only one version of Helix Ultra fits this standard which is AT-L, regardless of professional or over the counter versions and none of the dealers I spoke to (11 of them) use this version. Even if they do, it is not a Fiat approved oil, shell just says it meets the standard. I know, I've done testing on the stuff! And If your dealer is filling with these products, question it.
Sorry if this seems a bit OTT but consider the cost if your engine goes bang or suffers a fault and Fiat Technical requests a oil sample - which they often do and then find the oil doesn't satisfy the spec. That bill is now on you and so are any in future. Bye bye warranty!
The only oils to my awareness that fit the specifications and have been tested and certified to do so are Castrol Edge titanium and Petronas Selenia in multiple guises, both have it in black and white on the bottles of the relevant oil that they meet and exceed these specs, and have the technical specifications numbers on the label. If they do not, they are old stock or a different grade. Both are certified as service fill and the Selenia is the factory fill for our vehicles.
It's deeply frustrating to think that lot of us pay a fair chunk of money for our cars to be looked after by the main dealer, and if I found they put my warranty and my engine, EGR, Sensors and cat at risk by using the wrong grade of oil, there is a fair chance I would be down there with a pickaxe handle ?
If we are taking them out of the dealer network and into indepenants or are out of warranty, that's a different story where lack of info or bulletins can come into it. I don't expect it from a franchised dealer who charge a fair wedge for the privilege of using them.
Also: The other Shell Helix oil that 'fits' the required specification is Helix HX7 ECT. However this is not a fully synthetic oil as fiat/alfa states is required, it's is semi synthetic, and while it is stated that this oil attains the requirements of ACEA C3 and 9.55535-S2 it has not been approved or tested by fiat and only fits the spec on paper. Also Castrol Magnatec C3 claims to meet the spec but neither Castrol nor Fiat can confirm that it is certified and tested to do so. Minefield out there!
It seems like I am not mad then to use genuine fiat selina oil and change it and the filter every 3,000 miles, my friends think I am mad and say oil is oil but you have just confirmed what I always thought .