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Technical Oil Change

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Technical Oil Change

loveshandbags said:
Does Shell's 5w40 oil meet the spec of ACEA C3 ? Probably not that important for your 1.4 engine but for a Twin Air - I wouldn't chance it.

I don't know anything about Agip except what came back on a google search - but I personally wouldn't be happy with a garage (even a Fiat one) using generic oil particularily on one of the newer engines.
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Agip is the national italian oil brand (owned by ENI italian oil company) so i guess thats why it is used in Fiat dealers here! I guess in Italy they use Agip also. Dont forget Selenia is a brand of Petronas, a Malaysian company, so i guess fiat dealers alternate between the two. Actually i may as well just keep on topping it up with some Agip as that is the oil that went in the car and will keep the consistency instead of going to Shell's lubricants. I thought that if the viscosity number is the same no problem?

Or maybe i do 306maxi style and get some Castrol by going to BP petrol stations!
 
loveshandbags said:
The generic oil that I was referring to was what a 'local' garage uses - one synthetic 'fits all' in a hugh container. On Tony's 'shortlived' TA - it was suspected that the wrong oil was used.
When I checked Shell's oil I couldn't find a 5W-40 that meet the spec of ACEA C3.
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Wasnt tony's TA filled up with 5w-30 which is shells ultra 'extra' compound instead of just ultra?
 
I guess the point we've reached is, if someone knowingly decides to use oil which does not meet the engine manufacturer specifications and this consequently results in catastrophic engine failure, then they only have themselves to blame. They can then sit back firmly on their laurels and claim that they knew it all. ;)
 
frupi said:
After lots of research on 'tinternet' this avo, there don't appear to be many brands that meet ACEA C3 spec in 5w40. I'm making sure I buy one that does.
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As mentioned previously Castrol Edge is C3 spec :)
 

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Yep, absolutely no issues with the Castrol, and it is good oil, but there are other lubricants out there which are apparently equally as good as well as being a little bit cheaper. As long as it meets Fiat spec and its use doesn't affect the warranty, that's all I'm interested in.
 
When I purchased my 1.2 pop I decided to buy a litre of oil from the fiat dealership for top up purposes. They offered Total Quartz 9000 5w40, saying that this it what they used for their servicing, so it shows there are many brands meeting the correct specifications. I still have not used any of it yet, as it does not need topping up between the fiat services, (warranty) however when I do decide to do my own oil changes it will be the case of shopping round for the best priced correct oil.
 
123barney said:
When I purchased my 1.2 pop I decided to buy a litre of oil from the fiat dealership for top up purposes. They offered Total Quartz 9000 5w40, saying that this it what they used for their servicing, so it shows there are many brands meeting the correct specifications. I still have not used any of it yet, as it does not need topping up between the fiat services, (warranty) however when I do decide to do my own oil changes it will be the case of shopping round for the best priced correct oil.
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And just to prove just how great Fiat dealers are.......

It would appear that Total Quartz 9000 5w40 does not meet the ACEA C3 standard

:chin:

http://www.performanceoilstore.com/information_files/ELF to TOTAL Refercence Chart.pdf

I would encourage you NOT to use any of the oil that they've provided you.
 
306maxi said:
And just to prove just how great Fiat dealers are.......

It would appear that Total Quartz 9000 5w40 does not meet the ACEA C3 standard

:chin:

http://www.performanceoilstore.com/information_files/ELF to TOTAL Refercence Chart.pdf

I would encourage you NOT to use any of the oil that they've provided you.
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http://www.performanceoilstore.com/information_files/ELF to TOTAL Refercence Chart.pdf

Total don't do a 5w40 with an ACEA C3 rating.

ACEA
This is the European equivalent of API (US) and is more specific in what the performance of the oil actually is. A = Petrol, B = Diesel and C = Catalyst compatible or low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur).
Unlike API the ACEA specs are split into performance/application catagories as follows:
A1 Fuel economy petrol
A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
A3 High performance and/or extended drain
A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines
A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance
B1 Fuel economy diesel
B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
B3 High performance and/or extended drain
B4 For direct injection car diesel engines
B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance
C1-04 Petrol and Light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 low SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C2-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C3-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible, Higher performance levels due to higher HTHS.
Note: SAPS = Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous and Sulphur.
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http://www.driverstechnology.co.uk/oils.htm


I wonder how many feckless dealers will give people the wrong oil for the twinair and cause problems with the multiair system.......
 
123barney said:
When I purchased my 1.2 pop I decided to buy a litre of oil from the fiat dealership for top up purposes. They offered Total Quartz 9000 5w40, saying that this it what they used for their servicing, so it shows there are many brands meeting the correct specifications. I still have not used any of it yet, as it does not need topping up between the fiat services, (warranty) however when I do decide to do my own oil changes it will be the case of shopping round for the best priced correct oil.
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'it does not need topping up between services'


are you serious??? I certianly have needed to top up mine between services, to the tune of 2 liters (it was being driven hard and of course it was being run in from new)!

Please check your oil from time to time, both common sense and Fiat tell you to!
 
ahmett said:
Maxi is there a website that says which oils match the rating?
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Not that I'm aware of. Nice spot about the not topping up....... why would anyone need to have a litre of oil in their car if the car didn't need topping up?
 
It's actually slightly concerning. What's the point of a manufacturer speccing a particular type of oil if an allegedly qualified person then recommends or uses something inappropriate? If this does happen (I hope not), it is done because of cost or whatever particular deal the servicing dealership can negotiate through a particular wholesaler at the time, or is it just plain ignorance?

Again, there are lubricants out there which meet Fiat spec which are readily available, some of which are considerably cheaper than Fiats' own recommended oil.

I'm getting mine from here: (not a personal recommendation, just for info!)

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-recommendations-car-or-bike.aspx
 
ahmett said:
'it does not need topping up between services'


are you serious??? I certianly have needed to top up mine between services, to the tune of 2 liters (it was being driven hard and of course it was being run in from new)!

Please check your oil from time to time, both common sense and Fiat tell you to!
Click to expand...

He just meant that his level did not drop. Neither did mine in its first year. But the car got only gentle use on a lowish mileage. That's not to say that I didn't check it periodically.
 
frupi said:
It's actually slightly concerning. What's the point of a manufacturer speccing a particular type of oil if an allegedly qualified person then recommends or uses something inappropriate? If this does happen (I hope not), it is done because of cost or whatever particular deal the servicing dealership can negotiate through a particular wholesaler at the time, or is it just plain ignorance?

Again, there are lubricants out there which meet Fiat spec which are readily available, some of which are considerably cheaper than Fiats' own recommended oil.

I'm getting mine from here: (not a personal recommendation, just for info!)

http://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-recommendations-car-or-bike.aspx
Click to expand...

Sadly there are people out there who just don't know the whole story. I'll be honest and say that before I owned my 500 I didn't know anything about oil other than what 5w40 meant and about semi synth and fully synth oil. But then again I wasn't working in a dealership telling people which oil to put in their car.

But I'm the sort of person who, if I don't know something, tries to spend a few hours reading online about it and gaining an understanding of what it all means before I go telling someone to do something which could potentially damage their car. I try not to give advice on subjects that I'm not very sure about. I think it's only right.
 
 
306maxi said:
Sadly there are people out there who just don't know the whole story. I'll be honest and say that before I owned my 500 I didn't know anything about oil other than what 5w40 meant and about semi synth and fully synth oil. But then again I wasn't working in a dealership telling people which oil to put in their car.

But I'm the sort of person who, if I don't know something, tries to spend a few hours reading online about it and gaining an understanding of what it all means before I go telling someone to do something which could potentially damage their car. I try not to give advice on subjects that I'm not very sure about. I think it's only right.
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Your post reflects precisely the reason why I telephoned the people in the link I posted previously. When someone offers free technical advice on a non-premium rate number, is friendly and genuinely appears to be be unbiased toward a particular brand but spends five minutes actually explaining the differences between semi/fully synthetic oils (incredibly boring for many I realise), then that works for me. I believe it has helped me make an informed decision.
 
That Castrol Edge is NOT C3 spec, it is A3/B4 just the same (and equally "unsuitable" as the Total oil used by the Fiat garage mentioned previously.

It is marketed as an "equivalent" where C3 is recommended or specified.

If you're going to change oil between official garage services, it makes sense to use the same oil they do, especially if you don't change the filter (which is not necessary for an in-between oil change).
 
bluejohn125 said:
That Castrol Edge is NOT C3 spec, it is A3/B4 just the same (and equally "unsuitable" as the Total oil used by the Fiat garage mentioned previously.

It is marketed as an "equivalent" where C3 is recommended or specified.

If you're going to change oil between official garage services, it makes sense to use the same oil they do, especially if you don't change the filter (which is not necessary for an in-between oil change).
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If you actually look at the specifications you'll see that it's a C3 oil....

I draw your attention to -> https://www.fiatforum.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=96413&d=1321911832 also......
 
frupi said:
Your post reflects precisely the reason why I telephoned the people in the link I posted previously. When someone offers free technical advice on a non-premium rate number, is friendly and genuinely appears to be be unbiased toward a particular brand but spends five minutes actually explaining the differences between semi/fully synthetic oils (incredibly boring for many I realise), then that works for me. I believe it has helped me make an informed decision.
Click to expand...

I have not read back but I recall you are talking about Opie Oils. I have used them to buy cleaning products beofre and they are exceptionally helpful and do things like sending it on the extra cost fast service without charging. Highly recommended for their CS. I'm not surprised to hear they know their stuff technically too.
 
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