MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

So its boxing day and what better time to carry out a mini service on the family wheels.

Car is a fifty thousand mile 2007 Astra SRI petrol estate

So this morning I popped down to halfords with my trade card in hand to pick up an oil filter, air filter and 5Lt of oil. The handbook suggests a 5w30 fully synthetic oil so that's what the car will get.
So, while searching through their shelf I noticed they sell manufacturer specific oil, a 5w30 for Ford, a 5w30 for Vauxhall etc etc etc. The Vauxhall fully synthetic 5w30 was £32, the Audi 5w30 fully synthetic was £42 while the Ford variety was just £22.
I asked a staff member what it was all about and he just looked at me like I was asking him how to rebuild a jet engine.

Being a tight git I picked up the cheaper Ford oil, still fully synthetic and still a 5W30.

Anyone have any idea what it's all about, there can't be any difference between them surely.

Oh, and with the trade card I picked up all three service items for under £35. Happy days :-)

taylor85

iTrader: (5)

I used that Vauxhall oil in most my cars! Tho I'm a Vauxhall fan , I think it's the same stuff just rebranded !

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

For Vauxhalls it easy: Use anything with a "DEXOS 2" rating

Viscosity doesn't means much for the average car these days. As its manufacturer's specification that dictates the quality and durability of the oil. In your case that's Dexos2 which supersedes all the old GM LL-x-025 specifications.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Ford rated oil is an odd ball

For example : Their WSS-M2C-913-C rated oil (yes I had to remember via google ), is in addition to the petrols, also used for their diesels fitted with a DPF.

Now many WSS-M2C-913-C (including WSS-M2C-913-A and WSS-M2C-913-B) rated oils are only rated to ACEA A1 specification.

Whats wrong with that? A1 isn't meant to be low-ash. Bad for DPF.
Now a DPF equipped car is supposed to use a C1, C2 or C3 rated oil.

The Ford WSS-M2C-913-C oils typically isn't C1/C2/C3, but its still used in DPF equipped cars - without issue (personal experience on Ford DPF equipped engines serviced with Magnatec 5w-30A1 from new and are now approaching 200,000 miles without issue ). What this means is WSS-M2C-913-C IS low ash, but what has probably happened is its not been endorsed by the ACEA, putting oil through endorsement tests costs money (probably a bit like buying music, some of the money pays for royalties)

Whats the deal? Well, WSS-M2C-913-C oils are cheaper!

Point being the same engine used in Peugeot/Citroen and Minis specify a much more expensive C2 or C3 rated oil! The only difference is the service interval (1yr/12.5K Ford vs. 2yr 12K PSA). And if you owned a 1.6HDi and you knew whats good for it, you'd change the oil every year anyway.

JDM_Stig

iTrader: (3)

you could just have got 2 of their (Halfords) 4ltr VX spec Fully Synth tubs for £24, and had some left for top ups.

drummog

The speced for Ford oil is at the low end of the viscoity rating for a 5W/30 so uses a touch less fuel and 10 to 12 k oil changes. As it hits the ACEA A5 B5 spec it is just as good an oil as the A3 B4 oil below

The speced for Vauxhal is at the higher end of the 5W/30 range and uses a touch more fuel but will last say 18k mile changes. The B4 is the spec for direct injection engines tha pass more fuel past the rings in the past this was a tougher oil.

Since 2010 the A5/B5 oils have had to perform to the same specs so it appears it is a thicker oil but not particularly better than the than the lighter oils.

Both will not wreck your engine and the fuel consumption difference will be minimal.

At the moment the Halfords brand is £12 for 4 litres. It was £10.80 yesterday for click and collect .

johned

I believe that comma supplied the oil some time back but don`t know about now.

drummog

If you go on to the Halfords site the oils mentioned have links to the safety spec / materials handling sheet and the sheets are from Comma.


So I believe Comma still supply Halfords with their own brand oil.


eddie

boosted

Ford Zetecs invented the 5w oil because they were crap and jacked the lifters up when cold.
Up until this point there was no such thing as a 5 weight oil.
If ford built their engines properly in the first place in the 90's we would not have seen the use of the thin 5 weight oils on their engines

drummog

Nonsence

In 1960 there were plenty 5W/30 oils. Castrol, Shell and many others blended them for cold countries.

The Zetec engine did not see the light of day until 1992.

The wider use of 5W/30 grade oils started in 1990 and increased in 2000 and on to reduce friction and improve cold starting lubrication of modern engines.

eddie

boosted

I'm not an oil freak, not really that clued up, all I know is that Zetecs were crap until they went solid lifters and 5w pils are for emissions and cold starts, not for men with big hp. No high powered car uses a thin oil

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Bollocks: 5w oil was available in the 1980's to reduce friction and improve fuel economy, mainly in the USA (and racing). Not to fix dodgy British/EU 1990's Ford. It was around whilst UK Fords were was still chugging around with CHVs, Pintos and Kents

Otherwise explain why they didn't use 0w oils which was introduced in the 90's.


My RQB headed XR3 16v would always jack up the lifters on a cold start during the winter in the first week AFTER a oil change. Regardless of grade used and having 6month changes. I used 0w-30 in it and it'd still do it.

Give a week though and even on 15w-50 it would be fine (Had some left over from the old man's Jag). The lifters or the engine were the last of my worries on that car. It munched gearboxes for breakfast....now Ford using DexronII in their early MTX75 gearboxes WAS due to their gearboxes being crap. Otherwise it'd have used normal gear oil like the BC-type 'boxes


0w-20 is now the new trend. Should be fun ins a Subaru

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

Even I know that's bollocks and i know bugger all about all.



So lads, what we are saying is that the halfords oil that I purchased which the label suggests be used in fords or volvo's will be fine in my little astra ???

boosted

Both my zetec turbos jacked up the lifters when the oil was anything but hot. Not matter what oil was in them 5-30 or otherwise. However my turboed XR3i 130 had a cracking mtx75 box it even had an oil drain plug so it could be serviced... Unlike the BC boxes that simply leaked oil from the diff seals and had no drain plug! Because the diff bearings, first motion shaft bearing and gearbox would be knackered before it would even need a service.

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Porsche using 0w-40 Mobile One as a factory fill oil in their cars since 1996 doesn't count then? (I even remember the adverts )

boosted

And you go to Halfords for service items. Calm down son

boosted

Next someone will be saying you can't put Diesel engine oil in an impreza making 320bhp... Lol

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

So you had three s**t engines whilst I had three s**t gearboxes.

boosted

So you would use a 0w oil in an EJ with very narrow bearings? Not for me thanks
A light oil
Like that is for cold starts not longevity

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

And why wouldn't I ??

Where else could you buy a oil filter, air filter and oil for £32. It's a Vauxhall Astra not a bloody Ferrari.

Next you'll be starting a thread telling people to put thinners in with their petrol........oh hang on, you did that already

boosted

Erm no I only had two zetec turbos not three.
Had two CVH turbos that are six BC boxes between them, converted a Mk4 escort to Mtx75 and a Mk3 escort to MTx 75 too, because they are a superior box to the BC box, that's why the Nobel used an MTx75 and not a BC box!

boosted

If it's only for a poxy Astra why have you started a thread about the oil you have put in it, no one cares

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

I started a thread because I was intrigued as to why halfords would specify oil for each vehicle manufacturer when, on the face of it, the oil appeared the same in each bottle.
The fact each bottle of oil also varied quite largely in price was also intriguing.

Now leave me alone as i'm now raiding the Mrs nail varnish remover to pour in with my v-power. I've heard it'll make my car well fast.....

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Later MTX75 out the Focus/Mondeo/Coogar were fine. The very first ones in the RS1800 and XR3 130 (and Orion 1.8 Ghia) were shyte.

boosted

RS1800 was a fiesta no? That had a BC box?
As far as I was aware no fiesta came with an MTX75.
I used to use the mk6 escort TD MTX in my conversions

boosted

It's called marketing, something that has obviously worked well.
What science did you study and pass at school? Physics, chemistry or biology.
Or was it general science

MattyB1983

iTrader: (51)

I actually studied all three as I was fortunate enough to go to a private school
Let's not start posting our grades and achievements though hey as you are quite clearly far superior to me

It may well be a marketing ploy but from what I can gather (from reading Ali's posts) the oil is actually slightly different because each manufacturer states different requirements. Unless I've misunderstood Ali ???

ALi-B

iTrader: (1)

Thinking about it now I maybe mistaken on the fez.

boosted

Explains a lot

boosted

All very rusty creatures none the less lol