AmazonBasics 0W40 European - Really Full Synthetic, Group IV?

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I found a few threads and thoughts here about the Amazon Basics / Warren Distribution lines. As expected it's just a debate on how close or identical it is to SuperTech or Mag1 lines; who really cares if it's consistent. But really no coverage of the 0W-40 Euro Formula though, which is $25 for 5 qts. One thing stood out to me though - no Petroleum Institute starburst. At first this was a turn off but then after thinking about it I'm wondering if it could be a straight group IV sleeper? The similar Mag1 formula has an interesting spec sheet for sure. Nice low Noack, pour point etc. No certifications as expected with an under marketed product. But '100% pure synthetic oils' on that bottle is quite interesting - they might really mean it!

My use case is a 2010 MINI Cooper turbo, driven a lot of short Chicago winter trips. It has high oil consumption and is direct injected. So I've played with everything from the Rotella T6 line, some Mag1, Mobil1 Euro, Castrol Edge 0W-40, and LiquiMoly. All burned to varying degrees and were decent oils. But I'm worried about how often I'll need to be walnut blasting my intake as it gets coked up with burn-off, the DI curse. I'm sure there's subtle pros and cons to each and likely all are fine. But a group IV base stock at half the price of a Red Line or Motul or whatever would be interesting to make my regular fill. Thoughts?

Edit: Some interesting Mag1 Euro Formula OEM / Industry approval test results
 
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"Group IV sleeper" you say? Nope. If its sourced from Warren's Mag1 0w40 it's not. Its all Group3. (Safety Data Sheets usually list PAO, and this one doesn't have it.)
Probably OK oil. Castrol Edge or Mobil1 0w40 at walmart is a better choice since they are officially approved 229.5 oils and cheap.
The list of oils you've used means you are doing about all you can do.
As for your question (worry) about DI valve stem deposits, you could switch to Mobil1 ESP 5w30 or 0w40 or an LL-04 oil which is lower saps in hopes that will help. You can do it with current low-sulfur gasoline we finally have now in the U.S.
 
redline is prolly the best for a DI engine, but with mini's track record + seeing your burning oil only cure is another vehicle! minis are neat + i like them but NEVER enough to buy one!!!
 
Originally Posted by elverado
But a group IV base stock at half the price of a Red Line or Motul or whatever would be interesting to make my regular fill. Thoughts?
That's a little optimistic. It "has" more certs than M1 or EDGE 0W40 so it would probably be worth a VOA. Think about the people who would buy this oil, why would it be some group IV holy water? Joe six-pack won't care about that.
 
Thanks for all the thoughts so far. Any reason for it not to have the API Starburst? I thought only shady gas station brands lacked that. Or high end non-petroleum based oils. It is SN rated.
 
Originally Posted by elverado
Thanks for all the thoughts so far. Any reason for it not to have the API Starburst? I thought only shady gas station brands lacked that. Or high end non-petroleum based oils. It is SN rated.

The API Certification Mark ("Starburst") is for ILSAC resource conserving oils and is not directly related to overall quality. I don't think Mobil 1 nor Castrol 0W-40 have it either although I'm too lazy to go out to my garage and look. The API Service Symbol ("Donut") on the back is what shows that it is SN.

The quality for the Amazon oil is represented by the ACEA A3/B4 rating and the SN license.
 
Above is correct. No starburst on M1 or Castrol 0w40

Mercedes spec though 229.5
wink.gif


Tough to beat the above 2 and they are the same price...infact they may be two of the best oils money can buy and in my opinion are
 
Originally Posted by Doublehaul
Above is correct. No starburst on M1 or Castrol 0w40

Mercedes spec though 229.5
wink.gif


Tough to beat the above 2 and they are the same price...infact they may be two of the best oils money can buy and in my opinion are


Yeah both those oils have MB 229.5 spec. The Amazon Basics does not. For the same money, one oil without the spec and the other with it, I'd get the spec every time. Plus if you're not in a hurry last year Mobil did a $12 rebate for up to 4 five quart jugs so it was a no brainer to stock up then. I'd rather pick good oil off the shelf than have some unknown spec oil shipped to the door.
 
For me I'd be far more worried about the approvals listed on that linked sheet that are "Meets Requirements" or "Suitable for Use" than I would be about a missing starburst, which is meaningless for these types of oils. For example it says it is suitable for use for some Mercedes Benz approvals but it does not appear on the BeVo approval list. Same for the other approvals, one guesses that the "p" listed by those means it is pending, but in general "Meets Requirements" is an odd way to describe an approval.

Mobil 1 0W-40 currently at $19.99 for five quarts at Walmart is a very good deal and there's no obfuscation by ExxonMobil as to what approvals the oil actually carries.

Originally Posted by elverado
I found a few threads and thoughts here about the Amazon Basics / Warren Distribution lines. As expected it's just a debate on how close or identical it is to SuperTech or Mag1 lines; who really cares if it's consistent. But really no coverage of the 0W-40 Euro Formula though, which is $25 for 5 qts. One thing stood out to me though - no Petroleum Institute starburst. At first this was a turn off but then after thinking about it I'm wondering if it could be a straight group IV sleeper? The similar Mag1 formula has an interesting spec sheet for sure. Nice low Noack, pour point etc. No certifications as expected with an under marketed product. But '100% pure synthetic oils' on that bottle is quite interesting - they might really mean it!

My use case is a 2010 MINI Cooper turbo, driven a lot of short Chicago winter trips. It has high oil consumption and is direct injected. So I've played with everything from the Rotella T6 line, some Mag1, Mobil1 Euro, Castrol Edge 0W-40, and LiquiMoly. All burned to varying degrees and were decent oils. But I'm worried about how often I'll need to be walnut blasting my intake as it gets coked up with burn-off, the DI curse. I'm sure there's subtle pros and cons to each and likely all are fine. But a group IV base stock at half the price of a Red Line or Motul or whatever would be interesting to make my regular fill. Thoughts?

Edit: Some interesting Mag1 Euro Formula OEM / Industry approval test results
 
My understanding on the 'meets requirements' vs being able to advertise on the bottles and appear on the manufacturer approval list has to do with the fees and effort required. As a big blender of store brands, fleet bulk and the military I'd guess they have their own lab to test against known requirements, but don't want to go through the fees. Any truth to that?
 
My understanding is that an oil either has an approval or it doesn't. Approvals are how an oil demonstrates that it is the correct oil for use in a specific application. Without that it's left up to me to make a suitability decision and frankly I'd rather not have that responsibility.

The scenario you outline is the one people generally use to explain away an oil that does not have a required approval. Approvals actually aren't all that expensive in the scheme of things.
 
Originally Posted by Kira
How much do they cost?

About $25. Since you can get comparable euro type 0W-40 oils for $20-22 / 5 qts I was curious what was up with the seemingly premium price. If you're asking for manufacturer approval prices, I'm curious as well. We'll need someone in the industry to chime in.
 
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Originally Posted by elverado
About $25. Since you can get comparable euro type 0W-40 oils for $20-22 / 5 qts I was curious what was up with the seemingly premium price. If you're asking for manufacturer approval prices, I'm curious as well. We'll need someone in the industry to chime in.

Are they "comparable"? We don't know for sure since AmazonBasics/Mag1 0w-40 doesn't have approvals beyond SN. Its a big unknown.
I'd stick with oils that have real approvals, not ones that merely state they "might" be good enough.
That said, use AmazonBasics if it floats your boat. Probably good enough for government work. Its a passable Group3, legally labelled Synthetic in the U.S., oil.
Castrol and Mobil1 0w40 both have around 1/3 to 1/2 PAO (Group4), BTW.
 
Originally Posted by paoester
Are they "comparable"? We don't know for sure since AmazonBasics/Mag1 0w-40 doesn't have approvals beyond SN. Its a big unknown.
I'd stick with oils that have real approvals, not ones that merely state they "might" be good enough.
That said, use AmazonBasics if it floats your boat. Probably good enough for government work. Its a passable Group3, legally labelled Synthetic in the U.S., oil.
Castrol and Mobil1 0w40 both have around 1/3 to 1/2 PAO (Group4), BTW.

I'd believe the Amazon statement that the oil has ACEA A3/B4 as well, and probably the Mag 1 listing. So that's a bit more than just API SN and not what I'd call a big unknown.

And both oils are "legally labeled [full] synthetic" everywhere in the world except Germany, not just the US.
 
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