Audi Castrol EDGE 5-40 vs Syntec 0-30 Question

[Quadrasteer]

Been using the Syntec 0W-30 (made in Germany) in my '06 Audi A6 3.2 & A4 2.0T for several years w/ no problems. On Castrol's site it recommends the EDGE 5W-40 w/ SPT (USA). The newly named EDGE, formerly Syntec, has the BMW, Mercedes & VW spec. labeling on the front of the bottle, the Syntec says European Formula. Which is the better choice for my (out of warranty) Audis, or is the M1 0-40 just as good or better?? These are the specs for the 2 Castrols:

The API Service on the 0-30 is SL, SJ, CF
ACEA: A3/B3, A3/B4
BMW Longlife-01
MB-Approval 229.1/229.3/229.5
VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01
ILSAC GF-3/GF-2

The API Service on th 5-40 is SM,SL/CF
ACEA: A3/B4
VW 501 01, 502 00, 505 00
BMW Longlife-01
MB Approval 229.3
Porsche A40
Exceeds GF-4

 

[skyship]

The Castrol oil is a 5/40 and will last slightly longer due to shear at high temperatures, so unless you are in Alaska or Canada this winter I would use the Edge. Mobil 0/40 is also a good oil and will produce similar UOA results.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Between the two Castrol oils that you mentioned, the 0w-30 is a better oil. It meets more stringent mfg specs such as MB 229.5. So does M1 0w-40.

As far as which to go with in your case, I'd decide based on price and availability.

 

[skyship]

Forgot to say that if you stick to Castrol, then the 0/30 is good when the engine is newish and lasts longer than M1 0/40, BUT if you have clocked a lot of hard miles then the 5/40 is better as it will lower your oil consumption and might reduce leaks.

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Between the two Castrol oils that you mentioned, the 0w-30 is a better oil. It meets more stringent mfg specs such as MB 229.5. So does M1 0w-40.

As far as which to go with in your case, I'd decide based on price and availability.

 

[The Critic]

I would instead go with the Valvoline 5w-40 MST. It is on sale for $5.19/qt right now at NAPA and it also meets 229.51.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I would instead go with the Valvoline 5w-40 MST. It is on sale for $5.19/qt right now at NAPA and it also meets 229.51.

If he has a DI engine, using a low/mid SAPS oil such as this Valvo may not be a bad idea. Supposedly it helps reduce DI valve deposits. He may just need to cut down his OCI a bit.

 

[skyship]

The question was about which two of the Castrol oils or Mobil 1 to use, there is no need to consider a move down market to Valve oil.
http://www.pqiamerica.com/

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: skyship
there is no need to consider a move down market to Valve oil.

What exactly about Synpower 5w-40 is "down market"?

 

[Quadrasteer]

Thanks for the replies. Haven't been on the forum for a while, I remember when the M1 was not considered to be that great and the German Castrol was the superior oil. When I saw the VW specs on the 5W-40 bottle it threw me off. I did use 2 qts of the 5-40 and mixed it with the 5 qts of the 0-30 that I had, one of the two came out almost as green as anti freeze and the other looked like regular motor oil. It seems that Castrol is aware of the green oil and said that it used a different formulation to keep up with demand, whatever that means. The Castrol is on sale for $5.99, or they lowered the price, at AdvanceAuto so that make it cheaper than the $6.47 M1 at WallyMart. I was surprised to find the 0-30 on Advanced's site because they never had it before but when I tried to purchase it they said that the stores don't stock it and it could not be ordered ([censored]?) So I would have to wait for an oil change special at Auto Zone to get it at a decent price. As far as the M1 goes, doesn't it make a difference that the 0-40 is not an EP oil? Just a heads up, there's a couple of good offers on the M1 site.

 

[skyship]

M1 is a good oil, but the narrower the viscosity range the longer it lasts in high temp shear terms and a 5W is fine in winter unless you are subject to Polar or Artic conditions.
M1 did get a silly bad rap from high mileage users who did not use the HM version and had varnish loaded engines, as it has a lot of detergents and that can result in increased oil consumption or even leaks if the seals are bad.
Stick to Castrol synthetics or Liqui Moly Synthoils, as the Brits and Germans do know how to make good oils for the autobahn.
If Castrol Edge is cheaper then that has to be the best one, but spend any spare cash on a real Audi filter, not an orange can of death etc.

 

[OVERKILL]

skyship:

Actually, the latest version of M1 0w40 have shown to be very shear stable. Historically, the grade was known to shear down to a heavy 30 in no time flat. But even then, this was heavily application dependant. I ran it in my Expedition and it didn't shear at all

 

[dparm]

Wide viscosity spread does not always mean "easily sheared". That's a myth. We've seen M1 0w40 with hard lives in Corvettes that stayed in-grade.

 

[Hessam]

Is the Castro Edge with Syntec 5W-40 still made in Belgium, or made in the USA these days? Does it also say European formula on the bottle like the GC does?

 

[fdcg27]

It sounds like you had an old quart of the holy grail.
Green GC was the old formula and some on here regard it as a better oil than the current gold formula.

 

[poiuy223]

Originally Posted By: skyship
Forgot to say that if you stick to Castrol, then the 0/30 is good when the engine is newish and lasts longer than M1 0/40, BUT if you have clocked a lot of hard miles then the 5/40 is better as it will lower your oil consumption and might reduce leaks.


Where'd this come from?

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: poiuy223
Originally Posted By: skyship
Forgot to say that if you stick to Castrol, then the 0/30 is good when the engine is newish and lasts longer than M1 0/40, BUT if you have clocked a lot of hard miles then the 5/40 is better as it will lower your oil consumption and might reduce leaks.


Where'd this come from?

Totally unsubstantiated, IMO.

 

[sdriver]

Originally Posted By: fdcg27
It sounds like you had an old quart of the holy grail.
Green GC was the old formula and some on here regard it as a better oil than the current gold formula.


Change must be happening with Castrol. I just bought 14 quarts of 5w40 EDGE "made in USA" from my local VW dealer and so far 7 of the 9 bottles that I opened have the GREEN oil. Scared the [censored] out of me until I searched the forum!

 

[dparm]

Pretty hard to beat M1 0w40 -- excellent specs and a modern formula (API SN) that meets a ton of OEM specs. And it's $6/qt at almost any auto parts store year-round.

That being said, any of the three oils you asked about would work fine. I agree with the above statement about 0w30 getting a slight edge (no pun intended) since it meets MB 229.5.

All three meet VW 502/505 which means they're satisfactory for use in the Audi.

 

[sdriver]

Originally Posted By: sdriver
Change must be happening with Castrol. I just bought 14 quarts of 5w40 EDGE "made in USA" from my local VW dealer and so far 7 of the 9 bottles that I opened have the GREEN oil. Scared the [censored] out of me until I searched the forum!


Anyone else get a green surprise?

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: sdriver
Originally Posted By: sdriver
Change must be happening with Castrol. I just bought 14 quarts of 5w40 EDGE "made in USA" from my local VW dealer and so far 7 of the 9 bottles that I opened have the GREEN oil. Scared the [censored] out of me until I searched the forum!


Anyone else get a green surprise?


You know this thread is from 7 months ago right.