Came here to get clarification... now I'm thoroughly confused...

[hostile]

Hello everyone. First off, I'd like to thank Bob for the great site, and the rest of you for an (overly) informative BBS. I came here to read and hopefully get some clarification, but I think I'm in information overload at this point and am completely confused now. Currently, I have a 95 Pathfinder (3.0l V6) and a 98 Jetta GT (2.0l). The Pathy is running Redline GL-4 Full Synth in the tranny, and Quaker State Full Synth GL-5 in the diffs. The Jetta is running whatever it came with. Last year I switched to Castrol Syntec 5W50 in the Pathfinder and recently in the Jetta. I noticed an immediate improvement in both, but after doing some reading on these forums, it would seem that the Castrol Syntec is not a good choice? I haven't seen any explanations as to why, just simply "it's not very good". Why is this the case? If so, I have no issues switching, as I want both of these vehicles to last a long time. I chose a 5W50 due to the use of these vehicles in the summer - long, hot highway drives, with lots of long hill climbs. Obviously, I think the majority of people on this board recommend Mobil 1 Synth. Would a 0W30 be better than my current choice? Thanks in advance! -=HoSTiLe=-

 

[ekpolk]

I have a negative opinion of Castrol as a result of how it represents certain of its products to the public (American made Syntec oils). This issue has been thoroughly aired and thrashed in several other threads. Despite my opinion, I'm giving their German-made Syntec (called "GC" here) a try in my car. Now, with my bias disclosed, I'm wondering why you'd be putting 5w-50 into your Nissan V-6. That's got to be a good bit heavier than what your manual recommends, yes? If so, are you subjecting your engine to extraordinary loading/operating conditions which might justify the heavier oil? If not, you're probably just subjecting your engine to unnecessary added drag, thus wasting fuel and diminishing performance. On the other hand, if you like the way your engines perform with the heavier oil, its use, for better or worse, is up to you. Also, if the 50wt is beyond the manual recommendations, you might consider running a UOA on a sample of your oil to confirm no abnormal wear pattern with this oil.

 

[cweed]

I think most people on this board as well as other oil enthusiasts are simply fed up with Castrol being a somewhat deceptive company. When they first ran their Syntec line here in the US, the oils were real PAO synthetics, then they decided to base their Syntec line on Group III oils, which are not pure synthetic oils, yet they keep charging the same price as a full PAO/Ester based synthetic like M1. I'll agree 5W-50 is one of the better syntec oils, as is 10W-40, but they are nothing special. Except for their GC, but they dont really acknowledge it hehe....

 

[JohnnyO]

Agreed, I can't see in Canada why you'd need a 50wt. Different engines like different oils sometimes. My 4.0 SOHC Ranger calls for 5w-30 (I use Mobil 1) but over the winter I ran 0w-30 Mobil 1 and the UOA results were not all that great for a 5000 mile OCI, so I went back to the 5w-30. I never got a UOA with the 5w M1 but I will next time. That's really the only way to tell what your engine likes. My advice would be to put in Mobil 1 at the recommended viscosity, run it the recommended interval, get a UOA, and go from there.

 

[rpn453]

Good choice on the Redline tranny oil! Castrol Syntec is fine. There are other oils that are considered better for the price because they more accurately represent the cost of manufacturing though (ie: cheaper Group 3's or Group 4/5's for similar price), and some perform marginally better. Oil change intervals also influence oil selection. What are your OCI's? For your climate I'd go with a 10W-30 summer and 0W-30 or 5W-30 for the winter. I don't really think a 50wt oil is necessary, though it probably won't hurt anything.

 

[Gene K]

quote:

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Originally posted by hostile: Hello everyone. First off, I'd like to thank Bob for the great site, and the rest of you for an (overly) informative BBS. I came here to read and hopefully get some clarification, but I think I'm in information overload at this point and am completely confused now. Currently, I have a 95 Pathfinder (3.0l V6) and a 98 Jetta GT (2.0l). The Pathy is running Redline GL-4 Full Synth in the tranny, and Quaker State Full Synth GL-5 in the diffs. The Jetta is running whatever it came with. Last year I switched to Castrol Syntec 5W50 in the Pathfinder and recently in the Jetta. I noticed an immediate improvement in both, but after doing some reading on these forums, it would seem that the Castrol Syntec is not a good choice? I haven't seen any explanations as to why, just simply "it's not very good". Why is this the case? If so, I have no issues switching, as I want both of these vehicles to last a long time. I chose a 5W50 due to the use of these vehicles in the summer - long, hot highway drives, with lots of long hill climbs. Obviously, I think the majority of people on this board recommend Mobil 1 Synth. Would a 0W30 be better than my current choice? Thanks in advance! -=HoSTiLe=-

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Yes and I think the factory spec is 5W-30 prefered on VW as well. The problem with Castrol is they use a Group III basestock that while very good is not the Group IV PAO that was required in the past for the synthetic rating. This is a cheaper basestock and yet Castrol Charges Mobile 1 (Group IV PAO) prices for it. If they had reduced the price to $1.00 or so cheaper than Mobile 1 no one would have complained. The best Castrol available in the US is the German Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (Group IV/V), It does not have the API starburst on the front and says improved European Formula (small print in the red) and made in Germany on the back . This is a very good oil and meets ACEA A3/B3 and VW 502 / 503.00 / 505.00 and would likely work well in the VW. This is the same oil as the European Castrol SLX used for the extended drains in Europe. The oil also is also a unusual green color. Not sure if you can find this were you live but Patman seems to locate it in Canada. This was if you can find it in Canada this is the way I would head. If the Pathfinder calls for 5W/10W-30 it should also work well in these. BTW nothing wrong with the Group III if the price is reasonable. It just seems overprived for what it is in the states. I also believe you may have fallen into the more is better trap. A 5W-50 oil starts out as a low viscosity oil and th Visccosity Index Improvers are added to make it behave like a higher weight oil at higher temps. These shear easier than the basestocks and this leaves you with a lower weight. This can create sludge. I would try to stay with a Synthetic 0il with a max spread of 35. ie 5W-40 or 15W-50. With a Dino Max spread of 20. Blend Max Spread of 25. Gene

 

[Patman]

quote:

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The best Castrol available in the US is the German Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (Group IV/V), It does not have the API starburst on the front and says improved European Formula (small print in the red) and made in Germany on the back . This is a very good oil and meets ACEA A3/B3 and VW 502 / 503.00 / 505.00 and would likely work well in the VW. This is the same oil as the European Castrol SLX used for the extended drains in Europe. The oil also is also a unusual green color. Not sure if you can find this were you live but Patman seems to locate it in Canada. This was if you can find it in Canada this is the way I would head.

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In Canada this oil is available at Walmart.

 

[hostile]

Wow. That's a ton of information! The reason I chose 5W50 is twofold: 1) For the Pathfinder, I usually go camping in the summer (offroad), with about 500lbs of gear in the back, plus my wife, and my dog. In 35 C summer heat, with a full load, I thought that it would be more appropriate - I guess that it is too thick of an oil. 2) I have used Castrol GTX for years and assumed the Syntec would be a good oil as well. Most all of the major auto stores where I live (NAPA and the like), only carry Castrol, Quaker State, and Penzoil Full Synths. =( I'm not sure where I can find Mobil 1 short of hopping over to Washington State. Thanks again for all the help everyone!! It's *greatly* appreciated. -=HoSTiLe=-

 

[Gene K]

If you like the Castrol Syntec the two best built oils they have appear to be: 1. German Castrol Syntec 0W-30 (It is barely below a 40W and is group IV/V). This is the only OW-30 listed on Castrol's US site now (You can tell by the ratings) so it appears the USA made 0W-30 is gone for good. 2. Castrol Syntec 5W-40 (I believe this to be made with very High Quality group III.) Again Castrol makes good products its just in the states there are better alternatives for the same price with the possible exception of GC 0W-30. In Canada this may be a different situation. Gene

 

[Patman]

Gene, we can also get Castrol Syntec 5w40 up here too, it's sold at Canadian Tire stores. If GC disappears I may give that oil a whirl in my car and in my dad's 2004 Volvo (which does list 5w40 as one of it's choices, and his owner's manual even says "Volvo cars recommends Castrol")

 

[Audi Junkie]

It's a great oil. Definate top 5 in synthetics, and if it works for you...use it. Do a search. http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=005119#000000 [ June 25, 2004, 08:00 PM: Message edited by: Audi Junkie ]

 

[hostile]

UPDATE: Well, I changed the oil in both the wife's Jetta and my Pathfinder this weekend. After reading the owner's manual in the Jetta, the oils it recommends for the temperatures we drive it in are 5W50, 15W40, and 20W50. It recommeds NOT using any 30W or less for long highway drives in the temperatures we do, and since I still had a case of Castrol Syntec 5W50, that is what went into the Jetta which was formerly running Castrol GTX 10W30, with a Fram TG. The car runs like a top now. I'm amazed at the difference. I know I'm prolly gonna get flamed over the use of the Fram, but it was what I had bought previous to doing my research on these boards. The Pathfinder was running the Castrol Syntec 5W50 as stated above. Well, after tracking down the tech specs for the Pathy (I don't have an owner's manual), I found out that it calls for either 5W30 or 10W30. So, with a trip to Wal-Mart (*shudder*), I bought Mobil 1 5W30, and then it was off to Napa for a Gold oil filter (formerly running a Fram X2). I'm still a little leary of using a lighter oil in the Pathy considering the highway summer drives and off-roading it does, but we'll see how it goes. The Jetta will get a filter change sooner than later to a Napa Gold as well. I will use the rest of the Castrol 5W50 in the Jetta, then switch it to Mobil 1, most likely 15W40. I prefer to have a lighter weight oil for starting purposes, so maybe I'll go with a 0W40. Both vehicles are now running Napa Gold air filters as well, both formerly running K&N's. I have noticed the Jetta doesn't breathe that well above 5000 rpm and the same goes for the Pathy above 4000 rpm with the paper filters. Still, I'd rather have better filtration and extended engine life over high-rev performance. Anyhow, I wanted to thank everyone for not only the help in this post, but the entire board as well. Thanks to the help here, I'll hopefully be able to save some money both at the pump, and in the long term, giving my cars long engine life. Cheers from Canada! -=HoSTiLe=-

 

[TooSlick]

I'd recommend running Delvac 1, 5w-40 in the VW year round - you should also be able to find it at Walmart. One of the better oils that ExxonMobil makes .... Tooslick Dixie Synthetics

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by hostile: I know I'm prolly gonna get flamed over the use of the Fram, but it was what I had bought previous to doing my research on these boards.

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Well, the Fram ToughGard is probably the only decent Fram so if you have that you should be okay. The famed Russ Knize Oil Filter Study called the Fram ToughGard "not too bad". Just a matter that you can get a better filter for the same money or less.

 

[MolaKule]

quote:

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The Pathfinder was running the Castrol Syntec 5W50 as stated above. Well, after tracking down the tech specs for the Pathy (I don't have an owner's manual), I found out that it calls for either 5W30 or 10W30. So, with a trip to Wal-Mart (*shudder*), I bought Mobil 1 5W30, and then it was off to Napa for a Gold oil filter (formerly running a Fram X2). I'm still a little leary of using a lighter oil in the Pathy considering the highway summer drives and off-roading it does, but we'll see how it goes.

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FWIW, My 3.5L Pathy (2003) owner's manual allows anything from 5W30 to 10W40. I currently use Mobil 1 10W30 since it appears to offer sufficient protection for the fuel mileage. During the middle of summer, I have plans for testing the Amsoil Euro 5W40.

 

[labman]

quote:

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Originally posted by hostile: UPDATE: snip.... I know I'm prolly gonna get flamed over the use of the Fram, but it was what I had bought previous to doing my research on these boards. Cheers from Canada! -=HoSTiLe=-

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- My name is Labman. I not only used to use Fram filters, but I was running dino with 6 month intervals. I tried to blame the sludge problems on the Quaker State oil, but in my heart, I know it was my neglect. Later a Grand Am came into my life, and I switched to 3 month intervals, but I was still using Fram filters on my old truck. Finally in desperation one day, I took a hack saw and cut open the Fram filter. I was anguished when I saw the lack of filter media. Since that day, I have only slipped back to the orange box a few times and that was only the PH 9018 that actually contained a Purflux filter identical to the ones my snotty dealer was selling as Delcos. We understand here and support former Fram users. Many good people have fallen to that temptation. You will not be flamed for past mistakes if you are trying to make a new life.

 

[rpn453]

quote:

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Originally posted by hostile: After reading the owner's manual in the Jetta, the oils it recommends for the temperatures we drive it in are 5W50, 15W40, and 20W50. It recommeds NOT using any 30W or less for long highway drives in the temperatures we do,

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I suppose you should ignore my comments on going with a 30W (for the Jetta) and go with one of those! Manufacturer's recommendations are important.