Can someone explain to me all the hoopla around "German made" Castrol Syntec

[Bror Jace]

Gee, I'm glad I missed this thread the first time through! C-c-can't we all just g-get along?

Anyway, I was at a local AutoZoned looking for GC a wekk ago and found bottles of Syntec 0W30 with a yellow label and said made in North America with imported components.

I take it this is NOT the real McCoy?

--- Bror Jace

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bror Jace:
Anyway, I was at a local AutoZoned looking for GC a wekk ago and found bottles of Syntec 0W30 with a yellow label and said made in North America with imported components.

I take it this is NOT the real McCoy?

--- Bror Jace

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Yeah, it's a safe bet if it says "Made in North America" it isn't "Made in Germany."

 

[thedawk]

quote:

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Originally posted by pscholte:
Alex D,

You have asked a perfectly reasonable question; however, it has been discussed at length already. Please do a search on GC or German Castrol and you will probably find more than you ever wanted to know. BOTTOM LINE: I am absolutely convinced it is the REAL DEAL in terms of protection and overall performance and that time will bear that out. The deal about the lot or batch numbers is, given our lack of confidence in the way Castrol USA markets their products, can we determine how much has been sent over and is it still continuing to flow to us? If you are interested in finding it, look for a bottle with the 0W30 in a red block on the front and with a back label that looks like this:

Note the reference to the improved European formula, the specific performance specs, including ACEA A3, and the MADE IN GERMANY

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Interesting, it doesn't have the "ENERGY CONSERVING" stamped on the API symbol. Is this because it is a European version? What makes most of the US 30wt oils energy conserving anyway?

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by thedawk:
What makes most of the US 30wt oils energy conserving anyway?

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Because these oils are blended on the low side of the 30 wt range, usually around 10 cSt. GC is around 12 cSt, which makes it almost a 40 wt.

That being said, I feel GC probably could meet the EC starburst requirements, but since this oil wasn't originally intended for sale in the US, Castrol has probably never tested it against this spec.

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

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Originally posted by G-Man II:

quote:

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Originally posted by thedawk:
What makes most of the US 30wt oils energy conserving anyway?

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Because these oils are blended on the low side of the 30 wt range, usually around 10 cSt. GC is around 12 cSt, which makes it almost a 40 wt.

That being said, I feel GC probably could meet the EC starburst requirements, but since this oil wasn't originally intended for sale in the US, Castrol has probably never tested it against this spec.

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FWIW (not much statistically), I'm about two thousand miles into my first try of GC, and I'm experiencing a 2-3 mpg mileage loss in my V-6 Camry, as compared to the oils I used before (M-1, AMS, PR). Unless I see some really, really special UOA results with this stuff, I'm thinking this will just be another experiment. I'm certainly not saying it's bad stuff, I just don't think it interacts with my engine very well. We'll see in 3k more miles.

 

[John in the ATL]

quote:

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Originally posted by ekpolk:

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FWIW (not much statistically), I'm about two thousand miles into my first try of GC, and I'm experiencing a 2-3 mpg mileage loss in my V-6 Camry, as compared to the oils I used before (M-1, AMS, PR). Unless I see some really, really special UOA results with this stuff, I'm thinking this will just be another experiment. I'm certainly not saying it's bad stuff, I just don't think it interacts with my engine very well. [/QB][/QUOTE]


The GC seems to work well in the European cars that it is spec'd for like BMW, Volvo, etc. My boss' S70 turbo seems to run smoother and spool up better with the GC versus the Valvoline Synpower that was used on the previous interval.

I agree with you that M1 10w-30 and Amsoil ASL 5w-30 are probaly better choices for Japanese V6s based on my OCIs on a 2k Maxima.

 

[RL331]

All these great thoughts about GC, anyone know much about BC - the Belgian Castrol which I'm looking to get in 5W-40 for my VW. The Belgian Castrol is definitely hard to find, I have seen GC mixed in at my local AutoZone.

 

[TooSlick]

I wouldn't bother looking for the Castrol 5w-40, as there are better oils available for the TDI. These include the Amsoil 5w-40/10w-40 and Mobil Delvac 1, 5w-40.

In other words, what you really want for the TDI is a "CI-4" rated, 5w-30/10w-30/5w-40/10w-40 synthetic diesel oil ....ie, a heavy duty diesel oil in terms of the additive chemistry. The reason is that US spec diesel fuel contains a fair amount of sulphur and other contaminents, so you want an oil with higher detergency/dispersancy.

Tooslick
www.lubedealer.com/Dixie_Synthetics

 

[Bror Jace]

Yeah, it's a safe bet if it says 'Made in North America' it isn't 'Made in Germany.' "

I thought the words "imported components" made the phrase a little ambiguous ... and labeling changes are done almost on a monthly basis.

You yourself said that it is unlikely that a Group III pretend synthetic would be able to pull off a 0W30 weight rating.

Maybe I'll just go with Mobil 1 0W30 or 0W40 next winter. Both are much easier to find.

--- Bror Jace

 

[zoomzoom]

I'm not so sure that GC is not doing well in Japanese V6 engines. I used it during past winter and had M1 0W-20 next OCI in my 2000 mazda 626 V6.

GC managed better fuel economy even dough it was run during a pretty cold winter where M1 was run in spring.

GC 0W-30 26.0 mpg
M1 0W-20 25.8 mpg