This probably won't work. The font is too small on the PDF Omaha Cat lab sent me and my scanner isn't that great. I will try anyhow. Their TBN shows 12.5. That seemed high to me so I called Mary at the lab. Cat uses a different TBN and TAN testing method than Polaris Labs, who I am used to. She assured me the numbers are accurate and very reliable. The Cat labs are standardized around the world and keep up certain oil industry certifications for accuracy. She rattled off some of that, I didn't write it down and have since forgot it. Anyhow, this particular quart of oil was purchased in Nebraska in October 2025 at a Walmart. The oil was made in Belgium and packaged in the USA on the 88th day of 2024 at 2:19 PM. None of this really matters since I doubt if it is readable.
Castrol Edge Euro Car 0W-30 A3/B4
- Thread starter GI_GRIFF
- Start date
Virgin oxidation of 10 shows a good slug of ester. Wow, that's a lot of magnesium. Thanks for the VOA.
Are us German Castrol elfs allowed to use this?
I haven't used it yet and I am still trying to figure it out. My problem is I change my mind like most people change their underwear. I have written about this a few times here on Bitog so far. I keep learning more and more about oil here on Bitog and various You Tube videos. I have some ideas but heck, by tomorrow I will change my mind anyhow. I think my first post was titled "My Personal Engine Oil Crisis" or something like that. I still have the same new Toyota Rav4 however. Take Care @fantastic
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- May 19, 2022
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All this information looks good. I’d use it in a heartbeat
SDS
SDS
Edit: That should read PAO, not (necessarily) ester. Dunno what happened there
.- Joined
- Oct 13, 2025
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- 9
Isn't higher oxidation worse? Why is it good in a virgin oil?Edit: That should read PAO, not (necessarily) ester. Dunno what happened there
I'm gonna try to convey what I know, hopefully someone with way more chemistry background will correct anything I misspeak about.
Higher virgin oxidation indicates the presence of a PAO due to its reaction with oxygen in testing. In reality, a PAO is beneficial and very stable in oxidation degradation over time/use. It will generally slow the overall process and help prevent deposits and sludge in motor oil. Having more PAO in the base oil will generally improve thermal stability and increase performance of the finished oil over a wide temperature range, especially when colder.
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Very interesting, I did a VOA recently and it showed a oxidation of 7, this one is 10, is there any threshold for oxidation in a new oil where you would figure it has more/less PAO?
None that would consider a hard threshold. It's content will be hard to determine based on a VOA as it can react to additives and give varying numbers from what I understand. A lot of folks use the product's SDS to get a picture of whether or not it contains PAOs by looking for percentages of Dec-1-ene, homoploymers, monomers, oligomers etc., but this may not be accurate either as it can vary from batch to batch. Generally, if I see a 7-10 on a VOA, and a percentage range of the above on the SDS, I can infer that it has PAO in the formulation.
Surprised to hear you found it at Walmart, I could only ever find it at AAP. I used it exclusively in the S60 in my sig for many years and performed very well for me at 10k mile OCIs. When I had a longer job commute on the turnpike I'd have sustained open stretches of higher speeds and high RPMs and the motor often took a few ounces of top up or less per interval. In between would be frequent runs up into yellow line.
It is still hanging on with an API SL requirement which was obsolete for vehicles after 2004 so the uses are somewhat limited 20+ years on. I have a few quarts of it left in my stash which I use in my dual fuel generator with no issues.
Great oil, if you have a 2004 or older vehicle or hard use OPE I would not hesitate to run it.
It is still hanging on with an API SL requirement which was obsolete for vehicles after 2004 so the uses are somewhat limited 20+ years on. I have a few quarts of it left in my stash which I use in my dual fuel generator with no issues.
Great oil, if you have a 2004 or older vehicle or hard use OPE I would not hesitate to run it.
I'm not sure why it even has an API license considering the more relevant European approvals. It's not "hanging on" to that license, it is hanging on to the approvals.
I'd use this oil in a lot more vehicles than just 2004 or older, again with the approvals. Unless you have DPF or have a real problem with burning oil it is not inappropriate. How would the uses be limited 20+ years on?
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slo town
$200 Site Donor 2026
"Euro Castrol" has been my brew for the last 15 years. I use it in all four of our cars, including our 270,000 mile Honda Element.
Scott
I can't actually answer your question, but I posted a thread here in the PCMO Virgin Oil analysis Forum on August 5, 2025, on Mobil 1 ESP 0W-30 European Formula. The Oxidation level on that is 30.
Their phone number is 402-891-8600. Ask the receptionist for the oil lab. The ladies name and lab mgr. is "Mary". Mary will usually answer her phone unless she is already on the line or out-processing orders. The receptionist will tell you before transferring if you ask. They have two kits. The basic kit has a black lid and the kit I use has the green lid kit. The basic black lid does not include the TBN/TAN. The green lid cost a little more but not much. If you have a Caterpillar heavy Equipment shop around you, they probably have the kits right there, then you can drop your sample off to them and not have to cost of USPS, UPS or FedEx. I personally will never use the USPS for oil samples again, even with their half-as-sed tracking number system. If you are willing to pay the shipping, and deal with the Omaha Cat lab, I think you would probably be pretty happy. There is an issue here though, they generally only check for diesel fuel dilution on used oil analysis. Mary thinks with some machine adjustment she can check for gasoline dilution, but it is not a normal thing. Mary said she would and does watch for factors in the additive levels and viscosity levels on gas engines that would cause her to check it. 30 years ago, Mary was a lab technician there when I ran my own OTR class 8 trucks equipped with Detroit Diesel and Caterpillar engines, now she runs the lab. By the way, their kits do come with prepaid USPS mailers if you want to go that route. Even if you don't go for it, you should check it out and talk to her, she is a wealth of information. They run on Central Standard Time in Omaha, by the way.
Looks kinda like my old stash of GC that I used the last of some years ago. Took a while to go through all 400+ quarts, but used it in just about everything, including a few neighbor's cars, the lawnmower, pressure washer etc..
Stopped at kroger to get my inspection sticker and just had to pass by the auto section. They had the old SN castrol 0w-40 in with SP next to it for some reason. Bottles looked new and clean. Their house brand also got a label update and says SQ and they have the old ones next to them that say SP. I wonder who makes moto tech. If it's warren like supertech maybe those will get updated to SQ soon. Don't think the bottles look amalie.
Thanks for doing this. Question. Was your sample from the current label as pictured in slo town’s post #15? I’m wondering if yours wasn’t from the previous version of this oil, since yours was made in Belgium (the current is made in USA).
