Wow..I don't know where you guys get this varnish from...I beat the crap outta my Castrol oil and don't get stuff like that.
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Castrol GTX?
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I grew up believing Castrol was THE MOTOR OIL, so I have no desire to diss it undeservedly...but when you hear SO MANY stories about shearing and varnish,etc (please refer to Robert's comments in the thread "M1 10W30 '94 Celica--its just one off-hand comment, but it is one of MANY). After you see enough of those or see comments of Castrol VOAs that talk about it shearing...it doesn't make sense to me to pretend that nothing negative might be going on with this oil. For those of you that have had good experiences with it, I'm glad for you. Would I like to have confidence in Castrol...you bet. But I am not going to pretend there isn't evidence out there that points to problems. I am still convinced that Castrol's reputation was built (and has carried on) based on their superb castor-based racing oils that no one or almost no one uses on the street because of their incompatiblity with petroleum oils and that their petroleum oils are in fact riding on the coattails of the castors.
Pscholte, chill brother. Like I said before, not just 1 car but many of my cars and bikes did well with Castrol. But if other people don't like it, that is their choice.quote:
Originally posted by pscholte:
I grew up believing Castrol was THE MOTOR OIL, so I have no desire to diss it undeservedly...but when you hear SO MANY stories about shearing and varnish,etc (please refer to Robert's comments in the thread "M1 10W30 '94 Celica--its just one off-hand comment, but it is one of MANY). After you see enough of those or see comments of Castrol VOAs that talk about it shearing...it doesn't make sense to me to pretend that nothing negative might be going on with this oil. For those of you that have had good experiences with it, I'm glad for you. Would I like to have confidence in Castrol...you bet. But I am not going to pretend there isn't evidence out there that points to problems. I am still convinced that Castrol's reputation was built (and has carried on) based on their superb castor-based racing oils that no one or almost no one uses on the street because of their incompatiblity with petroleum oils and that their petroleum oils are in fact riding on the coattails of the castors.
Under extreme conditions, even Castrol can get a little hot under the collar. Shearing, breakdown, etc. Under extreme conditions, even I have had to change to different formulations of Castrol....like changing from Castrol GTX to Castrol HD-30 to maintain oil pressure under racing conditions, or extra-hot weather gridlock in Houston.
But in my humble opinion, there is really no need to change to a different manufacturer. Castrol has a product for every automotive situation.
***scratching head*** Yup, Virtuoso. I, too, cannot see where these complaints of varnish, deposits, breakdown are coming from. A friend of mine owns and runs a big auto service workshop. They do a whole big bunch of rebuilds. This guy has looked inside and rebuilt every automotive engine there is. So he knows what oil will gunk up an engine, and what won't. Guess what oil he uses in his own rides? Yup, Castrol GTX mineral. 10w-40.quote:
Originally posted by Virtuoso:
Wow..I don't know where you guys get this varnish from...I beat the crap outta my Castrol oil and don't get stuff like that.
I think people are mistaking the natural dark color of Castrol for varnish/gunk/deposits.
I agree with flimflam. I'm the original owner of a 13 year old car(Mustang 5.0) that has been run on Castrol GTX 10W30 and never had a problem. I replaced the valve cover gaskets and the oil pan gasket recently, inside the pan looked like new. The same went for everything under the valve covers. I've helped many a friends work on their cars that didn't fair nearly as well running other oils using the same change intervals as me.
Mark
Mark
Flimflam/MHC/Virtuoso,
Thanks for taking the time to describe your experience with Castrol GTX. I AM listening to you guys and I believe what you're saying. What I don't understand is, if your experience with GTX represents the usual, why the negative stories persist (similar to the ones about Pennzoil sludging up an engine). Where do those come from? (really a rhetorical question) stories planted by other oil companies?...negative examples that you can find with any product since none is perfect--but that aren't truly representative of normal performance?...examples of owner neglect that over time have been translated into "a normal GTX experience?"...engines and oil that just weren't made for each other but don't represent what most people will experience?...samples of 1 that have been magnified into samples of many?
Obviously, this is not a "critical to the viability of life as we know it" issue, but I still would like to know why the dissonance.
Thanks for taking the time to describe your experience with Castrol GTX. I AM listening to you guys and I believe what you're saying. What I don't understand is, if your experience with GTX represents the usual, why the negative stories persist (similar to the ones about Pennzoil sludging up an engine). Where do those come from? (really a rhetorical question) stories planted by other oil companies?...negative examples that you can find with any product since none is perfect--but that aren't truly representative of normal performance?...examples of owner neglect that over time have been translated into "a normal GTX experience?"...engines and oil that just weren't made for each other but don't represent what most people will experience?...samples of 1 that have been magnified into samples of many?
Obviously, this is not a "critical to the viability of life as we know it" issue, but I still would like to know why the dissonance.
Why the negative stories? (1)Some people never change their oil for the whole time they own their car. They think motor oil is like pistons, cams......"what came with the car is good enough....for the life of the car." In a friend's workshop in last year, I saw them try to do an oil change on one such car....they opened the drain plug.....and nothing came out. (2)Sludge monster engine. If you insist on buying this type of car, even Castrol GTX can't help you. And Sludge monster will break down the fancy $5/quart snake oil, too. My mechanic says: "Put it in the Crusher, buddy. And buy a different brand of car."quote:
Originally posted by pscholte:
Flimflam/MHC/Virtuoso,
Thanks for taking the time to describe your experience with Castrol GTX. I AM listening to you guys and I believe what you're saying. What I don't understand is, why the negative stories persist (similar to the ones about Pennzoil sludging up an engine). Where do those come from? (really a rhetorical question) stories planted by other oil companies?... but I still would like to know why the dissonance.
I am surprised that I did not become a Castrol user. A lot of people recommended it to me. A guy who used to be the manager of the Nissan dealership and then opened up his own used car dealership, told me that in his opinion Castrol was the best. A woman who worked in the service department of the Saturn dealership (where they used Quaker State oil as far as I know) told me that she used Castrol in her own Saturn. I know of a highly regarded woman mechanic who recommends Castrol. Two guys involved in oil distribution recommended it to me.
I was a Pennzoil user (and sometimes Quaker State) until I heard some negative stuff about Pennzoil. I switched to Valvoline. When I discovered this site I decided to start using Chevron. I have to say that Chevron conventional oil has really impressed me.
I think that any oil, even synthetics, will be ruined by owner abuse. A lot of people will buy a new car or truck and then rarely (or never) change the oil. My Dad was a mechanic and one thing I learned was to change the oil.
And there have been some problems with sludge monster engines, and some problems with some motor oils. And then you have people who will put an SA or SB rated oil into an engine.
I think Castrol conventional motor oil is a good oil. But from what I am able to find out, Chevron and probably a few other conventional oils may well be better than Castrol. If a person is using a conventional motor oil, you might as well use the best that you can find, especially if it is cheaper than many of the others. This site and the UOAs really helps with that.
I was a Pennzoil user (and sometimes Quaker State) until I heard some negative stuff about Pennzoil. I switched to Valvoline. When I discovered this site I decided to start using Chevron. I have to say that Chevron conventional oil has really impressed me.
I think that any oil, even synthetics, will be ruined by owner abuse. A lot of people will buy a new car or truck and then rarely (or never) change the oil. My Dad was a mechanic and one thing I learned was to change the oil.
And there have been some problems with sludge monster engines, and some problems with some motor oils. And then you have people who will put an SA or SB rated oil into an engine.
I think Castrol conventional motor oil is a good oil. But from what I am able to find out, Chevron and probably a few other conventional oils may well be better than Castrol. If a person is using a conventional motor oil, you might as well use the best that you can find, especially if it is cheaper than many of the others. This site and the UOAs really helps with that.
I like the look of Chevron, and once considered giving it a shot. But then, I figured, might as well stick with what I have been using all these years....Castrol mineral oil. Besides, from what I can tell, Chevron don't have Moly in it, but Castrol does.quote:
Originally posted by Mystic:
I think Castrol conventional motor oil is a good oil. But from what I am able to find out, Chevron and probably a few other conventional oils may well be better than Castrol.
The testimonials from the Nissan, Saturn dealerships are good. But if you can get them to talk to you, the testimonials from Rolls Royce and Bentley dealerships will be even more convincing. Many of these RR people think Castrol is "The One." But that was before Rolls limousines started to come with that BMW v-12 engine as standard equipment. Now, they probably have to use the same synthetic oil that most BMW's use these days.quote:
Originally posted by Mystic:
I am surprised that I did not become a Castrol user. A lot of people recommended it to me. A guy who used to be the manager of the Nissan dealership and then opened up his own used car dealership, told me that in his opinion Castrol was the best. A woman who worked in the service department of the Saturn dealership (where they used Quaker State oil as far as I know) told me that she used Castrol in her own Saturn. I know of a highly regarded woman mechanic who recommends Castrol. Two guys involved in oil distribution recommended it to me.
pscholte, one thing that does disturb me about the German Castrol is that it does not have the API Starburst symbol on it. And why is it so cheap compared to other top-rated European motor oils? You would think it would cost something like 12 bucks a bottle.
I also wonder why it is so hard to find. If Castrol is serious about selling this motor oil, why do we have to search several AutoZone Stores to find it? Maybe Castrol is dumping a product that did not sell in Europe. And Down Under, the German Castrol 0W-30 has apparently been replaced by Castrol Formula R.
Flimflam, according to the latest VOAs on Chevron Supreme, it does have some Moly in it.
I also wonder why it is so hard to find. If Castrol is serious about selling this motor oil, why do we have to search several AutoZone Stores to find it? Maybe Castrol is dumping a product that did not sell in Europe. And Down Under, the German Castrol 0W-30 has apparently been replaced by Castrol Formula R.
Flimflam, according to the latest VOAs on Chevron Supreme, it does have some Moly in it.
In my youth, I ran air-cooled 4-cylinder engines in production motorcycle races. I beat them engines up real bad. 10,500 rpm to 12,500 rpm in searing heat.quote:
Originally posted by pscholte:
Flimflam,
As I try to synthesize (no pun intended) all I am seeing on Castrol right now across the whole BITOG board (the company, its marketing and its products are hot topics), I want to ask you, do you think the Castrol we get is the same formula as sold in Europe? First I see this on my box of German Castrol: No license is granted or is implied by the sale of this package or contained in relation to any trade mark owned by Castrol Limited anywhere in the world outside North America.
And then as I "look around the world" at Castrol products, I see GTX3,5 and 7, SLX, Formula R and Formula RS and I wonder why do these oils exist in Europe and not in the US if Castrol is a global marketer. I realize that some of the other majors do this to a degree but is seems like Castrol does so to the extreme. I can't help but wonder is there a Castrol for them (the stuff the guys at RR love) and a Castrol for us. IOW, is Castrol US more a marketing effort than a real supply effort?
In my adulthood, I drove beat up old Fords that blew coolant hoses regularly. I would drive on until I hit a gas station. By that time, all the cooland AND motor oil would have boiled off.
Any oil that can let me do the above antics, and yet never require me to have the cylinder heads off, is my oil. That's Castrol GTX. And Castrol HD-30.
Thanks F2,
One thing I hope comes of all this flogging: that we will actually put to rest any uncertainties regarding Castrol (in some of our members, including me) and then get on with how do we get those other magic Castrol recipes into this country? I should think, by the time all the threads are done, we will have a "database" that if someone new comes on board, they can do a search on "Castrol," see all the perspectives and explanations, and we won't have to go through this again.
One thing I hope comes of all this flogging: that we will actually put to rest any uncertainties regarding Castrol (in some of our members, including me) and then get on with how do we get those other magic Castrol recipes into this country? I should think, by the time all the threads are done, we will have a "database" that if someone new comes on board, they can do a search on "Castrol," see all the perspectives and explanations, and we won't have to go through this again.
Flimflam,
As I try to synthesize (no pun intended) all I am seeing on Castrol right now across the whole BITOG board (the company, its marketing and its products are hot topics), I want to ask you, do you think the Castrol we get is the same formula as sold in Europe? First I see this on my box of German Castrol: No license is granted or is implied by the sale of this package or contained in relation to any trade mark owned by Castrol Limited anywhere in the world outside North America.
And then as I "look around the world" at Castrol products, I see GTX3,5 and 7, SLX, Formula R and Formula RS and I wonder why do these oils exist in Europe and not in the US if Castrol is a global marketer. I realize that some of the other majors do this to a degree but is seems like Castrol does so to the extreme. I can't help but wonder is there a Castrol for them (the stuff the guys at RR love) and a Castrol for us. IOW, is Castrol US more a marketing effort than a real supply effort?
As I try to synthesize (no pun intended) all I am seeing on Castrol right now across the whole BITOG board (the company, its marketing and its products are hot topics), I want to ask you, do you think the Castrol we get is the same formula as sold in Europe? First I see this on my box of German Castrol: No license is granted or is implied by the sale of this package or contained in relation to any trade mark owned by Castrol Limited anywhere in the world outside North America.
And then as I "look around the world" at Castrol products, I see GTX3,5 and 7, SLX, Formula R and Formula RS and I wonder why do these oils exist in Europe and not in the US if Castrol is a global marketer. I realize that some of the other majors do this to a degree but is seems like Castrol does so to the extreme. I can't help but wonder is there a Castrol for them (the stuff the guys at RR love) and a Castrol for us. IOW, is Castrol US more a marketing effort than a real supply effort?
Chevron recently changed formulas - check out the VOA showing a healthy dose of moly in the 10w30, and several UOA's are showing the moly too. A non-factor if that is a deciding issue for you...quote:
Originally posted by Flimflam:
I like the look of Chevron, and once considered giving it a shot. But then, I figured, might as well stick with what I have been using all these years....Castrol mineral oil. Besides, from what I can tell, Chevron don't have Moly in it, but Castrol does.quote:
Originally posted by Mystic:
I think Castrol conventional motor oil is a good oil. But from what I am able to find out, Chevron and probably a few other conventional oils may well be better than Castrol.
1992 Toyota Camry, 132,000 miles, had it since it was new, never had anything but Castrol 10W30 in it, doesn't burn oil, runs like it did the day I drove it home from the dealership. Oil change interval of a little less than 3,000. Just removed the valve cover to replace the gasket and was disappointed to see the amount of varnish although I did not see any sludge. Am starting to wonder if the formation of varnish isn't normal and that it doesn't really hurt anything. Oddly, I started using Castrol in the late 1970's when the old Pennzoil causes sludge thing was going around. Have since bought a digital camera, but really wish I had had it when had the valve cover off. Think many of you would have found it interesting.
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