Does Castrol make a 5w40?

[Patman]

I'm curious if Castrol makes a 5w40 synthetic in Europe?

My father's 2004 Volvo lists 5w40 as one of the recommended viscosities for hotter weather (5w30 is only good to 30c/86F) and the manual also says "Volvo Cars recommends Castrol" too.

So I'm curious if there is a 5w40 Castrol synthetic over there, which might mean the Volvo dealer might offer it for their oil changes. My dad has decided to use the Volvo dealer to change his oil, and instead of bringing them Mobil 1 everytime like he's done with other cars he has owned, this time he figures he'll just use whatever synthetic they offer. I'm just worried they might only offer 5w30 or 10w30 Syntec though (it would be nice if they sold the German 0w30 Syntec, which would be a nice fit in his XC70, which is a low pressure turbo 2.5L 5 cylinder engine)

If Castrol does make a 5w40, what are the specs on it like?

 

[Red Wolf]

Castrol does make a 5w40 syntec. VW dealers have it and the bottle I checked out was made in Belgium I believe.
from what I read (which isn't much) this is a true synthetic and superior to the other grades of syntec available in north americia.

 

[Chris Jefferson]

from what ive heard its a group III "syn" oil and yes, it is made in Belgium. Although I would assume that since it is made in Beligium it would be a REAL syn oil made from PAO/Esters like the German SYntec 0w-30 is. However, it could be made in Belgium by the Castrol blending plant there (i think there is one.) or, it could be made by PetroFina, now TotalFinaElf and actually be a GroupIII HC oil. WHo knows for sure though?

I believe that it is a good oil however.

 

[pscholte]

Patman,

I found 3 versions of Castrol 5W40 motor oils
Magnatec GTX7 sold in Germany--Hydrocracked
TXT Softec sold in Sweden--full synthetic
Enduron sold in UK--full synthetic

Hope this helps...

 

[Patman]

quote:

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This Euro Syntec 5w40 has a different smell than the other NA Syntec products, almost a deisel type smell (doesn't mean much). From the specs i've seen, it has a 12.3 cst @ 100deg

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Are you sure on those specs? It wouldn't be a 5w40 with that viscosity, it would be a very thick 5w30.

I told my father to find out if the dealer offers a 5w40 synthetic oil change, and if so, he should use this viscosity in his car. I'll do a UOA on it during one of his intervals next year. He plans on doing 12,000km (7500 mi) intervals.

 

[rugerman1]

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
... instead of bringing them Mobil 1 everytime like he's done with other cars he has owned ...

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Why don't you have him take Delvac 1 to them? Find me a better 5w-40.

 

[Patman]

quote:

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Originally posted by rugerman1:

quote:

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Originally posted by Patman:
... instead of bringing them Mobil 1 everytime like he's done with other cars he has owned ...

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Why don't you have him take Delvac 1 to them? Find me a better 5w-40.

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The biggest problem with that is that it's only sold in 4L jugs here, so he'd need to buy 2 jugs (at $35 each) and then the dealer would have to give him back 2L still in the jug. A bit of a pain. Plus he's wanting to get away from bringing in the oil to them anyways, he'd like to use what they sell if it's a decent oil.

Besides, I still have my doubts as to running a fleet oil in a turbo gasoline engine like that.

 

[Scott]

Patman, here is a copy of the MSDS sheet obtained from another thread on this site. The viscosity is at the bottom and is listed as 12.8 cst not 12.3. You however may be able to take this info and conclude if it is a PAO, ESTER or grp3 by the listed CAS #s.
Scott


CASTROL NORTH AMERICA INC.
CONSUMER MATERIAL SAFETY DATA SHEET
SECTION I: IDENTITY
Product/Material Name: Castrol Syntec Full Synthetic SAE 5W-40 Motor Oil
Chemical Name: Mixture
Chemical Family/Classification: Synthetic hydrocarbon
INGREDIENTS - CHEMICAL/COMMON NAME EXPOSURE LIMITS -
TLV
LD50 LC50 %
Synthetic hydrocarbons and neutral oils which
may contain one or more of the following:
CASRN 68037-01-4, 64742-54-7, 64742-65-0,
68649-12-7, 64741-88-4, 72623-87-1, 92062-09-
4
TWA: 5 mg/m3
Suggested
Oral, rat: > 5 g/kg. ND 70-100
Multi-functional additive mixture composed of
organo-metallic compounds, typically containing
zinc dialkyl dithiophosphate, calcium salts of
alkylated phenol sulfides, magnesium
sulphonate, alkylated diphenyl amines, and other
proprietary.ingredients CASRN NA,
Mixture
ND ND ND 15-30
SECTION VI: PHYSICAL/CHEMICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Boiling Point: ND Specific Gravity (Water=1): 0.85
Vapor Pressure mm.Hg. @ 25C: ND Vapor Density Air=1: ND
Percent Volatiles: Negligible Evaporation RateBuAc=1: < 0.1
Solubility in Water: Negligible Freezing Point: -22F to -40F -30C to -40C
pH-Value: NA Viscosity @ 100C, cSt.: 12.8 typ.
Odor Threshold: NA Coefficient of Water/Oil Distribution: ND
Appearance, Odor & Physical State: Clear, amber liquid; mild petroleum odor
Flash Point COC: 437F 225C min.
Fire Point COC: > 450F 232C min.
Section 313 Toxic Release Inventory Chemical/Category:
Zinc compounds, 2.5% wt. max.

 

[TexasTDI]

quote:

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Originally posted by rugerman1:
Find me a better 5w-40 {than Mobil Delvac-1}.

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That's easy. Redline 5w-40.

Castrol Syntec 5w-40 is a Group 3 oil and only available at VW dealerships since this is the oil of choice for VWoA.

 

[Dr. T]

Patman, yes there is a Syntec 5-40 with the full VW, Audi and Volvo specs on the bottle. I've seen it at the QuickLube place next to Sunoco at Erin Mills and Collegeway and last Fri. at Peninsula Motors (next to Budds' BMW) in Oakville - Parts Dept.. From what I can recall though, it's "made in USA" like the other bottles of Syntec. Like the 5-50, it's A3 rated...someone posted an HT/HS of 4.5 but I doubt that since that is what the 5-50 is. My guess would be more like 3.6-4.0...but it's probably good stuff nevertheless.

 

[Scott]

It's funny that this subject was brought up today. I just called Castrol NA this morning and spoke to a rep. about this issue and the 0w30 german oil issue.

The rep told me that the 5w40 syntec made in Belgium is made with Euro basestocks and shipped here to North America. Of course then I got the verbal BS about the synthetic basestock being proprietary and basically she would not commit on PAO, ESTER or group 3. I know that at my VW dealership in town, I believe I have seen the 5w40 bottles stamped Made in Norh America and bottles stamped Made in Belguim. I have always purchased the Belguim bottles.

This Euro Syntec 5w40 has a different smell than the other NA Syntec products, almost a deisel type smell (doesn't mean much). From the specs i've seen, it has a 12.3 cst @ 100deg and has an HTHS in the 4.3 - 4.6 range. (The HTHS info was from the TDI Club forum). Its pour point and flash point look good and it is ACEA A3. I'd like to see UOA reports on this.

This is somewhat off topic. In my conversation w/ Castrol this AM, I asked about the Syntec 0w30 availability and the rep said that it is here to stay as long as there is a demand for it. She stated that the new ""European Formula" 0w30 as far as she knows will be the only new grade sold here, but as she said, things could change.

It is my thought that since the updated Castrol site has the new European Formula specs i.e ACEA A3 listed for the 0w30, it will continue to be sold here. This may mean that Castrol NA may start to blend it here, but as long as it meets the ACEA A3 spec, I don't care. For a 0w30 to meet this spec, even when blended in NA with NA basestocks, still says to me that there is some promise for positive results. Only time will tell. Oh, and yes the german 0w30 does smell like the original german made gummie bears in the clear and gold plastic packaging from the early 80s.

Last, I laid into the Castrol rep that there web site basically sucks. I requested that they put a little effort into giving the specs of their products for the buying public to use when selecting an oil. The rep stated that she would take note of my concerns. She kinda sounded like the Peanuts mom on the phone. Wah wah wah, wah wah wah wah wah.

 

[4DR Turbo]

purchasing cas syn 5W40 will cost you and arm an a leg from the dealer, believe it's around $9 a quart(cnd) which is why i currently use Mobil1 0W40SS ,i can purchase by the case of 6 at $45 or $7.5/quart, plus i believe its a better oil imho

 

[Scott]

Actually, my dealer sells it for $4.89 a qt. I believe when it first came out in 1999, it was approx $6.50 a qt. I would think the price would be standard at the VW dealers. Maybe I'm wrong though.

 

[4DR Turbo]

well $4.89us seems about right? thats approx 8 cnd, next time im at the dealer ill ask, or maybe ill call before my next oil change

 

[Dr. T]

Patman, I looked at the bottle again at Peninsula Motors (Oakville) yesterday and yes, it says "Made in Belgium" on the very last line on the bottom on the back of the bottle after Castrol USA...and "Imported in Canada by Castrol Canada"....seems like the major thrust is for VW specs...they're listed all over the bottle in yellow...front and rear....

forgot to ask about price

 

[TexasTDI]

quote:

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Originally posted by Scott:
Actually, my dealer sells it for $4.89 a qt. I believe when it first came out in 1999, it was approx $6.50 a qt. I would think the price would be standard at the VW dealers. Maybe I'm wrong though.

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The price is not the same at all dealerships. My local dealership wants $5.95US per quart. I've heard it being as high as $8.00US per quart.

 

[Sin City]

BMW sells Castrol 5W-30 "BMW High Performance Synthetic Oil" for only $4.00 a quart. It seems odd that a VW dealer can charge more for a 5W-40 oil that is also a group III oil. Does anyone have the VW part number for the Castrol Synthetic 5W-40?

I asked Castrol USA for the specs for their Synthetic 5W-40 and they said to call Castrol UK! Needless to say I didn't call.

 

[Dr. T]

BMW's Castrol procured 5-30 is made in the US and is probably a group III. The 5-40 is Made in Belgium. As far as I was aware, I thought in Europe if something was labelled as synthetic, it must be group IV or V...or is this just Germany?

 

[Scott]

Dr. T
That is a good question and was my understanding also. If in fact the european labeled Syntec 5w40 is Grp3, could this mean that the 0w30 is some grp3 formulation also? The 0w30 specs dont signify group3, but I haven't seen any proof to state otherwise.

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by Dr. T:
BMW's Castrol procured 5-30 is made in the US and is probably a group III. The 5-40 is Made in Belgium. As far as I was aware, I thought in Europe if something was labelled as synthetic, it must be group IV or V...or is this just Germany?

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If the oil is mostly Group III, it won't be labeled "full synthetic." If it is mostly PAO and/or ester, it will be, even if it has some Group III in it.