FAQ - GC ( German Castrol )

[Gokhan]

Don't blame me for inaccuracies in this list because it's tedious to go through nearly 30 datasheets.

Update thanks to heads up from Quattro Pete. You can access the Germany (German) Castrol datasheets here (link):

These are the Castrol Edge products sold in Germany, Group III or Group IV/V info is what I gathered from the datasheets:

Produktname Code Land Sprache Datum Typ

Fully synthetic (Group IV/V)
(These oils explicitly mention "vollsynthetisches" [fully synthetic] or "synthetisches" [synthetic] but not "HC-synthese" [synthetic hydrocarbon {Group III}] in their datasheets.)

Castrol EDGE 0W-30 463737 Germany German 26 Jan 2012 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional A3 0W-30 467330 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE 0W-40 A3/B4 467465 Germany German 11 Sep 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE 10W-60 463738 Germany German 27 Feb 2012 PI
Castrol EDGE Turbo Diesel 0W-30 463748 Germany German 23 Jun 2006 PI
Castrol EDGE Turbo Diesel 5W-40 463745 Germany German 19 Mar 2012 PI

Synthetic hydrocarbon (SHC = Group III)
(These oils do not explicitly mention "vollsynthetisches" [fully synthetic] or "synthetisches" [synthetic] or they mention "HC-synthese" [synthetic hydrocarbon {Group III}] in their datasheets.)

Castrol EDGE 5W-30 463740 Germany German 19 Apr 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE 5W-30 463740 Germany German 27 Sep 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE 5W-30 465007 Germany German Castrol/Consumer 13 Jul 2006 PI
Castrol EDGE 5W-40 463878 Germany German 31 Jan 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Formula RS 0W-40 465083 Germany German 04 Aug 2006 PI
Castrol EDGE Longlife II 0W-30 467282 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional A1 5W-20 467327 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional A3 0W-40 467337 Germany German 29 Feb 2012 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional A5 0W-30 467338 Germany German 13 Feb 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional A5 5W-30 467339 Germany German 27 Sep 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional BMW LL04 0W-30 467340 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional C1 5W-30 467357 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional C3 0W-30 467342 Germany German 20 Jan 2012 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional C4 5W-30 467358 Germany German 19 May 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional E 0W-20 468056 Germany German 29 Jul 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional H 0W-20 468210 Germany German 02 Jan 2014 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional H 5W-30 468213 Germany German 05 Jun 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional H C2 0W-30 468230 Germany German 04 Jun 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional LongLife III 5W-30 467369 Germany German 07 Nov 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional OE 5W-30 467370 Germany German 31 Jul 2013 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional TWS 10W-60 467449 Germany German 06 Dec 2011 PI
Castrol EDGE Professional V 0W-20 468317 Germany German 08 Nov 2013 PI

Given the Castrol's infamously inaccurate datasheets, it's hard to make too much out of these. However, it looks like even in Germany the Group IV/V oils are becoming extinct in favor of the far cheaper Group III. So, chances are the "German Castrol" you are getting is a Group III oil. It's probably only Group IV/V if it has a German label and it explicitly says "vollsynthetisches" (fully synthetic) or "synthetisches" (synthetic) but not "HC-synthese" (synthetic-hydrocarbon [SHC] = Group III). However, the ACEA A3/B4 varieties of Castrol 0W-30 still seem to be the safe choice to be Group IV/V.

 

[pbm]

I just picked up 5 quarts of GC for $3 a quart at the AZ clearance. Has this oil changed since 5 or 6 years ago when it was all the rage here on BITOG? I think it was PAO back then but some are saying it's now Group III?

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: pbm
I just picked up 5 quarts of GC for $3 a quart at the AZ clearance. Has this oil changed since 5 or 6 years ago when it was all the rage here on BITOG? I think it was PAO back then but some are saying it's now Group III?

I believe it is still PAO.

 

[Clevy]

I know this thread is about German castrol but I'm wondering about the Belgian version 0w-40. Is it synthetic technology or is it the real poe-pao stuff,not that it matters a whole lot to me.
Anyone know?

Thanks.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: Clevy
I know this thread is about German castrol but I'm wondering about the Belgian version 0w-40. Is it synthetic technology or is it the real poe-pao stuff,not that it matters a whole lot to me.
Anyone know?

Thanks.

I know it is sold in Germany as: Fully Synthetic.

It says: Made in EU.
Castrol Edge 5W40 Turbo Diesel is not sold as Fully Synthetic in Germany, while Castrol 5W40 Magnatec is sold as: HC.
So I would say 0W40 is PAO.
Same goes for 0W30, it is sold as: Fully Synthetic.

 

[BrianL]

Originally Posted By: pbm
I just picked up 5 quarts of GC for $3 a quart at the AZ clearance. Has this oil changed since 5 or 6 years ago when it was all the rage here on BITOG? I think it was PAO back then but some are saying it's now Group III?

Is that chain-wide? Or does each store decide what to put on clearance?

 

[Clevy]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: Clevy
I know this thread is about German castrol but I'm wondering about the Belgian version 0w-40. Is it synthetic technology or is it the real poe-pao stuff,not that it matters a whole lot to me.
Anyone know?

Thanks.

I know it is sold in Germany as: Fully Synthetic.

It says: Made in EU.
Castrol Edge 5W40 Turbo Diesel is not sold as Fully Synthetic in Germany, while Castrol 5W40 Magnatec is sold as: HC.
So I would say 0W40 is PAO.
Same goes for 0W30, it is sold as: Fully Synthetic.



Thank you very much for the info.

 

[OVERKILL]

Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

PDS data matches up. VOA data matches up pretty well, too. Not 100% proof by any means, but very likely, IMO.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

As QP said, PDS matches on both continents.
It would be impossible to match German PAO version with GIII version.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

As QP said, PDS matches on both continents.
It would be impossible to match German PAO version with GIII version.


But what do we know about it? I mean for many of the parameters Castrol just posts the limits of the spec, not actual values.

Yes we know that the visc matches but that's about it as far as the data contained in the North American PDS's contrasts to those of Europe.

If Castrol published CCS, MRV...etc on their PDS's for both continents I think we'd have more to go by for comparison's sake.

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

As QP said, PDS matches on both continents.
It would be impossible to match German PAO version with GIII version.


But what do we know about it? I mean for many of the parameters Castrol just posts the limits of the spec, not actual values.

Yes we know that the visc matches but that's about it as far as the data contained in the North American PDS's contrasts to those of Europe.

If Castrol published CCS, MRV...etc on their PDS's for both continents I think we'd have more to go by for comparison's sake.

I would say that it would be stupid to make two oils 0W30 in the same place with different formulation, especially when you take into consideration that profit margin in the U.S. is lower then in the EU per bottle. I think that cost of two different formulations for the same oil outweigh the lower cost of GIII oil.
Also, Castrol need premium oil in the market, and 5W40 is definitely not the premium.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Do we know unequivocally that the versions sold in Germany and other parts of Europe are the same as those sold here though? I mean with Castrol's ultra-vague PDS's.....

As QP said, PDS matches on both continents.
It would be impossible to match German PAO version with GIII version.


But what do we know about it? I mean for many of the parameters Castrol just posts the limits of the spec, not actual values.

Yes we know that the visc matches but that's about it as far as the data contained in the North American PDS's contrasts to those of Europe.

If Castrol published CCS, MRV...etc on their PDS's for both continents I think we'd have more to go by for comparison's sake.

I would say that it would be stupid to make two oils 0W30 in the same place with different formulation, especially when you take into consideration that profit margin in the U.S. is lower then in the EU per bottle. I think that cost of two different formulations for the same oil outweigh the lower cost of GIII oil.
Also, Castrol need premium oil in the market, and 5W40 is definitely not the premium.


But Mobil has done it with their 0w-40 for years. The Canadian version being different from the US one. We only recently got an SN version up here, LOL

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
But Mobil has done it with their 0w-40 for years. The Canadian version being different from the US one. We only recently got an SN version up here, LOL

The difference is that these two M1 0w-40 versions had notably different pour point. And the two Castrol 0w-30 products have identical pour point, low enough to suggest it's not group III.

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
But Mobil has done it with their 0w-40 for years. The Canadian version being different from the US one. We only recently got an SN version up here, LOL

The difference is that these two M1 0w-40 versions had notably different pour point. And the two Castrol 0w-30 products have identical pour point, low enough to suggest it's not group III.



Yeah, our pour point was better

LOL! You make a good point though.

It probably IS the same formula. I just hate how vague Castrol's PDS's are, as they really don't tell you much about the product.

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
I just hate how vague Castrol's PDS's are, as they really don't tell you much about the product.

 

[edyvw]

M1 for Canadian market, where is it made?

 

[OVERKILL]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
M1 for Canadian market, where is it made?


The USA, LOL! That's what I mean. We think it doesn't make sense but these companies do it

 

[edyvw]

Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: edyvw
M1 for Canadian market, where is it made?


The USA, LOL! That's what I mean. We think it doesn't make sense but these companies do it

Yes, but there is difference in PDS of those two oils.
It makes sense, bcs, same spec goes to Europe, so there is some reason behind it.
Also, M1 0W40 is already premium oil. Castrol needs product to compete with M1.

 

[Ayrton]

Originally Posted By: edyvw
Originally Posted By: OVERKILL
Originally Posted By: edyvw
M1 for Canadian market, where is it made?


The USA, LOL! That's what I mean. We think it doesn't make sense but these companies do it

Yes, but there is difference in PDS of those two oils.
It makes sense, bcs, same spec goes to Europe, so there is some reason behind it.
Also, M1 0W40 is already premium oil. Castrol needs product to compete with M1.


The Canadian sold spec goes to Europe? Or the USA sold spec is in Europe? Thanks!