I want to introduce an item for thought...I'm REALLY NOT trying to accuse, but just get people to think about something. When I first saw the Mercedes approval listings 22X.X - 229.5, I thought those are the benchmarks to shoot for. But as I became smarter through this board about the performance of various oils and considered the Mercedes listings, I began to have some concerns as to what drives the lists. There could be a number of coincidences or logical explanations but I've noticed with regard to the 229.5 list: (1) that the first oil that was 229.5 approved was a German oil (Fuchs); it appears it is a great oil in its own right, but nonetheless it is a German oil; (2) that there is German oil (Aral, Fuchs), French Oil (Elf, Total), Italian oil (Agip), a global oil with whom Mercedes has had a racing relationship (Mobil 1), a global oil with a very strong presence in Germany (Shell), and an American Oil (Quaker State) among others (IOW most all the "bases" are covered); and (3) Castrol, which is NOT on the list is closely associated with rival BMW. I can't help but wonder if $$$$, influence and politics are part of the mix as well as performance. The whole point of this is, if you are going to say, "Well M1 0W40 has to be good, it is a 229.5 oil," maybe that is a solid performance indicator and maybe it's not. It could very well be that this is a straightforward "do the tests and use the results" or "read 'em and weep" process...but, until we get someone on the board who knows how it happens, I would not arbitrarily say, "Well this oil has to be good," or "Oil A is better than Oil B, because its on list 22X.X." I'd be careful at jumping to those conclusions. Every one of these oils may indeed be at the top of the tribologists art...just consider all the possibilities before reaching that conclusion.
[ October 06, 2003, 08:56 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]