German Syntec pics--FINALLY!

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Click here to see the full-size images of the German Castrol Syntec 0w30 front and back labels.

[ May 01, 2003, 12:27 AM: Message edited by: G-Man II ]
 
I just noticed you guys have bilingual labels too, only up here ours are English & French instead of English & Spanish. The only Spanish I know is from Seseme Street and Dora the Explorer! OLA! Agua! Abre!
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Is this stuff a true synthetic (PAO or other) , or just legally mislabeled hydroisomerized dead dino juice?
 
quote:

Originally posted by MikeW:
Is this stuff a true synthetic (PAO or other) , or just legally mislabeled hydroisomerized dead dino juice?

There has already been quite a bit of discussion about this oil, so if you do a search you can find a lot of answers to your quetions. Here's the gist of it, however:

Castrol Syntec 0w30 that is labeled "Made in Germany" is actually the oil sold in Europe as Formula SLX. This is a PAO/ester based synthetic which has a pour point of -81°F. This pour point is a dead giveaway that the primary element in the base oil blend is ester, since no neat PAO made has a pour point that low, and it would be impossible to make a Group III oil with a pour point of -81°F.
 
quote:

Originally posted by williar:
I notice the bottle doesn't say "energy conserving". Interesting.

Since all Castrol has done is import Formula SLX in bulk and bottle it as Syntec, albeit an "improved European formula," they probably have not tested it against GF-3 fuel economy requirements. The specs the bottle states the oil meets are the same specs it meets in Europe.

Since this oil has a vis of 12.1 cSt and 100°C, it's almost a 40 wt. Provided it holds this viscosity over its lifespan, it may not be able to meet the GF-3 fuel economy requirements.
 
Nice work on the photos. Thank you.

I don't know much about the various specifications that are listed on the label. Could I have a brief tutorial, please, with a comparison to other oils/types of oils? Are these specs difficult to achieve?
 
quote:

Originally posted by YZF150:
Nice work on the photos. Thank you.

I don't know much about the various specifications that are listed on the label. Could I have a brief tutorial, please, with a comparison to other oils/types of oils? Are these specs difficult to achieve?


The toughest specs that this oil meets are: MB 229.3, BMW LongLife, VW 505, ACEA A3 and B4, and Porsche approval. There is only one oil sold in the US that meets all these specs, and that's Mobil 1 0w40.

229.3 is an extended drain spec for Mercedes. It's not quite as tough as 229.5. VW 505 is a tough pump nozzle diesel spec. A3 is the toughest European gasoline engine oil spec (which is VERY difficult for an Xw30 grade oil to meet). B4 is the toughest European diesel (automotive) engine oil spec. And Porsche approves only a few oils for use in its engines because of its tough testing standards.

My take on this German Syntec: It's probably the best synthetic oil you can buy in the U.S., just looking at the specs. (UOAs will be the true test.) I don't know of another oil that meets all these specs AND has a pour point of -81°F (which means it has a borderline pumping temp of around -60°F, which is the pour point of other PAO/ester based synthetics).
 
G-Man, what about M-1 15-50 and Syntec 5-40 / 5-50 and 20/50? All good oils...all OTC (except the last in Can. and the 5-40 only at VW dealerships)
 
Wanted to add....1. who cares about -400F pour points anyway (we've discussed this...unless you're trying to drive you Hummer in Antarctica...) and 2. the other syntec grades come from the same family...who cares if they're not PAO...the general formula and addatives will still be Castrol's, not Penz's or someone elses. I'll bet the other 3 grades will be just as good as the 0-30, save #1 above.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Dr. T:
Wanted to add....1. who cares about -400F pour points anyway (we've discussed this...unless you're trying to drive you Hummer in Antarctica...) and 2. the other syntec grades come from the same family...who cares if they're not PAO...the general formula and addatives will still be Castrol's, not Penz's or someone elses. I'll bet the other 3 grades will be just as good as the 0-30, save #1 above.

Well, I care if it's not PAO. If I'm going to pay a PAO price, then I want PAO performance. I'd have absolutely NO problem with the non-PAO Syntec if it were a dollar cheaper per quart. But it's not. And since Castrol has decided to sell its SLX 0w30 (which is one of the most EXPENSIVE oils you can buy in Europe) for the same price as the other grades of Syntec, and since its specs are vastly superior to the other grades of Syntec, which one do you think I'll buy?
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the other syntec grades come from the same family...who cares if they're not PAO...the general formula and addatives will still be Castrol's

This oil, however, appears to be unlike anything else in North America with the name "Castrol" on it. Based on the physical attributes of it, I submit that it is not created from the same "general formula".
 
It's probably the best synthetic oil you can buy in the U.S.

Whoa. Don't hold back.

Anyone who's using this oil: please tell us something, anything. Any impressions at all?
 
quote:

Originally posted by G-Man II:

quote:

Originally posted by williar:
I notice the bottle doesn't say "energy conserving". Interesting.

Since all Castrol has done is import Formula SLX in bulk and bottle it as Syntec, albeit an "improved European formula," they probably have not tested it against GF-3 fuel economy requirements. The specs the bottle states the oil meets are the same specs it meets in Europe.

Since this oil has a vis of 12.1 cSt and 100°C, it's almost a 40 wt. Provided it holds this viscosity over its lifespan, it may not be able to meet the GF-3 fuel economy requirements.


Let's not forget that Mobil 1 0W-40 originally had no "energy conserving" label, either--perhaps this German Castrol 0W-30 will be certified as such at a later date.

It should be interesting to see how well this oil does...

Thanks for the pics, G-Man II!

Jason
 
Well, I know that this isn't the impression you're looking for but I currently have 20 ounces of this oil in my Sears pushmower and it's working great
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I bought two cases of the stuff when I first saw it at the store but I don't have anything to put it in. My diesel cars are running Delvac-1 for 10,000 mile drain intervals and my gasser car uses Amsoil which is lasting 7500 miles/1 year so I sort of jumped the gun on the purchase. However, my mower now emits a sweet smell,,, reminiscent of the old castor bean two stroke oil so this Castrol has some nice esters in it.
 
How much does this motor oil cost, and where is it sold? And does it meet the requirements of all cars and trucks? My car is a 2001 Saturn SL2. 5W30 is the preferred oil and 0W30 can be used in cold weather and 10W30 is also acceptable in warm weather. If I got this Castrol oil, would it meet the requirements of my car? Throughout the year?

Since this motor oil has esters in it, would Auto-RX still be useful in the engine to keep the engine clean? Would the esters in this oil conflict with the esters in Auto-RX?

I notice that it says on the label that the oil can pour at -40. But most Mobil 1 viscosities can flow at something like -45 to -55.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Mystic:
How much does this motor oil cost, and where is it sold?


In Canada it's $6.66 per liter and only at Walmart so far. In the US it's $4.99 per quart and only at Autozone so far.
 
Unaided starts at -40°F, actually. The pour point is -61°C.

This oil has got to be ester-rich enough to clean a grease trap.
 
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