How good is this oil? (S-Oil Seven Gold C3 5w-30)
- Thread starter lime
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Out of all the full synthetic oil line up there are two that carry Dexo1 Gen2 specification and they are S-OIL 7 RED #9 SN PLUS 0W-20 and S-OIL and 7 RED #9 SN PLUS 5W-30 and appear to be made by Total Lubricants Co. Ltd.
Total makes quality oil.
ACEA Engine Oil Sequence C3.
Stable, stay-in-grade Engine Oil with Mid SAPS-Level, intended for use as catalyst compatible Oil at extended Drain Intervals in Vehicles with all Types of modern Aftertreatment Systems and High Performance Passenger Car & Light Duty Van Gasoline & DI Diesel Engines that are designed to be capable of using Oils with a minimum HTHS Viscosity of 3.5 mPa*s.
Total makes Quartz Ineo Long Life 0w-30 and 5w-30 and both grades are on VW50400/50700 list of approved oils.
The S-Oil Seven Gold C3 5w-30 say that it only meets the engine oil requirement of Volkswagen, BMW, and Benz but not approved.
The choice to make is yours.
Total makes quality oil.
ACEA Engine Oil Sequence C3.
Stable, stay-in-grade Engine Oil with Mid SAPS-Level, intended for use as catalyst compatible Oil at extended Drain Intervals in Vehicles with all Types of modern Aftertreatment Systems and High Performance Passenger Car & Light Duty Van Gasoline & DI Diesel Engines that are designed to be capable of using Oils with a minimum HTHS Viscosity of 3.5 mPa*s.
Total makes Quartz Ineo Long Life 0w-30 and 5w-30 and both grades are on VW50400/50700 list of approved oils.
The S-Oil Seven Gold C3 5w-30 say that it only meets the engine oil requirement of Volkswagen, BMW, and Benz but not approved.
The choice to make is yours.
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And as far as I can tell from the API EOLCS it isn't licensed SN either. Based on that and the fact that the "Volkswagen, BMW and Benz" notation is the most vague bit of obfuscation I've seen, I seriously doubt it is ACEA C3. either. I'd avoid it like the plague and pick a real ACEA C3 oil if that's what I wanted.
Since when is an approval granted by proxy?
Okay it meets the viscosity requirements for a 5W-30 and a couple of the performance targets for API SN.
After researching the company some more it looks like they are a joint-venture with Total, as mentioned above. I also discovered that they supply factory fill and white-label genuine oil to Hyundai, Kia, GM, Honda, Toyota, and Lexus among others (Perhaps only for the Korean domestic market?).
That instantly enhances their credibility in my eyes. Given the price is half what comparable oils cost from the likes of Castrol/Petronas/Mobil/Shell etc I'm very tempted to take a swing on this.
That instantly enhances their credibility in my eyes. Given the price is half what comparable oils cost from the likes of Castrol/Petronas/Mobil/Shell etc I'm very tempted to take a swing on this.
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I have a minimum of 11 vehicles from immediate family and close friends that I service, on top of extras from time to time. I'm sick of trying to time sales and help coordinate buys to get a good price on oil (It doesn't help that oil is very expensive in NZ). Why not just get a 200L drum and pump and be done with it. I recently picked up a roll on/off lift from a local dealer that was in receivership for a steal, so the plan is to make regular jobs like lube changes quick and effortless.
Bear in mind that additives can settle out over time specially in large quantities such as in drum. The drum could have also sit in warehouse for some time. Also take in consideration oil consumption rate. Maybe some kind of aeration device would also help.
Good point. I was thinking something like this would be easy enough to make or buy and should do the job. Not that it should need it often, I'm under the impression that it takes 1-2 years for additives to settle enough to be serious.
Looks like a full synthetic 5W30 rated API SN and ACEA C3, so a good mid-SAPS oil. Looks like the company is based in South Korea.
PQIA give a good Noack volatility of 9.6%
PQIA give a good Noack volatility of 9.6%
wemay
Site Donor 2023
That VOA is from 2018 and pre anti LSPI mitigation which lowered Calcium levels and increased Magnesium (hence API SN and not SN+). I'd use the oil but I know many on here with T-GDi who wouldn't. Something to think about.
I'm not sure if companies outside of North America worry about getting a formal API SN licence, I suspect some treat it the same way ACEA operate and self-certify by working to their published standard.
I know Nulon in Australia make a full synthetic 5W30 that is Dexos1-Gen2 and API SN. They given their Dexos licence number (D10446HH095) and they are listed on the GM dexos web page. However you will not find the same oil (or any Nulon oil) listed on API EOLCS which "is a voluntary licensing and certification program". So it looks like Nulon don't care, and Dexos also don't care if it's a real API listed oil or not. To be honest, I've never seen an API star or donut on any oil jug sold in Australia or New Zealand, even name brands like Castrol Edge.
It's up to the OP to decide if he trusts the brand, looking for an API star in the Antipodeans could lead to oil starvation.
wemay
Site Donor 2023
Good point ^
Yes good to bear in mind. Most Euro oils I know with ACEA A3/B4 or C3 are still "only" SN with a traditional Ca heavy add pack. Not a problem if you know what you have and what you want.
To me it just contributes to the overall trust I might have in the brand. That sentence on the webpage "This is formulated to meet the engine oil requirement of European automobiles maekrs such as Volkswagen, BMW, and Benz" is beyond ridiculous, which other manufacturer or blender have you seen that makes non-licensed recommendations doesn't even list the actual approvals or licenses they are recommending? Which Volkswagen approvals are they talking about? Which BMW ones? Which "Benz" approvals? Imagine if ExxonMobil published that nonsense on their website about one of their oils.
To answer the question "How good is this oil?" it's unfortunate that it's left up to everyone's interpretation rather than being proven through approvals and certifications. Caveat emptor.
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Oh I agree, I stick to name brands I trust, or specs I can verify independently. Just pointing out for the casual reader that the American Petroleum Institute (API) carries less weight outside of North America, which is relevant to the OP who is in New Zealand. I can buy some good name brand oils here, Valvoline Synpower & Castrol Edge, that carry no API markings at all.
Anyway, I personally never trusted Nulon, who use to sell Teflon oil additives, until they started getting real OEM certs like dexos that I could look up online to confirm quality via an independent third party. Now I do buy Nulon dexos ( or VW 504/507) oil when it’s on sale. So I agree, if you don’t know the brand, then show me the specs. There is enough oil out there that I don’t need to take risks.
