NEWBIE: German Castrol first impressions.

[StratGT]

I've been watching this site for over a year and I finally decided to register and follow the advise of others regarding oil and car maintenance.

Well, on my Ford Mustang GT (2000) I decided to try Castrol 0W-30 and a K&N oil filter in my Stang. My car has only 23K on it and the oil/ filter was changed every 3K with Ford 5W-20 and a Motocraft filter. The old Ford oil had 3.5k and was quite clean.

The Castrol (German) oil has made my Stang drive smoother. It idles smoother and revs smoother. There is quite a difference! I also went back to the original Motocraft filter cause of some of the negative reviews on the K&N.

I'm going to run this oil for 10,000Km or 6,250 Miles and give it a oil analasis. Do you guys recommend this? I've never ran a car over 3000 miles and the same oil before.

 

[harper]

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It idles smoother and revs smoother[/QB]

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Don't put that much faith in oil, I imagine it has more to do with the engine break in than actually the oil. But if your happy with that's great, I wish I could fine the German stuff myself too.

 

[uconn1150]

I would recommend going 4k, then dumping. Then on the refill, go 5K and then do an analysis...

 

[Patman]

I think 10,000km intervals should be pretty easy to acheive with this oil, I plan on doing that interval with GC 0w30 in my 95 Firebird Formula. I'm also using the K&N oil filter.

So you must be the one who emptied all the GC 0w30 from the shelves of the Meadowvale Walmart then eh?

 

[StratGT]

So you must be the one who emptied all the GC 0w30 from the shelves of the Meadowvale Walmart then eh?

Yea, that was me. There was a whole shelf full of the stuff. I only bought 5 of them. I was surprised when I poured the oil and saw that it was green? For a minute there, I thought the oil was tranny fluid or something else.

 

[Patman]

It looks like we've got some competition now for the GC at that Walmart, since last week there were 12L of the German stuff, so I bought just 1L, and left behind 11. Someone else grabbed the other 6 then. For a while, I was the only one buying it up in there.

I'm more shocked that there is someone who bought the old yellow label 0w30 though, there used to be 10L of the stuff, now there's only 4.

I went to the Airport Road Walmart in Brampton and they had 15L of GC, but it's from an older batch which I know has more iron in it. All of the 35L I've got at home now are from the same batch number, so I'm trying to keep it consistent.

I figured I'd just buy 1L per week so that my wife doesn't see me coming in the house with huge piles of oil anymore.

The green color definitely freaks people out if they weren't expecting it. It almost looks like coolant mixed into the oil! Yikes.

 

[jsharp]

I put GC in my 4Runner this weekend and so far I must say - It's a real yawner. Not that I expected much else.

It starts and runs pretty much just like it did before. I'll have a real opinion of it after I run it 7500 miles and get a UOA done...

I forgot - The green color is high on the coolness scale tho...

[ November 17, 2003, 04:54 PM: Message edited by: jsharp ]

 

[mrhonda]

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I was surprised when I poured the oil and saw that it was green?

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I forgot - The green color is high on the coolness scale tho

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Regarding the green colour... I just had my oil changed to the GC 0W-30, and was shocked to see amber on my dipstick, when I got it home and checked it. Thinking I had been scr3wed, I cracked open a fresh bottle; looking at the bottle contents, it IS green. I dipped my dipstick in the container and pulled it out (obviously expecting to see green), and to my suprise it was amber!!

 

[jsharp]

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Originally posted by mrhonda:

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I was surprised when I poured the oil and saw that it was green?

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I forgot - The green color is high on the coolness scale tho

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Regarding the green colour... I just had my oil changed to the GC 0W-30, and was shocked to see amber on my dipstick, when I got it home and checked it. Thinking I had been scr3wed, I cracked open a fresh bottle; looking at the bottle contents, it IS green. I dipped my dipstick in the container and pulled it out (obviously expecting to see green), and to my suprise it was amber!!

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I had to show the drone at Autozone this when he told me the old stuff and the newer German stuff were the exaclty the same.

First he said it was the bottle, so I opened it and poured a little into the cap. He'll probably be hoarding it too now.

It is amber on the dipstick though. Very strange...

[ November 17, 2003, 05:20 PM: Message edited by: jsharp ]

 

[Quick_lude]

GC has never shown up green on the dipstick.. only in the bottle/cap. As long as you Miss mofos stay in the north/west section we'll be fine.. don't even think on invading my Oakville store stock..

 

[Paul]

With my GC shrine and the longer drain intervals, I won't be buying anymore for another six months. But when Summer rolls around, watch out...

BTW- welcome fellow Mississaugian?? (
-Paul

 

[redicadi]

gc also available at crappy tire in clarkson

 

[geeeman]

Hmmmmm...Gc is THICKER! than 5W20...and the car seems smoother...

Again... the thick vs. thinner debate rages on!

Oh, one more thing...

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...cause of some of the negative reviews on the K&N.

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What negative reviews??? K&N air filters are debatable, but the oil filters are supposed to be very good. Could you clarify your comments?

 

[sub_zero]

An alternative to the "German" Castrol is Petro Can Duron XL, available for about $17 CDN/ 4L at the Blackfoot Truckstop. I've used it in my truck with good results. Less crap on the drainplug went 7000k through the summer on it. I'm too cheap to do a UOA, I'm trying to get a promo from a supplier at work

.

 

[Patman]

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Originally posted by geeeman:
Hmmmmm...Gc is THICKER! than 5W20...and the car seems smoother...

Again... the thick vs. thinner debate rages on!

Oh, one more thing...

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...cause of some of the negative reviews on the K&N.

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What negative reviews??? K&N air filters are debatable, but the oil filters are supposed to be very good. Could you clarify your comments?

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He was referring to the K&N air filter in his original post, as he mentions he's using K&N oil filters now, but went back to Motorcraft filters instead of K&N (for the air filter)

 

[geeeman]

StratGT...

K&N air filter, oil filter, both???

 

[Chris142]

Can you guys explain how to id the gc stuff? Is there a way w/o opening the bottle?

 

[par]

It's called GC for a reason! German Castrol.

The good stuff will say made in Germany on the back of the jug.

 

[quadrun1]

PICTURE courtesy of G-Man II (IIRC)

 

[Chris142]

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Originally posted by quadrun1:
PICTURE courtesy of G-Man II (IIRC)

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Gotcha thx!