reading too much into brand or not?

Joined
Jul 4, 2012
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5
Location
england
recently i seem to have consumed myself into oil research and brand snobbery. must be the darker nights.
i have the same engine in my UK car as the Chevrolet cruze, being the 1.4luv turbo unit.
The manufacturer oil recommendation for this engine is for one that helps againt LSPi. therefore i started doing quite a bit of research and found that Amsoil signature series 5w30, (although not actually having the dexos1 gen2 licence) seemed to tick the required boxes, on paper its spec sheet was favourable.
recently though here in the UK, amsoil has been getting harder to obtain, so i have been looking at other brands, but for some reason my head is saying "NO" and to stick with Amsoil as its a known quality brand.
should i be sticking with the brand name or is it fine to pick another brand as long as it meets the approved specs required.
i do my oil changes every 6-7000 miles, so i am wondering if Amsoil is overkill for this engine
 
In regard to brand loyalty, Amsoil isn't the only "known quality brand". Any of the SN+ or SP "synthetics" on the shelf at your local department store will work fine for that engine. Mobil1, Pennzoil Platinum, Valvoline, Quaker State are fine replacements for Amsoil if they're playing hard to get.
 
i have the same engine in my UK car as the Chevrolet cruze, being the 1.4luv turbo unit.
The manufacturer oil recommendation for this engine is for one that helps againt LSPi.

The LUV 1.4L is not direct injected and not susceptible to LSPI (the LE2 1.4L, used in the 2nd generation Cruze, is DI). It specs D1G2 because that's the spec GM uses for nearly everything.

It's a good spec that makes for good oil, so I wouldn't be hesitant to use anything that meets it. However, since LSPI isn't a concern in your application, I also wouldn't hesitate to use Amsoil that doesn't meet the spec. If Amsoil is hard to obtain though, there are plenty of good options.
 
The LUV 1.4L is not direct injected and not susceptible to LSPI (the LE2 1.4L, used in the 2nd generation Cruze, is DI). It specs D1G2 because that's the spec GM uses for nearly everything.

It's a good spec that makes for good oil, so I wouldn't be hesitant to use anything that meets it. However, since LSPI isn't a concern in your application, I also wouldn't hesitate to use Amsoil that doesn't meet the spec. If Amsoil is hard to obtain though, there are plenty of good options.
this is what i argued with vauxhall. my particular engine is labelled as 1.4 LUJ and as its pre 2016, its not classed as direct injection. Vauxhall however will only sell dexos1 gen2 for all their small displacement turbo engines.
this is a pain in the UK as there are currently very little outlets selling d1gen2, hence why i started using amsoil, believing it to offer good protection.
i would use the dealers d1gen2, but they refuse to tell me who makes it or offer any specs on its quality.
the only other readily available oil with d1gen2 spec is total quartz 9000, but im not sure on this brand
 
Love Seeing other Brits on here!

Run a Dexos 2 approved oil. M1 0w40 ESP X3 can be picked up very cheap (~£30/5 litres) if you shop around. I paid £32 for a jug in Halfords with my trade card a few weeks ago.
 
this is what i argued with vauxhall. my particular engine is labelled as 1.4 LUJ and as its pre 2016, its not classed as direct injection. Vauxhall however will only sell dexos1 gen2 for all their small displacement turbo engines.
this is a pain in the UK as there are currently very little outlets selling d1gen2, hence why i started using amsoil, believing it to offer good protection.
i would use the dealers d1gen2, but they refuse to tell me who makes it or offer any specs on its quality.
the only other readily available oil with d1gen2 spec is total quartz 9000, but im not sure on this brand

Got it. Here in the States, D1G2 is as easy to find as tap water.
 
Love Seeing other Brits on here!

Run a Dexos 2 approved oil. M1 0w40 ESP X3 can be picked up very cheap (~£30/5 litres) if you shop around. I paid £32 for a jug in Halfords with my trade card a few weeks ago.
That is what GM-Holden did or allowed, when they were still around in Australia. They ran Dexos2 (ACEA C3) oils in some of their more highly stressed petrol engines.

For example over here I can get a Havoline ProDS 5W30 full synthetic, that is ACEA C3, Dexos2 and MB 229.51
 
The 1.4 LUV is port injected and not a major candidate for LSPI like the direct injected LE2 in the newer Cruzes
 
recently i seem to have consumed myself into oil research and brand snobbery. must be the darker nights.
i have the same engine in my UK car as the Chevrolet cruze, being the 1.4luv turbo unit.
The manufacturer oil recommendation for this engine is for one that helps againt LSPi. therefore i started doing quite a bit of research and found that Amsoil signature series 5w30, (although not actually having the dexos1 gen2 licence) seemed to tick the required boxes, on paper its spec sheet was favourable.
recently though here in the UK, amsoil has been getting harder to obtain, so i have been looking at other brands, but for some reason my head is saying "NO" and to stick with Amsoil as its a known quality brand.
should i be sticking with the brand name or is it fine to pick another brand as long as it meets the approved specs required.
i do my oil changes every 6-7000 miles, so i am wondering if Amsoil is overkill for this engine
I'm an Amsoil user but I do the long drain intervals 12-15 k miles. In your case Amsoil SS is a waste. Dexos 5w30 any major brand for your 6-7k OCI's.
 
I wouldn’t use Amsoil if I were running 6,000 mile intervals, seems a little bit of a waste to me. I think if you’re going to run shorter intervals you should be more than successful with any name brand synthetic in the viscosity range your engine requires. But I mean, if you want to run Amsoil go right ahead. From everything I’ve read and heard, it’s great oil. But most name brand oils are also “great oils”.
 
It's a little different in Britain, the plethora of "synthetic" oils we have here are generally not available and aren't classed as synthetic either.
However it doesn't mean the main brands like Castrol aren't a good choice if you can find the top level versions.
 
It's a little different in Britain, the plethora of "synthetic" oils we have here are generally not available and aren't classed as synthetic either.
However it doesn't mean the main brands like Castrol aren't a good choice if you can find the top level versions.
Can you get castrol EDGE or Magnatec there?


Thank You sir
 
The Castrol UK site will have the answer.


 
recently i seem to have consumed myself into oil research and brand snobbery. must be the darker nights.
i have the same engine in my UK car as the Chevrolet cruze, being the 1.4luv turbo unit.
The manufacturer oil recommendation for this engine is for one that helps againt LSPi. therefore i started doing quite a bit of research and found that Amsoil signature series 5w30, (although not actually having the dexos1 gen2 licence) seemed to tick the required boxes, on paper its spec sheet was favourable.
recently though here in the UK, amsoil has been getting harder to obtain, so i have been looking at other brands, but for some reason my head is saying "NO" and to stick with Amsoil as its a known quality brand.
should i be sticking with the brand name or is it fine to pick another brand as long as it meets the approved specs required.
i do my oil changes every 6-7000 miles, so i am wondering if Amsoil is overkill for this engine
As long as an oil meets the rating that they specify in your owner's manual, it probably doesnt really matter. I hear you though, Im much the same way when it comes to Valvoline.
 
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