SLX Where do you see this?

[darrenc]

I’ve purchased three cases of GC 0W-30 from three different Azs and have never seen the designation SLX. Is this for Canadian packaging? Just curious.

 

[sbc350gearhead]

It is speculation, that the 0w30 castrol syntec is the same as castrol formula slx in germany, because of the specs, color, and the country of origin.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi, Well you no longer see SLX for sale in Australia! We waved goodbye to it by not buying it. Castrol still have some - withdrawn from sale - in their BP Melbourne HO I believe ( according to Sprintman ) Sorry I saw two lonely 5ltr containers a couple of weeks ago in Brisbane. One was German SJ and the other SL from ??. Both are on sale for $A100+ each. They have been there for at least two years that I know of. Perhaps I should make an offer! Farewell from OZ to Castrol SLX in any form Hello from OZ to Castrol R in three different viscosities! And Good Luck to BP-Castrol! Regards

 

[gfcrane]

I visited the CastrolUSA web site yesterday and they were advertising several new (to me) oils. Actually, it looked like they were renaming everything but one was called Syntec SLX in 0W-30 grade. Nothing technical was included but this is new since the last time I visited this site maybe a month ago. It was touted as a "new" gas engine product with the normal Castrol advertising wording.

 

[pscholte]

gfcrane, Can you provide link info to that specific part of the site? I went over and saw no mention of SLX.

 

[pscholte]

quote:

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Originally posted by Doug Hillary: Hi, Well you no longer see SLX for sale in Australia! We waved goodbye to it by not buying it. Castrol still have some - withdrawn from sale - in their BP Melbourne HO I believe ( according to Sprintman ) Sorry I saw two lonely 5ltr containers a couple of weeks ago in Brisbane. One was German SJ and the other SL from ??. Both are on sale for $A100+ each. They have been there for at least two years that I know of. Perhaps I should make an offer! Farewell from OZ to Castrol SLX in any form Hello from OZ to Castrol R in three different viscosities! And Good Luck to BP-Castrol! Regards

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Doug, I welcome the RS series to , but when SLX is what they offer, then SLX is what you get.

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by pscholte: gfcrane, Can you provide link info to that specific part of the site? I went over and saw no mention of SLX.

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Maybe Castrol has a different web site for folks in Utah. The site that's at www.castrolusa.com doesn't have any mention of a "Syntec SLX" in 0w30 or any other grade.

 

[Patman]

The main reason this oil did not sell in Australia is simply it's viscosity isn't appealing to "thick oil hungry Australians", it's not because the quality of this oil is lacking by any means. If Castrol added a tiny bit more VII and bumped it up from 12.2 cst to 12.6cst, and called it a 0w40, it would be basically the exact same oil, but then it would sell! (I'm curious, maybe Castrol's 0w40 is simply SLX plus more VII?) [ October 02, 2003, 05:26 AM: Message edited by: Patman ]

 

[G-MAN]

Patman, if you look at the Formula R 0w40 specs sheet, the vis is 12.9, so your theory is very close to being right it would seem.

 

[yannis]

I visited castrol's usa site a few minutes ago.They have a lub advisor feature and giving the model , year and temperature they suggest the proper oil grade. Guess what they suggest for an audi A4 1.8 liters,2002 model, operating above 5F... 20W50 and this comes from castrol USA

 

[darrenc]

Thanks for all your replies!

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi, Patman - your comments: "The main reason this oil did not sell in Australia is simply it's viscosity isn't appealing to "thick oil hungry Australians", it's not because the quality of this oil is lacking by any means. If Castrol added a tiny bit more VII and bumped it up from 12.2 cst to 12.6cst, and called it a 0w40, it would be basically the exact same oil, but then it would sell! (I'm curious, maybe Castrol's 0w40 is simply SLX plus more VII?)" I find your uncalled for comment "thick oil hungry Australians" quite demeaning! It is true that like in the USA (and it is often noted on here ) many oils are sold ex. retailers who flog outdated products! And, to unsophisticated buyers too - just like yours!!! Firstly - Our Automotive Industry is very sophisticated here with new vehicle sales near 800 000 last year in a population of 20 Million. We have one of the highest ownership and lowest vehicle age ratios in the World! Secondly - We export cars to many countries including yours. Our exported vehicles must comply with every market's emission requirements including yours. Our imported vehicles come from almost everywhere and the choice is truely incredible! Probably a better choice than in the USA Thirdly - Our choice of lubricants is excellent -from all accounts again, we may have a better choice here than you do in the USA! These range in viscosities from 0w-20 upwards! Much prototype work is done in Australia on vehicles (cars and light/heavy trucks) destined for and sold on the Worlds's markets! Our climate, our geography, our facilities and our Automotive Engineers enable this. The Japanese and the Germans have been doing this for at least the last 30 years! A recent look at the latest oil recommendations here for the latest listed and most popular locally made cars tells a tail. ExxonMobil and BP recommend modern specification lubricants including synthetics. These range from 10w-30 to 0w-40 Castrol's "blanket" oil recommendation is Magnatec 10w-40 semi-synthetic! Their Parent BP recommends synthetics!! Castrol marketed 0w-30 SLX very heavily here when introduced about 1996/7 - including in V8 Supercars racing, a costly venture. I was an early SLX user in those years and in a number of vehicles. I know that SLX was a sales "flop" and I strongly suspect that the original SJ formulation at least was "problematic"! Castrol has recently acquired a poor image here via BP and the poor marketing of their ( Castrol's ) better products continues today. The lessor range GTX etc. sells well but at heavy discounts in major stores. Is BP now marketing the upper image oils like "Visco 5000" at the expense of Castrols "R" Range ( 5w-30,0w-40,10w-60 - and all SL/CF A3,B3,B4 ) ?? - I may be cynical but it sure looks like it Do I trust Castrol? - does it really matter? Well I think that their RX Super and "R" 10w-60 and gear lubricants are really excellent products. The other "R" range viscosities are probably good too - we now just have a better range in many other brands Am I brand "precious" - no, just commercially aware and always seeking the correct cost/benefit! I'm a commercial user And 800 000 odd new vehicles a year go to people in Australia who are probably not all "thick oil hungry Australians"! We don't particularly want your CAFE and EPA light oil requirements in Australia - if they work for you thats great! We have our own requirements based on some of your standards ( only after you test them first ), European standards and our own needs Please, no more such unbalanced and incorrect comments Patman, they tend to destroy the objectivity and professionalism on this wonderful Board!!! Regards

 

[crashz]

I don't think he meant to offend you Doug. Nothing wrong with Austrailians or your beautiful country. You're right in the fact that in some areas, Austrailia has the US beat. One big grip I've had is that we can't get a small pick-up with a deisel. Irks me to no end. Can't even get a deisel in a 1/2 ton anymore. I'd nearly kill to get a F150, Chevy K1500, or Tundra with a small I6 deisel. Nope we have to have V10 Excursions and every other useless monstrosity known to man. Cause it sells.

 

[Bill]

You are right Patman, 0W-40 would be 0W-30 with more VI improver to make the 0W oil act like a 40 weight at 100°C. The first number in a oil such as 0W, 5W & 10W is the viscosity of the oil at 40°C (you know this), this is the base oil used in the lubricant. VI improver is added to make the base oil act like a heavier oil at higher temperatures. To make a 0W perform like a 40W instead of a 30W at 100°C, more VI improver would be added to the 0W. Anytime, any number is assign to a oil, i.e., 10W-30 & 10W-40, 10W oil is the base fluid in these oils only the 10W-40 has more VI improver added. Has anyone found this not to be true? Bill

 

[Jimbo]

Castrol may be a leading brand in the rest of the world, but not in the USA. Part of the problem is the miserable marketing by BP/Castrol here, a few really stupid TV commercials. The castrolusa website is one of the worst oil company sites out there, absolutely no product data or MSDS sheets or any links to another site that has them. The only car/truck motor oils listed are GTX, High Mileage, Syntec Blend, Syntec, RX Super and Heavy Duty.

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by Bill: The first number in a oil such as 0W, 5W & 10W is the viscosity of the oil at 40°C (you know this), this is the base oil used in the lubricant.

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This is incorrect. The Xw rating of an oil has nothing to do with its vis at 40°C.

 

[pscholte]

quote:

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Originally posted by Doug Hillary: Hi, Patman - your comments: "The main reason this oil did not sell in Australia is simply it's viscosity isn't appealing to "thick oil hungry Australians", it's not because the quality of this oil is lacking by any means. If Castrol added a tiny bit more VII and bumped it up from 12.2 cst to 12.6cst, and called it a 0w40, it would be basically the exact same oil, but then it would sell! (I'm curious, maybe Castrol's 0w40 is simply SLX plus more VII?)" I find your uncalled for comment "thick oil hungry Australians" quite demeaning!

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Doug, I am positive Patman did not mean to offend. This is the problem with email, words in black and white can carry whatever tone the reader places on them, even though it may be far from what was intended. I believe, after seeing you guys talk about 25W70 etc, and seeing emails about the heat in some parts of OZ, he was trying to say that OZzies don't like thin oils because they believe they can't cope with the conditions. Therefore, they "crave" the thicker brews. When he sees your comments I am sure he will clear it up. In the meantime... [ October 02, 2003, 04:59 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

 

[Patman]

Doug, I did not mean to offend you, I wasn't saying that in a derogatory manner, even though it sounded that way. I simply meant that in Australia (and many other countries with similar hot climates) people shy away from the thinner oils and only the 40wts and higher can satisfy their appetite. I can't say I blame you, I wouldn't run a 30wt oil in a hot climate unless it was a very upper 30wt. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi, Patman - mis-understanding over, lets get on with life. I do respect your judgement and expertise too And,it is a beautiful here in the Tropics today 33C, if only we had rain to break the drought Like you, and with my past experience with light oils I am reluctant to go much below a 0W-40. I suppose its one reason I use Del 1 in almost all bar the ride-on mower! Regards

 

[Patman]

I'm glad you understand Doug, I never want anyone to think I'm attacking them, it's not in my nature to put people down like that. Must be nice to see 33C right now! We had temps like that just two weeks ago, but when fall hits in Toronto it hits hard, it seems we've gone from summer directly into winter, as it was only 2C when I got up this morning, and it only went up to 9C! Snow flurries were seen just north of Toronto over the last 24 hours too. Time to start plugging in the block heater soon. I need to move to Australia!