What's so special about Mobil 1 0w40?

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
I just edited my post. I agree, Castrol shouldn't be under estimated. They are basically the ExxonMobil of Euorpe. Is the SLX the German 0w-30? I'd like to know if this German 0w-30 will be a regularly stocked item. If so, I'll have to try some. So what are BMW's using in the US? Syntec or R?

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Yes, the German 0w30 is SLX bottled as Syntec. I think all of us who are tying the German 0w30 are keeping our fingers crossed that it will continue to be available.

The BMW-branded 5w30 available at the dealers is an A3 rated oil made by Castrol. According to the BMW-Netherlands web site, the recommended oil is SLX 0w30 and TXT 5w30. The M models get Castrol 10w60.

 

[buster]

Danke!

Looks like serious oil. I'd really like to see them start bringing this oil over here permenantly. We need another choice in the OTC market. A fully synthetic one. Has anyone contacted Castrol to find out what is going on? If not, I might try and contact them to see if they are planning to bring this over for good. Sometimes shipments get misdirected and this could be exactly that.

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
Danke!

Looks like serious oil. I'd really like to see them start bringing this oil over here permenantly. We need another choice in the OTC market. A fully synthetic one. Has anyone contacted Castrol to find out what is going on? If not, I might try and contact them to see if they are planning to bring this over for good. Sometimes shipments get misdirected and this could be exactly that.

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Take a look at this e-mail from Castrol that Dr. T posted back in February. He'd questioned Castrol about the German made 0w30 and their initial response was that they didn't have any info on Castrol oils sold outside North American. Dr. T followed up, explaining about the "Made in Germany" Syntec appearing on the shelves in North America, and this was the response he got:

Well, I was certainly out of the loop on this one! I apologize for the misinformation, and here are the facts.

Yes, the Syntec 0W-30 does come from Germany. As it already existed there, we decided to take advantage of that production source. Color differences are common and are usually due to different additive sources, but this should not be a cause for concern. The base stock of the 0W-30 oil is PAO. In this unique low temperature application, it was found that PAO was the best
way to go.

As to the Typical Inspection Data, that appears below. If you do not receive it in a legible chart format, please advise and I will either mail or fax it if you will give us that number.

Once again, thank you for writing and for allowing me to clarify the issue, for both of us. Your interest in Castrol products is greatly appreciated.

Lynn Hansen

Reference: 130544

 

[YZF150]

Well, shoot. I emailed them last week asking about this oil, too, and haven't gotten a reply. The big question, though, unanswered in their response to Dr. T, is whether this oil is going to be regularly available in North America.

 

[buster]

quote:

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I'm not knocking Mobil 1, but IMO, as far as premier European oils go, they were playing "catch up" with Castrol when they reformulated and introduced SuperSyn. It was only with the SuperSyn formulation that the 0w40 attained all these OEM extended drain approvals.

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G, what was Mobil using before they released 0w-40 for European oil? I find it hard to believe Mobil was playing catch up with Castol, although Castrol is very capable. Mobil can pretty much make anything they want due to there huge R&D expenditures and I imagine Castrol is too. Delvac 1 is a good example. The 0w-40 is really nothing spectacular. In fact in Europe, they probably used 15w-50 or 5w-50 which would meet all of the european specs I would think. Also, aren't Castrol's High end R oils $12/qt.? If so, then I can see why they are better.

[ June 01, 2003, 12:55 PM: Message edited by: buster ]

 

[G-MAN]

quote:

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Originally posted by buster:
G, what was Mobil using before they released 0w-40? I find it hard to believe Mobil was playing catch up with Castol. Mobil can pretty much make anything they want due to there huge R&D. Delvac 1 is a good example. The 0w-40 is really nothing spectacular. In fact in Europe, they probably used 15w-50 or 5w-50 which would meet all of the european specs.

Is Castrol a UK company?

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Mobil introduced 0w40 in Europe in 1996. The first version to get MB approval was the TriSyn formula, and that was 229.1. It later got 229.3, and then with the SuperSyn formulation, 229.5.

Castrol is a UK company, now part of BP. Don't underestimate Castrol's capabilities just because of their poor marketing decision in the US regarding Group III oils. They are fully capable of producing synthetic oils that are more than a match for anything Mobil can produce. The SLX is a good example.

 

[buster]

I just edited my post. I agree, Castrol shouldn't be under estimated. They are basically the ExxonMobil of Euorpe. Is the SLX the German 0w-30? I'd like to know if this German 0w-30 will be a regularly stocked item. If so, I'll have to try some. So what are BMW's using in the US? Syntec or R?

[ June 01, 2003, 01:04 PM: Message edited by: buster ]

 

[Eiron]

quote:

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Originally posted by G-Man II:
... The only distinguishing feature of 0w40 is its higher HT/HS numbers and the A3 rating (disregarding the 15w50). ... As to what these specs actually require, I don't know. And it's really irrelevant to my original question.

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Actually, knowing what the specs require is probably the most relevant aspect of your original question. For example, we now know that MB 229.5 requires the oil to:
1) be certified as A3/B3,
2) stand up to extended intervals of up to 18,600 miles, &
3) show a 1.8% fuel economy savings over oils meeting the 229.1 spec.
Obviously, it's not simply a "go the distance" spec; there are protection & fuel economy aspects as well. Since none of the M1 20wt/30wt are A3/B3, & the 15W-50 isn't fuel efficient enough, only the M1 0W-40 meets all of the 229.5 criteria.

Now, if you look at the oils meeting GM-LL-A-025, they're a real mixed bag! A3s, A5s, A1s, & even an unidentified oil! This appears to be only a "go the distance" spec for an environmental pat-on-the-back, but since GM refuses to release any info to you & me, there's no way to verify any other criteria.

 

[Dr. T]

To answer the original question, I think YES the A3 rating is the only difference between the 0-40 and the other grades (15-50 notwithstanding). The thing you will find when using a A3 oil (and I challenge anyone out there to use one in their vehicle) is that the oil WILL stand up...it will not turn black in a short few thousand miles. I guess there are more addatives which allow for this. You may notice a decrease in consumption as well. That's why BMW's oil is Group III Castrol...because an A3 rating is more important than GroupIII vs. PAO. If introduced today, they may be in fact, using the SLX 0-30, but in `99, they needed Castrol to make an A3 5-30 for them because Syntec (nor M-1) 5-30/10-30 COULDN'T cut the mustard.

As far as if it's here to stay? Well, nothing is for ever...we can hope so...if profitable, of course.