A3/B4 oil use instead of A5/B5

[RooflessVW]

Originally Posted By: B320i
Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
One thing I can never understand about which oil type questions, is why almost no one seems to use the oil finder or guide pages of their chosen oil company to see what they recommend. The major brand oil company web sites all have such finders or guides and they are very reliable, as are the limits in an owners manual, which although it is the worlds most popular type of book, it is also the least read.


Very reliable? In my experience, not at all.

Using an Owner's Manual is a far more reliable means of finding the correct recommendation.


A good example is Castrol's tool. When I input my Volvo, it recommends a dealer-only oil that is not available to end-consumers... Because it's technically the only A5/B5 oil they have available in the US.

I plan to use an A3/B4 oil in it. To heck with fuel economy and going out of my way to find an oil.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
A good example is Castrol's tool. When I input my Volvo, it recommends a dealer-only oil that is not available to end-consumers... Because it's technically the only A5/B5 oil they have available in the US.

That depends how you look at it. It is reliable in that regard. It is telling you the absolute, literal truth. You know enough that an A3/B4 oil will work just fine. You, and many other BITOGers, also know that both types of Edge 5w-30 SN/GF-5 would be A5/B5 except for the B5 side of things, with tinkering the the biodiesel portion, and that Castrol is simply following the ACEA rules correctly.

Castrol even notes I can use 5w-30 C3/dexos2/SN in my G37, because it simply calls for an SM or newer 5w-30, with ILSAC only recommended but not required. That is technically correct, despite being something that would be a somewhat difficult to obtain and peculiar choice, at least in comparison to any ILSAC Castrol product.

 

[UltrafanUK]

Originally Posted By: B320i
Originally Posted By: UltrafanUK
One thing I can never understand about which oil type questions, is why almost no one seems to use the oil finder or guide pages of their chosen oil company to see what they recommend. The major brand oil company web sites all have such finders or guides and they are very reliable, as are the limits in an owners manual, which although it is the worlds most popular type of book, it is also the least read.



Very reliable? In my experience, not at all.

Using an Owner's Manual is a far more reliable means of finding the correct recommendation.


Most owners manuals only list the SAE ranges and API or Acea spec's required, they do not recommend a specific oil from the different major brand oil companies.

The OEM approved oil can change during the life of a car as newer products become available, or the OEM decides to change supplier.

The oil finder or guide pages of the major brand oil companies are very reliable, although I would cross check their results by looking at the EU or UK version of the web site to see if the OEM is playing the CAFE game or not.
The best oil finder is the LM one, as it does not just list the so called best oil, but list all of the oils that meet the Acea and viscosity range requirements. The Castrol site often lists an alternative, but does not give you a complete list.
Some lesser known oil companies or oil dealers do have errors in their oil finders. Halfrauds even had a 15w40 recommended for my TDI, which would have been a bad idea in winter.

 

[B320i]

Originally Posted By: "UltraFanUK"
Most owners manuals only list the SAE ranges and API or Acea spec's required, they do not recommend a specific oil from the different major brand oil companies.

The OEM approved oil can change during the life of a car as newer products become available, or the OEM decides to change supplier.

Perfectly fine. Say the book requires API SG or better - any oil today (within reason) meets that specification.

ACEA specifications don't just "disappear" or change overnight.

Its all about looking at the bottles, then buying what suits. You don't know whether an oil selector is directing you to a top-drawer oil un-necessarily or not.

 

[UltrafanUK]

True, but I forgot to mention that I always try to minimise wear by using top draw oil and filters, changed at an interval that produces the lowest Iron per mile (Or engine on hour in some cases). The reason I do that is cos my beloved TDI has to suffer some serious abuse, including short tripping, bad driver styles, hot & heavy towing (More of an issue for the gearbox) and even some dusty off roading.

I also make sure that my good old block is 100% clear or sludge and varnish (I've had the sump off), as it does not matter if you use the best oil, the results will not be good if it does not get to all the nooks and crannies at the flow rate desired.

 

[slybunda]

thats odd if you think thicker oil is better why not just go straight to 10w-60 or 20w50?