Ford Focus - Gargage Used Wrong Oil

jimbo_the_jetset

Recently had a service at a local chain of garages.
Upon questioning the details on the invoice which showed the wrong type of oil, I was told that they had actually used Castrol Edge 5W40 oil. After a bit of internet research I have found out that this oil does not meet the required Ford specification and is classified as ACEA B4 which also does not meet the requirements as detailed in the owners manual.

Ford require either Ford oil, or that which meets the Ford specification or ACEA A1/B1 or A3/B3.

The garage say that they have serviced many makes and model of cars with this and have never had any problems and the EDGE oil is much better than say the 5W30 Magnatec that does meet the Ford spec and is recommended by Castrol when you put the vehicle details into their website.

Should I worry about having EDGE 5W40 in my car? Will it cause damage? Will it affect fuel ecomony (thicker at running temp = engine working harder)? Should I request that they put in oil which meets the specification or am I getting too fussy?

I have e-mailed Castrol and they suggest I take it back and ask (or tell) them to change the oil and use the correct stuff

colino

I think the oil they have used is a better spec than Ford recommend, and while Fords are now oil fussy, I wouldn't be bothered by this change.

thescouselander

Castrol EDGE is pretty good stuff - it probably exceeds the spec in the book (although I dont have time to check at the moment).

Gordon_Hose

I wouldn't be worried.

mbrijun

I have seen this many times before as I also have a Focus. I have had a few near misses with garages nearly putting in a non-conforming oil. I find it rather strange given that this must be one of the most popular cars in the country.

These days I either change the oil myself, or take my own oil to the garage. Castrol Magnatec 5w30 A1 (Ford specs) costs £24.99 at Tesco for a 4L bottle. Halfords sell their own brew of a Ford specs oil for £26 per 5L bottle.

newbie007_2

I take my fiesta to national tyres for fully synthetic 5w-30 castol magnetec oil and filter change for £26 recently. The oil and filter would cost as much if I were able
to do it myself.

thescouselander

I would have said that Castrol EDGE is miles better than Magnatec but I've just noticed this on the Castrol Website:

Q. I NOTICE EDGE 5W-30 – CAN I USE THIS FOR FORD ENGINES?
A. No – Most Ford engines specify a 5W-30 Fuel efficient oil meeting WSS-M2C-913B/C and we recommend the use of Magnatec 5W-30 only. The exceptions are the Galaxy with the VW PD engine, and the latest Ford KA which should have Edge Turbo Diesel 5W-40 (VW 505.01 / FRD 917A specification.) and the latest Focus RS (refer to dealer)

http://www.castrol.com/castrol/sectiongenericarticle.do?categoryId=9014090&contentId=7027092

forgotmyname

Print that out & take it back & ask for the proper oil, At least it will have had a nice flush.

Empty_pockets

It's won't cause any problems,I wouldn't worry about it. Oil has a far wider operating temprature range than we have in this country.

vaio

Just use what Ford say (or better), it's what the engine was designed for, I'm sure other oils will stop it seizing but they don't have the other qualities required for the engine (and it's not just about viscosity or temperature range).

Ford spend £m designing it, I'd stick with what they say against a garage or internet forum

.

sassy_one

I wouldn't worry to much, in fact it's a better oil than the spec stated in the Ford manual.

The only thing to keep an eye on when using oil is make sure the viscosity matches what is needed for your engine