Oil Change

roddydogs

Its Semi-Synthetic, just Google it............SIMPLES

jimbo_the_jetset

Just to stoke the fires of discussion :

http://www.honestjohn.co.uk/forum/post/index.htm?t=32348

And quoting from above HJ forum thread :

This piece by Silkolene's chief chemist explains.

Quote:

Costs of synthetics vary considerably. The most expensive are the 'Ester' types originally only used in jet engines. These cost 6 to 10 times more than high quality mineral oils. The cheapest synthetics are not really synthetic at all, from a chemists point of view. These are in fact specially refined light viscosity mineral oils known as 'hydrocracked'. These have some advantages over equivalent mineral oils, particularly in lower viscosity motor oils such as 5w-30 or other oils with a low 'W' rating such as 5w-50 etc and they cost about 1.5 times more than good quality mineral fractions.

We use several different grades of this base oil, where appropriate. This is the 'synthetic' which is always used in cheap oils that are labelled 'synthetic'. Yes it's a cruel world, you get what you pay for!

Now, you may ask, why are these special mineral oils called 'synthetic'?

Well, it was all sorted in a legal battle that took place in the USA about ten years ago. Sound reasons (including evidence from a Nobel Prize winning chemist) were disregarded and the final ruling was that certain mineral bases that had undergone extra chemical treatments could be called 'synthetic'.

Needless to say, the marketing executives wet their knickers with pure delight! They realised that this meant, and still does, that the critical buzz-word 'synthetic' could be printed on a can of cheap oil provided that the contents included a few percent of 'hydrocracked' mineral oil, at a cost of quite literally a few pence.

So, the chemistry of 'synthetics' is complex and so is the politics!

The economics are very simple. If you like the look of a smart well-marketed can with 'synthetic' printed on it, fair enough, it will not cost you a lot; and now you know why this is the case. But, if you drive a high performance car, and you intend to keep it for several years, and maybe do the odd 'track day', then you need a genuine Ester/PAO (Poly Alpha Olefin) synthetic oil.

This oil costs more money to buy, because it costs us a lot of money to make, very simply, you always get what you pay for!


In the case of Castrol Magnatec I have read (but cannot confirm) that it says on the back somewhere that the oil is 'synthetically engineered', i.e. hydrocracked mineral oil.

And from Castrol website :
What’s the difference between synthetic oil and mineral oil?

Mineral and synthetic based oils are mostly derived from crude oil or its refined components. Mineral base oils are produced during normal crude oil refining process and are enhanced with chemical additives. Some synthetic base oils are produced by further refining and chemically altering these mineral base oils. Other types of synthetic base oils are made by using special refinery products to tailor-make specific and unique molecules.

skiddlydiddly

I tried the online quote from your reg number.My import vehicle didn't come up, despite being in the country around 11 years and my Renault Laguna diesel would cost about £42 for the service .

msmyth18

And in my 1997 Fiesta does it really make a massive difference whether it has magnatech 'Hydrocracked' or Ester jet engine stuff?

As far as im concerned Castrol Magnatec is a decent brand and the price is a bargain!

I haven't had any issues getting the oil change done at national, but that said i had a set of tyres too, im 7500 miles away from my next change so i suppose ill wait until then and report back!

Strider590

They make a loss on the oil change but make up for it by telling you your brakes, tyre, exhaust and suspension are "dangerous" and need replacing immediately at their usual grossly over priced rates.

Like £155 for a tyre that I can get for £95 just down the road.

Gordon_Hose

It's a way of getting people through the door. A well know sales tactic.

davemorton

Any know how much they will charge for extra oil, as I fancy taking advantage of this (just really for an engine flush) but will need to buy more oil for the change, and dont fancy getting stung £14 a litre (or whatever silly price they can think of)

newbie007_2

benham3160 wrote: »

Just to let you know mate, Magnatec is semi-synthetic, and pretty average oil specs wise.

Interesting the "money savers" are using Magnatec, which is some of the most overpriced oil around......

V6 Mondeo 96-00 holds 5.5 litres of oil, with a filter.

Regards,
Andy

Don't know where you guys got the info that it's semi synthetic?

It's fully synthetic http://www.opieoils.co.uk/p-754-castrol-magnatec-5w-30-a1-fully-synthetic-engine-oil-recommended-by-ford.aspx

I only ever had good experiences with national, all I ever use them for is an oil change.

* Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 A1 Fully Synthetic Engine Oil - This is what was use for my fiesta.

thescouselander

I was wondering about this the other day and so I looked at the castrol website and found out Magnatec can be fully synthetic depending on the viscosity. I cant link to it now because the computer I'm on is rubbish but if you go to the castrol website and look at the FAQ in the Magnetec section it explains all.

davemorton

davemorton wrote: »

Any know how much they will charge for extra oil, as I fancy taking advantage of this (just really for an engine flush) but will need to buy more oil for the change, and dont fancy getting stung £14 a litre (or whatever silly price they can think of)

Have just emailed them, so will post if they send a reply.