Servicing / 5w40 Oil

Zola.

Hi folks

I have a VW Bora TDI that uses 5w40 oil.
I typically do all minor servicing myself (oil changes, air and fuel filters etc).

I normally go to a motor factors to buy this, but I would consider buying online from the likes of ebay. I see some are selling 5L of fully synthetic oil in my type for a little over 20 quid. Seems very cheap.

Should I be skeptical? Of course I want to get good quality oil and parts for my car, but do any of you buy bits for your car online?

JustinR1979

Eurocarparts often have deals on oil, I use them to get oil for my vag tdi - just make sure it's pd oil

Foxy-Stoat_3

Opie oils is where I get my service stuff from, you get a free air freshener too !!

DUTR

Zola. wrote: »

Hi folks

I have a VW Bora TDI that uses 5w40 oil.
I typically do all minor servicing myself (oil changes, air and fuel filters etc).

I normally go to a motor factors to buy this, but I would consider buying online from the likes of ebay. I see some are selling 5L of fully synthetic oil in my type for a little over 20 quid. Seems very cheap.

Should I be skeptical? Of course I want to get good quality oil and parts for my car, but do any of you buy bits for your car online?

5w-40 , £20 for 5 litres

alfantastic

Yep, used Opie Oils and Eurocarparts for parts and servicing items.
Both have been great with service and delivery. It's a case of comparing their websites to get the best deal.

BTW, please don't skimp on buying a top quality oil to save a few quid.
Your car has a turbo, which relies on a supply of clean high quality oil to protect the bearings.
When I ran a Nissan Diesel, I always used Castrol Magnatec. The reason being that it is formulated to cling to the metal parts of the engine. This is very good for turbo bearings when starting from cold, as this is the time when a turbo receives a slightly erratic flow of oil.
The engine was still going strong with the original turbo at 150k when I sold it

DUTR

alfantastic wrote: »

Yep, used Opie Oils and Eurocarparts for parts and servicing items.
Both have been great with service and delivery. It's a case of comparing their websites to get the best deal.

BTW, please don't skimp on buying a top quality oil to save a few quid.
Your car has a turbo, which relies on a supply of clean high quality oil to protect the bearings.
When I ran a Nissan Diesel, I always used Castrol Magnatec. The reason being that it is formulated to cling to the metal parts of the engine. This is very good for turbo bearings when starting from cold, as this is the time when a turbo receives a slightly erratic flow of oil.
The engine was still going strong with the original turbo at 150k when I sold it

Which company makes cheap oil? They are formulated to a standard. Look at the details on the container and in the owner's handbook for suitable oils.

JustinR1979

Magnatec is over priced, for the money you could get a proper synthetic (not one that's hydrocracked petroleum) that will work better with the heat a turbo creates.

BeenThroughItAll

alfantastic wrote: »

The engine was still going strong with the original turbo at 150k when I sold it

Which is probably because of the way you used it, and almost certainly has nothing to do with the Magnatec oil. I don't for one minute believe the old 'metal, grinding against metal' Magnatec marketing, but bearing in mind that most turbo bearings actually rely on a constantly replenished film of oil as the bearing surface, even if it clings on it'll still be wiped away by the first revolution of the shaft, and you'll be waiting for fresh oil to arrive at the bearing.

alfantastic

JustinR1979 wrote: »

Magnatec is over priced, for the money you could get a proper synthetic (not one that's hydrocracked petroleum) that will work better with the heat a turbo creates.

I totally agree, even when it's on offer it's a little expensive.
I suppose it's all down to a great marketing ploy from Castrol.
Induce an inherent fear that an engine will wear dramatically on start up, without an oil that clings to the parts, and we begin to doubt that non clingy oils are up to the job.

Well, they got me hook, line and sinker lol.

In my defence, I did read a lot of positive reviews before deciding on using Magnatec :whistle:

alfantastic

DUTR wrote: »

Which company makes cheap oil? They are formulated to a standard. Look at the details on the container and in the owner's handbook for suitable oils.

I did spot 5 litres of motor oil in my local Poundland with the brand name of 'Buttco' on the packaging.
Looking at the formulation details, it's made from the oil of baby seal livers..... apparently :rotfl:

StrongWork

As long as the oil meets the required manufacturer spec, it'll be fine.

I previously used Castrol (whether that be GTX or Magnatec) exclusively however I've also used Halfords own brand (when on offer) and Triple QX from ECP.

Must admit, saying that I still can't bring myself to buy ASDA or Tesco oil. (Though worth keeping an eye on supermarket visits as occasionally they stock Castrol and have it on offer).