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Engine Oil Question

calleyw
calleyw Posts: 9,896 Forumite
Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
I need an oil change so bought the oil and filter to do the job.

Bought the items. Even got the person serving me to check what I was buying. He said thats not the oil that there website suggested. So I left it like that.

Anyway get home and thought I better check.

The oil I bought was 5w-30 as according to my haynes manual thats what I needed. Nope I got it wrong thats for diesel its 10w30 to 10w50 for a petrol version of my car.

Now when I go back to the website and put my reg in it's suggesting 0w40, 5w30 (which is what I bought but not the same brand),5w40,10w40 and even 15w40!!!

I got a 2001 petrol vectra. So not sure if I should take it back and get one of the ones suggested. The oil I bought is a 5w-30 fully synthetic for GM (vauxhalls in other words)

Thanks in advance

Yours

Calley
Hope for everything and expect nothing!!!

Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz

If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin

Comments

  • Stoke
    Stoke Posts: 3,182 Forumite
    To be fair Calley, oil isn't actually a deterministic science. My car brochure which still sits in the glovebox recommends 10w40, then VW changed that to 5w40, then they said to only use Semi synthetic, now they say use only fully synthetic.

    Internet forums are usually your friend. Get over the a Vauxhall forum.
  • Which will be fine.
  • Stoke
    Stoke Posts: 3,182 Forumite
    I actually recommend 5w40, rather than 5w30. Too thin in the summer, but there we go.
  • ratrace
    ratrace Posts: 1,021 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 500 Posts Name Dropper
    calleyw wrote: »
    I need an oil change so bought the oil and filter to do the job.

    Bought the items. Even got the person serving me to check what I was buying. He said thats not the oil that there website suggested. So I left it like that.

    Anyway get home and thought I better check.

    The oil I bought was 5w-30 as according to my haynes manual thats what I needed. Nope I got it wrong thats for diesel its 10w30 to 10w50 for a petrol version of my car.

    Now when I go back to the website and put my reg in it's suggesting 0w40, 5w30 (which is what I bought but not the same brand),5w40,10w40 and even 15w40!!!

    I got a 2001 petrol vectra. So not sure if I should take it back and get one of the ones suggested. The oil I bought is a 5w-30 fully synthetic for GM (vauxhalls in other words)

    Thanks in advance

    Yours

    Calley

    Check your cars manual or call a vauxhall dealer they should help you
    People are caught up in an egotistic artificial rat race to display a false image to society. We want the biggest house, fanciest car, and we don't mind paying the sky high mortgage to put up that show. We sacrifice our biggest assets our health and time, We feel happy when we see people look up to us and see how successful we are”

    Rat Race
  • calleyw
    calleyw Posts: 9,896 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    ratrace wrote: »
    Check your cars manual or call a vauxhall dealer they should help you

    I checked my haynes manual and it states 10w30-50 for my car.

    I have checked other forums and a lot of people are using 10w-40.

    I will check with the mechanic who is doing the oil change for me.

    Yours

    Calley
    Hope for everything and expect nothing!!!

    Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz

    If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin
  • JustinR1979
    JustinR1979 Posts: 1,828 Forumite
    It will be 100% fine.
  • calleyw
    calleyw Posts: 9,896 Forumite
    Part of the Furniture 1,000 Posts Name Dropper I've been Money Tipped!
    Was told 10w-40 was better so swopped it.

    But thanks to everyone.

    Yours

    Calley
    Hope for everything and expect nothing!!!

    Good enough is almost always good enough -Prof Barry Schwartz

    If it scares you, it might be a good thing to try -Seth Godin
  • JustinR1979
    JustinR1979 Posts: 1,828 Forumite
    Will offer less cold start protection but it doesn't get seriously cold here.
    Any you listed will be more than adequate :)
    To show how strange the topic is just look at the E39 M5.
    BMW went from saying only 10w60, to either 10w60 or 5w30 - couldn't get much more different weights of oil!
  • reeac
    reeac Posts: 1,430 Forumite
    Ninth Anniversary Combo Breaker
    The handbooks for my XJ8 and my Jazz both permit a range of different viscosities. I choose to use 5W30 for both as neither burns any detectable amount of oil and the engines get easier starting (less stress on batteries etc - which are 12 and 9 years old) with minimal cold-start wear. If I used the cars on a race track then I'd probably go for a thicker oil.
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