What engine oil do I need?

Jack_Cork

fred246 said:

Jack_Cork said:

fred246 said:

 You can't prove what has been put in so they will tell you anything.

If you really wanted you could get an oil analysis done, it would tell you exactly what oil had been used. If you specified a brand, such as Castrol you could even tell if it was Castrol or not. 

I am sure you can. How much does that cost?

I get them in bulk, not for car engines, but other mechanical units. If you are interested I'd do it for £25. 

fred246

You would analyse the oil and tell me who manufactured it and what exactly it was for £25?

AdrianC

fred246 said:

You would analyse the oil and tell me who manufactured it and what exactly it was for £25?

Comprehension really isn't your strong suit, is it?

He gets UOA done in bulk.
Not for car engines, but other mechanical units.
For £25, he'll get one done on a sample of your oil for you.

UOA is big business for industrial motors - where a change may cost a lot of money, and where the UOA is going to give advance warning of internal wear - so it's entirely feasible.

Jack_Cork

Yes used a lot as part of a condition monitoring regime in many industries. Will indicate wear, type of material, amount, water content etc, etc. Can also tell the type of oil. Even oil made to a spec will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer, hence you can tell who supplied the oil, so long as you know what the manufacturer made. Its not an expensive process, hundreds are done per day. 
Sorry if this is complicated Fred, all you need to know is you can tell what oil was used if you wanted to and its not expensive

fred246

The only use for me would be to see if anyone had tampered with the oil that I was putting in the car. It would double the cost of an oil change though. Obviously I knew that someone could forensically test the oil but I thought it would be an expensive test.

Jack_Cork

fred246 said:

The only use for me would be to see if anyone had tampered with the oil that I was putting in the car. It would double the cost of an oil change though. Obviously I knew that someone could forensically test the oil but I thought it would be an expensive test.

You said  'You can't prove what has been put in so they will tell you anything.' I just said you can prove it. Whether you want to spend £25 on doing it, thats up to you. Depends on how much it matters to you I guess

shoutshout

Hi guys,

Had an update from the garage. They offer 505.00 oil when my car manual says 507.00. When asked about it they said: "the oil included is a low saps Fully synthetic 5w-30 C3 VW 505 grade. This oil is the correct specification for your car and is chemically identical to VW 507 specification. The only difference being is that VW 507 designated oils contain tracers for identification for VW vehicles still under warranty. It's not required to have this in a 2009 vehicle. We can offer an upgrade to this for an extra 14.99."

I don't get it, why would VW have an oil whose only purpose is to have these "identification tracers" for warranty?

Are they having me on, or is that legit? I don't mind paying the extra 15 if I definitely need 507.00 instead of 505.00 (my manual specifies only 507.00), but would like to know more about this for the future.

As always, your wealth of knowledge is appreciated!

AdrianC

They're having you on. 507 is the correct oil for longlife servicing, and for more modern engines which need the lower ash levels than 505.

507.00 oil is not three quid a litre more than 505.00

fred246

It's a nightmare. I think as soon as you start asking questions you are seen as being difficult. Dishonesty is the norm for garages. There are no penalties for lying and it's unlikely that they will be 'found out' so they just continue. I have a little independent garage that is the best of a bad bunch. If you phoned there and had this discussion they would say "bring your own oil" and then quote you just for labour.

mcpitman

fred246 said:

It's a nightmare.
You're the nightmare.
Dishonesty is the norm for garages. There are no penalties for lying and it's unlikely that they will be 'found out' so they just continue.
Yet more un-related, nonsensical diatribe, completely unfounded and without evidence.
I have a little independent garage that is the best of a bad bunch. If you phoned there and had this discussion they would say "bring your own oil" and then quote you just for labour.
Which is fine if you know what oil you need, the original OP's question was.........(p.s. thought you didn't use garages or mechanics, because of all that made up stuff in your head).

You and you're other username are laughable and unhelpful beyond all belief.