# Oil Choice...what do you do?



## Starbuck88 (Nov 12, 2013)

Hi All,

One of those threads just seeing what you all do really.

For your oil changes, If you do them yourself or buy the oil for your garage to do it.

Do you pick the cheapest that matches the manufacturer spec?
Do you just go by the recommended weight I.E (5w-30) and not bother about the spec?
Do you match Spec and Weight but not worry about the brand?
Or do you go the whole hog and get, spec, weight and get the best brand possible?

I personally like to get the best I can get at the required weight with spec or better than spec when the car was new.


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## SkyRocket (May 20, 2015)

I would buy the cheapest oil that matched the spec and weight.


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## Richf (Apr 26, 2008)

How do you judge the best brand ? 

I buy the correct specifications for the car and use a quality fully synthetic that's as far as it goes


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## huxley309 (Apr 8, 2006)

I just buy the required grade if not better, usually fuchs titan xtr 5w30 for my civic.

It's more important to follow the service intervals, but saying that I also use ceratec, as it makes quite a difference.


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## Bazza85 (Mar 14, 2015)

I’m a brand snob if I’m honest. 
More so on bikes. 
I know the old saying ‘Oil is oil is oil’ but I always think for the sake of an extra £5-10 go with castrol/silkolene etc & am sad enough to deliberate over specs etc when about to purchase 
Although I must admit if I have a car serviced as opposed to myself doing it, I just ensure the correct weights are used when booking in & leave it to them


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## Starbuck88 (Nov 12, 2013)

Richf said:


> How do you judge the best brand ?
> 
> I buy the correct specifications for the car and use a quality fully synthetic that's as far as it goes


Well this is it...

How do you? I've read people sending samples off and seeing things like certain cheap generic brands break down much faster than blends from premium brands providing better protection for longer etc etc.


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## Sam6er (Apr 3, 2016)

For my weekend toy, it gets the best Millers oil i can get that match's spec and grade. For my daily i get decent brand oil which match's spec and grade. Since swapping from Castrol Edge to Millers i found my car likes it better (less noisey and generally seems to run better) so iv stuck with that brand for now.


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## wysol2 (Jan 19, 2016)

Always try to mach spec or manufacture recommendation 
I always change oil every 3000 miles 
Use fushs titan pro c3 5w30 for my nissan 

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## SteveTDCi (Feb 8, 2006)

I put Shell Helix in the Mini as i'm an oil snob, however with the TT that gets whatever Jabbasport put in it, usually Quantum oils, we use Quatum oils at work now supplied by TPS, originally they were manufactured by Castrol but this has since changed to Fuchs.

We match oil spec of, usually most oils are 5w30 Long Life (low ash) or 5w30 Platinum Plus, the important part is getting the grade right and low ash on diesel cars with DPF's


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## wish wash (Aug 25, 2011)

Shell helix is very good for the price, it's what Ferrari use. I think there's only 3 refinerys that do all so slots going to be rebranded. Buy the best you can afford and regular changes


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## andy665 (Nov 1, 2005)

Always use oils that exceed manufcturers specs - I don't believe in skimping on quality on such a vital product - might not benefit the engine but its sure as heck not going to have a negative impact.

Last oil change on the Westfield cost me £96 in oil but worth every penny on a high spec engine.

Always change oil on an annual basis or 10k, probably just as, if not more important than the quality in terms of keeping an engine healthy


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## AndyN01 (Feb 16, 2016)

Generally DIY.

I'll over spec rather than match spec and definitely never below spec.

Some brands seem to have a sweet spot - Millers being one.

Put simply, oil is cheap, engines are expensive.

Even if you spend £100 on oil (assuming you're not being ripped off - as a garage did to my wife when they charged well over £100 for a Shell oil I could buy from ECP for £20 - apparently it was an invoicing error ........) that's peanuts compared to any sort of engine damage.

How much do you value your car and the time off the road and costs etc. etc. should anything happen.

Your choice about the level of risk.

Andy


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## ah234 (Nov 10, 2015)

I like Motul from Opie usually. Or shell


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## Andy from Sandy (May 6, 2011)

> I always change oil every 3000 miles


What car and engine? Even a Ferrari has longer intervals than that!


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## transtek (Mar 2, 2007)

I'm a bit overkill: Use the recommended weight, but go fully synthetic Mobil 1, at six-monthly intervals, even though I only do about 10k a year at a push, so every 5k. It coincides with emissions testing here, every six months, so I do a full oil/filter change beforehand just for peace of mind and to keep my OCD-side happy!


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## AS_BO (Sep 29, 2013)

I'm of the school of not putting a price on decent oil, it is the lifeblood of an engine.

I've just done all fluids on the 320d, this is a high mileage Diesel engine and went Fuchs Fully Synth Engine Oil with Fuchs Gear and Diff Oil.

Usually I'll stick with brands I know, either Fuchs or Millers matching manufacturer spec or over spec depending on the application.

I do engine oil changes every 6K or 6 months


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## alfajim (May 4, 2011)

My old car needed typing up between services but the current one doesn't. Garage is trustworthy, so gets whatever he puts in. When I topped up it got millers at the correct spec.


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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

I use specialist garages for my "nice" cars and I listen to what they tell me. For example, my Alfa specialist races Alfas and swears by Valvoline Racing Oil and, as he keeps my cars in tip top condition, that is what they get. 

I make a fetish of changing the oil every 3000-4000 miles as I believe it is the easiest and best single thing to preserve an engine. 

Peter


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## robertdon777 (Nov 3, 2005)

Anything to manufacturers spec, changed often won't hurt any engine.

Remember it's just a machine, the manufacturers always over spec the oil to use anyway. They have to take into account all the divs that will go 3 years without changing oil and abusing the car in the way they drive etc.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Only the best will do!
Highest spec, correct weight, and frequent changes.
Even when I did high mileage, I changed the oil every 6000 mile.
Now with low mileage, twice a year. 
Do my own, or when the cars in warranty, supply my own to the dealer. 
Always change oil filter with every change.

Oil is a cheap mechanic, and it preserve the engine.


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## LeeH (Jan 29, 2006)

Gulf or Fuchs for me from Opie oils. 




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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

I use the manufacture spec, usually a decent brand, but I don't go paying over the odds for any soooper dooooper brand...

I change all the oil myself, in all my cars and bikes... I believe regular oil changes are better for the engine than 'highcost oil' changed at 10k intervals...

I'm doing a few changes this week... so just for example... my S8 has done 2,000 miles since its last change.... my Harley has done 300 miles...

I'm lucky I don't use anything that much, so normally change the oil, coolant, brake fluid, transmission/final drive oil once a year... overkill... probably.... :lol:


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## percymon (Jun 27, 2007)

No got any oil in my daily, but when i did i used Castrol Edge in the main, or Mobil Super. I bought Millers Nanodrive for the other half's Mini Cooper, but sold the car before it got to needing its next change.

The Nanodrive will now end up in the lawn mower, or sold on eBay lol!


when i've had cheap runarounds between new cars I've used Halfords semi synthetic (made the engine very tappety), before paying that extra £5-10 for branded premium oils


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## millns84 (Jul 5, 2009)

I do both - I either buy it to do myself or for the garage if it's going in for a full service.

I usually buy the best, which is either Mobil 1 or Amsoil IMO.


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## virgiltracey (Apr 19, 2017)

for me i match weight and spec but not fussed on brand, my local motor factors stock Mobil and that works just fine, for my particular vehicle it is far fussier on the oil filter than the oil itself... anything other than a genuine OEM filter will make the engine very tappety regardles of oil qaulity. 
If you think your oil is causing issues, do check what filter is fitted as an OEM one may improve things on your next change!


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## roscopervis (Aug 22, 2006)

Mobil 1 0-40 fully synth is what is recommended for my Porsche engine but there is no chance I would use it. There was a big test done in the U.S. showing the shear strength of various oils and the 0-40 Fully Synth Mobil 1 had absolutely terrible figures, even beaten by the 5-40 semi synth Mobil 1. 

This is particularly important in Porsche engines of a certain age as they can be prone to bore scoring, it seems not helped by using the recommended Mobil 1 oil with an almost water like shear strength!

In addition, oil analysis of oils aged in turbo engines from 1000 to over 10,000 miles shows that there is high levels of silicones in the samples of the young oil that wouldn't be there in the new oi. The conclusion is that new oil must be getting it from the seals and pipes. The question is - is too frequent oil changes contributing to perishing seals and pipes?

I think it's better to change more frequently, but there is no need to change a good oil any less than 5000 miles.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

When I had my modified Subaru it got the best from Olie oils, the Merc goes to Mercedes so they do it I think they use shell stuff Helix?
My Berlingo gets Totall oil that’s designed for my engine because they had issues with blocked oil feeds to the turbo!!! So I always get this and my mechanic puts it in for me. 


Gonz.


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## Mikesphotaes (Jul 24, 2016)

Mercedes oil or Mobil but I wait until the car tells me to change it.

The days of changing oil every 5000 miles are way in the past!


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Mikesphotaes said:


> Mercedes oil or Mobil but I wait until the car tells me to change it.
> 
> The days of changing oil every 5000 miles are way in the past!


I agree fully synthetic oil does not break down like the old mineral oil use to.

Gonz.


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## m500dpp (Feb 17, 2006)

On an older engine I go up a grade so my 325i and MK1 Audi TT will get 5w 40 (still within recommendations) just makes sense to go for a slightly thicker oil on an engine with bigger clearances, 5 30 is fine when the engine is new. Always fully synth, but semi is just as good in most cases fully is better at extreme high and low temps such that most engines dont get anywhere near on the road. Regular changes of course.

Recommended oil isnt necesarily the best, it's a compromise between protecting the engine, availability, fuel economy etc.

Reality is these days the electronics will kill a car off long before the engine wears out. My neighbours wife had a Fiesta with no oil change for about 80,000 miles was up to 110,000 and still ran perfectly. (only changed the oil when the filter rusted through!)


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## Nick-ST (Mar 4, 2013)

I normally stick with Castrol and never had any problems, just always stick to manufacturers spec. 

Have however just order 7 litres of Gulf semi synthetic for the E36 I have just purchased. Most views on the BMW forums say to stick with semi synthetic to avoid issues with leaks and to not burn too much etc. Love how cheap semi syntheic is :lol:


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## ah234 (Nov 10, 2015)

great gonzo said:


> When I had my modified Subaru it got the best from Olie oils, the Merc goes to Mercedes so they do it I think they use shell stuff Helix?
> My Berlingo gets Totall oil that's designed for my engine because they had issues with blocked oil feeds to the turbo!!! So I always get this and my mechanic puts it in for me.
> 
> Gonz.


Mercedes branded one is Fuchs I believe


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## Soul boy 68 (Sep 8, 2013)

Rock oil for me.


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## great gonzo (Nov 4, 2010)

Soul boy 68 said:


> Rock oil for me.


You mean Olive Oil 

Gonz.


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

I always found the oil industry interesting after working many years ago for company in shrewsbury that made engine oils bike oils grease etc and still do seeing the labs and tests done on the oils and who rebranded for who and what miles oils start to breakdown etc very clock and dagger industry really.


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Goodfella36 said:


> I always found the oil industry interesting after working many years ago for company in shrewsbury that made engine oils bike oils grease etc and still do seeing the labs and tests done on the oils and who rebranded for who and what miles oils start to breakdown etc very clock and dagger industry really.


Morris oil, is still a big player in bulk supply for garages and fleet owners, not a bad oil.
The biggest problem with oil is not the breaking down through wear, we use to keep the oil in our trucks for 100.000 km (60.000 mile) or a year.
As we send regular samples to the labs to check on metals, fuel and water, we knew that the oil was still working well (Shell Rimula) 
Having a fleet of more than1000 trucks and an oil capacity for each truck of 33 litres, it was economical interesting to reduce oil changes.

We found the vehicles that did short distance and many cold starts, the oil would degrade much faster than expected and high levels of acid would be found in the samples.
We changed the the oil much more regular on these vehicles.

As an oil change on my car can be done for around £50 and my mileage isn't that high anymore, I rather be on the cautious side and change twice a year.
I always change the oil filter at the same time.

I always use original manufacturers oil filters, when I did my apprenticeship in the 70's at Toyota, their filters where twice the price against pattern parts.
The reason was that the Nippon Denso filter did have a valve that stopped the oil filter from draining when the engine was switched off ( oil filter stood upside down)
The cheaper filters didn't have such a valve, and I took nearly half a minute before there was oil pressure.


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## Kenan (Sep 7, 2015)

I can get the genuine pug recommended oil for less than £20 and only do 3000 miles a year. Car is standard so with one oil change a year on my drive I'm happy. 

However when I ran cars with tuned engines I would always use the better oil brands as the engine was under more stress.



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## Fentum (May 1, 2017)

ah234 said:


> Mercedes branded one is Fuchs I believe


There's a very inappropriate joke in there somewhere! Probably related to MB's attitude to customer service...

Peter


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## matty.13 (May 3, 2011)

Over the years I have mainly used shell oil . My thinking being that I use their petrol so why not use the oil . 


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## James_R (Jun 28, 2007)

If I buy the oil myself I go for manufacture grade, or specialist recommendation.
Usually man.spec.

I'd go for the manufacturer they recommend, as long as its a good brand, i.e. Shell Helix Ultra fully synth, Mobil 1 etc.
The Clio RS200 gets the Elf fully synthetic stuff at the Renault garage at the moment, but I've also gone down the Silkolene Pro S 5w40 route for the previous Renaultsports, and have noticed an immediate improvement in smoothness, quietness etc.

If its a manufacturer service, whether its been Porsche, Honda, Renault, MINI I always check which oil they are going to put in, and if there a choice between semi-synthetic and fully synth, I ask them to use the fully synth.

2 year intervals on the Porsche and MINI, and the dealers don't seem interested in wanting to take my money off me to do one in between.

Likely to drop the oil out the Porsche soon though before next service in Feb 2019.


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## G.P (Dec 13, 2011)

great gonzo said:


> I agree fully synthetic oil does not break down like the old mineral oil use to.
> 
> Gonz.


I'm not so sure on that as I'm no techie on oils, but can only go on which brands burn in which engines on our fleet and which don't.

By far the best in terms of not having to top up oil is Red Line, Shell, Motul and Liqui Moly, not necessarily in that order but always my go for oils, I'm swaying to L.Moly on cost.

The worst experienced, in order, Pertronas, Quantum, Castrol, Mobile 1.

Question is, it it best to use a cheap oil like Pertronas/Qunatum/Castrol etc. and change when its on the minimum on the stick, of which can be only 3000 miles.

Spend further costs with the cheaper oil topping it back up until its covered its recommended mileage or just using a slightly more expensive brand that covers the recommended mileage and doesn't need topping up..


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## HEADPHONES (Jan 1, 2008)

I never got on with the idea of trusting our Mini's computer to work out when an oil change was due.
As my wife only did a couple of thousand miles a year, it was 2 yrs before it went in for it's first oil change.
We bought the tlc package and only got one oil change out of it.
As soon as it was out of warranty it went to our trusted indie and has an oil change every year using Castrol Edge 5w30 as that is what's recommended by the manufacturer.
The car is 12 yrs old with 30k on the clock and if I'd followed the pokey on board computer would only have had about 5 oil changes despite all the short cold starts.
Thankfully it runs like a dream and doesn't show any signs of needing top ups between services.


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## Goodfella36 (Jul 21, 2009)

Caledoniandream said:


> Morris oil, is still a big player in bulk supply for garages and fleet owners, not a bad oil.
> The biggest problem with oil is not the breaking down through wear, we use to keep the oil in our trucks for 100.000 km (60.000 mile) or a year.
> As we send regular samples to the labs to check on metals, fuel and water, we knew that the oil was still working well (Shell Rimula)
> Having a fleet of more than1000 trucks and an oil capacity for each truck of 33 litres, it was economical interesting to reduce oil changes.
> ...


I am sure i have to be careful what I say as back then i think i had to sign a NDA but fully agree with what you are saying and yes they do make some good quality stuff and when everything is sent to the labs triple checked but what shocked me most was other oil company containers sent there to be filled like i said cloak and dagger and yes short stop starts lots of town driving even with fully sysn oil should be replaced around 7000 miles if you want to keep ultimate protection going you are paying more for top brands in the hope you are getting the best base oil and additive packages like anything though marketing comes to in play

I have always like Fuchs Titan Race Pro Motul 8100 and couple of the shell ones though not sure if anyone has kept a car long time who does regular changes I do on my wifes mx5 that certain oils seem to suit the engine better than others


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## Caledoniandream (Oct 9, 2009)

Goodfella36 said:


> I am sure i have to be careful what I say as back then i think i had to sign a NDA but fully agree with what you are saying and yes they do make some good quality stuff and when everything is sent to the labs triple checked but what shocked me most was other oil company containers sent there to be filled like i said cloak and dagger and yes short stop starts lots of town driving even with fully sysn oil should be replaced around 7000 miles if you want to keep ultimate protection going you are paying more for top brands in the hope you are getting the best base oil and additive packages like anything though marketing comes to in play
> 
> I have always like Fuchs Titan Race Pro Motul 8100 and couple of the shell ones though not sure if anyone has kept a car long time who does regular changes I do on my wifes mx5 that certain oils seem to suit the engine better than others


I know what you mean now, yes there is a lot of brand manufacturing going in in the world of engine lubricants. 
You don't always get what you think you get.
The cost of operating a lab is too expensive for many manufacturers, even big players don't always make their own products.
I remember how quick BP lubricants disappeared from the shelf when they started working with Mobil.
I always thought BP lubricants where Castrol, but not shure about them now.

Sometimes it's nice to have a look in the kitchen, and see that not all is black and white.
We use to load base oil out of Shell Pernis for several producers around Europe, so yes you can make you own as long as you have the knowledge and can get the additives.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

Caledoniandream said:


> I know what you mean now, yes there is a lot of brand manufacturing going in in the world of engine lubricants.
> You don't always get what you think you get.


just the same as in most things these days... I sure some people would be really annoyed to find out their £5k watch is really nothing more than a swatch watch with a few shiny bits added on.... :lol:

some think the likes of Lidl and Aldi have 'cheap' products, not that their brand is expensive for the same thing... one turns left at the end of the production line, the other turns right....

not even going to mention detailing products..... :tumbleweed: :lol:


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## m500dpp (Feb 17, 2006)

Agree on watches, only Rolex make their own movements the likes of Omega take a std ETA 2824 movement and add their own balance wheel, others just use it as standard. I have a Grovana corel reef at around £400 innards are the same as far more expensive brands.


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## The Cueball (Feb 8, 2007)

m500dpp said:


> Agree on watches, only Rolex make their own movements the likes of Omega take a std ETA 2824 movement and add their own balance wheel, others just use it as standard. I have a Grovana corel reef at around £400 innards are the same as far more expensive brands.


plenty of companies apart from Rolex make their own movements.. :thumb:


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