Amazing D5 Oil Deal

[cheshired5]

Bought 20 litres of Triple QX Semi Synthetic from Eurocarparts.
£30!

It matches all the specs in my owner's manual and suitable for the ex-wife's car which will keep her quiet.

[VivaLaVolvo]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

suitable for the ex-wife's car which will keep her quiet.

For the ex wife's car? Ahhhh, I get you - suitable for replacing the brake fluid with. Gotcha. I guess that really would have the potential to keep her quiet!

[cheshired5]

Haha! Funnily enough, I gave her brakes a full system bleed the other week and changed her pads.
My kids travel in her car though so I'm on best behaviour.

[Brigand]

Sounds a good deal it's ecp own brand , gets good reviews

[cheshired5]

I can't find it on the website otherwise I'd post a link.
I just happened to notice it on the shelving when I was in my local branch, so I grabbed my owner's manual and checked the specifications label and it's spot on.
The engine sounds so smooth now, so fingers crossed it'll last.

[Bernard333]

Thats very cheap , is it A3/B4 ? I bought Triple QX 5W-40 synthetic in 5L containers from ECP in January for £10.50 which claims A3/B4 on the lable which I think is ok for my D5 but nothing on the website, asked ECP for clarification and still waiting an answer. I am always looking for cheaper oil so maybe a 20L container is the way to go if its ok for a D5 as that would get my oil and filter changes down to around £13 a time.

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by cheshired5

Bought 20 litres of Triple QX Semi Synthetic from Eurocarparts.
£30!

It matches all the specs in my owner's manual and suitable for the ex-wife's car which will keep her quiet.

The ACEA labels like A3/B4 are based on a self certification process with zero cross checks. An engine oil company simply fills in the results of tests they are supposed to have carried out, on the standard forms and if they are all in limits, then they are issued with a certificate of compliance.

Even if the application is a truthfull one, there is nothing to stop an engine oil mixer from changing the base stock or additives mix. No subsequent cross checks, nothing. The Acea certification limits are good ones, but the reliability of the system is an oil industry joke. To give you an example here is the API oversight web site that is very active:

http://www.pqiamerica.com/

Now here is the Acea oversight web site:

http://www.ukla-vls.org.uk/what-we-do/

I never, ever, use an engine oil that is not manufactured by one of the major engine oil companies. At present that includes the following:
CASTROL, MOBIL, SHELL and LIQUI MOLY. If you are in need of a cheap high mileage oil, then I would include VALVOLINE.

I've tested 3 different engine oils in my 1.9D so far. The expensive LM Synthoil High Tech was the best, with Shell Helix Ultra almost as good (Within statistical variation) and Castrol Edge Turbo Diesel 5/40 showing just how bad it is, although it was partly due it being a low ash reduced Zinc additive Acea C3 oil.
I'm currently testing LM Ceratec additive with Shell Ultra 5/40, to see if it can beat the Synthoil figures.

When you buy engine oil in the EU, you are totally reliant on the good reputation of the manufacturer concerned, that it does meet the Acea label limits.

[skyship007]

I would point out for those trying to find a cheap way of doing an engine oil & filter job, that using cheap oil filters is just as much bad news as using cheap engine oil.
If you really are in such a finantial position that you can't afford a real Volvo oil filter, then at least make sure it says "Made in Germany" on the can. Mann, Bosch or Hengst are all OK, but only if made in Germany, as their overseas factories produce filters to a cheaper lower standard.

The full synthetic definition is different between Germany and the UK or USA. The Germans only call an oil a full synthetic (Synthoil), if it was made with a base stock from a chemical plant and did not involve the use of crude oil byproducts.
The UK and USA, include HC (Hydro crack) base oils that are just cooked up and processed conventional base oils. They do last longer than normal conventional oils, but are still not the real McCoy product.

The other issue with cheap UK full synthetics, is that an engine oil mixer can buy real cheap and nasty HC synthetic base stocks. In fact it is being almost dumped by one East EU refinery as unwanted stock at present.
Only major oil companies make G4 and G5 Synthoils and some are blended with cheaper HC synthetics to produce oils like the Edge and M1 series that are a tad better than the rest and last longer.

The additives included in an engine oil are very, very important. In many cases a major brand conventionl oil can perform better than an El cheapo HC synthetic. A classic case of you get what you pay for.

Engine oil made from a base stock involving the use of natural gas byproducts, called a GTL (Gas To Liquids) technology oil, seems to be nearly as good as a Synthoil. Such base stocks are natural solvents, which is one reason why I like Shell Ultra 5/40 (Acea A3/B4), although it is also much cheaper than Liqui Moly High Tech Synthoil 5/40.

[volvoid]

which is better -
high spec very expensive oil changed at say 12,000 miles
or
cheaper, "to-spec" non brand oil changed at 6000 miles.

overall cost about the same
?

[skyship007]

Originally Posted by volvoid

which is better -
high spec very expensive oil changed at say 12,000 miles
or
cheaper, "to-spec" non brand oil changed at 6000 miles.

overall cost about the same
?

If the oil is not contaminated by anti freeze or excessive fuel, a longer service interval with a top quality oil nearly always works better,
BUT the only way to get a real good answer is the try the 2 different intervals and figure out which one resulted in a lower shed rate of Iron. Fe tracks distance in used oil, so it's an easy result to figure.

High tech very expensive oils nearly always produces the same results as good but cheaper major brand oils.
So for example I doubt if Castrol Edge 0/40 or LM Synthoil 5/40 will beat Shell Helix Ultra 5/40.

When figuring out an ideal lube service program, you need to think of the filter and oil as two different items.

So in the case in question, I would also check out using the oil filter for the max recommended 12K miles. Clean oil filters are real bad news, as they don't work well for about the first 20 hours of engine use. A real dirty oil filter can block about 8 times more critical size particles than a new one!

That means that the best lube service might well be a 2 for 1. So change the oil every 6K miles, BUT just use a moderately priced major brand oil, then change the oil and filter every 12K miles, with a real Volvo oil filter.
The extra oil contamination caused by using the old oil filter again makes far less difference than the bonus of a moderately dirty oil filter.

Every engine is different, used in a different way and in a different main block condition. That means what my engine likes for a lube service program could well be very different to your engine, even if it was the same type and had the same total miles.

If you don't do the occasional used oil analysis, the very important decision about when to change the oil and filter are just guess work. For example my own results show that a 15K km oil change interval with a 30K km oil filter change interval would be better (The oil is in too good a condition at 10K km and the filter is no where near blocked at 20K km). I would not try that without an oil pressure gauge to see if the filter starts to bypass when warm (The pressure will be too high when warm and it often bounces).

With an old engine that has a tiny HG leak, the shorter the oil and filter change the better (It might be causing sludge, so don't push the oil filter limits).
If the injectors have blown tips or the engine has a DPF and is short tripping, the oil filter can still be left for the max interval, but the oil will need dumping often enough to keep the diesel contamination below 5% in winter and 2% in summer. Those figures are OK in viscosity terms, but I would boost the anti wear additives by using Ceratec, as anything above about 2% does start to have a negative effect on the layer of Zinc, Moly and Boron based compounds protecting the engine during cold starts or red lining.

Using a non brand oil is a pure gamble unless you get a VOA (Virgin oil analysis) done to check what exactly it contains.
The real cheap ones often turn out to be dumped Russian winter truck oil (About a 15/50) if sold during the summer (Sounds good when warm, but is rather volatile, so it evapourates increasing the need to top up more often), or dumped Bulgarian part synthetic that failed QA checks (About a 10/30 or 40) when sold during the winter. There are good base stocks made there, but they seem to have an issue with batch failures getting driven to the UK.

It might take years for the effects of using either oil to become apparent, but the lack of anti wear additives in the Russian mix will kill the turbo bearings and increase general wear rates slightly.
The dumped Eastern block oils seem to lack additives and one report was blaming it for sludge incidents.
Many cheap oils are just homebrews, where some bunch of oily cowboys buy the cheapest base stock available and stir in a few cheap additives, slap on a real cool label (Full synthetc 0/40 race grade Acea A3/B4/C3/E4 Liquip Mooley), write an almost free web site and start up a Fleabay page, or just bribe some muppet in Halie Frauds shops to sell it.

PS: If you have a turbo or VVT, it is much more important to use an oil that cleans real well, OR run an idle flush (LM, Lubegard, Amsoil or Castrol classic)
every time the filter is changed.

PPS: Bad oils in the USA are far worse than those in the EU, as no refinery sells off QA batch failures or bad base stocks. So the oily cowboys just drive around selling filtered and bleached used engine oil, or dumped factory machine oil. The former smells odd and the latter pours like water!