ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by gpa

sgiitk,

The question to be asked in this case is-what are the driving environments like in the UK vis-a-vis in India? Its only because we have some of the most difficult driving conditions compounded by extreme weather that Indian manufacturers recommend a 10,000 kms drain interval for cars here.

Also, even if one were to be using the best synthetic oil (Mobil 1, Shell, Petronas) I reckon, it will be best to change it at the 10k mark rather than extend the drain to 15k.

Cheers,
gpa

To begin with, the synthetic oils by Shell have been developed specifically for Skoda, India and have been tested in India extensively along with other countries which have similar traffic, fuel and weather conditions like we do. I read this from the booklet that was provided to me at TAFE Access.
Inviting more views here...

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by gpa

They are feeding you with wrong information. It is best you direct them to read this thread before they utter such gibberish. Synthetic oils have a standard drain interval of 10,000 kms or 1 year which ever comes first. And Shell's fully synthetic oils (Shell Helix Ultra) are the same. So suppose you drive only 5,000 kms in a year, you will still have to change the oil after a year.

There is no way you should even try to extend the drain intervals beyond the stipulated time. Yes, there are a few brands (Mobil 1) that have a specifically formulated "extended drain interval" oil on which you can run a few thousand extra miles.

The information had come from Skoda Auto directly and was prominently displayed at the service station. It was published by Shell and Skoda Auto jointly and I hence do not believe they would want to misguide customers.
I also spoke to the service manager there and he too confirmed the same.

These oils have been tested extensively and are formulated to withstand 15000kms/1year of Indian usage.

[nitrous]

15,000kms/1 year is possible with the combination of a good engine design and quality lubricant.

[CrackedHead]

I heard that the recent launches from the Fiat stable come with a 15,000 Km service interval (or was it 30K km Linea/Punto owners please confirm).

So that means that Fiat is happy with its cars doing 15,000 Km between (engine) oil changes. Fiat can't possibly have made that kind of a decision without keeping indian traffic conditions in mind.

What brand/specification of synthetic oil is Fiat using ?

And - there's no way that fiat would want to gamble and recommend a long oil change interval if there was a chance of that causing premature engine failure (given Fiat's image as a not so reliable car in India).

And if the 1.3 multijet can do 30K Km's without any service in a Fiat GP/Linea - Why not in a Maruti (swift/dezire) or a Tata(vista) product?

[Red Circle]

Hyundai switched to Shell engine oil recently, Last time when i went for the oil change in my car they were promoting Shell helix and also mentioned that going forward hyundai will be using shell engine oil in their cars.

[amit_mechengg]

I recently filled 2 litres of MOBIL 80W90 gear box oil in my alto.
i just saw that the recommended qty is 2.1 litres. also considering the losses while filling the oil i think he might have managed to pour in 1.9 litres of oil.
does the 100 ml cause any harm to the gearbox?

[PatienceWins]

Originally Posted by Red Circle

Hyundai switched to Shell engine oil recently, Last time when i went for the oil change in my car they were promoting Shell helix and also mentioned that going forward hyundai will be using shell engine oil in their cars.

Some executives from Shell where promoting Shell oils when I went for service 6 months back. But it was not available at Trident when I went for service today. They are still using Servo oils.

Is it available at Advaith?

[mahadev_kc]

Originally Posted by CrackedHead

I heard that the recent launches from the Fiat stable come with a 15,000 Km service interval (or was it 30K km Linea/Punto owners please confirm).

So that means that Fiat is happy with its cars doing 15,000 Km between (engine) oil changes. Fiat can't possibly have made that kind of a decision without keeping indian traffic conditions in mind.

What brand/specification of synthetic oil is Fiat using ?

FIAT uses Selenia brand of oils.

For MJD, it uses Selenia WR 5W50 (cost of 5lts can is around Rs 2500)
For FIRE, it uses Selenia Motor K 5W40 (cost of 5lts can is Rs 2200)
I'm using Selenia Motor K 5W40 in my Palio 1.6 Sport.

Selenia - Home

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by CrackedHead

I heard that the recent launches from the Fiat stable come with a 15,000 Km service interval (or was it 30K km Linea/Punto owners please confirm).

So that means that Fiat is happy with its cars doing 15,000 Km between (engine) oil changes. Fiat can't possibly have made that kind of a decision without keeping indian traffic conditions in mind.

What brand/specification of synthetic oil is Fiat using ?

And - there's no way that fiat would want to gamble and recommend a long oil change interval if there was a chance of that causing premature engine failure (given Fiat's image as a not so reliable car in India).

And if the 1.3 multijet can do 30K Km's without any service in a Fiat GP/Linea - Why not in a Maruti (swift/dezire) or a Tata(vista) product?

Hi CrackedHead,
The Fiat Linea Service intervals as per the user manual are as under:
1st Service - 3000 kms or 3 months
2nd service - 15000 kms or 1 year
after that Consecutive Services for Every 15000 kms or a year...
Hope you find this useful.

NB: It also means that synthetic engine oils can and do last for one year or 15000kms under regular Indian usage conditions.

[n.devdath]

Originally Posted by amit_mechengg

I recently filled 2 litres of MOBIL 80W90 gear box oil in my alto.
i just saw that the recommended qty is 2.1 litres. also considering the losses while filling the oil i think he might have managed to pour in 1.9 litres of oil.
does the 100 ml cause any harm to the gearbox?

100ml lesser than recommended will not cause any harm whatsoever to the gearbox. This is because it is a miniscule difference compared to the quantity you have filled. So just chill...

[CrackedHead]

Originally Posted by n.devdath

Hi CrackedHead,
The Fiat Linea Service intervals as per the user manual are as under:
1st Service - 3000 kms or 3 months
2nd service - 15000 kms or 1 year
after that Consecutive Services for Every 15000 kms or a year...
Hope you find this useful.

NB: It also means that synthetic engine oils can and do last for one year or 15000kms under regular Indian usage conditions.clap:

That's precisely the point I was trying to make. I'm not a Fiat owner but if Fiat says 15,000 Km oil changes are ok - then I don't see why other cars that use the same engines (1.3 Multijet or the Fire petrol) can't have similar intervals.

[Surprise]

Whats the expiry period for these S.oils?

Edit: Not the change interval.. its before we open the seal of the bottle

[CrackedHead]

Originally Posted by Surprise

Whats the expiry period for these S.oils?

Edit: Not the change interval.. its before we open the seal of the bottle

There's no hard and fast expiry date as such - but some people say that the chemicals added to the oil (additives) deteriorate over time and oil thats older than one year is best avoided.

IMO - the additives are designed to withstand high temperatures and pressures inside a running engine and they should be stable at room temperature (so the age of an unopened bottle of oil is not important).

[Raccoon]

^^^ Thats not true! Complex chemical molecules are known to break up over time. Around four years is the very max shelf life you should assume. Also the storage conditionis are important. If kept in sunlight, exposed to air, etc., it is likely to degrade way faster.

Personally, I'd not buy a can if its over a year or two old.

[mdesai_1981]

hi guys its time for me to change to synthetic engine oil in my NHC . i saw mobil 0w40 and 5w-50, honda told me not to go for 5w-50 and they r currently using 10w-30 so i am pretty confused. please advice.
my two bits of knowledge says i should go for 0w-40 .