ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[kap04]

Has anyone recently purchased Mobil1 0W-40 ? What would be the price for the 4L can?

Last year i had purchased 4 litres for 3720/-. Wondering how much of a price difference is there now.

[jagzrk]

I recently bought Mobil1 0w40 at a workshop in Pune. He charged me Rs.4500 for 3.8 litres.

Though I knew I was being over-charged, I had to change it as availability is sometimes a problem. The online listed price is almost Rs.4000 for a 4 litre can.

http://www.99rpm.com/tata/mobil1-0w-40-4l.html

I haven't tried buying anything from that website, yet, so can't guarantee anything.

[akshay4587]

Guys is anyone using Mobil 1 5W50 here?
I used this oil grade until late 2011,after that i purchased a diesel car so switched to Mobil Delvac 1.Now i need Mobil 1 5W 50,but i am only getting 0W40 everywhere.

Any leads?

[straight6]

I just bought Mobil Super 3000 5w-30 synthetic for the SX4. Recommended grade in the service manual. Anyone else used it before?

[straight6]

Here's what I got. I've read that in some markets they sell this is a semi synthetic and in some as a full synthetic so I'm still not sure which one it is here. The Mobil 1 ESP formula 5W-30 is upwards of 1k for a liter.

I'm yet to put it in so I'll give a feedback on it once I do.

[Karthik1100]

Which oil(fully synthetic) from Mobil is suitable for Fiesta Classic 1.6 petrol?

[csateesh]

Originally Posted by Karthik1100

Which oil(fully synthetic) from Mobil is suitable for Fiesta Classic 1.6 petrol?

Karthik1100 - Recommendation would be Mobil 1 5w50

[RSR]

Originally Posted by RSR

With all this, the filter also got a bit bent at some points, due to the efforts in trying to remove it with a "clawed" filter wrench. Now I was worried that something in the engine bay would snap if we continued. So I asked him to stop.

The used oil had drained out, so I got the new one filled. Since the old filter was still in place, it would take in well less than the total capacity. I got the plug and panel fixed back in place, checked for engine oil leaks (thankfully, there were none), filled fuel at the pump and left.

So now, the car is running with new engine oil mixed with some used oil still left in it, because the old filter would not come off.

UPDATE: The problem was solved on Saturday, about 5 months after my predicament with the new oil + used filter combination.

The car was running fine with the new oil despite the old filter still remaining in place. I kept checking the oil regularly through the dip stick for its quality, and it did not show any alarming quality deterioration, only the normal degradation with time.

That was until recently. Starting a few days back, I began to notice small oil patches on the concrete floor where it is usually parked. It got progressively worse each day, and it got to the point where the car would leave a trail of oil droplets in its path, and I had to top it up with engine oil after a day's usage. I immediately suspected the filter, and the time had come to get rid of it.

I took it to My TVS multi-brand garage (Ambattur Industrial Estate) on Saturday. They used a 2-post lift to raise the car. On looking underneath, it immediately became obvious that it was indeed the stuck oil filter that was leaking. I asked them to replace the filter and change the oil. And sure enough, the filter remained stuck when they tried with a normal oil filter wrench. These guys knew their stuff though, and used "the screw-driver method" described by sgiitk and saket77, without me even mentioning it. The stubborn oil filter was finally removed and thrown away!

They fixed a new filter in place and filled in new (mineral) oil. I checked for leaks, thankfully there were none. The bill came to 1,600 rupees.

I also got a complementary car wash, since this was my first visit there - no interior vacuuming/polishing though, as it was already beyond closing time for them.

Multi-brand service chains like My TVS, Carnation & Bosch seem to be good places to get the routine oil change services done. They seem to be well-equipped and employ competent mechanics, at least for such basic servicing jobs. And they do only the stuff we ask them to, don't inflate the bill with unnecessary crap, and return the car in a matter of hours. With the latest CCI penalty on manufacturers for monopolistic practices in spare parts supply, I hope at least some of them are able to climb up the value chain and become competent in doing all kinds of repair work.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by RSR

UPDATE:
The car was running fine with the new oil despite the old filter still remaining in place. I kept checking the oil regularly through the dip stick for its quality, and it did not show any alarming quality deterioration, only the normal degradation with time.
.

It's quite an amazing feat that you can actually tell the quality of the oil by checking/looking at it on the dip stick. I have never known anybody else to do be able to do so. Everybody else needs a real laboratroy test to tell whats going on with their oil.

Please note that the discoloring of your engine oil, be it synthetic or not, is normal within a few hundred kilometers and is no indication whatsoever of the quality of the oil.

You must possess some super human powers?

I have said it before on this forum (and other forums) and I will say it again: It is much more important to change your oil filter regularly then your oil!!! The worst thing you could have done is leave that old filter in place. Not because of a bit of old oil left in it, but because an old oil filter won't filter properly anymore.

Jeroen

[RSR]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

Please note that the discoloring of your engine oil, be it synthetic or not, is normal within a few hundred kilometers and is no indication whatsoever of the quality of the oil.

I guess you are correct on this one.

Perhaps I used the technically incorrect term "quality"? The more appropriate term would have been something like age, clarity or turbidity etc. These can indeed be checked by taking a look at a dipstick and wiping it on a piece of clean white cloth.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It's quite an amazing feat that you can actually tell the quality of the oil by checking/looking at it on the dip stick. I have never known anybody else to do be able to do so. Everybody else needs a real laboratroy test to tell whats going on with their oil.

Perhaps you haven't heard enough lay people describing it this way then? Do listen to this friendly YouTube "Superman" describe it in his own words:

http://youtu.be/JsJh31kaExg

I'm not trying to defend myself here. Still, technically incorrect and a misnomer it may be, but using the word "quality" seems to be acceptable in layman terms. I googled "how to check the quality of engine oil", and the first link that popped up was this:

http://m.wikihow.com/Check-Your-Oil

Determine whether the oil needs to be changed. In addition to checking the quantity of the oil, you should also check the quality. The oil should look clean and smooth. If the oil looks like it contains debris or looks cloudy, it needs to be changed.

So, please relax!

Originally Posted by Jeroen

You must possess some super human powers?

I only wish I possessed some of them - at least the ones that would enable me to find answers to deep questions that would take nearly a lifetime (if at all) to do so otherwise.

Originally Posted by Jeroen

I have said it before on this forum (and other forums) and I will say it again: It is much more important to change your oil filter regularly then your oil!!! The worst thing you could have done is leave that old filter in place. Not because of a bit of old oil left in it, but because an old oil filter won't filter properly anymore.

I've taken this advice seriously, thank you!

The only reason it was left in place was because the inexperienced fellow at the Shell fuel station where I bought the oil didn't know the correct way to remove the oil filter that remained jammed. He used brute force with different wrenches, which didn't work and was responsible for the filter developing a leak later.

The oil filter was still changed before the recommended interval of 10,000 km, so I hope it didn't result in any kind of damage to the engine.

[khoj]

Jeroen, our man is not alone. All of the service advisors, floor mechanics, their supervisors, road side tinkerers all over the vast land are blessed with oil quality perception abilities. Do visit one of the service centres near you to observe this phenomenon and be amazed

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It's quite an amazing feat that you can actually tell the quality of the oil by checking/looking at it on the dip stick. I have never known anybody else to do be able to do so. Everybody else needs a real laboratroy test to tell whats going on with their oil.
...........

[joybhowmik]

Originally Posted by Jeroen

It's quite an amazing feat that you can actually tell the quality of the oil by checking/looking at it on the dip stick. I have never known anybody else to do be able to do so. Everybody else needs a real laboratroy test to tell whats going on with their oil.

Originally Posted by khoj

All of the service advisors, floor mechanics, their supervisors, road side tinkerers all over the vast land are blessed with oil quality perception abilities. Do visit one of the service centres near you to observe this phenomenon and be amazed

The lesser the amount of formal education and subject experience, the more the opinions!
I guess they hand out PHDs to sundry handymen nowadays !.

Apologies for the sarcasm, but this is not only limited to proffering explanations about engine oil quality but about every possible diagnostic explanation under the sun!

[akshay4587]

Originally Posted by kap04

Has anyone recently purchased Mobil1 0W-40 ? What would be the price for the 4L can?

Last year i had purchased 4 litres for 3720/-. Wondering how much of a price difference is there now.

A late reply.
I just got 6L of Mobil1 0W40 at 950/L

[alpha1]

I remember one workshop guy telling me that the oil becomes sticky when it is at end of its life.
Is this true?

He was testing it by observing the stringing between the thumb and index finger smeared with the dip stick oil.

[Jeroen]

Originally Posted by joybhowmik

The lesser the amount of formal education and subject experience, the more the opinions!
I guess they hand out PHDs to sundry handymen nowadays !.

Apologies for the sarcasm, but this is not only limited to proffering explanations about engine oil quality but about every possible diagnostic explanation under the sun!

There is plenty you can diagnose on a car by looking, touching, smelling and even tasting. However, none of the human senses have the ability to sense the quality of oil. No, and it doesn't improve with experience either. So a 16 year old apprentice engineer is as bad at it as somebody who worked on cars his whole life. The problem being that for some insane reason they think their experience has made them develop these super powers.

Just ask these super beings what the viscosity is, what and how many particles and present and what the status of the various additives is, the water content etc etc.

Enjoy, don't worry to much about oil, you should be worrying about the filter!

Jeroen