ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Are Castrol oils as good as they were before? So within castrol which one should I put for? Will edge be better than magnatec as far as fuel efficiency and engine noise is of consideration?

Why do you think Castrol oils are not good as before? Has there been any experience that proved to be a disappointment?

As for me, would I use Castrol Edge 5W-40 synthetic? If I couldn't obtain Mobil 1 or Shell Helix Ultra (my preferred engine oils) for any reason I certainly would consider options like Castrol Edge or similar offerings from well known companies like Motul, Elf, Liqui Moly etc.

IMHO, the primary consideration is the viscosity and API classification. The brand is secondary.

In your case it is simple. When the car is in warranty use the oil viscosity & brand recommended by Maruti for your engine. Now, if that means using Magnatec 5W-30 instead of Edge 5W-40 so be it. The main thing is to avoid giving the manufacturer and dealer ANY chance of denying a warranty claim.

[anycatd]

Originally Posted by R2D2

In your case it is simple. When the car is in warranty use the oil viscosity & brand recommended by Maruti for your engine. Now, if that means using Magnatec 5W-30 instead of Edge 5W-40 so be it. The main thing is to avoid giving the manufacturer and dealer ANY chance of denying a warranty claim.

I can use any castrol oil as the dealer has a tie up with castrol. Will using a 5w40 reduce the mileage? I read somewhere that using a thinner oil keeps the turbo in better condition, is it just a myth? They are quoting 2000 rupees for magnatec and edge should be around 3500.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by anycatd

I can use any castrol oil as the dealer has a tie up with castrol. Will using a 5w40 reduce the mileage? I read somewhere that using a thinner oil keeps the turbo in better condition, is it just a myth? They are quoting 2000 rupees for magnatec and edge should be around 3500.

Please go as per recommendations in your car's owners manual. For e.g. if it specifically suggests 5W-30 then use only that grade. Please don't play guessing games with engine oils. It can be detrimental to the engine.

[mxh]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Finally my third service is booked for April 1. Spoke to my service advisor about the oil change. He said I can use Liqui Moly but they will put a remark on the service report. I guess I have no option but to go for Castrol oils. What should I do now? Go for Magnatec 5w-30 or Edge 5w-40? Any user of Edge here who can speak about it's performance? Edge is 5w40, how will it affect the fuel economy? I expect the Brezza to run for 10k+ this year. Another way to dodge this would be to fill magnatec at the dealer and replace it outside to liqui moly. Use the drained oil for wagonr's oil change.

A remark on the service report.. What is this supposed to mean exactly? Where in the warranty does it specify that you must use only the oil supplied by the service station? In all the car manuals I have read, they always specify only range of the grades of the permissible oils. As long as you change the oil as per the schedule to one of the permissible grades and keep the receipt as proof, no service Centre can deny warranty. When I got my City I realized the coolant level was between top and bottom line, not filled fully. I went back a few days later and demanded they fill it. It went upto the service manager of the service station since I had complained to Honda directly. They tried to argue with me, and said between the two lines would be fine. I just showed them the manual and made them do it. Quite a lot of coolant went in. Let us not be taken for a ride by these service stations, just go by the manual and do what it says and no one can touch you.

[anycatd]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Why the desperation to try another oil? Castrol makes good oils & I'd prefer it to the Idemitsu oils that Toyota & Honda use as OEM fill. Heck, I should know. I've used Castrol products for decades in my cars and bikes as they were the best available back then. Even today I'd count them among the best oils on the market.

Since the day the car was purchased I've been searching for the best engine oil possible. I've even mailed the Liqui Moly distributor asking them to introduce the 5w30 grade which was not available during the initial few months.

Originally Posted by mxh

Let us not be taken for a ride by these service stations, just go by the manual and do what it says and no one can touch you.

The guys at the service center aren't arrogant guys but under pressure from their bosses they are trying to do business by leaving customers with no option but to buy what they sell. They said that if I provide the oil, on their system it will show up that no oil change was done for the third service and void the warranty. I'll try to contact maruti to check how it works.

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Since the day the car was purchased I've been searching for the best engine oil possible. I've even mailed the Liqui Moly distributor asking them to introduce the 5w30 grade which was not available during the initial few months.

The term 'best engine oil' is always debatable as there are always personal preferences at play. Castrol vs Shell vs Mobil vs Elf vs Motul vs Petronas vs Liqui Moly? There is very little scientific evidence to back up tall claims of oil companies. Each one of them has success stories and participate in motor sports. That's why I said the brand is secondary. As long as the oil meets or exceeds specs in the owners manual you are set.

They said that if I provide the oil, on their system it will show up that no oil change was done for the third service and void the warranty.

If they have very explicitly told you so then I would once again strongly recommend adhering to that piece of advice.

Also, if Maruti does respond favourably regarding the use of customer supplied engine oils be sure to get it in writing.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by R2D2

Why do you think Castrol oils are not good as before? Has there been any experience that proved to be a disappointment?

At one time Castrol was the only MNC / Premium brand available. So it had a very high reputation. The next to come in was Shell. Now there are many big MNC brands including Mobil, etc which are in the same league. So the Premium rating of Castrol is a bit diluted. In those days the joke was that for every litre of Castrol produced at least three were sold. Such was the level of adulteration!

[R2D2]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

At one time Castrol was the only MNC / Premium brand available. So it had a very high reputation. The next to come in was Shell. Now there are many big MNC brands including Mobil, etc which are in the same league. So the Premium rating of Castrol is a bit diluted. In those days the joke was that for every litre of Castrol produced at least three were sold. Such was the level of adulteration!

Yes, I remember those days alright. Due to the pretty high chances of buying a counterfeit, back in the '80s and '90s, I used be very careful about who I purchased Castrol oils (Castrol GTX/Magnatec and Castrol 2T) from.

I have a habit I carry over from those days; I always damage the plastic oil containers (even Shell or Mobil) by puncturing them with a large knife near or at the bottom after filling the oil. Hopefully that discourages counterfeiters from using it.

But as you rightly said Castrol does retain its premium brand albeit a little less shiny due to the competition from other brands. And I believe their product quality would have been retained over the decades.

[devarshi84]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

At one time Castrol was the only MNC / Premium brand available. So it had a very high reputation. The next to come in was Shell. Now there are many big MNC brands including Mobil, etc which are in the same league. So the Premium rating of Castrol is a bit diluted. In those days the joke was that for every litre of Castrol produced at least three were sold. Such was the level of adulteration!

Originally Posted by anycatd

I can use any castrol oil as the dealer has a tie up with castrol. Will using a 5w40 reduce the mileage? I read somewhere that using a thinner oil keeps the turbo in better condition, is it just a myth? They are quoting 2000 rupees for magnatec and edge should be around 3500.

From the basic websites surfing, it seems that oil makers recommend 15w-40 for turbo engines.

Castrol is not what it is in Europe. Google is full of articles on GC (german castrol) vs. Castrol sold worldwide. It is expensive for what you get. So are Motul and Mobil. Shell Helix is a good affordable alternative with numerous car brand certifications. There are also other good brands with 0w-40 and 5w-40 oils at cheaper prices such as Petronas 7000 0w-40.

Maruti has also tied up with Shell (Hx8 0w-20) and Servo (again 0w-20) in my knowledge. THat should let you use Shell if they let you use any oil of castrol.

Originally Posted by mxh

A remark on the service report.. What is this supposed to mean exactly? Where in the warranty does it specify that you must use only the oil supplied by the service station? In all the car manuals I have read, they always specify only range of the grades of the permissible oils. As long as you change the oil as per the schedule to one of the permissible grades and keep the receipt as proof, no service Centre can deny warranty. When I got my City I realized the coolant level was between top and bottom line, not filled fully. I went back a few days later and demanded they fill it. It went upto the service manager of the service station since I had complained to Honda directly. They tried to argue with me, and said between the two lines would be fine. I just showed them the manual and made them do it. Quite a lot of coolant went in. Let us not be taken for a ride by these service stations, just go by the manual and do what it says and no one can touch you.

Imagine the margins for a dealer by selling 3 ltrs at retail from a 210Ltr drum purchased at Dealer price. I always fill up my vehicles with oil from outside. But then none of my vehicles are under warranty.

There have been numerous cases where companies reject warranty claims so it is better to wait for peace of mind. Manuals only mention the grade and API classification as different dealers in different countries and states have different tie ups.

Originally Posted by anycatd

Since the day the car was purchased I've been searching for the best engine oil possible. I've even mailed the Liqui Moly distributor asking them to introduce the 5w30 grade which was not available during the initial few months.


The guys at the service center aren't arrogant guys but under pressure from their bosses they are trying to do business by leaving customers with no option but to buy what they sell. They said that if I provide the oil, on their system it will show up that no oil change was done for the third service and void the warranty. I'll try to contact maruti to check how it works.

Liqui moly has HC7 5w-30. Using it currently. HC should stand for hydrocracked which means it is a group III with good additives. TBN is only 7 IIRC. This means it is a middle range oil.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by eternalck

The only major thing in the service was the suspension which has been overhauled along with change of both brake disks.

Hope the brakes are not binding in any way

[anycatd]

Wrote a query regarding my issue on the Maruti Suzuki website. Explained them what the service center told me. But after I submitted I realized they send the mail to my service center incharge directly. Facepalm moment. Hopefully a copy gets sent to Maruti too. Otherwise it would be like complaining to Mr.X about Mr.X.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Wrote a query regarding my issue on the Maruti Suzuki website. Explained them what the service center told me.
==== Otherwise it would be like complaining to Mr.X about Mr.X.

Standard operating procedure, they will send to dealership now they will contact you and try to resolve it. The dealership has a SLA for this or their rating would be affected.

[eternalck]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Hope the brakes are not binding in any way

hahaha no not at all . I'll make at least 2 tank full to tank full measurements more to double check before taking another step.

[anycatd]

Originally Posted by Jaggu

Standard operating procedure, they will send to dealership now they will contact you and try to resolve it. The dealership has a SLA for this or their rating would be affected.

Yeah. It seemed to have worked although the incharge seemed a little disappointed by the lack of faith shown by me to the dealership. I was their first Brezza customer. Now they've offered me four oil options. Shell, Mobil, Castrol and Indian oil. Semi synthetic and Synthetic. He will arrange the oil himself. So I need new suggestions. Shell or Mobil? I guess these will be the Maruti branded ones. For synthetic it would be 1100 per litre. 3.2 litres in total.

[Jaggu]

Originally Posted by anycatd

Shell or Mobil? I guess these will be the Maruti branded ones. For synthetic it would be 1100 per litre. 3.2 litres in total.

Between Synthetics i prefer Mobil since it seems to have given me better performance over extended drain periods. And don't think they would be maruti branded, never came across synthetics in those containers. Unless it is something new that they have started? Other maruti users please do comment.