ARTICLE: Synthetic oil vs Mineral oil

[Crankpin]

Shell semi-synth 10W40 available at the Shell pumps is a great working oil. I use this in my Honda and get it changed every 5-6k kms. Manufacturers are switching to lower viscosity oils as they can be pumped around faster inside an engine which improves cooling and prevents cold-start damages. Also, better/ cleaner fuel quality reduces the formation of gums and deposits within the engine.
If oil changes (along with the oil-filter) are regular then you wouldn't have to bother about sludge build ups and additives.

[DevendraG]

Can we change from Mineral Oil to Synthetic Oil in bikes too (without negative effect)?

Pulsar 200 (2008 Model)

[Nalin1]

Originally Posted by DevendraG

Can we change from Mineral Oil to Synthetic Oil in bikes too (without negative effect)?

Pulsar 200 (2008 Model)

I did exactly that on my Pulsar 150 (2006 model). Switched from Castrol mineral oil to Shell fully synthetic. The result was fabulous . Absolutely no negative effects.

[Racer911]

Originally Posted by Crankpin

Shell semi-synth 10W40 available at the Shell pumps is a great working oil. I use this in my Honda and get it changed every 5-6k kms. Manufacturers are switching to lower viscosity oils as they can be pumped around faster inside an engine which improves cooling and prevents cold-start damages. Also, better/ cleaner fuel quality reduces the formation of gums and deposits within the engine.
If oil changes (along with the oil-filter) are regular then you wouldn't have to bother about sludge build ups and additives.

Not that its any of my business, but last I checked, the prices of Shell Oil at the Shell Pumps wasnt competitive at all with market prices in my city. I ultimately ended up ordering from amazon and got the fully synthetic Shell Helix Ultra 5W50 (or 40) dont remember for sure, for Rs. 3100 (4 Litre can)when the Shell pump wasnt ready to sell below Rs. 5200. I think the MRP was Rs. 5500/- at that time.

[Crankpin]

I agree they aren't competitive but to prevent buying spurious/ duplicate stuff at other retailers or even online, I buy it from the pump. Besides, they offer a free oil change service so it's ok

[bullrun87]

Mobil 1 makes synthetic oil which is good for 20000 miles!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0IqLRhxdoGg&t=322s

[sgiitk]

Not as far fetched as we may fear. 10,000 miles has been the norm with API-SF and beyond. So 20,000 is not that tough to imagine.

[pranavGTI]

Originally Posted by hserus

Honda Amaze Petrol - is this a 5W30 or 10W40? I see various third party (rather than Honda) faqs that say 10W40 for petrol, 5W30 for diesel. However when I asked the SA at a Honda ASS he said 5W30. Can someone please clarify? Thanks.

Did you go with 5W30?

I have an Amaze SX MT i-vtec. I haven't changed engine oil at any place other than the Honda service center. The manual says 0W-20 but this is a fully synthetic oil. 5W30 is also available as Mineral oil. I'm little confused here.

---------------------
pranavGTI

[Gansan]

Originally Posted by sgiitk

Not as far fetched as we may fear. 10,000 miles has been the norm with API-SF and beyond. So 20,000 is not that tough to imagine.

Can we really drive 10k miles with SF? My car's manual says 10k KM or one year, whichever is earlier. So I am following that, even though I use SN oil.

[sgiitk]

Originally Posted by Gansan

Can we really drive 10k miles with SF? My car's manual says 10k KM or one year, whichever is earlier. So I am following that, even though I use SN oil.

In the UK/US it is 10,000 MILES. Now you decide whether who knows better the Oilmaker or the carmaker. Take my Civic, Honda wants a check/service every three months or 5,000km. I have never done this. I worked to a 10,000 / 6 months schedule while under warranty, and the switched to 10,000/12 months once out of it. We do this with all our cars. Once out of warranty 10,000/12 months.

[jinojohnt]

Originally Posted by Sankar

This super 3000 5W40 was slightly cheaper than the bottle next to it which is 0W40......
..... Edit2: It seems Super 3000 is group 3 Esso Ultron 5W40. So Shell helix ultra 5w40 and Mobil super 3000 5W40 both are group 3. Here the Super 3000 was being sold at Rs850 iirc. Only M1 is group 4.

I have been using Mobil1 (0W40) all the time for my Alto and A-star, but it's getting more and more difficult to source Mobil1 at Trivandrum.
Mobil Super 3000 (5W40) seems to be easily available, is it ok to switch to Mobil Super 3000 as Trivandrum has a comparatively hotter climate (I guess both are fully synthetic)?

[chncar]

Originally Posted by jinojohnt

I have been using Mobil1 (0W40) all the time for my Alto and A-star, but it's getting more and more difficult to source Mobil1 at Trivandrum.
Mobil Super 3000 (5W40) seems to be easily available, is it ok to switch to Mobil Super 3000 as Trivandrum has a comparatively hotter climate (I guess both are fully synthetic)?

The climate in India is not relevant to the oil suitability, rather it depends on the engine specs and manufacturer reccomendations. Please stick to an oil that meets or exceeds manufacturer specifications.

Mobil 0W40 is available on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.in/Mobil-0W-40-Ful...&keywords=0w40

[Sebring]

Recently, I had given our Eon for service at Advaith Hyundai, Cantonment - and the car returned very sluggish. One had to really floor it to get it to move. Found out they used Servo oil (Hyundai approved mineral). This is about 400 a liter. So I immediately went to Shell, drained it all out and refilled fresh (about 500 a liter). Immediately the engine sprung back to life and is as lively as ever.

Big loss - as the garage wouldn't refund my money, but at least my engine was saved! Don't know if dubious quality oil was used.

Learned a very important lesson that day; to carry my own oil at every service. But have not done a full flush, hope it's okay.

[Leoshashi]

Originally Posted by Sebring

Recently, I had given our Eon for service at Advaith Hyundai, Cantonment - and the car returned very sluggish. One had to really floor it to get it to move. Found out they used Servo oil (Hyundai approved mineral). This is about 400 a liter. So I immediately went to Shell, drained it all out and refilled fresh (about 500 a liter). Immediately the engine sprung back to life and is as lively as ever.

Big loss - as the garage wouldn't refund my money, but at least my engine was saved! Don't know if dubious quality oil was used.

Learned a very important lesson that day; to carry my own oil at every service. But have not done a full flush, hope it's okay.

Whenever I have used Servo, I came back with similar experience. Be it on my 800, or Ritz/Swift or the erstwhile Baleno Sedan. Even the cheap Castrol feels so much better than Servo.

Regards,
Shashi

[R2D2]

From my experiences starting in the early 1980s with bikes & cars (Premier and HM Amby), IO Servo has got to be one of the worst brands of 2 & 4 stroke engine oils that I've ever had the misfortune of buying. To me it is the lube equivalent of a tyre from a brand like JK or MRF. YUCK!! AVOID!!

It is inexpensive but sadly doesn't do the job well at all. It is only for those owners who want a cheap lube and are wiling to compromise on engine smoothness, performance and possibly life. If you love your car please don't use this stuff.

I never use products made by the nationalised oil Companies regardless of them being approved by OEMs or not.