[Shakensoul]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

Boss these things typically cost 10/12 pounds in england. rs 220 sounds like a scam. scamsters always thrive on this very thought process that you are going through - "i got a bargain". there is no such thing as a free lunch.
since this is your engine i am saying all this. ultimately it's your car and your decision.

Well I can either consider myself fortunate at getting a bargain due to a ignorant shopkeeper, or unlucky for getting duped. Will show it to the service advisor when I take the car for servicing tommorow @Pandit & Co., not that he will be able to gaurantee the authenticity, but for my reassurance.

Surprising, if I would have paid 500-1000 bucks for the same can, there would never have been a question about the authenticity.

[Raccoon]

You actually expect service advisors to give you sane advice for such things???

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by Shakensoul

Surprising, if I would have paid 500-1000 bucks for the same can, there would never have been a question about the authenticity.

lol. This is so very true.

[archat68]

My car runs only about 150-200 KM in a month. I get my oil changed every 6 month. So its not cost effective for me to put synthetic oil.
But what is the best mineral oil that I can use? Regarding semi-synth - is it recommended over mineral oil?
Also in Kolkata the max winter temp is about 10 deg. So, which grade shall I use?

Also, the engine flush that is used before putting the synth oil actually de-carbonises the engine - am I right?
So, what happens if I use engine flush before oil change and then again use mineral oil only? Is there any benefit?
Curious guys.

[Sudipto-S-Team]

So you change oil every 1000 km. It's quite an overkill actually. You could safely drive with the same oil for at least 5k. Once in 2.5 to 3 years. lol. What car do you drive? Yours must be a very happy car.

[archat68]

Originally Posted by Sudipto-S-Team

So you change oil every 1000 km. It's quite an overkill actually. You could safely drive with the same oil for at least 5k. Once in 2.5 to 3 years. lol. What car do you drive? Yours must be a very happy car.

I drive a carb Zen.
But what I've learned that you change oil every 5K or 6 month whichever is earlier because even if not run a single KM the oil does lose its lubricating property somewhat and becomes a bit sticky due to aerial oxidation.
Is it true?

Suggest me guys what should be the oil change interval for my car? Is it advisable to put synthetic and change oil after 1.5 years (about 2700 Km running on my car)?

How much Castrol magnatec costs?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Castrol Magnatec will cost you about 1k. What you say is technically correct. And also as they say you can never change oil too often. Therefore it's good for your car no doubt and I would very confidently buy such a well maintained car if it is sold in future. A carb Zen is a different ball game altogether, I know. But still, in real life, changing oil at 1000 km is a bit of an over kill.

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by archat68

My car runs only about 150-200 KM in a month. I get my oil changed every 6 month. So its not cost effective for me to put synthetic oil.
But what is the best mineral oil that I can use? Regarding semi-synth - is it recommended over mineral oil?
Also in Kolkata the max winter temp is about 10 deg. So, which grade shall I use?

Also, the engine flush that is used before putting the synth oil actually de-carbonises the engine - am I right?
So, what happens if I use engine flush before oil change and then again use mineral oil only? Is there any benefit?
Curious guys.

Its difficult to make a statement about which oil is the best. One can only make an informed guess, unless one has access to reliable tests. As for brands, I'm not a fan of Castrol for several reasons, and also know that its said to be the most adulterated barand (most likely because its sells more). Just choose from any major brand ...and one that has the highest API rating. Mobil for eg. should be a good bet.

It not right to say that an engine flush will decarb the engine. What it will do is get rid of stuff like sludge... IF its really effective. The carbon in your combustion chamber will not be touched. If you ask me, things like flushes and all are of questionable effectiveness. If your engine oil is well formulated, its detergents should be doing the job of keeping your engine clean (provided you have followed the maintenece schedule, etc). If you feel it isnt, then consider changing to a better brand immediately. I'd keep the flushes at bay.

If you can afford it, synthetic oil will always be a better option. I feel it might be ok to use it for 1.5 years as it hardly degrades. Minerals will degrade faster (not just thru oxidation but other factors too)... they are generally said to be good for anywhere between 6 months to 1 year. However, be careful of pseudo-synthetics (ie. severely hydroprocessed) oils claiming to be 100% synthetics. Not that they are bad oils, but they are NOT true synthetics, though they may be priced at par with true synthetics. Only PAO and Ester based oils are true synthetics. I belive Castrol Edge is one such pseudo-synthetic.

And yes, regarding your query about semi-synthetics being better than synthetics... dont give this too much importance. Its more likely to be more marketing hype than anything else. No oil company is discolsing the synthetic component in their semi-synthetics. So technically, even 1 drop of synthetic make their brand qualify for the semi-synthetic position. Actually, they dont even need the drop... the additive package itself is enought to qualify the oil as semi-synth as additives can be classified as synthetic!

As for marketing, for eg. Castrol was labeling its Magnatec as "synthetic technology". In a strictly technical way, its not a wrong claim. But a gullible buyer is very likely to think its a synthetic or at least a semi-synthetic (using the commonly understood definition). But very likely Magnatec does not use any PAO or Ester based base oil at all. In fact they are quiet about it... and that itself makes it more suspicious. If it were otherwise, it would be advertised in big bold letters on the front side of the can!

Try not to fall for marketing gimmics!

[Stolichnaya]

I need a small favor - excuse me if I sound silly.

I have an Opel Corsa Sail 1.6L. Just how much oil do I need to change? I get varying answers from each of the vendor - one guy told me 3 litres is fine, now another guy tells me I need 4 litres, but 3.5 should be alright. I am confused. Which is right?

I've tried looking into the manuals, they tell nothing. I tried Googling, but zilch, nothing. You guys are my only hope. HELP!

[archat68]

Thanks Raccoon.
I think I should go for synthetic then and then change it once in 1.5 - 2 years (approx. 2700-3600 KM running in my car). The cost of oil change will be similar to me then.
Is it OK guys or shall I stick to mineral oil and change it half yearly?

Also can anybody shed some light about availability of synthetics (Mobil, Shell etc) in Kolkata and pricing too?

[Sudipto-S-Team]

Originally Posted by archat68

Also can anybody shed some light about availability of synthetics (Mobil, Shell etc) in Kolkata and pricing too?

Last month I bought 4 litres of Mobil 1 from the sole Mobil distributor in Calcutta for Rs 3k. He had said when the next lot comes it would cost Rs 4k. You can find out from him the current price.
Sudipto

[Raccoon]

Originally Posted by archat68

Thanks Raccoon.
I think I should go for synthetic then and then change it once in 1.5 - 2 years (approx. 2700-3600 KM running in my car). The cost of oil change will be similar to me then.
Is it OK guys or shall I stick to mineral oil and change it half yearly?

Also can anybody shed some light about availability of synthetics (Mobil, Shell etc) in Kolkata and pricing too?

Archat, I'm not sure if keeping synth oil for 2 years is a good idea. While synth oils are known not to break down, one never knows about the additive package. The oil manufacturer should be supplying this info on the pack... but most of them dont!

Btw, what kind of driving does your car do? If its does only city traffic, with jams and all, then you would be safer off changing the oil sooner. If its more of fast highway driving, where the car gets to its optimal temp and all, you can get away with keeping the oil for sometime longer.

[prats]

Hi archat!!
I finally decided to go with the mineral oil as i have to chage the oil once in 6k to 7k kms anyway. My car has run up 20k on the odo and i gave it for service today at Mandovi ( bangalore ). Engine flush, engine decarb is a part of the standard routine here. I got my car back and the engine is clean as a whistle. My advice is , stick to mineral oil but change the oil once every 6000k. The cost works out just fine.
If u are still interseted mobil 1 5w50 cost rs950/- a litre and normally 3.3 to 3.5 litres are required
BTW i have gained a lot through this forum though. Thanks guyscheers:

Originally Posted by archat68

Thanks Raccoon.
I think I should go for synthetic then and then change it once in 1.5 - 2 years (approx. 2700-3600 KM running in my car). The cost of oil change will be similar to me then.
Is it OK guys or shall I stick to mineral oil and change it half yearly?

Also can anybody shed some light about availability of synthetics (Mobil, Shell etc) in Kolkata and pricing too?

[archat68]

Originally Posted by Raccoon

Btw, what kind of driving does your car do?

Mostly city driving in bumper-to-bumper traffic.

[Raccoon]

Sigh... your oil will be severly stressed! If you use mineral, you might be better off changing every 6 months at the very max., or even earlier!