Which Oil- Does it matter!?!

I have a 1995 LT35 2.4D(non turbo)- (so no fancy gubbins on it- just a good solid engine) with 70K on-i change the oil and filter every 6 months-and only use the thing at weekends- so it does max 3k miles per year-i just go to the local spares shop and buy the most reasonably priced(aka cheapest) oil that says 'for diesel engines' on it- and usually 'heavy duty'! at oil change the oil that comes out is almost as clean as when it went in!- so the thinking is that even the cheapest/crappiest oil in the world will last a couple of thousand miles.

thanks for that- much appreciated- so i need MAGNATEC DIESEL 10W-40 B3 - but the cheaper oil i put in now is also 10w-40- so still not sure what the difference is?

Mike

As long as it has the same ratings, I don't see what difference it makes. Personally I use Magnatec as I feel happier using that than Morrison's own, but it depends what you want, peace of mind, engine longevity, or a fatter wallet :)

No, that's a castrol site. Of course it's going to recommend Magnatec ;-)

If you have one, what does the handbook say?. I am 99% sure the cheapy 10W40 you've been putting in will be absolutely fine.

Mike P

Agreed - I only posted that URL to give an idea of the oil needed. I personally use Castrol as it's always done me well - but as long as the specs are similar I'd imagine it wouldn't be vastly more different.

The B3 is the spec of the oil according to the SAE specs. Personally, given that you're changing the oil as often as you are, provided the cheap oil that you're buying meets the B3 spec (which most oils should do now), I wouldn't worry. It's not as though you're giving the engine a hard life and pushing the oil to it's serviceable limit.

Thanks- I always thought it was fine- but it was all of the talk about worn camshafts and pumps etc- i don't mind paying =A311 a litre if thats what it needs- its not so much the money- it just seems pointless pouring extra pound notes into the sump if the =A32.50 a litre stuff does the same job- especially with the low miles i'm doing

regards mike

----------------------

Personally I'd just buy a decent-ish oil[1] and change it every year if you only do 3k pa.

[1] I've always bought Millers Semi-synthetic @ £15 for 5litres or so.

As pointless as changing the oil when the old stuff comes out looking like the new stuff? If I were you I'd do it once a year max.

..

:

m...

So maybe the question isn't which oil to use- but whether its better to change the oil and filter once a year with the expensive stuff- or twice( or more)- a year with the cheap stuff which would still cost far less?- i think the oil coming out clean at oil change must mean the engine has been better protected than if it comes out jet black and horrible?- even if the jet black horrible stuff has cost =A311 a litre? regards Mike

The handbook ought to tell you a spec for the oil. Find the cheapest oil that meets the spec just to cover yourself and stick that in and don't worry. With 6monthly oil changes and 3k miles a year I'd expect the engine to last almost indefinately.

You don't need £11/litre oil, I can pretty much guaruntee that. I got my Peugeot 205 Diesel to 195k miles on a fresh filter and the cheapest

15W40 oil for diesels that my local Halfrauds or motor factor's would sell me every 6k.

Almost certainly the cheap stuff once a year.

at oil change the oil that comes out is almost as clean as when it went in!- so the thinking is that even the cheapest/crappiest oil in the world will last a couple of thousand miles.

One school of thought would say that if the oil that comes out is not dirty then it hasn't been doing its job, which is to keep the engine clean. I would subscribe to that. The 10W-40 bit simply tells you the oil's viscosity. It doesn't tell you what additives and detergents there are in it. And these will cost money.

Rob Graham

He's changing after 1500 miles - there won't have been much cleaning to do. On my DS the oil comes out after 6 - 8,000 miles looking just like it did when it went in. Ah, the joys of LPG ...

Ian

No, but even so, diesels seem to blacken their oil almost immediately.

Rob

Most important thing, IMHO, is to make sure the engine is nice and warm before you change the oil, to make sure as much of the old stuff as possible comes out.

Put any oil in that meets the spec - SM and A3/B3 are the latest IIRC. I buy mine at £20ish for a 25l drum.

Is that just the price 'the trade' pay for their oil, or is that some super-cheap deal?

If that's trade price then that explains how my tame trusted mechanic (who does the too big/too cold jobs) can do a 5W/30 oil and filter change for me for significantly less than I can get just the oil for...

(And yes I did check - it was a new filter and clean oil... although I have no clue how to check the viscosity!)