oilman Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 This post may seem like going back to basics but we are constantly surprised by the amount of people who do not know or understand what is written on a bottle of oil and therefore have no idea of what they are looking for, buying or using. This post should help as a basic guide, for more detailed information contact us and we will be happy to help. So, to be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it look for something that does! 1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. Motor oil, Gear oil etc) 2) The viscosity (i.e. 10w-40, 5w-30 etc for Motor oils and 80w-90, 75w-90 etc for Gear oils) 3) The specifications that it meets (should contain both API and ACEA ratings) 4) The OEM Approvals that it carries and the codes (i.e. MB229.3, VW504.00, FORD 913a/b, BMW LL04 etc) Ignore the marketing blurb on the label it is in many cases meaningless and we will explain later what statements you should treat with skepticism. So, what does the above information mean and why is it important? THE BASICS All oils are intended for an application and in general are not interchangeable. You would not for example put an Automatic Transmission Oil or a Gear Oil in your engine! It is important to know what the oils intended purpose is. VISCOSITY Most oils on the shelves today are “Multigrades†1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 turned it to a sticky Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 11, 2007 Author Share Posted May 11, 2007 Thanksyou Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lomoto Posted May 11, 2007 Share Posted May 11, 2007 Question for oilman , some oils I use have "JASO:MA" on the labeling what does this signify ??? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Winged Rodent Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Question for oilman , some oils I use have "JASO:MA" on the labeling what does this signify ??? JASO = Japanese Automotive Standards Organization MA means it's a motorcycle specification (for bikes with a wet clutch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lomoto Posted May 12, 2007 Share Posted May 12, 2007 Thanks for the info, Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 12, 2007 Author Share Posted May 12, 2007 Question for oilman , some oils I use have "JASO:MA" on the labeling what does this signify ??? JASO = Japanese Automotive Standards Organization MA means it's a motorcycle specification (for bikes with a wet clutch). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyger Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Just wondering , my car has Valvoline 10w-40 fully synthetic Oil can i top up with another 10w-40 fully synthetic Brand eg Mobil?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyger Posted July 27, 2009 Share Posted July 27, 2009 Hmm this is ace , viewtopic.php?f=10&t=11431 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 Just wondering , my car has Valvoline 10w-40 fully synthetic Oil can i top up with another 10w-40 fully synthetic Brand eg Mobil?? Indeed you can. All oils will mix. Mixing good quality with poor is not good as it negates the performance of the good stuff though. Should be on 5w-40 or 5w-30 really though. Cheers Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 Just wondering , my car has Valvoline 10w-40 fully synthetic Oil can i top up with another 10w-40 fully synthetic Brand eg Mobil?? Indeed you can. All oils will mix. Mixing good quality with poor is not good as it negates the performance of the good stuff though. Should be on 5w-40 or 5w-30 really though. Cheers Guy Guy: I'm sure you have already been asked the question before, but do you have an up-to-date list of the engine oils (that you stock) that you would recommend for a normally aspirated 350Z (2002-2008) - perhaps grouped by price (discounting any offers available on particular makes) When I check your website there are so many so if you could narrow it down for us that would be very helpful Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted July 28, 2009 Author Share Posted July 28, 2009 5w-30 or 5w-40 synthetic, most popular is 5w-40 as you have more choice. The best and most popular are the ester based synthetics, have a look at 5w-40 and 5w-30 ones here http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-953-ester-synthetic.aspx Cheers Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ebized Posted July 28, 2009 Share Posted July 28, 2009 5w-30 or 5w-40 synthetic, most popular is 5w-40 as you have more choice. The best and most popular are the ester based synthetics, have a look at 5w-40 and 5w-30 ones here http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-953-ester-synthetic.aspx Cheers Guy Thanks Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyger Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 So if i run my car on 5w-40w Fully synthetic how often do i have to be changing the oil?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rtbiscuit Posted February 4, 2010 Share Posted February 4, 2010 So if i run my car on 5w-40w Fully synthetic how often do i have to be changing the oil?? same as if you run it on any other oil on the zed its every 9000 miles Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted February 4, 2010 Author Share Posted February 4, 2010 Yes, 9-10K will be fine Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lyger Posted February 8, 2010 Share Posted February 8, 2010 Thanks. Putting Valvoline SynPower 5w-30 in tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
redcupra Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Hi Guys, i was reading through the post from Abbey Motorsport about the servicing costs, which can be found here. they mention that they use 10w40 can yuo please clarify which is right? many thanks Paul Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 In a standard to lightly modified 350Z? Then no, 10w-40 isn't really right. 5w-30 for standard or a little upgraded and 5w-40 for fairly heavy modifications or a lot of track time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
was8v Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 Oilman - our handbooks in our 350z do not specify a fully synthetic oil. In fact the Nissan manual states a 5w30 "Mineral oil" should be used, no not even semi synth. Now with drain intervals at 9000 miles, for a standard road car with normal use (perhaps 1 track day a year) would there _really_ be ANY advantage at all in using a fully synthetic oil over a mineral or semi? Is it not perhaps pouring money down the drain (oil recycling centre)? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 Handbooks give the minimum requirements, the least you can get away with using, so if the car is somewhere random in the world that has no top quality oils, it tells you what you can get away with using. Also, why would nissan want to recommend an oil that gives far better protection and therefore makes the engine last longer? 9000 miles is quite a long time for a mineral oil to last, especially with a track day thrown in as track use is the quickest way to break an oil down. By the time you've reached 9k, the oil is going to have lost most of it's properties. I've just had a quick look on Pistonheads and it seems that a 6-7 year old 350Z is about £10k and a new engine is £2-3k off Ebay. Isn't it best to spend a few quid extra at service time and look after the car a bit better if you want to hold on to the car a while? Especially if you use it for track days or hard use in general. We've got 15% extra off if you use the code MAYOFFER when you order at the moment, making a decent oil even cheaper Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 If you have a new car, when ideally would you do the first oil change? In the US, it seems they do them after maybe 1,000 miles, but Nissan just say to leave it in til the first service at 9,000. Is it ok to leave the oil in there that long or should you change it out sooner? Break in acording to Nissan is 1,200 miles. I know a few chaps around here are looking at or have acquired 370z's so would be good to know Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oilman Posted May 18, 2010 Author Share Posted May 18, 2010 To be honest first service is fine, engines these days are built with such fine tolerances that the run in process is virtually non existent compared to what it used to be. Americans have a mentality of chaning oil every 50ft, so dont pay too much attention to it. America generally runs on the principle of use crap oil and change it often and if you look at the big lumbering lower power gas guzzling v8's they have used for so many years its not really a problem. 9,000 miles is fine for the oil as long as you dont take for ever to get to first service. Cheers Guy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ATTAK Z Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 My car, 2004 with 70,000 has started using about 2 litres between services (that's 2 top ups) and when hot the oil pressure varies between 25 at idle , 43 at 2000, and 60 at max revs. I get a regular service at a Bosch service centre (I've found one that cares) and let them supply 5W 30 semi-synthetic. Would my car benefit from a better oil and would I see better pressures and lower oil consumption ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris`I Posted May 18, 2010 Share Posted May 18, 2010 To be honest first service is fine, engines these days are built with such fine tolerances that the run in process is virtually non existent compared to what it used to be. Americans have a mentality of chaning oil every 50ft, so dont pay too much attention to it. America generally runs on the principle of use crap oil and change it often and if you look at the big lumbering lower power gas guzzling v8's they have used for so many years its not really a problem. 9,000 miles is fine for the oil as long as you dont take for ever to get to first service. Cheers Guy Thanks Guy, that's a great help Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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