Does oil brand matter????

[Mdm83]

I’ve been using shell helix ultra and plan to continue for my amarok.
Is there any REAL difference between all the brands? Will Asda oil really be detrimental to my engine? And vice versa will millers be a lot better than Asda oil/shell helix?

Also if anyone can explain the difference between shell helix ultra 0w30 ect vs shell helix ultra 0w30 professional that will be great

[Tickle]

Has the Opie Oil sticky gone? (Or am I just missing it) they always have good advice, and this is no doubt a question they get frequently asked.

[Mdm83]

It’s been referenced a few times but I can’t find it

Edited by Mdm83 on Friday 20th December 19:00

[Mdm83]

It’s been referenced a few times but I can’t find it

Edited by Mdm83 on Friday 20th December 19:10

[pozi]

Tickle said:

Has the Opie Oil sticky gone? (Or am I just missing it) they always have good advice, and this is no doubt a question they get frequently asked.

It has been deleted, not sure why??

[stevieturbo]

Mdm83 said:

Will Asda oil really be detrimental to my engine?

Haven't a clue what your engine is.

[Grayedout]

Mdm83 said:

Also if anyone can explain the difference between shell helix ultra 0w30 ect vs shell helix ultra 0w30 professional that will be great

ECT has additional BMW and MB approvals and quotes extra sludge and fuel economy performance and so is slightly the better quality oil

[Elliot2000]

All the oils will be made to a certain spec depending on what car manufacturer has specified is needed, but like all things - there is doing the minimum to meet the spec with the cheapest ‘ingredients’ and there will be more premium versions that will exceed the requirements.

I think decent brands like Mobil fully synthetics and castrol will all exceed, cheap oils like comma and triple qx will barely meet the requirements.

Personally - it’s millers all day long - especially there nanotechnology range of fully synthetics. Engines run smoother, quieter, never become sludge, and on the petrol engines- always comes out golden brown at service time

[PositronicRay]

Elliot2000 said:

Personally - it’s millers all day long - especially there nanotechnology range of fully synthetics. Engines run smoother, quieter, never become sludge, and on the petrol engines- always comes out golden brown at service time

Is golden brown a good thing, shouldn't the oil be holding impurities in suspension?

[Tickle]

pozi said:

Tickle said:

Has the Opie Oil sticky gone? (Or am I just missing it) they always have good advice, and this is no doubt a question they get frequently asked.

It has been deleted, not sure why??

Car Guru overlords maybe?

It just says 'nothing to see here' when you click a searched link thread.

Anyway, bypassing the useful PH thread that's gone....

https://www.opieoils.co.uk/t-the-oilman.aspx

[NickGRhodes]

Mdm83 said:

I’ve been using shell helix ultra and plan to continue for my amarok.
Is there any REAL difference between all the brands? Will Asda oil really be detrimental to my engine? And vice versa will millers be a lot better than Asda oil/shell helix?

Also if anyone can explain the difference between shell helix ultra 0w30 ect vs shell helix ultra 0w30 professional that will be great

As long the oil meets spec/approval it will be fine for your engine (under normal conditions). Euro specs of oils are quite tough (requiring good additive pack and base oil selection), there is little worry about cheap for regular/normal usage.

Yes some oils of big brands are better than others, but it would be pure speculation if you will see any advantage (without doing your own extensive testing). Some claim to have better longevity or better at keeping your engines clean.

Going back a while, but I think Shell ECT, AV/L and AB/L 0W30 are the same oil (datasheets show matching properties IRC), just they have different approvals.

I usually go for a branded oil, as I often find them similar priced or cheaper than supermarket prices (VW 504/507 spec oil in my case). Got my last lot of ECT 5w30 from Smith and Allen for £30 when Asda is £32 for equivalent for example for 5l.

Edited by NickGRhodes on Saturday 21st December 09:29

[anonymous-user]

Currently I'm working on the construction of a new oil refinery the investment is 20 + billion us$, plus related infrastructure, you really think Asda have one for the few cans they sell, oil is refined by oil majors, to a spec Usually an Api spec), buy the right spec.

[Mdm83]

Asda will just source it from another brand. When I had Audi’s the garages used quantum oil which was either Castrol or Mobil 1 rebranded.

Phoned vw who says to use 0w30- so I had a look on millers & Opie but couldn’t find a vw507 compatible millers oil. 5w30 yes but not 0w30

[227bhp]

pozi said:

Tickle said:

Has the Opie Oil sticky gone? (Or am I just missing it) they always have good advice, and this is no doubt a question they get frequently asked.

It has been deleted, not sure why??

Probably didn't pay the rent.

[sgtBerbatov]

I know from using Castrol, Toyota's own brand and Petronas in my Peugeot 107, Petronas stays a golden colour far longer at the time of a service than either of the other oils do.

So I think it makes a little bit of a difference, but like others have said they'll meet the minimum specification for the engine. So it won't break apart but it won't be outstanding either.

[Polome]

sgtBerbatov said:

I know from using Castrol, Toyota's own brand and Petronas in my Peugeot 107, Petronas stays a golden colour far longer at the time of a service than either of the other oils do.

So I think it makes a little bit of a difference, but like others have said they'll meet the minimum specification for the engine. So it won't break apart but it won't be outstanding either.

I worked for Petronas in the 80's in Malaysia....I used bulk ( 40 gallon drums ) supplied from the company...The drums were liveried in Petronas colours but if you scrapped the paint on the drums they were maroon & yellow underneath. They were Originally Shell drums disguised... even had TERRESSO 32 ( a Shell oil type) imprinted on the shell colours...things have moved on a lot for Petronas since then growing to become a global brand , so I expect them to be manufacturing and selling their " own" brand now. I think so long as the oil used is correct spec and well known brand all's well .

[anonymous-user]

That's a good example, in 80's Petronas didn't have a refinery, so oil would have come from the Shell refinery in Melaka, the lub oil plant at Petronas Melaka came on line well into this century, can't rember the exact date, but even after that came on line Petronas oil was rebranded Castrol, so the comment that it lasts longer than Castrol is just a perception, they were in fact the same oil from the same plant.
As I said earlier the source of oil is more important than brand. Re-canning cheap oil is not uncommon, at least outside Europe.

[ApexCult]

227bhp said:

pozi said:

Tickle said:

Has the Opie Oil sticky gone? (Or am I just missing it) they always have good advice, and this is no doubt a question they get frequently asked.

It has been deleted, not sure why??

Probably didn't pay the rent.

Yep - was confirmed by a Pistonhead Mod IIRC. No longer a site sponsor!

[ARHarh]

Just for argument I have always done my own oil changes and only ever used the cheapest oil to the correct spec. I have been driving for 39 years, owned many cars and often put 100k miles on them in my ownership. I have never destroyed an engine or even created any noticeable wear. I have owned cars that have reached 200k or more miles. Now days my oil always comes from Wilko, and has done for the best part of 10 years.

[anonymous-user]

Much like supermarket petrol, imho there is a huge amount of placebo-effect going on and most people will see no actual positive or negative effect of using either because if there are any differences they are so small as to be almost un-noticeable to most users.