Tag: FUCHS Synthetic Motor Oil

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Changes to Modern Car Engines. Motor Oils Standard

This is going to be clear as “mud”. I have been a licensed automotive mechanic since 1976 and still at it and the changes to engines and motor oils is incredible. This could get very long indeed, let’s say there are 2 major standards API and ACEA, the former is the American the later is the European lubricant standards. The Europeans started to create their own standards mainly driven by their car manufacturers as they found the API standards were not to their liking.

Please take a look at them by clicking on the links down below. (Your browser will open and load the page content in a new tab. To return to this page you should close that tab).

Fuchs Synthetic Motor Oil

Motor Oil Specifications

https://www.api.org/products-and-services/engine-oil/eolcs-categories-and- classifications/oil-categories

https://www.acea.be/uploads/news_documents/ACEA_European_oil_sequences_2016.pdf

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.71_en.html
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/d/d/en/Spec_223_2.pdf
https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/bevo-sheets-sort1.html

https://360.lubrizol.com/Specifications/BMW/BMW-Longlife-17-FE
https://360.lubrizol.com/Specifications/BMW/BMW-Longlife-12-FE
https://360.lubrizol.com/Specifications/BMW/BMW-Longlife-04
https://360.lubrizol.com/Specifications/BMW/BMW-Longlife-01

https://products.liqui-moly.com/top-tec-6200-0w-20-7.html

If money is no object and you want the best keeping the oil specification grade in mind by the respective manufacturers than this is the best money can buy , group 5 ester based synthetic motor oils. Not recommended for diesels with DPF filter equipped vehicles! Take a look at it at here.

I have a small car repair facility in Mississauga, Ontario where we work on 3 brands: BMW, Mercedes and Porsche cars. There is a great push for efficiency from the manufacturers side especially since they pay penalty to the EPA, so they will try any trick in the book to reduce the internal friction and the pumping losses within the ICE as much as possibly can.

BMW

We have variable oil pump on say BMW since 2006 , every part, oil notwithstanding has been crucified to the finest details, hence we have 0-20 W oil for awhile now to reduce pumping losses. There used to be an intensive push from the regulatory side (EPA) to reduce fuel consumption which Europe used to trail behind,  not anymore.

Europe wanted to get more aggressive on regulating emission and fuel consumption ultimately driving forward to electrification.

Most manufacturers have their own “secret” recipe for their own proprietary motor oils which gets more and more complicated by the day.

For instance BMW has LL01 (older cars) then LL04 which is low SAPS which succeeds LL01 and were intended for diesels with DPF in mind but it is not recommended in NA for gas engines due to our Sulphur content in our gasoline per say. Then later we had an LL14+ and even later the LL17+.

Mercedes

Mercedes has 229.31, 229.51, 229.61, 229.71 (Diesel low SAPS) then 229.3,  229.5, 229.52, 229.6, 229.72. Does it look complicated enough?

This whole thing is in my opinion is completely out of hand and everyone will try to toot their own horn to their liking and you as the consumer it’s your responsibility to know what belongs in your lovely high tech state of the art engine.

For instance you get the oil level warning, with this little jewels and you need to top up your oil, most of them will have no dipstick to discourage you to put anything wrong in there. So good luck to you to find the appropriate lubricant at your gas station or department store lately.

Having put the wrong oil for instance 229.5 (the most common) oil into a DPF equipped diesel engine (229.51) will ruin the DPF by contaminating it with zinc which will render it defective and will void the warranty on your emission system in a hurry.

This whole silly stuff is all out on the window in my opinion in particularly in NA as people thumb their nose up on light efficient cars. Instead they want monster SUV  trucks or massive pick up trucks with gigantic gas guzzling engines. There is this huge tug of war between governments, car  manufacturers and the public.

The governments want electric cars, the public wants 800+ horsepower trucks, the car manufacturers are on the hook for making gas guzzlers.

We are also caught in between to provide the appropriate slur(oil) for the application,  you get the picture.

My only question is: Where is the common sense in all of this may I ask?

The problem with all this high tech stuff is, the general public has no idea as we often find wrong oils and filters has been installed elsewhere, in a lot of places they are not aware of this fancy specifications.

I hope this helps.  All the best, cheers.

Any questions, how may we help? Call us for more details: 905.795.0419

Related:

European import cars motor oil specifications.

What could be done wrong possibly with a simple oil change

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Which is better? Synthetic or conventional motor oil?

What makes a motor oil Synthetic motor oil? The word “synthetic” has a pretty loose definition, a lot of manufacturer prefer the word synthetic to only apply to oils chemically formulated without the use of petroleum as a base oil.

However it is not that simple. At first lets talk about petroleum based motor oils. Petroleum based or Conventional motor oil is a lubricant that is produced directly from crude oil.

Petroleum base motor oils are very “sensitive” to temperature changes. This means at extremely low temperatures, for example at winter  time, here in Canada it may be thick, and at high temperatures, it’s fairly thin. To change the oil properties, oil companies mix additives, chemicals into the petroleum base.

Those chemicals effects the oil  viscosity,  improve it at high and low  temperature too.  When a 5W-30 conventional motor oil is brand new, it  can acts exactly like a 5W-30 synthetic motor oil.

German Synthetic Motor OilGerman Synthetic Oil

The problem is comes with time, from the use, the chemical additives in the conventional oil begin to break-down and or vaporize. This means, the oil starts to get thick when cold and start to get thin when hot.

Synthetic oils work quite differently. From the start, the chemical structure is designed to match a specific multi-grade oil, plus certain additives like rust inhibitors or dispersants will be added to further improve the usefulness of the oil.

The end result is that over time the synthetic oil does not degrade as conventional oils do. From a viscosity standpoint, an old  synthetic oil act pretty similar to a new synthetic oil, however it might get slightly thicker as a result of contaminants.

Some people states it, from a viscosity standpoint alone, a conventional motor oil could match the protection of a synthetic motor oil simply by changing conventional oil  more often, and it is  true. However synthetic motor oils not just lubricate only, they come with superior quality additives, leading to a cleaner, smoother running engine as well.

Which one is right for your car? Which one is better? Synthetic or conventional motor oil?

Before any misunderstanding, probably hard to buy a bad lubricant these days. some of them good  and some others are better. Even the most basic conventional oils available on the market are far better than ones offered 10 years ago.

We believe, it’s ok to use a quality petroleum-based oil in an average car, but if you drive a luxury or a high performance vehicles, we recommend to follow the owner manual’s recommendations, which is synthetic oil.

For sure, the synthetic oil cost more, but the benefits of synthetic justify the expense, with longer oil changes intervals, reduced oil deposit formation, slightly better fuel economy and longer engine life.

Call us for more details. Telephone: 905.795.0419.

Related:

The Importance of Oil Changes

Oil Recommendations by BMW

 

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How often should I change the oil in my car?

Whilst car engine and oil technology has dramatically changed which resulted in increased service intervals from 5 thousand kilometers to 15 to 20 thousand kilometers.

Fuchs Synthetic Motor Oil Fuchs Synthetic Motor Oil for Your Fine BMW – Mercedes – Porsche

Many car owners are unknowingly imposing upon themselves a false sense of security by assuming that their oil needs to be replaced at 15 or perhaps at 20 thousand kilometers. In this part of the world due to frequent short distance and stop and go city driving you should be servicing your car under severe service section.

Today most car’s engines can last if looked after properly at least a quarter million kilometers, and most will last twice as long.

Oil dilution from un-burned fuel, frequent cold start and water from the combustion process while driven frequently at short distances will damage the engine.

Most drivers don’t realize that the internal combustion engine needs at least twenty kilometers of driving to remove the blow by water and fuel from the motor oil which is the blood of the engine as we all know it.

FUCHS on MercedesFuchs Synthetic Motor Oil for Your Fine BMW – Mercedes – Porsche

Worth to note; Proper high quality oil filter is also equally important to keep all the precious internal mechanical components in great shape to decades or more. More info on oil filters…

Please also pay special attention to specific ACEA designation by each respective manufacturer of all the European automobiles.

We will be happy to assist you if you have any questions, give us a call to 905.795.0419

Thank you for reading.

Related:

Oil Recommendations by BMW
BMW Approval for TOTAL Motor Oil
European Cars Motor Oil Specifications
The Importance of Oil Changes

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Oil change on today’s high tech ultra efficient cars

The relatively simple oil change on today’s high tech ultra efficient cars are anything but simple. For instance BMW has a bunch of numbers on their oil requirements on vastly  different engines. The oldest one is LL98 then, the next is LL01 there after came LL04 and the next would be LL14.

German long life synthetic mootor oilFuchs Motor Oils

There is an even newer one which, is only for the very latest engines, from 2017 and up.

Furthermore older M engines require a specific grade like 10/60.

Mercedes is quiet the same MB 229, 31-229, 51-229.5 is the three most common designation for late model engines.

In most cases the diesel oriented BMW LL04 can be used in the gas engines for limited distance (no longer than 15 thousand kilometers between oil changes). The LL01 or the LL98 oil is prohibited in the diesel engines due to zinc in those  motor oils. Ditto for Mercedes Benz the 229.5 oil is strictly gas engines only.

The 229.31-229.51 oils are diesel oriented but can be used in most gas engine Mercedes Benz vehicles, except AMG which must have the 229.5 oil specifically.

There is one more additional spec for MB but that only applies to a single engine which is a rarity so we leave that one out for now. The implications are huge for using the wrong oil in the wrong application which at least will damage the diesel particulate filter (in short form DPF) or in the case of a gas engine possible engine damage may occur, especially if the extended service intervals are used.

Liqui Moly Synthetic motor oilsLiqui Moly Lubricants

To make it more confusing Mercedes specifies a felt oil filter for extended oil changes. The original manufacturer is in most cases Mann & Hummel of Germany.

There are two more original filter manufacturer Hengst of Germany and Knecht Mahle of Austria. There is currently a new French manufacturer which is also original equipment manufacturer called Pureflux. Read more about oil filters.

The question we often get;  Can I get my oil changes done elsewhere other than the dealer? The answer is yes, definitely, however you need to pay special attention to detail and must document the type and make of the oil and the filter on the invoice, so there are no issues if the question asked in the future while your car is under warranty.

The next question is; Are there better oils available than what has been sold by the dealer organization?  The answer is yes definitely there are better oils available. In most cases they are mainly imported from Germany.  Canadian dealers are providing North American sourced motor oils. Currently BMW uses Shell – Pennzoil.  Mercedes prefers Mobil1 from Exxon Mobil or sometime Shell – Pennzoil.

If you have any additional questions please don’t hesitate to contact us. Our phone number is: 905.795.0419.

Related;

Engine Oil Essentials
TOTAL synthetics motor oils related F. A. Q.
Oil Recommendations by BMW
BMW Approval for TOTAL Motor Oil
European Cars Motor Oil Specifications
The Importance of Oil Changes

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About Motor Oils for BMW – Mercedes – Porsche & Other Luxury Cars

Whilst both car engine and oil technology advancements has resulted in dramatically increased service intervals from 4,000 to 10,000 plus kilometers, a major problem is becoming increasingly apparent.

Some car owners are unknowingly imposing upon themselves a false sense of security by assuming that their oil only needs to be changed in conjunction with their 10,000 or 15,000 kilometer mechanical service. Unfortunately, they are in danger of damaging their car’s engine, therefore minimizing its life.

Fuchs Titan Motor OilWhy? Because, owners haven’t checked the section of their vehicle manual to identify personal driving habits, and under what conditions the 10/15,000 kilometer oil change periods do not apply.

These conditions greatly affect the life of the engine oil, and consequently the engine. In fact, today’s engines, generally last about 200,000 kilometers, however, if well looked after, can achieve as much as 500,000 kilometers without major overhauls. A big difference car owners need to understand!

In fact we have some clients with high km in their BMW. Some of them way over three hundred thousand and one with nearly four hundred and fifty thousand kilometers of daily driving. With proper maintenance, proper oil change these German Import Cars can serve you and your family for a long time. Continue reading about these BMW with high km in...

Vehicle manufacturers are designing their engines to take SAE IOW-30 type Oil, (now the highest selling grade in the USA), and in some instances, even lighter. These reduce friction, help improve fuel consumption and assist in the reduction of exhaust emissions, all very positive benefits if the right driving conditions apply.

Visit our for more info on FUCHS Premium Motor Oils at next... or continue reading about FUCHS lubricants.

The trend to use these lower viscosity oils is becoming more common, but like the heavier viscosity oils such as 20W-50, they will still suffer from fuel dilution, resulting in oil thinning.

The fuel enters the oil on cold start-up and depending upon the driving condition of the vehicles, may or may not be vaporised out.

What most drivers don’t know is, that water vapor, unburnt petrol and blow by gases from the combustion process overload the oil which combine to produce sludge deposits.

It takes about 20 kilometers from a cold start to fully warm up the engine oil and reduce the rate of fuel contamination. Continue Reading…

Related:
FUCHS Synthetic Motor Oil for BMW – Mercedes – Porsche & Other Luxury Cars
What could be done wrong possibly with a simple oil change
TOTAL synthetics motor oils related F. A. Q.
Oil Recommendations by BMW
BMW Approval for TOTAL Motor Oil
European Cars Motor Oil Specifications
The Importance of Oil Changes

Do you know? LN Engineering located in Illinois, US. They are a leader in the Porsche after-market for high performance products and services, is producer of the trademarked Nickies™ cylinders for air-cooled Porsches.

LN Engineering has established itself as the only premium brand in the industry with a well-respected name and customer base. Read their suggestion about, what motor oil is best for your air cooled Porsche at next.

Contact us for more details at:  (1) 905.795.0419