When choosing a brand for replacing engine oil prescribed by the manufacturer, you should pay attention to tolerances – experts interviewed by socialbites.ca say that they should follow the recommendations of the automaker.
“You can only fill in the oil recommended by the automaker – this is the alphabet,” explains Mikhail Kolodochkin, technical specialist of the automobile magazine Za Rulem, in a conversation with socialbites.ca. “If the recommended oil is not on sale, there are a few options left: either find an affordable imported oil like Korean or go to a local manufacturer.”
If it is not possible to find an oil that meets engine standards, it is imperative to ensure that the oil quality class is not lower than the factory one, Kolodochkin adds. Information on the quality class is found in the marking of motor oils and is indicated by two Latin letters: C or S – denotes the type of engine (gasoline or diesel), the second (in alphabetical order, from low to high). quality engine oil grade.
Therefore, the use of SM or SL is unacceptable if the oil recommended by the automaker is marked SN.
“If you pour a not-recommended but good oil into a modern engine, then it won’t die right away, that’s for sure. The only thing to avoid is engine operation in extreme conditions. If possible, you need to go through the MOT quickly, ”says the expert of Za Rulem magazine.
The automaker’s approval is given to the oil producing company based on the results of a series of tests, and the oil formulation is created taking into account its operation in a particular engine.
Oil that does not meet the specifications of the automaker has a chance to lose its qualities in advance – the result will be soot, thick deposits or the formation of deposits.
Too thick oil, which forms a thick film on the surface of engine parts, can cause overheating of the cylinder-piston assembly. Oil “aging” also accelerates the process of failure of auxiliary engine systems – fuel supply, crankcase ventilation and cooling system.
Problems when changing one oil to another can be avoided if you adhere to the approval of the automaker, agrees Kolodochkin, the main admissions officer of the Veshnyaki Avto technical center Sergey Shabunin.
“Different brands of oils use the same additives – and if the manufacturer’s tolerance is followed, there should be no problems. The only condition is that you can not mix oils of different brands, but when draining from the crankcase during replacement, it is almost completely removed, Shabunin tells socialbites.ca. “Many oils, including Russia, are produced with tolerances for almost the entire automotive market.”
According to him, theoretically, poor quality oil can lead to various engine failures, including piston ring “bearings” and “oil starvation”, resulting in increased wear of engine parts. However, Shabunin noted that this is primarily about fake oils.
An influx of counterfeit products into the Russian market may be possible if the country launches a parallel import mechanism, but this will also allow the market to be saturated with foreign brands, said Marina Beloglyadova, marketer of Auto3N (trade of auto parts).
“If you take Mobil, there is no oil at all in warehouses or wholesalers – even before March 15, car services and official dealers bought it.
It is unknown when the next delivery will be. The same is true for Shell, Castrol, the leading engine oil brands. Total, Liqui Moly has a huge deficit, ”Beloglyadova told socialbites.ca.
According to him, against the background of uncertainty in the supply of oil from large foreign manufacturers, service companies tried to build up reserves.
In the Avtorus spare parts store, where a socialbites.ca correspondent asked to find an analogue of Shell engine oil for a BMW 1 Series car with a 1.6-liter engine, they offered Idemitsu 4 at a price of about 5 thousand rubles. Liter canister and Motul for 8 thousand rubles. Oil produced by Castrol was not available – the seller stated that the timing of new deliveries is unknown.
Source: Gazeta
