July 23, 2008

Modern cars are built with increasing levels of precision and as a result they need increasingly specific types and varieties of engine oil.  Many modern cars have long service intervals, something around 20,000 miles, but to achieve this they need to have the correct oil in the sump. 

Oil manufacturer Comma, for instance, do three different 5/30 fully synthetic oils, one for VW high pressure diesels (PD engine), one for Vauxhalls, and one for BMWs with long life services times.  It’s essential that the right oil is used in order to keep to the integrity of the service schedule.  It’s no good thinking `o goody-oil change every 20,000 miles` and then feeding the poor thing Duckhams 20/50 oil.

Most modern engines with better manufacturing processes and tighter tolerances work on high volume oil pumps to throw a lot of oil round the engine very quickly from a cold start, and need thinner oils to achieve this.  This greater engine precision means that engines that are looked after properly, with services undertaken at the recommended intervals and using the recommended lubricants, filters and other renewable parts, will last much longer than older cars.

There’s every chance that the recommended oil is more expensive than the common multigrade next to it on the shelf of the garage, but remember, if your oil costs twice as much but lasts three timess longer, you're still in pocket over the service cycle. 

If you're filling your sump with the wrong oil it may not be reaching all the parts that it should, especially when you first start your engine.  Pay the extra few quid and get the oil that reaches the parts that the cheap options can’t reach.

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