The Sea of Specs: Why It’s Important to Use the Oil Recommended by the OEM
We’ve all been there: A customer pulls up to have his oil changed. The service writer looks and sees that the vehicle in question isn’t an American-made product and immediately starts thinking, “What oil does this one require?” Not too many years ago, the answer would have been the bulk oil in the right viscosity grade. A safe bet would have been an SAE 5W-30 or SAE 10W-30.
Today, that’s not a sure bet. It isn’t even a good idea; at least without going to the book to find out what the vehicle manufacturer recommends. However, that’s not easy since there are so many auto makers out there and more and more each is going their own way. For example, General Motors now recommends their dexos brand of engine oil. The European automakers all seem to have their own set of oil specifications that convolutes the problem even more. The Japanese have their “Genuine” oils, which are formulated by the OEMs themselves and are specific to their brand. Add to that the shop’s desire to sell up versus the basic product, and you have a pretty complex situation. The need for a simplified recommendation system is more important than ever.
There’s another factor to consider as well — what does your customer want? There are several types of customers, and which one is the person to whom you’re speaking? About 5 percent of the folks coming into your shop could be classified as those who want the best no matter the cost. Another 25 percent or so are brand loyal (maybe two or three brands). About 50 percent would like a reasonable product at a good price, and the remaining 20 percent want it cheap, cheap and cheap. To provide for all of these buying types, a “good,” “better,” “best” set of oils is important. The simplest way to handle that is with products based on conventional, semi-synthetic and full-synthetic base oils.
The system should be able to identify the proper performance recommendation, a secondary recommendation in case your shop doesn’t carry an appropriate product, the desired viscosities and, of course, the vehicle in question. That makes it a three-dimensional system. It gets complex pretty quickly.
Here’s an illustration of just how complex it can get. Recently, API introduced a new oil category, API SN-Plus, and its fuel-efficient version, API SN-Plus Resource Conserving. These categories are needed for the newer designs based on direct injection, turbocharged, gasoline fueled engines. The leader in this effort is Ford. Because of the API backward compatibility requirement, this category of engine oil is suitable for all earlier engines, not only at Ford, but for all domestic (except GM) and Japanese engines. However, the European OEMs are a different breed and are reluctant to recommend oils other than their specification oils. Europe has a system similar to, but more complex than, the API categories, known as the ACEA Oil Sequences.
Here is an example of the complexity of oil selection for a fast oil change operation.
Ford
Ford owner’s manual states that these are the preferred oils for their engines.- Motorcraft Synthetic Blend Oils meet ILSAC GF-5 SN Plus and API certification requirements.
- Motorcraft Full Synthetic Oils provide the highest level of performance for Ford Motor Company vehicles.
| Oil Brand | Application | Viscosity, SAE | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| Motorcraft Synthetic Blend | All Ford Engines | 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 | API SN Plus RC |
| Motorcraft Full Synthetic | All Ford Engines | 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 | API SN Plus RC |
| Pennzoil or any other oil marketer | All Ford Engines | 0W-20, 0W-30, 5W-30 | API SN Plus RC |
Let’s look at another vehicle, BMW. This is a European product and uses ACEA specifications, as well as API categories. It is much more complex but doesn’t actually identify approved brands — only their products plus the performance categories met.
BMW Brands
| Oil Brand | Application | Viscosity | Performance |
|---|---|---|---|
| TwinTurbo LL-01 FE | Street Turbo | SAE 0W-30 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| TwinTurbo (being replaced by 0W-30) | Street Turbo | SAE 5W-30 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| TwinPower Turbo M LL-01 | ’01 to ’13 M engines | SAE 10W-60 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| TwinPower Turbo M Synthetic | Turbo Diesels | SAE 0W-40 | API SN ACEA A3/B4 |
| TwinTurbo | Diesel Engines | SAE 5W-30 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| Genuine BMW FE+ | SULEV | SAE 0W-20 | API SN-RC ACEA A5/B5 |
Competitive Brands
| Oil Brand | Application | Viscosity | Performance |
| Red Line Synthetic | Street Turbo | SAE 0W-30 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| Red Line Synthetic | Street Turbo | SAE 5W-30 | API SN ACEA A5/B5 |
| Castrol Syntec European Formula | Turbo Diesels | SAE 0W-40 | API SN ACEA A3/B4 |
| Pennzoil Platinum European Formula | Turbo Diesels | SAE 5W-40 | API SN ACEA A3/B4 |
| Mobil 1 | Street Turbo | SAE 0W-40 | API SN ACEA A3/B4 |
VW/Audi
VW/Audi is very specific about what oils can be used in their engines. Their recommendations are made based on the specification, and only oils approved on that list may be used. The following is their statement on their specification pages.- Oil Quality: Audi engines must always use engine oils that conform to the applicable Audi oil quality standard. No other engine oils may be used (this also applies when the engine oil is topped off between services).
- Recommendation for Customers: The customer should always have a spare quart of engine oil in case the engine oil needs topping off while on the road. The spare quart of oil should be stored in its original container, securely closed and stowed in the vehicle luggage compartment.
- Note: Use of the wrong oil may damage the engine. Damage caused when the wrong oil is used will not be covered by the applicable vehicle warranties.
- Approved Engine Oils: Below are the lists of engine oils available in North America that currently meet Audi oil quality standards (VW 501 01, 502 00, 504 00, 505 00, 505 01, 507 00, 508 00, 509 00).
| Audi Oil Quality Std. | Manufacturer | Oil Type | Viscosity, SAE |
|---|---|---|---|
| VW 502.00 | Castrol | Edge Professional G E521671QDSP | 5W-40 |
| VW 502.00 | Chevron | Havoline Ultra | 5W-40 |
| VW 502.00 | Mobil | Mobil 1 | 0W-40 |
| VW 502.00 | Pennzoil | Pennzoil Platinum European Formulation | 5W-40 |
| VW 505.01 | Castrol | Edge Professional G E521671QDSP | 5W-40 |
| VW 505.01 | Chevron | Havoline Ultra S | 5W-40 |
| VW 505.01 | Mobil | Mobil Syst S Special V | 5W-30 |
| VW 505.01 | Pennzoil | Pennzoil Platinum Low SAPS | 5W-30 |
Navigating the Sea of Specs
From all of the above, it is apparent that carrying a complete line of engine oils is impossible. The complexity of specifications, viscosity grades, country of origin and other factors puts a fast oil change shop in a real quandary.One approach that makes a lot of sense is to carry the one or two oils in bulk that satisfy the largest percentage of your customers. Have one or two oils that may meet some of the exotics that you may expect to come into your shop. The golden rule of oil changes is read the owner’s manual if you don’t know for sure! Often there will be a recommendation such as that found in GM vehicles:
“Selecting the right engine oil depends on both the proper oil specification and viscosity grade. See Recommended Fluids and Lubricants Specification. Ask for and use engine oils that meet the dexos1 specification. Engine oils that have been approved by GM as meeting the dexos1 specification are marked with the dexos1 approved logo.”
In addition, GM as well as other manufacturers state the following:
“Caution — Failure to use the recommended engine oil or equivalent can result in engine damage not covered by the vehicle warranty.”
A major project for the industry would be to collect the engine oil recommendations for each manufacturer/engine and identify suppliers, brand names, viscosity grades and part numbers where appropriate. Otherwise, you’ll need a good contact with your primary oil supplier who knows the ins and outs of the oil specifications game.
