A nice simply oil article

Sid_the_Squid · Post by **Sid_the_Squid** » 04 Mar 2010, 13:23

Whilst browsing some car forums (BMW to be specific) not french I know, but I like to check the 'other side' occasionally

I found this nice article http://www.pelicanparts.com/BMW/techart ... ic_faq.htm I've seen it before a few years back, but could not find until now. I think its a nice simply summary of the benefits of synthetic oils, useful for V6 and Activa owners I hope.

Bonus article you all might be interested in http://www.pmwltd.co.uk/swirl_flaps.pdf BWM diesel engines deign fault time bomb.

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 04 Mar 2010, 17:36

I don't know if those articles mention it but I like to let people know an interesting fact I discovered a few years back.... And that is, it might say "Fully Synthetic" on the label yet it can be made from mineral oil.

After a court case between two giants, a US judge ruled that if a mineral oil was messed around with enough in a laboratoty, it can no longer be called a stock mineral oil and can be labelled as synthetic.

So how can we consumers tell the difference?
A true synthetic will be made from polyolefin (PAO) Group IV base stocks. If this is not on the label, I would suspect it's made from mineral oil.

Sid_the_Squid · Post by **Sid_the_Squid** » 04 Mar 2010, 19:03

True indeed Mike, although that might only be an issue in the good ol usa, checking the wiki link I draw your attention to this statement.

Hydrocracked/Hydroisomerized = API Group III base oils. Chevron, Shell, and other petrochemical companies developed processes involving catalytic conversion of feed stocks under pressure in the presence of hydrogen into high quality mineral lubricating oil. In 2005 production of GTL (Gas-to-liquid) Group III base stocks began. The best of these perform much like polyalphaolefin[citation needed]. Group III base stocks are considered synthetic motor oil ONLY in the United States. [8]. Group III based lubricants are not allowed to be marketed as "synthetic" in any market outside of the USA.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil#Types

Xaccers · Post by **Xaccers** » 04 Mar 2010, 19:04

good job we're over here then

MikeT · Post by **MikeT** » 05 Mar 2010, 11:21

Good to know Sid and thanks for pointing that out. Let us hope it's a well policed policy!

Post by **Paul-R** » 05 Mar 2010, 11:38

The other problem with the article is that it's one of the "world revolves around the USA" posts and completely fails to recognise the ACEA classifications.