Oil: Should I buy good stuff?

Evodad · Post by **Evodad** » 05 Nov 2005, 13:34

Hi guys,
I've a '93 1.8 SX Xantia with 167k miles on the clock.
I do at least 38 (relatively reliable) miles each weekday.
It burns a bit of oil, needs topping up each weekend.

My question is; should I use the cheapest oil I can find because it's "changed" regularly, or is it worth getting something better?

I've had the car since 120k miles & had no problems oilwise using this strategy.

jeremy · Post by **jeremy** » 05 Nov 2005, 13:50

I'd use a reasonable quality oil as the car is going well. GSF sell Morris's and I expect you can get something suitable for £10 -£12.

Could the reason for your consumption on an othewise sound engine be valve stem oil seals - if so they're not very difficult to replace. (push thin rope or line down the plug hole and wind the piston up to prevent the valve dropping0

Post by **Peter.N.** » 05 Nov 2005, 14:09

I have been running CX and XM diesels for 20 years or more and have never paid more than £5.95 for my oil. As long as the spec on the can meets the engine requirements. It is far more important to change the oil regularly than to use expensive oil unless you habitually thrash the guts out of the engine. I change mine every 5k and the last XM I sold had done 292k and the CX 266k on the original engines.

NiSk · Post by **NiSk** » 05 Nov 2005, 14:57

Agree with Peter N. And don't buy a flashy oil with ultra low viscosity - if the oil is a reliable brand and fulfills Citroens requirements it will do the job, just stick to the oil and filter change intervals. My XM diesels have covered 530 000 km and 350 000 km respectively (2.1 TD12 and 2.5 TD) with no trouble at all, oil/filter change every 10 000 km.

//NiSk

oscarloco · Post by **oscarloco** » 08 Nov 2005, 16:19

I always buy a "known" brand like Quaker State, Shell or Chevron never an "unknown" one like Citgo (unheard of in my country) or others.

My car needs topping off every 2 weeks. But still, I would't buy synthetic. Too much wasted.

Post by **Peter.N.** » 08 Nov 2005, 18:48

I dont suppose you have a 'Trago Mills' in Guatamala but although theirs is not a very well known brand, in fact it could be a different one every week, it always has the spec listed on it.