Understanding Engine Oil - Weights, Brands, Types

 We've all seen this meme all over the internet and well to be honest, its one of the most intimidating aisles in the auto parts store.. Let's hope we can clarify a few things so it's not so scary. 

Understanding engine oil weights, conventional oil vs. synthetic oil, regular vs. high mileage. Engine oil can be intimidating, technological improvements have led to so many new types, weights and brands. Understanding what it all is can really help you understand what you need and why you need it. 

What all these numbers mean and why there’s a W in the middle. Oil is rated using reference numbers indicating the viscosity rating, or weight, of the oil. Viscosity can be simply thought of as its “thickness” or a measure of its resistance to flow. The most commonly used oil is what is called multi-grade, meaning it includes two viscosity grades, the first number indicates the base grade viscosity at cold temperatures (the “w” after the first number means “winter”) and the other indicating the viscosity at warmer temperatures. The basic series is 0, 0W, 5, 5W, 10, 10W, 20, 30W, 30, 40W, 40, 50 and 50W. The most commonly seen weights used are 5W20, 5W30, 10W30 and 10W40. Oils starting with a 5W are much thinner and often seen in newer cars, oils with a 10W or higher are thicker and often seen in higher mileage cars. 

Result of a quick google search - i have a 2000 VW Jetta 1.9L TDI requiring VW 505.00 standard oil

Picking a brand. With so many different brands available to choose from it can be very difficult to know if what you are buying is the right oil for your car. What does it matter? Well, a number of years ago, the standard for oil was very simple and basic. As technology improved and efficiency and emissions standards became stricter, the major auto manufacturers began developing their own standards for engine oil to meet the needs and requirements of the specific engines they build. What does this mean to you? If I have a Volkswagen, do I have to buy oil from Volkswagen? Or Mercedes? Or BMW? Or Honda? Or GM? No you don’t. What you have to do is your research. In addition to making sure you are using the proper weight oil defined by your manufacturer, you have to make sure that the oil you are using is approved by your manufacturer for your vehicle. In fact, this is more important that having the proper weight.  For example, I own a Volkswagen which runs a 5W30 synthetic oil. However, I cannot use just any 5W30 synthetic oil. Volkswagen states that I need to use a engine oil that meets their VW 505.00 standard.
 

When purchasing oil for my car, I need to read the back of the container and make sure that it conforms to that standard before putting it my car. How do I know what my manufacturer’s standard is? Well, your owner’s manual is the first resource, google always works or you could contact us and we have that information readily available and can provide you with the brands that your manufacturer approves. 

This is the label from the oil i use in my car clearly indicating it meets the VW standard required.

Why is this so important? Well, keep in mind the amount of research and development that goes into building a engine for maximum lifespan and efficiency. Your engine is a very volatile environment that faces extreme pressures and temperature changes over its entire life. Your auto manufacturer developed its own standard designed specifically for the increased life span and efficiency of its engine. There are a variety of detergents and additives added to reduce carbon build-up, increase life span of the many moving parts and cool the various metals used to the proper operating temperature. All of these things lead to longevity and maximum power output as well as fuel efficiency. If you are not using the proper oils, all of these sensitive factors will be compromised, potentially resulting in catastrophic failure over a long period of time. That being said if you have no oil in your car, any oil will suffice in a pinch, but make sure you change to the proper oil as soon as possible. 

Conventional vs. Synthetic Oil

Most newer cars are built to run a synthetic oil as it has a higher viscosity (its thinner), it contains more additives and detergents and can run longer spans of time with less frequent changes needed. If you are not sure if your vehicle takes a synthetic oil, do your research on what the manufacturer specifies. Conventional oil is more commonly found in higher mileage vehicles as it is usually a little thicker. Over time, engine seals can shrink or dry which will allow a much thinner oil to leak out. Using a thicker oil will slow these leaks down. Additionally, over time, clearances built into your engine will expand and using a thicker oil will compensate for these differences. There are special oils designed specifically for higher mileage engines as well. If you are unsure of which one of these options you should choose or if you should consider switching from one to the other, send us an email or give us a call and we can help you decide what’s best for your engine.

Bill Marino Auto Repair

Oil Changes – the myths, why we take them for granted, and why we should do them regularly

Oil Changes – the myths, why we take them for granted, and why we should do them regularly

I used to work with someone who once spent 20 minutes at the coffee pot trying to convince me that oil changes were a ploy set out by auto manufacturers to get the consumers to spend more money. She insisted that they were not necessary and she never did them on her cars. Well, unfortunately about 6 months after we had this conversation, the engine seized in her car. 

Oil changes are not a ploy by any means and are as necessary as brushing your teeth every day. With the lifespan of engine oil increasing significantly, it is that much more imperative that oil changes are done regularly. Engine oils’ are designed with additives and detergents to help keep carbon buildup from getting trapped in your engine and help cool the metals that work so hard to get you where you need to go as well as lubricating all your engines moving parts. 

Let’s talk carbon build-up. Gasoline and air are introduced to spark and compressed to cause little explosions that make big power that make your engine “turn”. A direct bi-product of these explosions are small carbon deposits that are transferred to your oil. As the oil flows through its many passages it brings those deposits and any other debris it picks up to your oil filter. Most oil filters are made of a paper filter element designed to pull all those small fragments of debris out of the oil and trap them in the filter. As the filter fills with carbon and debris it becomes less effective and can become clogged with all the particulate it traps and therefore needs to be changed. Over time being heated and cooled over and over again, the oil itself begins to degrade and lose its viscosity. This means it doesn’t flow and lubricate optimally which lessens its ability to cool and lubricate. This increases the risk of overheating the metals inside your engine, increasing the risk of abrasive metal on metal contact and the inability to reduce containments flowing through your engine. Over time, the oil will begin to break down and burn in the engine causing excessive smoking while driving and cause additional build up in the engine. This will decrease the volume of oil in the engine and combined with the already listed negative side effects, can result in severe damage to the internals and possibly causing the engine to fail. 

That being said, it’s worth spending the $30 to $60 or so dollars on an oil change at the regularly specified intervals since it will save you anywhere from $2,000 to $10,000 on a engine replacement, as my co-worker unfortunately found out the hard way.

As I mentioned earlier, there is a lot of research and development that went into the engineering of your car’s engine to provide you with a long lasting efficient product. As the consumer, it is your job to show those engineers that you appreciate the time and effort they put forth by performing the basic maintenance required to allow that engine to live up to its fullest potential. 

My previous car had 254,000 miles on it when I sold it, the person I sold it to, sold it two years later with 280,000 miles on it. The car I currently own has 242,000 miles on it and is still going strong. In today’s economic climate, we are all watching every penny we spend and try to save where we can. As you can see, spending the money on regular oil changes and quality oil can potentially save you thousands in the future. 

Bill Marino Auto Repair