Reply to thread

Click here to become an Official Member of BMW Club Malaysia Download Form

Message: <blockquote data-quote="manjit" data-source="post: 116429" data-attributes="member: 323">more spice to the listeners.........Most of the major brands in petroleum oil perform adequately provided your driving condition are normal and you change your oil regularly.At present 2 major classification for oil have been pro-founded. The SAE viscosity grade and API classification that designates the type of engine the oil was designed. W  numbers are often used to classify SAE viscosity grade. Most oil today carry the multi viscosity  such as 10W30 or 20W50. In general the lower the first number the better the oil perform in cold condition; conversely the higher the number second number the better the oil perform in hot condition.The API serve the classification for gasoline and diesel engine with S and C designation(not related much in malaysia, except for heavy engines). Synthetic oil for instance was developed for jet engines. Less than -30 deg C ambient temp, 60000 shaft rpm, and 260 deg C was too much for conventional oil(which were the base oils). Synthetics were created to withstand these harsh conditions. AMSOIL produced the 1st synthetic oil for automotive engines in 1972. Mobil 1(ehemm, ehemmm) undoubtedly the most recognized name in synthetics oil was introduced in 1976.Wat is synthetic and conventional oilConventional OilAlso known as "dino-juice", this is the stuff that is in the majority of engines today.  There are many brands out there and they tend to vary quite a bit in terms of what is in them, but don't vary much in terms of performance.  Like most things, there are many fewer engine oil manufacturers than there are engine oil brands.  Many brands, especially generics, buy their oil from common manufacturers.  Differences between conventional oils usually lies within the purification process of the base oil and the additives that are included to control it.  While some manufacturers process their own base oil (Mobil, Shell, etc), others buy base oil from these companies and add their own additives.  Who buys what from whom appears to be a well-kept secret.Some tests have been done using several different brands and types of oils in vehicles.  Measurements were made of engine parts to begin with, then the vehicles were used in a similar way for several months, then taken apart and measured again. These results are inconclusive because the length of time was too short.  The amount of wear was found to be the same, but since the tests were only conducted for a few months, the wear found was primarily break-in wear.  A similar test lasting several years and tens of thousands of miles is needed to make any real conclusions.So basically, the only advice about conventional oil is to buy a well-known name brand oil.  Whatever brand you choose do not mix brands of engine oil.  Chances are that nothing will happen, but there is the possibility that the additives of one brand can react with the additives of another.  Changing brands between oil changes is probably fine, but don't use a different brand if you have to add oil later.  Synthetic OilSynthetic oil is also put together the same way as conventional oil.  It has a base and additives.  The difference is that the base oil is synthesized so that the size of the molecules are ideal for a particular weight and are of consistent size.  Conventional oil has many molecule sizes all mixed together with many impurities, but there is an ideal size for the best lubricative properties and viscosity.  With a pure base, there are no waxes or impurities that contribute to buildup of "varnish" and "coke" in your engine.  A more sophisticated set of additives is added to this ideal base oil.  These additives make for an extremely stable engine oil which can maintain its viscosity over a larger temperature range and keeps the base oil molecules from breaking down.  The result is an oil that can flow at much lower temperatures, maintain proper viscosity at higher temperatures (thermal breakdown), and remain stable for a much longer period.  It will also protect your engine longer at and right after startup because the friction inhibitor additives are activated a lower temperatures than that of conventional oils.  Probably the two most popular brands for synthetic engine oil are Mobil 1 and Castrol Formula SLX (formerly "Syntech"), though other brands are available.   .The only real downside to synthetic oils is the cost.  It is typically two or three times the cost of conventional oil for a good synthetic.  Another little-known downside is that switching to a synthetic oil on an old engine can result in oil leaks.  Why?  Because the detergents in the synthetic oils will "clean-up" the varnish and sludge left by conventional oils.  If your engine seals are worn, the synthetic will break down the oil varnish that may be maintaining the seal.  So it's not that the synthetic oil caused a leak, it just that it revealed worn seals by cleaning the varnish off of them.  Many people have switched to synthetic on 100,000+ mile engines with no leaks, so it just depends on how often you changed your oil and the overall condition of your engine.</blockquote>

Verification