Engine oil (1 Viewer)

[DaveandJen]

You do realise that any oil from a reliable manufacturer which has approval to the correct Fiat specification stated on its packaging and/or TDS has been approved by Fiat for that use? They would find it very difficult to assert that it's the wrong specification oil when they have already agreed its suitability.

I hope you are also using the Fiat recommended washer fluid mixed to the stated specification ?

No disrespect to you but I'm a diesel engine engineer by trade (and have the papers to prove it) and following my four year appentiship and the same number of years attending technical collage which started when I left school back in 1968 the same international company who employed me back then when I was 16 years old went on to employ me for the next 48 years until I retired a couple of years ago - and they even talked me into staying on for a extra few months - and no I don't use Fiat recommended washer fluid mixed to the stated specification. The small saving of £2.00 for cheaper oils is just not worth missing about with when having to make a warranty claim.

 

[Silver-Fox]

I hope you are also using the Fiat recommended washer fluid mixed to the stated specification

?

 

[Silver-Fox]

No disrespect to you but I'm a diesel engine engineer by trade (and have the papers to prove it) and following my four year appentiship and the same number of years attending technical collage which started when I left school back in 1968 the same international company who employed me back then when I was 16 years old went on to employ me for the next 48 years until I retired a couple of years ago - and they even talked me into staying on for a extra few months - and no I don't use Fiat recommended washer fluid mixed to the stated specification. The small saving of £2.00 for cheaper oils is just not worth missing about with when having to make a warranty claim.

Without sounding condescending, if an oil is made to a certain specification required by the manufacturer then it will be suitable.

The name on the container is immaterial.
The fact that it is cheaper than you might pay at a main dealer is neither here nor there.

IMHO

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[Deneb]

and no I don't use Fiat recommended washer fluid mixed to the stated specification.

Why on earth not? It carries the same weight of authority and necessity in its recommendation as the brand on the engine oil container.

 

[jezport]

Without sounding condescending, if an oil is made to a certain specification required by the manufacturer then it will be suitable.

The name on the container is immaterial.
The fact that it is cheaper than you might pay at a main dealer is neither here nor there.

IMHO

You would think so. However I have spoken to 2 Funsters who had services at a well known motorhome dealer who is a Fiat authorized garage. They noticed that within weeks the oil blackened. When they mentioned it to the dealer they were told they use oil to Fiat spec.
After this they had the oil changed for the Petronas oil advised by Fiat and their oil has not blackened.

 

[Deneb]

You would think so. However I have spoken to 2 Funsters who had services at a well known motorhome dealer who is a Fiat authorized garage. They noticed that within weeks the oil blackened. When they mentioned it to the dealer they were told they use oil to Fiat spec.
After this they had the oil changed for the Petronas oil advised by Fiat and their oil has not blackened.

Oil in diesel engines should blacken very quickly, often by the time you have run the engine to fill the new filter. It is a sign that it's doing the job it is designed for and keeping the soot and other combustion by-products in suspension rather than allowing them to separate out. Unless your two funsters have done scientific tests then either Petronas oil is not very good at its job (which I seriously doubt) or it is a psychological trick of the mind in that they convinced themselves what they want to see.

Having said that, the correct viscocity oil is so thin that it is very difficult to tell what colour it is just by looking at the end of the dipstick, particularly as many of the dipsticks are black metal! I currently have Fuchs oil in my engine and would not be able to discern its colour unless I wiped it on a clean white rag. It is so transparent that even after just over 5000 miles since my last oil change it is difficult to actually see the level and impossible to discern its colour on the black metal dipstick.

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[jezport]

Oil in diesel engines should blacken very quickly, often by the time you have run the engine to fill the new filter. It is a sign that it's doing the job it is designed for and keeping the soot and other combustion by-products in suspension rather than allowing them to separate out. Unless your two funsters have done scientific tests then either Petronas oil is not very good at its job (which I seriously doubt) or it is a psychological trick of the mind in that they convinced themselves what they want to see.

Having said that, the correct viscocity oil is so thin that it is very difficult to tell what colour it is just by looking at the end of the dipstick, particularly as many of the dipsticks are black metal! I currently have Fuchs oil in my engine and would not be able to discern its colour unless I wiped it on a clean white rag. It is so transparent that even after just over 5000 miles since my last oil change it is difficult to actually see the level and impossible to discern its colour on the black metal dipstick.

The dealer did not use petronas.

 

[Deneb]

The dealer did not use petronas.

You said that they changed it to Petronas oil and the perception was that the Petronas oil did not blacken. Which is my point. In a diesel engine, unlike a petrol engine, oil should begin to blacken very quickly if it is doing its job properly, although the viscosity of the oil used in these engines may not make that readily apparent. I don't think you can assume anything from two unscientific observations, otherwise the conclusion would be that Petronas oil isn't very good, and as I said, I seriously doubt that!

 

[Silver-Fox]

You would think so. However I have spoken to 2 Funsters who had services at a well known motorhome dealer who is a Fiat authorized garage. They noticed that within weeks the oil blackened. When they mentioned it to the dealer they were told they use oil to Fiat spec.
After this they had the oil changed for the Petronas oil advised by Fiat and their oil has not blackened.

Without sounding too cynical.

Do these Funsters know anyone that’s been gassed in their Moho as well ?

Seriously though I’d be surprised that any fresh oil put in a Diesel engine hasn’t blackened after say 100 miles max.

That’s just my experience though using premium oils ?

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[jezport]

You said that they changed it to Petronas oil and the perception was that the Petronas oil did not blacken. Which is my point. In a diesel engine, unlike a petrol engine, oil should begin to blacken very quickly if it is doing its job properly, although the viscosity of the oil used in these engines may not make that readily apparent. I don't think you can assume anything from two unscientific observations, otherwise the conclusion would be that Petronas oil isn't very good, and as I said, I seriously doubt that!

No I said the dealers oil went black and once they changed for selenia it didn't blacken.

Without sounding too cynical.

Do these Funsters know anyone that’s been gassed in their Moho as well ?

Seriously though I’d be surprised that any fresh oil put in a Diesel engine hasn’t blackened after say 100 miles max.

That’s just my experience though using premium oils ?

No but they can tell black oil when they see it.

 

[Silver-Fox]

No but they can tell black oil when they see it.

All I can think is the two of them are quite unique then.
Unless it’s happened to others on here.

And there’s nothing wrong in being unique and traveling your own path as far as the type of oil one decides to use.

Do what makes you feel comfortable.

Would love to see photographic evidence though ?

 

[Vipar]

There are 2 types of oil for Diesel engines. One is a lubricant and the other is a cleaner. When I had my 32 ton Artic. I used to drain oil then fill with cleaning oil do 1 trip to Greece, come back drain it filter change then fill with normal oil 4 trips to Greece. Repeat never had any problems 250,000 miles when I packed up.

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[Mickey1]

This was two and a half years ago, not sure if it’s still on the bay?

Mickey

 

[HandyAndy]

Any oil is better than no oil
but jesting aside follow Deneb s advice

 

[jezport]

Any oil is better than no oil
but jesting aside follow Deneb s advice

Unless you are making a warranty claim, where the wrong oil or no oil will result in a rejected claim

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[Deneb]

No I said the dealers oil went black and once they changed for selenia it didn't blacken.

I know you did. Selenia is made by Petronas. Try reading what I said again.

The point doesn't change. Oil in a diesel engine does blacken due to the way a diesel engine works. It shows that the oil is doing its job. The discolouration is due to the combustion process.

If it didn't discolour, I'd be worried as to where the contaminants were being lodged and why the oil wasn't working. But your anecdote is hardly a rigorous scientific analysis.

You will never get all the old oil out of an engine when doing an oil change. That's why the volume of oil quoted for an oil change is always less than the quoted operating capacity of the engine. Some of the immediate discolouration is due to mixing with the remaining old oil. But if the oil was changed relatively soon after a previous change, discolouration of the new oil may not be noticeable as quickly, since you have diluted the remaining old oil with new oil twice in relatively quick succession.

 

[BILL 875]

Just changed my oil and filter and i used Millers XF Longlife 0w-30) 12 FE Fully Synthetic, it is to Fiat E6 spec and will change it again in 12 months, E5, E5+, and E6 oils are different as far i as know. Then what happens with E6,a,b,c,d,e,f, or what ever engines who knows then. Bill

 

[BILL 875]

Engine oil goes black in engines collecting bits of soot etc etc, as they get better over the past years theres not as much crap to collect up, just thinking out loud as they say. Bill

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[Silver-Fox]

Just changed my oil and filter and i used Millers XF Longlife 0w-30) 12 FE Fully Synthetic, it is to Fiat E6 spec and will change it again in 12 months, E5, E5+, and E6 oils are different as far i as know. Then what happens with E6,a,b,c,d,e,f, or what ever engines who knows then. Bill

Millers is a highly regarded oil amongst the Subaru community.

Personally I used to use Shell Helix to the correct specification.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Unless you are making a warranty claim, where the wrong oil or no oil will result in a rejected claim

No one is saying don’t use anything other than the correct specification.
Obviously keep your oil topped up as well.

I believe the point we are trying to make is you don’t have to buy it from a dealer.
They obviously don’t produce their own oil just get own of the big boys to produce at a certain spec.
This spec will also be produced by other large suppliers.

 

[ludo]

All this because the OP simply asked for advice about what oil to use in the event of a top up being required.

At first service my Fiat Professional dealer GAVE me a litre of Selenia oil in case I needed to top up. He couldn't stress enough how important it is to use the correct Fiat recommended oil. He said that on several occasions, when a serious warranty claim had been submitted, Fiat had demanded a sample of the sump engine oil.

After spending tens of thousands of pounds to buy a motorhome, it beats me why so many cheapskates are prepared to save a couple of quid searching for a cheaper oil. Madness!

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[Silver-Fox]

After spending tens of thousands of pounds to buy a motorhome, it beats me why so many cheapskates are prepared to save a couple of quid searching for a cheaper oil.

And this is the reason the main dealers love people who are “scared” to take their vehicles any where else.

Why are you being a cheapskate buying a different brand to the correct specification from somewhere other than a main dealer.

The op asked for opinions and that’s what he got.
It’s up to him to decide how to act upon the info given.

But as I said before do what makes you feel comfortable ?

 

[Deneb]

And this is the reason the main dealers love people who are “scared” to take their vehicles any where else.

Why are you being a cheapskate buying a different brand to the correct specification from somewhere other than a main dealer.

The op asked for opinions and that’s what he got.
It’s up to him to decide how to act upon the info given.

But as I said before do what makes you feel comfortable ?

Added to which I spend more on engine oil than many people frightened into using the dealer's most profitable oil because I change mine annually in line with the usage pattern of my van instead of thinking that long drain intervals intended for vehicles in regular use are also compatible with vehicles that spend as much, if not more time idle, particularly over colder months of the year.

 

[DBK]

Opie Oils list a few 0-30 C2 oils. One by Mobil. To my mind any quality oil of the right grade should do unless the experts on here disagree. We have a Eurocarparts locally.

Thanks Vipar

I know you have now sourced the correct oil but as it's new if the engine has a fault and it fails don't expect any help from Fiat if you didn't use the specified oil. They could find out through oil analysis.

The oil consumption is unusual, ours has never used any from new between oil changes which I do annually on average at about 7000 mile intervals. Hopefully, the consumption will improve as things bed in. If it doesn't something is wrong.

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[Silver-Fox]

Added to which I spend more on engine oil than many people frightened into using the dealer's most profitable oil because I change mine annually in line with the usage pattern of my van instead of thinking that long drain intervals intended for vehicles in regular use are also compatible with vehicles that spend as much, if not more time idle, particularly over colder months of the year.

I look after a good few vehicles in our “family”

Regardless of the oil we use, including long life, they all get changed yearly.

 

[Silver-Fox]

Can I just say as there appears to be some confusion with some posters on this subject.

I haven’t seen a post from anyone on here who has said don’t use anything other than the correct specification oil.

The difference between using the “Fiat” oil and a different supplier is not the specification.
It’s the name on the container.