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Is this stuff really cheap and sub-standard or major company stuff (BP/Esso?/Shell) etc they allow the own-branders to use so they keep their grip on the market. And should it be avoided?
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You get what you pay for, generally in this life.
Why save a few quid on something that could cost you thousands of pounds and a new engine?
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Depends on what you mean by own-brand.they're all oil-the difference is usually in the friction-reducers and other additives.Most oil refiners claim to meet Ford and/or VW specifications which are two of the highest in the business.
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As an example, Halfords fully synthetic oil is made by Esso and is certainly not cheap at £27 per 5 litres. Comma on the other hand actually have their own production facilities for most of their products. Commas full synth is around £20 per 5 litres in A1 stores, so 'good value' rather than 'cheap'.
Personally, I've used Halfords fully synth in my Rover Turbo for 25k and it ran very well on it. I've switched back to Mobil 1 and have noticed only a slight improvement in turbo lag, nothing else. I know it's amongst the very best one can buy, but still cannot help thinking I'm just paying for all that motorsport sponsorship!! Even so I'm going to stick with the Mobil, because I intend to keep the car for many years, and the oil does have a proven pedigree.
That's probably the crux - your choice will depend on the type of motor you have and how old it is versus how long you expect to keep it. As long as you're using an oil appropriate to the engine, the biggest favour you can do it to promote long life is to change the oil regularly.
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it was not necessarily the cost saving I was focussing on, as cyd points out Halfords synth is by Esso and not cheap. I just wondered where it came from. thanks all
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If Halfords synthetic oil is Esso Ultron, then I'm guessing that their Enhanced Protection Anti-Freeze, available until recently, might well have been Comma Trigard, which is in the Esso stable (same PG formulation, same 4year spec). Last time I looked on the shelves though, this product was not there, and appears to have been replacd with Advanced Protection A-F, which is now a conventional EG, but with a new additive package which is rated for 5 years.
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Costco do Cheveron full synth for £10.00 for 4 litres. I only bought it the other day for top up of the Mondeo so cant say how well it works.
Bill
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Not oil - but following on from the Costco thrift suggestion, be aware that Makro do Haynes manuals at a cheap £9.99 a throw, and they CAN'T charge VAT on these....
I shouldn't say this as a former bookseller, but some booksellers get a bit sniffy about ordering you a Haynes manual: they won't hold them in stock due to the constant browsing, opening-up of the shrink-wrap and rapid shop-soiling of the goods. But then it's not unknown for the customer to fail to collect their order, because they've browsed the relevant manual in another shop while waiting for the order to arrive.
David
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Klutch
Next time any backroomers are on a booze cruise, try the French Hypermarkets.
In addition to the wine, I've just bought a special offer in Carrefour. 5 + 2litres of Esso Ultra 10-40 semi synth (API SJ, ACEA A3/B3, BMW special oil approval, VW 505.00 etc) for 18.25 Euro (under £11). C'est pas mal, eh?
Even without special offers like this, prices for branded oils are well below UK.
Regards
John
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Ooh, I like that, John. We're off to France in about 3 weeks time and I was thinking about some other non booze related shopping. I hate paying UK prices if it's avoidable.
Ian
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Ian
To find a suitable Carrefour look at www.carrefour.fr/aujourdhui/guidedesmagasins/index...l
Semi-synthetic oil is even cheaper at around £6.50 for 5 litres of own brand. A month ago Carrefour had various Facom spanners on special offer and, of course, their own brand filters, glow plugs etc for French cars are good value. Watch out though for the size of things like wiper blades which are not always correct for RHD versions of the same car. Also I found their catalogue listing of the Visa 1.0 oil filter was incorrect for our car although Auchan had two types listed including the correct one.
Where there is a Carrefour, look for a Norauto nearby for things like Thule roofbars much cheaper than in the UK. Also they have spares such as belts, cables, clutches, brake parts for French-built cars at reasonable prices but the actual availability off the shelf can be poor. If you really need something, order it at a branch on arrival in France and they may have it by your return.
David
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David, many thanks for that.
Ian
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