I'd be very grateful for advice on choosing engine oil for my 2014 Zafira B 1.8 petrol please.

I just called at my local motor factors and they said I need low SAPS oil, but they also sad my car has a DPF, so I was a bit suspicious.

A type / brand recommendation would be appreciated too.

Many thanks.

Why not try a Vauxhll dealer, their oil prices are usually reasonable and they will know exactly what you need.

Thanks very much!

Yes, obviously it doesn't have a DPF - that's why I was suspicious of their knowledge generally and whether my car really does require low SAPS oil.

I've searched on Euro Car Parts, who stock two brands, one of which was showing as low SAPS. I'll phone the dealership too, although I usually try to avoid main dealers unless absolutely necessary - very high prices and very poor service in my experience of many years generally.

The vehicle handbook will (should) specify which ACEA standard is needed for each engine - if you don't have the handbook, phone Vauxhall customer services.

Beware of internet "applications guides" - they can be wrong, even from big name oil brands.

Oil choice has become as absurdly confusing as the choice of toothpaste. For a petrol engine made this century you will not go far wrong with a bog standard non branded (e.g. from Wilko or Halfords) synthetic 5-30, less than £20 per 5l. Garages will try to sell you the most expensive branded oil they can reasonably get away with, and get you to change it as frequently as possible.

It's not "absurdly confusing" - there are only 5 ACEA-C- grades which cover all modern car engines - indeed most use ACEA-C3 - for older cars, there's only 4 ACEA-A/B- grades - how simple can it be?

Simple for you and I, but the average punter has no idea what ACEA and their grades mean.

Just putting in our bog standard Focus reg number into Halfords reveals four different oils to choose from. And on some websites, the reg number doesn't work. Try putting X84NJB into eurocarparts for oil and it says 'no products found'! As for the multitude of colourful plastic products on the shelves.....

If it were that simple there wouldn't be so many requests for oil advice on sites like this.

Almost all (if not all) modern Vauxhalls use Dexos 2 and that is pretty much all you need to know to buy oil for a Vauxhall.

Almost all (if not all) modern Vauxhalls use Dexos 2 and that is pretty much all you need to know to buy oil for a Vauxhall.

Not quite. Which one of these 197 choices of 'dexos 2' do you put in yours and why?

www.centerforqa.com/dexos-brand2/

I rest my case.

You obviously know better than GM themselves then JohnF.... Excerpt taken from the very link you posted contradicts you.

dexos® licensed products are easy to identify. Simply look for the dexos® icon on the front label and the 11 digit alphanumeric dexos® license number on the back label. As long as an oil package displays these two markings, the engine oil is an authentic, licensed dexos® product and is recommended for use in GM vehicles.