I've noticed recently that you can now get Tesco Value Engine Oil.
Does anyone know what this stuff actually is? It comes in just one variant - 20w/50, and costs about £2 for a litre. Other than that, it doesn't say anything about what it is. I'd assume its mineral, and as there's no API rating at all it must be pretty poor.
All it says is "suitable for older 4 stroke petrol engines". How old are they talking? 90s? 80s? 60s?
Anyway, there's no way i'm putting it in my engine. It's great for lubricating chainsaw blades though!
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That's expensive stuff, about twice the price of Comma, which I've always used in my 1993 Volvo.
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I can get the latest fully-synth oils for about £2/litre. Even semi-synth Magnatec can be had for £13 a can from Makro. I would leave the Tesco stuff on the shelf, or put in in the Suffolk Punch!
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.97p according to a Lotus Forum (if that was plural would it be Lotii Forii ?) I dip into now and again. Be ok I would imagine for venerable Cavaliers.
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Tesco's Value range, whatever the product, is normally the lowest common denominator - price is all.
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Expensive compared to Carrefour own brand - about £6.50 for 5l
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Unipart used to do a VERRRRRY good quality 20/50, which we sold for £3.99 gallon. Cost us £3 & kept plenty of older cars happy & was a popular choice for 'real' MG's, too.!
Local Asda don't even stock a 20/50 these days, so not sure why Tesco do.
VB
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My interpretation of 20/50 was that you would use it in cars which burnt oil like they burnt petrol: Old Marinas and the like.
For "modern" engines, (Anything newer than ? 1980 ?) I wouldn't consider it.
Still good for oiling hinges, chainsaws, garden tools, etc: Doesn't fling off so readily as 00, 05, etc.
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I quite agree. Towards the end of my ownership of it my 1.1 Fiesta was burning/leaking 1pt every 500 miles, so the best answer short of an engine rebuild was Asda brand 20/50. It may not have been very good, but at least it was always running on fresh oil!
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Tesco's Value range whatever the product is normally the lowest common denominator - price is all.
My experience of Tesco Value stuff, is lower quality than other "value" brands, and more expensive.
Tescos in general are not cheap, and very expensive {edit by DD} in some areas.
The value oil will be the same old 20/50 stuff you can buy in any cheap DIY store for £3.99 for 5 litres.
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>>My experience of Tesco Value stuff, is lower quality than other "value" brands, and more expensive.>>
I noticed that its latest Value product is jelly - price is 10p. I know my missus wouldn't entertain it, nor most of the Value products...:-)
Prices at Tesco are very similar to those at Morrison's, Asda etc. I should know as I have to do 95 per cent of the shopping because of my other half's health.
Factor in the ClubCard points and subsequent cash vouchers etc and it probably works out a bit cheaper.
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What\'s for you won\'t pass you by
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£2/L? It's hard to generalise when talking of purchasing small amounts. "Tesco Supergrade", whatever that is, can be had at £7.47/4L (Source: tesco.com). I've no idea what that or "value" oil is. What does it "say on the tin"?
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I believe the Supergrade is standard 15/40 SJ-grade mineral oil -- so OK for older cars (>10yo).
This other stuff, I'm really not sure what use it is. It's not cheap enough to be used as a throwaway, and it's not good enough to use on anything other than a wreck.
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I believe [Tesco] Supergrade is standard 15/40 SJ-grade mineral oil -- so OK for older cars (>10yo).
Could be... Lidl had similar on offer at a cheap price a while ago, usually do a couple of times a year. SJ is a bit passe, if a more up-to-date specification is available, I'd use that. I'd use Lidl's in my old Cavalier (164K), which has frequent oil changes anyway.
This other stuff [is] not cheap enough to be used as a throwaway and it's not good enough to use on anything other than a wreck.
A high-mileage engine in god condition is IMO a valuable thing, and it's worth putting good oil in, not rubbish. I can't, offhand, think of a situation when it ie a good thing to use poor quality oil in an engine.
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That 20w/50 stuff in the white bottle I'd never use in a car...
But the Supergrade 15w/40 stuff I do use. £4.73 or whatever it is for 4 litres. Its ratings are as follows: SAE 15W/30, API CF-4, ACEA A3/B3/B4.
I looked the ratings up once and remember thinking that the oil had an ok rating. It is ok in my Citroen ZX 1.9TD (year 1995) isn't it?
Is there any better oil (for the same price) that I can get? I give my car regular (~6500) oil and filter changes but due to its age and money reasons I don't want to put very expensive oil in.
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A high-mileage engine in god condition is IMO a valuable thing and it's worth putting good oil in not rubbish. I can't offhand think of a situation when it ie a good thing to use poor quality oil in an engine.
This is heresay I know, but my theory is that the so-called "quality" of an oil is totally irrelevant. What matters is the frequency of the oil change, and the use of a good quality oil filter with a non-return valve.
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Have to agree with Cliff Pope.
I did 150,000 miles in two years on a Yamaha FJ1200 when I was a courier. I did an oil change every Friday night (1500 miles) in about five mins. Changed the filter at about 50,000 mile intervals, and used the cheapest tripe oil I could find - Halfords own 20/50 at, IIRC, £2.99 (or £3.99?) for 5L. Had no problems at all with the engine, I suspect because it was always running on clean oil. It didn't have time to go out of grade or get filthy, so it did the job magnificently.
V
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"..always running on clean oil"
Agree entirely - hence my suspicion of 20k oil changes, irrespective of the quality/price of the oil. Also, you don't have to burn much to use up a litre or two in that period, and how many people who subscribe to that sort of interval check the level in between services?
I wonder how many more miles your FJ covered?
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JBJ: "I wonder how many more miles your FJ covered?"
I suspect the engine could have gone on forever. The rest of it, however, was a complete shed.
V
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Still proves your point though. Perhaps you should have painted the rest of it in cheap oil, too!
Which reminds me that the father of a college friend of mine used his old engine oil to coat the underside of his Ford Consul. It lasted pretty well, too...
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if you put engine oil in a chainsaw to lube the chain, as soon as the chain turns to go around the bar sproket the oil will fly off. Proper chain saw oil is really sticky and clings to the chain instead of oiling your trouser leg.
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