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I have seen Havoline 5w-30 synthetic oil which conforms to Ford spec (WSS-M2C913-B) £15 for 5 litres.Apart from the financial gain would this be an improvement on Fords recommended semi-synthetic.I change my oil and filter every 6 months.
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Are you sure that it is synthetic, or is it semi synthetic?
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Halvoline 5w/30 is synthetic according to the tin-Ford Formula E(also made by Texaco)is semi-synthetic and is the recommended Ford oil and is normally cheaper than the price quoted.For 6,000m. changes you don't even need semi-synthetic.10-12,000m. changes should use semi-12,000m.+ changes should use fully synthetic.
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The oil is indeed Texaco Havoline and is available from Morrisons petrol forecourt shop,not the main store.£15 is the regular price and not a special offer representing a
saving of nearly 50%.
Many thanks jc2
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Semi-synthetic or part-synthetic?
"Semi" implies 50:50 but "part" can be anywhere between 1:99 and 99:1.
Most technical advice I've seen ignores "synthetic" and uses API and ACEA grades to define quality, viscosity rating to define suitability and manufacturers approvals where appriopriate.
The fact that they can't make a "0W-40 API-SM ACEA-A5" without resorting to synthetics is very important to oil company chemists but irrelevant to the motorist.
Equally a 5W-30 API-SL ACEA-A1 part-synthetic will do exactly the same job as a 5W-30 API-SL ACEA-A1 fully synthetic IF "5W-30 API-SL ACEA-A1" is what the vehicle needs.
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This discussion prompted me to have a closer look at the 5L bottle of Texaco Havoline Energy (5W-30) that I use on the rare occasions that I have to top-up my '97 Mondeo (petrol) and SWMBO's 52 1.6 petrol Focus.
The blurb on the back label says " ...... has been specially formulated using advanced synthetic technology .....". It doesn't claim, as such, to be either "synthetic" or "semi-synthetic" or even "part-synthetic". It could mean that it is simply mixed/stored in the same vat as the synthetic stuff! Has anyone any idea what this REALLY means?
It says that it conforms to Ford: WSS-M2C913-B which is what is required for the newer Focus engine, though he old Mondy handbook asks for WSS-M2C912-A1.
It ain't like the old days when I used to stick Duckham's green in everything that moved!
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As a rule-of-thumb go by what the car manufacturer states is the right spec oil for the car rather than what the oil manufacturer claims is the best oil.
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Have just purchased the said oil.On the one side of the container it states ,unambiguously ,in largish print synthetic.On the other side it gives the correct spec ACEA:A1B1.UnlessTexaco Havoline are contravening the trade descriptions act its the real deal.
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Sorry to doubt you, but it did sound very cheap for a synthetic oil. They are usually around £40.
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Which is what I said in the third answer!!!
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I don't know the answer to all of this. However, just to add to the confusion, I do recall a talk at the local motor club... from a friendly Millers oil chap, who said that the spec (API etc) of the oil only applies when it is fresh and new, and so may not apply after it has been in the engine for a week, month, year etc.
Now I dont know enough to work out what is credible etc, but I always buy proper branded oil from a trusted source.
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To make any stable 5W-30 requires a certain percentage of "synthetic" components. Even Valvoline's 10W-30 had quite a bit to make it durable.
A "synthetic fortified" oil could conceivably just have one drop of polyoleofins per barrel - seeing as most oil sales are from ludicrous TV hype, it would probably make sense.
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There have been many discussions on this previously, there is a dedicated thread to oil specs. Most oils described as part synthetic or synthetic based only have a small percentage of synthetic content. The truly fully synthetic oils cost about £50 plus and are based on a totally different oil ingredient. Nothing wrong with the Havoline product though and will be prerfectly ok if changed every 6,000 miles.
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Nothing wrong with the Havoline product though and will be prerfectly ok if changed every 6 000 miles.
It is the to the requird Ford spec so will be perfectly OK for 12500 miles or whatever the Focus change interval is unless the cars does lots of short trips and/or low mileage in which case it should be change at least annually.
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My local garage boy who does know what he's talking about , advised me to go for the more expensive synthetic oil and before changing the oil to get some flusher and put it through before emptying the old.
It sounded sensible to me except my Focus is over 90,000 miles with dubious history, dodgy doors and bought by SWMBO from a dodgy dealer who threatened to 'put me 10ft under' when I went to talk about the doors... so why bother?
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I reckon your local garage boy has got some synthetic oil and flusher for sale.
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Back when Formula E genuinely came in a tin, it didn't say synthetic (demi, semi, quasi or any of those words).
There have been at least two further iterations of the packaging since then. I haven't seen the very latest version of the packaging, but I was still of the impression that it didn't specifically claim any degree of synthetic-ness.
The halvoline (Texaco around £22 - 24, Morrisons Petrol Stations £15.99; make your own mind up) in the blue-ish, turquoise-ish packaging used to say 'made using synthetic technology' which could mean anything; the latest version of the words says 'synthetic' on the front of the packaging in fairly big and unambiguous-looking letters.
...but this all seems to have come about in the follow up to the realisation that there isn't a useful (meaning what you thought it meant) and legally-enforceable definition of the word 'synthetic'. As far as I can tell, given that none of the performance data on the oil (i.e., the ACEA rating, the SJ/SL) has changed since the time at which it was 'made using synthetic technology', I'm afraid that I have concluded that the oil hasn't changed, but the marketing has. (Although it is possible that the oil has changed, but in a way that doesn't make any difference to the quoted performance data; Would they have done that? Maybe, maybe not.)
OTOH, I think the oil always was OK, I just don't don't think its actually synthetic in the traditional meaning of the term. i believe it is an isodewaxed/hydro-cracked oil, which isn't what people used to mean by synthetic, but is perfectly good technology.
Texaco do have what i believe is what would have traditionally been called a synthetic oil; this is the stuff in the black packaging, Unfortunately, I believe this isn't available in 5w/30 and is 5w/40 and costs somewhat more. It would still work, of course, but it would have a fuel economy cost.
And if you are shortening the oil change intervals, the turquoise-ish stuff seems like a pretty good bet.
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