Cheap approved oil at Supercheap

[Guest001]

You are correct.


'Suitable'
'Recommended'
'Meets or exceeds'

implies that the product has the backing of the lubricant manufacturer and thus, would likely be liable for any issues arising as a direct result of their product. In this instance, this may leave some wiggle room for the vehicle or engine manufacturer to absolve itself of any liability, but I don't know if they can do that without further justification. In my opinion, claiming that "it wasn't on the approved list" shouldn't act as an automatic get-out-jail-free card, especially if the lubricant wasn't the direct cause for the damage, but that's just my personal view.

It should be noted that the lack of any vehicle manufacturer approvals is not necessarily indicative of its quality. Some expensive, high-performance, high-quality or specialised lubricants are often not submitted for the approval process, due to cost, technical restrictions or marketing/relevance reasons, amongst others.

In any case, the concern here for the consumer is that it could potentially result in delays to the warranty repair process while liability is established.




'Approved to ... standard/s'

implies that the product has the backing of the vehicle or engine manufacturer, as a result of going through some in-house approval or testing process, and thus, liability should lie entirely with them, as opposed to the lubricant manufacturer.

I imagine if the lubricant was later found to be the direct cause of any issues, VW might be able to demand compensation from the lubricant manufacturer for repair or warranty costs, but that would depend on the arrangements agreed to by the parties involved.

At the end of the day, the approved label completely removes the consumer from any legal-wrangling and/or blame-games, so it's the safest option from a liability point-of-view during the warranty period.




The other problem is that, even if the product is approved, lubricant manufacturers are sometimes not explicit in labelling it as such (e.g. see the above photo re: Castrol and 504 00/507 00 - notice the term 'approved' is nowhere to be seen). Such inconsistency can confuse the consumer, unless he or she has access to the vehicle manufacturer's list of approved oils.

Castrol and 504 00/507 00 - notice the term 'approved' is nowhere to be seen).

Maybe its the way the refer to it but that oil is the one that VW sell for the TDI and is on the list from ERWIN as an approved 504/507 oil that is REQUIRED for engines with a DPF

It does say elsewhere on the label that it was coengineered with Volkswagen and the logos on the front are those of the manufacturers that have given it approvals.
This doesnt appear on the non approved types.

Best just read your manual and look at the Link I provided as that is the full list of approved oils

[Diesel_vert]

Maybe its the way the refer to it but that oil is the one that VW sell for the TDI and is on the list from ERWIN as an approved 504/507 oil that is REQUIRED for engines with a DPF

It does say elsewhere on the label that it was coengineered with Volkswagen and the logos on the front are those of the manufacturers that have given it approvals.
This doesnt appear on the non approved types.

My point was that labelling can be inconsistent.

That particular Castrol oil is approved because we know it's on the 504/507 approved list - that's not in dispute. However, if one weren't already aware of this fact, one wouldn't necessarily be 100% certain that it is approved, since the term 'approved' isn't written on the label.

In contrast, Penrite makes proper use of the term 'approved', thus making it clear for the consumer and without the need to refer to the list.

The presence or use of the vehicle manufacturer's logo is, IMO, not a foolproof or reliable indicator of the product having received that manufacturer's approval.

Buying oil from the dealer is also no guarantee of actually receiving the correct oil for your car. In days gone by, one could have easily been given the wrong type of oil from the indifferent/incompetent person behind the counter, although ever since the simplification and consolidation of VW oil standards, it's more difficult to be given the wrong oil these days.

[walbjj]

ive used the penrite and the shell helix and the castrol 504 oils. they all seem to do the job, so grab it whenever its cheap is my advice.
i have 3x 5l containers in my garage right now for emergencies

[MGV]

I don't ever recall seeing a use-by date, but does oil have a 'shelf life'?

[brad]

I don't ever recall seeing a use-by date, but does oil have a 'shelf life'?

Most of the tech depts quote 3 years for an unopened container; 1 yr for opened IIRC. Moisture ingestion etc.

I have used older without apparent issue but I can understand why they would put some arbitrary limit on it as once it leaves the wharehouse there is no control over temperature, humidity, unopened container, half full, etc.

[Transporter]

The label is quite important, but if there is nothing about "Approved" then have a look at MSDS and if there would be no wording "Approved" then in my view the product is not approved even if the same name of that Castrol oil exists in the Europe, it would be made in Europe and the same name oil in Australia made localy doesn't have to be the same oil, especially if their MSDS doesn't say a word "Approved".

The info on label should be taken seriously, if not why bother with writing so much on it?

I don't use Castrol oils at all. In general their engine oils in the past were leaving the brown warnish coating on the engine internals and for that reason many workshops wouldn't use them. Especially their mineral and semisynthetic range.

[Transporter]

I don't ever recall seeing a use-by date, but does oil have a 'shelf life'?

The differnt oil companies will quote a different use by date. It's anywhere from 1 year to infinite in some extreme. However 1-2 years is absolutelly the longest time I would use the oil, if stored properly.

[Diesel_vert]

The label is quite important, but if there is nothing about "Approved" then have a look at MSDS and if there would be no wording "Approved" then in my view the product is not approved even if the same name of that Castrol oil exists in the Europe, it would be made in Europe and the same name oil in Australia made localy doesn't have to be the same oil, especially if their MSDS doesn't say a word "Approved".

Did you mean to say the product data sheet (PDS)?

A material safety data sheet (MSDS) does not contain any information regarding the product's application or suitability.

But a poorly written PDS can sometimes be ambiguous, so the only way to be certain is to check VW's list of approved oils.

The info on label should be taken seriously, if not why bother with writing so much on it?

Approval or Approved usually means what it means, but there are no uniform labelling requirements as such, so care should be taken.

Also, the label is probably written by marketing people and lawyers (with basic guidelines from the engineers), which is another reason why one must be cautious when interpreting what's written.

Again, it's best to check the official list to be sure.

I don't use Castrol oils at all. In general their engine oils in the past were leaving the brown warnish coating on the engine internals and for that reason many workshops wouldn't use them. Especially their mineral and semisynthetic range.

I dislike Castrol for their ambiguity, but I wouldn't expect any functional differences between the various 504/507 oils - which is the general concept behind vehicle-manufacturer based oil standards.

[Transporter]

Did you mean to say the product data sheet (PDS)?

Hmm, it's actually called the PIS now.

[Diesel_vert]

Hmm, it's actually called the PIS now.

There are a lot of variations.

For example, some people also refer to them as technical data sheets (TDS).

[johnw]

Re: Cheap approved oil at Supercheap


This thread got me interested. Looked at my Castrol edge titanium 5w 30 this morning and it said "approved for" 50200

[Guest001]

This thread got me interested. Looked at my Castrol edge titanium 5w 30 this morning and it said "approved for" 50200

Thats correct for motors that use 502 usually petrol engines. Diesel engines with a DPF MUST have 504.507 which is also a 5w 30 but IS approved for them

That label says it is NOT SUITABLE for DPF engines

Thats what the difference is. Out TSI Polo can use that but VW sell the 504 507 and say to use that in it
You can usually go up in quality but not back

[johnw]

Re: Cheap approved oil at Supercheap

Yeah bought this for my 1.8t, won't use it in the passat that requires 504 00

[Diesel_vert]

Yeah bought this for my 1.8t, won't use it in the passat that requires 504 00

Unless your Passat is on the LongLife service regime (unlikely), or has a diesel engine with a particulate filter, it doesn't require 504/507.

However, I personally recommend using 504/507 in DI engines (i.e. your 3.2 FSI V6 petrol), even for vehicles not on the LongLife service regime.

[Greg Roles]

From what I recall 504 adds the massive anti sheer properties PD mechanical cam injection requires in the older TDI's and 507 the almost zero ash levels to slow DPF clogging. I use Penrite as the bottle is black and it looks tough.