oilman

Make sure you get your order in before midnight Wednesday. This is a real money saver on top quality oil. Cheers - The Opie Oils Team

This offer is due to finish this coming Wednesday... If you don't want to miss out, make sure you place your order soon. - The Opie Oils Team

It will not be superior to M1, sorry what specs is he talking about that are superior? I can then explain what the spec mean. Cheers Guy

Hope its a good weekend for all. If your looking for a deal on a top quality oil, then check out our current offer: - The Opie Oils Team

Opie Oils has a very special "quickie" offer for you which is only available until the 22nd September. * Fuchs / Silkolene Pro S 5w-30, 5w-40, 10w-50 and Pro R 15w-50 just £37.99 inc VAT at members price. With Fuchs Titan Pro-S and Pro-R at only £37.99 at members price, you will be saving £16 on the RRP of £54. This special offer and these prices are not generally available on our website. We have also decided to keep this offer exclusive to a select number of clubs. To buy Fuchs Silkolene Pro S / R at this special price you MUST visit the link below: BUY AT SPECIAL OFFER PRICE >>>> As prices are already reduced there is no voucher required, so it couldn't be easier. Why not take a look to see how much you could save. Till next time - The Opie Oils Team PS.Don't forget to register as a Club Member to get your 10% off! Please Note – Please do not use any discount code in the checkout or we will refund your order.

The number of entrants varies, from a couple of hundred to well over a thousand. Sometimes the competitions are only advertised on the site, other times they are on our site for everyone to enter. When someone has won a competition, we put the winners details up on pretty much all the forums if we have time. Cheers Tim

Opie Oils are pleased to announce we have the new Xbox 360 to give away for one lucky winner. The winner will also receive the new Formula 1 2010 game courtesy of our friends at Fueltopia. This is FREE to enter with no purchase necessary. To enter this competition click HERE>>>> This competition ends Midnight Monday 27th September and will be announced on Tuesday 28th September so don't hang around, get your answers in now to be in for a chance to win this incredible prize. Don't forget to check our Castrol EDGE Special Offer. Buy 4 litres of Castrol EDGE and receive a FREE 1 litre and a handy pouch with a disposable oil change kit to keep in your boot. 'til next time! The team at opieoils.co.uk

Opie Oils currently has an offer you don't want to miss. This great offer on Castrol Edge and Edge Sport is available while stocks last...so get your order in today! Fancy stocking up? You can order any number of 4 litre bottles to get the same number of 1 litre bottles and pouches free, for example, if you buy 4 x 4 litres you will receive 4 x 1 litres and 4 pouches free (each pouch will have a disposable oil change kit inside which contains gloves, funnel and wipes). Products Included In This Offer - CLICK HERE >>>>>> Castrol EDGE Sport 0W-40 for modern engines Castrol EDGE Sport 10W-60 Castrol EDGE 10W-60 for special BMW M-Series engines Castrol EDGE 0W-30 for modern engines Castrol EDGE 5W-30 for modern engines Castrol EDGE 5W-40 A3/B4 advanced synthetic engine oil (NEW) Castrol EDGE Turbo Diesel 5W-40 advanced synthetic engine oil Not sure what oil you need? You should be able to find the correct oils for your car here, but if you have any problems or can't find your car, we-re always happy to help! Please note that the additional litre and pouch wont show on your basket or invoice but will be sent out with every qualifying order. Cheers, The Opie Oils Team. PS. Don't forget to register as a Club Member to get your additional 10% members discount. T&C's (the boring bit) * Not applicable to Trade Orders. * No voucher codes can be used in conjunction with this offer.

All you need to do is enter voucher code CLEAN2010 at the www.opieoils.co.uk checkout and receive an extra 15% off all cleaning and detailing products on your order. Offer ends midnight Tuesday 7th September. Make sure to take advantage of this offer here >> If this offer is not for you then maybe we have products in our clearance section which are more appealing. Cheers, Oilman @ Opie Oils

Ok, it may be worth trying a 10w-50, but at that rate of oil consumption, I'm not too hopeful it will solve the problem. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-659-10w-50.aspx

It has been doing yes... 3 litres in 700 miles Wow, that's a huge amount and it makes me think there is something really wrong that no oil is going to sort out

130'C?? It was my understanding that a good ester based synthetic would handle much more than 130'C, more like 150'C without degradation, thats certainly what Mobil would have you believe... Corrado's or the VR6 engine in general have never been spec'd to run fully synth from VW and yet most VR's run oil temps well in excess of 120'C in normal use let alone when driven on track - and all this on semi synthetic oil. Semis do not handle temps as well as synthetics and a 10w-40 semi is going to breakdown very quickly at 120C. Yes, ester synthetics can be fine at much higher temps than 130C, but it depends what grade you decide to use. To be safe, we'd go for a 5w-40 at up to 130C, 10w-50 at up to 150C and 10w-60 for up to 170C. Those are all fairly conservative figures, you could probably go a bit higher, but we try to give recommendations that are safe as the oil is for someone elses engines, not our own.

One last question, does it use much oil? Cheers Guy

Go for a synthetic 10w-40. The blue smoke is coming from mineral oil being burned off. Synthetics are better at resisting being burned.

I think I'd go with the Millers CFS10w-40 as the best option. http://www.opieoils.co.uk/c-657-10w-40.aspx

It's okay, a full synthetic would be better, especially if driven hard

It's all down to the engine. If it's not particularly tight and you get piston slap when cold, a 10w or 15w helps. Another time when a thicker cold oil is an advantage is when the engine needs a thicker hot oil. If the viscosity gap is too large, the oil isn't very stable and ends up breaking down to a different grade fairly quickly. Grades like 0w-50 and 5w-50 are particularly bad for it and end up as a 5w-40 or 10w-40 in a short space of time. It's often best just to start with a good 5w-40 in the first place. The temps and oil is suitable for has a lot to do with the quality of the oil. The top end ester 5w-40s are good for up to about 130C, but if you get a basic semi synthetic one, the oil will degrade at a lower temperature. You want to use the right grade for the engine.

Thanks for that

I'd go with one of the top end ester oils in a 5w-40 if it was standard, if it was heavily modded and driven hard, a 10w-50. Cheers Guy

HOW IS AN ENGINE OIL MADE? There are two main components that all engine oils are made of, basestocks and the additive package. The base fluid typically makes up the bulk of the oil (70-95%). Additive chemicals are then added to enhance the positive qualities of the basestocks and to overcome whatever negative qualities there may be. There are two main types of basestocks, petroleum and synthetic. Petroleum basestocks are a purified form of crude oil and have been used as the base for automotive lubricants since motor oils were first developed. Synthetic basestocks, on the other hand, are chemically engineered in a lab specifically for the purpose of lubrication. They are engineered from pure compounds that contain no contaminants which must be removed via purification. Synthetic basestocks have been around since the early 1900's but were not widely used in automotive type applications until the 70's. PETROLEUM BASESTOCKS Petroleum basestocks are refined from crude oil, it must be run through a series of purification steps to improve the following desirable lubrication qualities: Viscosity Index A measure of an oil's ability to maintain its viscosity over a wide temperature range. The higher the number, the less change in viscosity with a change in temperature. Better oils will generally have higher viscosity indexes. Low Temperature Performance The better an oil will flow at low temperatures, the better its low temperature performance. Better low temperature performance provides more immediate engine protection at start-up in cold weather climates. High Temperature Performance How well does an oil hold together under extremely hot conditions. Will it burn off easily? Will it allow metal to metal contact under hot conditions as a result of viscosity loss (shear)? Obviously, better oils will hold together more effectively under extreme heat. Oxidation Resistance Oxidation occurs when oxygen reacts with the components of an oil to form sludge and other engine deposits. Oxidation leads to increased oil viscosity making the engine work harder to pump the oil through its system. An oil should be able to resist oxidation. “HYDROCRACKED” (HC) or MOLECULARLY CONVERTED (MC) BASESTOCKS There are many petroleum oils available on the market that are so pure and refined, they can now be passed off as synthetics. They are not made from true synthetic basestocks (at least not in the way that synthetics have traditionally been defined), but they have so little in common with traditional petroleum basestocks, it is really somewhat silly to classify them as petroleum oils. Petroleum oil basestocks can be put through a super-extreme refining process called “hydrocracking”. In some cases, as in the case of one particular name-brand "synthetic" oil, these highly refined petroleum basestocks can actually be termed and sold as "synthetic". It is completely legal for lubricants manufacturers to label these oils as "synthetic". These are extremely high performance petroleum basestocks, but they are not truly synthetic the way that most people understand the term and will not necessarily perform to the same level as a premium synthetic oil like PAO (poly alfa olefins) or Esters. Hydrocracking involves changing the actual structure of many of the oil basestock molecules by breaking and fragmenting different molecular structures into far more stable ones. This results in a basestock which has far better thermal and oxidative stability as well as a better ability to maintain proper viscosity through a wide temperature range - when compared to a typical petroleum basestock. Although contaminants are still present, and these are still petroleum basestocks, contamination is minimal and performance characteristics are high. This process also can turn a wider range of crude oil stock into well-performing petroleum lubricant basestocks. SYNTHETIC BASESTOCKS Synthetic oil basestocks have very little in common with their petroleum "cousins". They are used for a similar purpose. But, while one is designed specifically for the purpose of lubrication (built brick by brick), the other has been simply transformed into something that will adequately do the job. In the case of synthetic basestocks the first step is the most important. The lubricant manufacturer first decides what the final lubricant is going to be used for. Once that is determined, research is done to determine what lubricant characteristics will be best suited to that particular application. Only then is manufacture of the actual lubricant basestocks begun. On the surface, the manufacture of synthetic basestocks may seem far more simplistic than the manufacture of a petroleum oil. In the case of synthetics, materials of low molecular weight are chemically reacted with each other to produce materials of higher molecular weight with very specific lubricating properties. There is no need to separate the basestocks into fractions of differing molecular weight because the intended molecular weight is formed at the start. There is no need to extract contaminants or transform them into something useful because there are no contaminants to begin with. Nevertheless, it is important to understand that the particular materials used for chemical reaction and the methods used for those reactions will result in synthetic basestocks of varying quality. Experience is essential to proper manufacture of a quality synthetic basestocks. Synthetic basestocks manufactured in this way will have the following basic benefits over their petroleum basestock counterparts: improved low and high temperature performance, improved oxidative and thermal stability, enhanced frictional characteristics and longer lubricant life. THE IMPORTANCE OF THE ADDITIVE PACKAGE Although the basestock of an oil will be a major determining factor in the lubrication quality of an oil, chemical additives play a major part in making sure that it does all that it is supposed to do. The chemical additive package of an oil is just as important to insuring the quality of a lubricant as is the particular basestock used. The chemical additive package of an oil is designed to perform a number of tasks and each task is performed by a particular type of chemical. The quality of the chemicals used and the manner in which they are blended plays a large part in determining how well the additive package does its job. As the quality of the additive chemicals increases, so does the price. In addition, proper blending takes a great deal of research. This requires much time and, again, money. Therefore, manufacturers will, of course, charge more for motor oils which contain a high quality additive package than those with lower quality additive packages. They simply can't afford not to. Each chemical within an oils additive package plays a different role in boosting the beneficial properties of it's host lubricant (basestock). Cheers Guy

When it comes to choosing oil for your car, this post may seem like going back to basics but we at www.opieoils.co.uk are constantly surprised by the amount of people who do not understand what is written on a bottle of oil and therefore have no idea of what they are buying or using. This article should help most car owners as a basic guide, for more detailed information you can always contact us at www.opieoils.co.uk and will be happy to help you. So, to be blunt about the subject, if a bottle of oil does not contain the following basic information then DO NOT buy it look for something that does! 1) The purpose for which it is intended (i.e. Motor oil, Gear oil, ATF etc) 2) The viscosity (i.e. 10w-40, 5w-30 etc for Motor oils and 80w-90, 75w-90 etc for Gear oils) 3) The specifications that it meets (should contain API and/or ACEA ratings) 4) The OEM Approvals that it carries and the codes (i.e. MB229.5, VW504.00, FORD 913A, BMW LL04 etc) Ignore the marketing blurb on the label it is in many cases meaningless and we will explain later what statements you should treat with some skepticism. So, what does the above information mean and why is it important? THE BASICS All oils are intended for an application and in general are not interchangeable. You would not for example put an Automatic Transmission Oil or a Gear Oil in your engine! It is important to know what the oils intended purpose is. VISCOSITY Most oils on the shelves today are “Multigrades”, which simply means that the oil falls into 2 viscosity grades (i.e. 10w-40 etc) Multigrades were first developed some 50 years ago to avoid the old routine of using a thin oil in winter and a thicker oil in the summer. In a 10w-40 for example the 10w bit (W = winter, not weight or watt or anything else for that matter) simply means that the oil must have a certain maximum viscosity/flow at low temperature. The lower the “W” number the better the oils cold temperature/cold start performance. I.E. 5w is better than 10w etc The 40 in a 10w-40 simply means that the oil must fall within certain viscosity limits at 100 degC. This is a fixed limit and all oils that end in 40 must achieve these limits. Once again the lower the number the thinner the oil, a 30 oil is thinner than a 40 oil at 100 degC etc. Your handbook will specify whether a 30, 40 or 50 etc is required. SPECIFICATIONS Specifications are important as these indicate the performance of an oil and whether it has met or passed the latest tests or whether the formulation is effectively obsolete or out of date. There are two specifications that you should look for on any oil bottle and these are API (American Petroleum Institute) and ACEA (Association des Constructeurs Europeens d’Automobiles) all good oils should contain both of these and an understanding of what they mean is important. API This is the more basic of the two specs as it is split (for passenger cars) into two catagories. S = Petrol and C = Diesel, most oils carry both petrol (S) and diesel © specifications. The following table shows how up to date the specifications the oil are: PETROL SG - Introduced 1989 has much more active dispersant to combat black sludge. SH - Introduced 1993 has same engine tests as SG, but includes phosphorus limit 0.12%, together with control of foam, volatility and shear stability. SJ - Introduced 1996 has the same engine tests as SG/SH, but phosphorus limit 0.10% together with variation on volatility limits SL - Introduced 2001, all new engine tests reflective of modern engine designs meeting current emissions standards SM - Introduced November 2004, improved oxidation resistance, deposit protection and wear protection, also better low temperature performance over the life of the oil compared to previous categories. Note: All specifications prior to SL are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same level of performance or protection as the more up to date SL and SM specifications, so if you’ve a recent model, don’t bother. DIESEL CD - Introduced 1955, international standard for turbo diesel engine oils for many years, uses single cylinder test engine only CE - Introduced 1984, improved control of oil consumption, oil thickening, piston deposits and wear, uses additional multi cylinder test engines CF4 - Introduced 1990, further improvements in control of oil consumption and piston deposits, uses low emission test engine CF - Introduced 1994, modernised version of CD, reverts to single cylinder low emission test engine. Intended for certain indirect injection engines CF2 - Introduced 1994, defines effective control of cylinder deposits and ring face scuffing, intended for 2 stroke diesel engines CG4 - Introduced 1994, development of CF4 giving improved control of piston deposits, wear, oxidation stability and soot entrainment. Uses low sulphur diesel fuel in engine tests CH4 - Introduced 1998, development of CG4, giving further improvements in control of soot related wear and piston deposits, uses more comprehensive engine test program to include low and high sulphur fuels CI4 Introduced 2002, developed to meet 2004 emission standards, may be used where EGR ( exhaust gas recirculation ) systems are fitted and with fuel containing up to 0.5 % sulphur. May be used where API CD, CE, CF4, CG4 and CH4 oils are specified. Note: All specifications prior to CH4 are now obsolete and although suitable for some older vehicles are more than 10 years old and do not provide the same level of performance or protection as the more up to date CH4 & CI4 specifications. If you want a better more up to date oil specification then look for SL, SM, CH4, CI4 ACEA This is the European equivalent of API (US) and is more specific in what the performance of the oil actually is. A = Petrol, B = Diesel and C = Catalyst compatible or low SAPS (Sulphated Ash, Phosphorus and Sulphur). These specs are more commonly found on European oils and in many respects are more important than API for European Manufactured cars. Unlike API the ACEA specs are split into performance/application catagories as follows: A1 Fuel economy petrol A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete) A3 High performance and/or extended drain A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance B1 Fuel economy diesel B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete) B3 High performance and/or extended drain B4 For direct injection car diesel engines B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance C1-04 Petrol and Light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 low SAPS, two way catalyst compatible. C2-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible. C3-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible, higher performance levels due to higher HTHS. Note: SAPS = Sulphated Ash, Phosphorous and Sulphur. Put simply, A3/B3, A5/B5 and C3 oils are the better quality, stay in grade performance oils. APPROVALS Many oils mention various Car Manufacturers on the bottle, the most common in the UK being VW, MB, BMW, Ford or Vauxhall but do not be misled into thinking that you are buying top quality oil because of this. Oil Companies send their oils to OEM’s for approval however some older specs are easily achieved and can be done so with the cheapest of mineral oils. Newer specifications are always more up to date and better quality/performance than the older ones. Some of the older OEM specifications are listed here and depending on the performance level of your car are best ignored if you are looking for a quality high performance oil: VW – 500.00, 501.00 and 505.00 Later specs like 503.00, 503.01, 506.00 are better performing more up to date oils but as far as VW is concerned even these have now been superseded by the latest VW504.00 and VW507.00 specifications. MB – 229.1, 229.30 Later specs like 229.31, 229.5, and 229.51 are better performing more up to date oils. BMW – LL98 Later specs like LL01 and the latest LL04 oils are better performing more up to date. FINALLY Above is the most accurate guidance we can give without going into too much depth however there is one final piece of advice regarding labelling. Certain statements are made on labels that are meaningless and just marketing hype; here are a few to avoid! Recommended for use where…………… May be used where the following specifications apply…………… Approved by………………………..(but with no qualification or specification) Recommended/Approved by (some famous person, these endorsements are paid for) Racing/Track formula (but with no supporting evidence) Also be wary of statements like “synthetic blend” if you are looking for a fully synthetic oil as this will merely be a semi-synthetic. Like everything in life, you get what you pay for. The cheaper the oil the cheaper the ingredients, lower the performance levels and older the specs it meets so beware! Cheers Guy

Hi Chris Thanks for the order and I'm glad you like the service. Cheers Tim

Both Offer's Finish In 48 Hours Start saving today, top offers to be had at www.opieoils.co.uk Till next time - The Opie Oils Team

Did you know that you are entitled to great discounts on TOP Brand products at www.opieoils.co.uk We offer discounts on all the products that we stock from the following TOP Brands. Delivered to your door! Oils and Fluids for Cars, Bikes and more.... Amsoil, Castrol, Fuchs, Gulf Competition, Millers, Mobil, Motul, Redline and Silkolene Filters for Cars, Bikes and more.... K&N, Mahle and UFI Spark Plugs/Glow Plugs for Cars, Bikes and more.... Denso and NGK Cleaning, Detailing and Polishing Products Bilt Hamber Clays, Dodo Juice, Meguiars and Muc-Off We also sell Brembo Brake parts, Trico wiper blades and Oil Safe workshop products. To obtain your discounts, register via the link below selecting your Club or the Opie Oils Loyalty Club when prompted and all of your orders will be automatically discounted in future. https://www.opieoils.co.uk/createaccount-short.aspx Registration is free so why not start saving today.....take a look at what we have to offer whilst you're there. Don't forget to add yourself to our mailing list, when registering for advice of any additional offers that we are running to save you even more money. Thanks for reading. The opieoils.co.uk Team.

Hope its a good weekend for all. We've currently got some great offers on, which are all for a limited time only. With no voucher codes required, it couldn't be easier. To take a look at our money saving offers: CLICK HERE >>>>>> Happy shopping... - The Opie Oils Team