oilman

********* FINAL REMINDER ********** This offer will end on Friday 17th February. For details see the first post of this thread. Cheers Simon

I reckon Kev sells it to his mates at retail £46.99 ;) Cheers Simon

The Members prices are in white and if the product is on offer it's in red. Cheers Simon

Have not seen a decent datasheet on the VAG stuff so I don't know. Cheers Simon

Yes, do 15,000,000 litres of factory fill for VAG per annum. Good quality, own Silkolene these days as well! They are German afterall ;) Cheers Simon

This online offer ends in 10 days Cheers Simon

Agreed, wasn't sure where to put it - Sorry Simon

FEBRUARY SPECIAL OFFERS! We have a large range of oils, filters and Denso spark plugs on offer until the 17th February. These offers are online and only through our website "MEMBERS SECTION" here: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/Members.aspx If you already have an access code then type it in the box provided, if not then you will need to request a code by clicking the link on the page. You can also request an oil recommendation or contact us via our website. http://www.opieoils.co.uk Cheers Simon

There seems to be some confusion over whether Forum Users here are entitled to use the Members Section of the OPIE OILS website. For clarification, the answer is YES. You will find the Clubs Discounted Oil prices in this section but you need to request your access code first. Once you have been issed one, you have indefinate access. The link to the Members Section sign in page is here: http://www.opieoils.co.uk/Members.aspx Please read the instructions on the page and request your access code by giving the information provided. Please ensure that your email address is correct otherwise we will be unable to send your code to you. I hope this clears up any confusion. Cheers Simon

Thanks for all the feedback, there are some very knowledgeable people about. We have made some changes as a consequence of the comments that we recieved over a large number of forums. There are still parts of the site that are undergoing changes and new pages to be added especially in the "Members Section". There are a couple of features that we would like to draw your attention to. 1. Members Discount Section (to which you have access). All you need to do is go to this page http://www.opieoils.co.uk/Members.aspx and then request an access code. Users of this forum are entitled to the discounted prices. 2. Recommend me an oil. Just use this feature here http://www.opieoils.co.uk/performance_lubricants/ to obtain a recommendation for your car. Please bear in mind, the more information we have the better. 3. Register with us. Why not register so that you can buy anytime and so that we remember your details here https://www.opieoils.co.uk/Login.aspx you can also request to be informed of any special offers by email. Thanks again. Cheers Simon

Agree but the carbon fibre ones are nice, I have them on my car. Cheers Simon

This page is being finalised, should be up in a couple of days. Cheers Simon

Our "new" website has been in development for the last three and a half months. Our main focus areas have been product range, an easy to use online shop, easy site navigation and discounted Members Area for the Clubs and Forums that we are associated with. The site is now available to view at http://www.opieoils.co.uk We need as much feedback as possible from Members here to enable us to pass any important comments back to our web designers. We would be most grateful if you would take a look at your convienience and let us know what you think as all feedback is valuable to us and our design team. Thanks in advance for your help. Cheers Simon and Guy

Hopefully this will help. Engine oil viscosity options from 1/97: using VW 502.00 1/97, 0W-X/5W-X/10W-X using VW 500.00 1/97 high lubricity oils, -30°C to 35°C, 5W-30/5W-40/10W-30/10W-40 using VW 501.01/505.00 -30°C to 35°C, 5W-50/10W-50/10W-60 -30°C to 15°C, 5W-30/5W-40 -15°C to 15°C, 10W-30/10W-40 -15°C to 40°C, 15W-40/15W-50, 20W-40/20W-50. Additional for model year 2000 onward only; using VW 503.00/503.01/505.01/506.00/506.01, currently approved products are either 0W-X, 5W-X or 10W-X according to requirements of each specification (must not be used in earlier models) Cheers Simon

I think a nice viscous synthetic 10w-50 or 15w-50 would be a better solution, sludge is not good. Cheers Simon

Indeed that's me. Cheers Simon

I read so much stuff on the internet about Synthetic Oils that is simply not true so I felt it was time to tell the truth rather than accept the myth. So in future when you see someone state any of these, please do me a favour and point them at this thread! Synthetic motor oils damage seals: Complete Nonsense! Any oil seals made after 1975 or thereabouts will be entirely compatible with any type of synthetic engine oil. (The same goes for synthetic gear oils and transmission oil seals.) It must be understood that everything associated with lubrication is thoroughly tested. The major oil manufacturers do not make oils that attack seals; seal manufacturers ensure that their products function correctly with modern lubricants. Synthetic oils are too thin: It is true that the best synthetic blends can be low viscosity (0w-20 for example), but they do not have to be! It is also true that the latest engines are designed to run on thin oil, which improves power output and fuel consumption. Even so, thicker synthetic based grades (10w-50, 15w-50, 20w-50etc) are available for air-cooled motors, older engines, or severe high temperature conditions. These grades can also benefit rebuilt classic engines dating back to the 1940s. Synthetics mean higher oil usage: The complete opposite of the truth. Oil consumption in well-maintained modern engines is mainly down to the oil evaporating at high temperatures. Synthetic base oils (specially the PAO and ester types) are very resistant to evaporation loss even in low viscosity blends, so oil consumption is minimised. Obviously, engines with worn valve guides, defective seals and worn piston rings will use oil regardless, so there is no point in using expensive synthetics as an ‘old banger lube’. Synthetic oils are not compatible with other oils: All engine oils intended for normal road use in recent 4-stroke engines are compatible with one another, regardless of the base make-up. (mineral, PAO/ester/hydrocracked synthetic, and semi-synthetic.) There is no need to flush or strip down an engine when changing from one type to another. (…but be careful with the exception: castor oil based racing oils.) Synthetic oils produce sludge: Well honestly, this is just totally daft. All synthetic bases are more resistant to oxidation than mineral oil, and sludge is largely due to oxidation. In any case, all motor oils intended for road use meet the higher API specs such as SH, SJ, SL and diesel equivalents. One of the main reasons for introducing the API specs back in the 1950s was to deal with oil sludge problems. All high-spec oils run very clean, especially synthetics. Synthetic oils cannot be used with catalytic converters: ‘Cats’ will perform more efficiently and last longer if synthetic based engine oil is used. Their lower volatility (see 3 above) means that less oil reaches the combustion chambers via crankcase ventilation, so there are less harmful ash residues from burnt oil to de-activate the catalyst matrix. Synthetic oils can void warranties: People who make statements such as this never define the type of synthetic, thus revealing their ignorance. Provided that an oil meets or exceeds the API and viscosity ranges specified in the handbook, the warranty will not be affected. (By law, OEMs cannot insist that a particular brand of oil must be used to maintain warranty.) Synthetic oils will last forever: The better synthetic blends will certainly last longer*, especially in high performance or high annual mileage situations, but ‘forever’ is not on, simply because contaminants such as soot, and acid gasses from traces of sulphur in the fuel degrade the oil. (*Provided that a very shear resistant VI improver polymer is used in the oil formulation to keep the viscosity up to spec. This point is often forgotten. Synthetic oils are too expensive: True, for older vehicles that use a lot of oil or are almost ready for the scrap yard. For cars that are worth maintaining, the right types of synthetic oil are a cost-effective way of retaining ‘as new’ performance, low fuel consumption, and reducing maintenance costs. (See 6 above, for example. ‘Cats’ aren’t cheap!) Cheers Simon

Totally agree. Cheers Simon

I get asked all the time "why do you advise against the use of 10w-60?". Let's get one thing clear, I supply 10w-60 and recommend it where it is appropriate for the engine or the application but conversly I caution against it's misuse! I have debated this many times on many car forums and I know there are some that do not agree with me however I have never had a reasonable technical explanation why 10w-60 is in fact suitable, it's certainly not mentioned in the handbooks of many modern highly tuned performance cars, with the exception of some Alfa Romeos for "spirited driving" whatever that is meant supposed mean. Explaining this is diffucult so there may be questions but I'll try my best to explain it in plain English! Lets look at what oil specs actually mean and particularly the higher number which is in fact the oils SAE number (the "w" number is in fact the cold crank viscosity and measured in a different way) The SAE number is measured by the oils viscosity at 100degC. Your cars require according to the manufacturers specs, sae 30, 40 and in some cases sae 50. To attain the relevent sae number the oil has to be at 100degC (no thinner than) SAE 30 11cst approx SAE 40 14cst approx SAE 50 18cst approx Centistokes (cst) is the measure of a fluid's resistance to flow (viscosity). It is calculated in terms of the time required for a standard quantity of fluid at a certain temperature to flow through a standard orifice. The higher the value, the more viscous the fluid. As viscosity varies with temperature, the value is meaningless unless accompanied by the temperature at which it is measured. In the case of oils, viscosity is generally reported in centistokes (cst) and usually measured at 40degC and 100degC. SAE 60 is in fact 24cst viscosity at 100degC! This is 33% thicker than an sae 50, 70% thicker than an sae 40 and over 100% thicker than an sae 30! So, what's the problem with this thickness? Well, this is measured at 100degC and at lower temps (70-90degC) all oils are thicker than at 100degC so the problem is compounded to some extent. The downsides of such a thick oil (when not specified) are as follows: Additional friction, heat and wear. A reduction of BHP at the wheels Lower fuel consumption The thicker the oil is the more friction and drag and the more power the engine needs to move it around the engine which inevitably translates to less at the wheels. So, when do we spec a thicker oil? Well, you will probably have seen us on occassions recommending a 10w-50 but only in these circumstances. 1. If the car is heavily modded and heat/oil temperatures are excessive. 2. If the car is used on track and heat/oil temperatures are excessive. 3. If it's required by the handbook. Our criteria for this is based on oil temps as an sae 40 semi-synthetic can handle around 110degC for limited periods whereas a proper synthetic sae 40 can hande 120-130degC for prolonged periods due to its thermal stability. Once you see more than say 120degC for prolonged periods an sae 50 is adviseable as it is 18cst at 100degC and still 11cst at 130degC! This is in fact the same as an sae 30 at 100degC. More importantly at 90degC an sae 40 is 15cst, an sae 50 is 20cst and an sae 60 is 30cst! In a worst case scenario with thick oils (when not required) is that you will experience air entrainment and cavitation inside the bearings at high RPM. Not clever stuff! I know this is technical stuff but oil is a combination of science and engineering and few people know enough about it to make an informed choice. Just because your mates use it and have had no problems is not a good enough reason to use it, your engine would prefer and benefit from the correct oil. Cheers Simon

This isn't a recommendation, besides a 10w is fine. Cheers Simon

Believe it or not, I learn something every day as well but it need translation to English to pass it on :( Cheers Simon

It's fine by me, the reasons have been explained. I've been a moderator myself and it's a thankless, difficult and unpaid job! I will post any future oil offers (as usual) in the correct place and guess what? There's one coming up soon! Cheers Simon

Hmmm. The idea of putting it in here is I'm not selling anything, just thought it was interesting enough to warrant a proper viewing. 0w-60 is impossible to make as the gap is too big, it could never be made stable enough to hold its viscosity for a period of time. Cheers Simon

I can understand all the offers and stuff going in there, but this is just some tech info. Cheers Simon.

In this cold weather, it is beneficial to use an oil that has good cold start flow properties as it will get to the parts of the engine that need it far more quickly. The "w" number which means winter is the key here and the lower the better. It may seem odd but a 15w or 20w will struggle to get around the engine in very cold temps and I would strongly recommend a 10w or better still a 5w for better cold start performance. 90% of all engine wear occurs on cold start because the oil get thicker the colder it is which causes engine wear. These numbers explain what I mean and bear in mind that the oil will be the following thickness at 100degC (sae 40 = 14cst, sae 50 = 18cst and sae 60 = 24cst) At 0degC these are the numbers (thick!) Grade.................At 0C.........At 10C...........At 100C 0W/20.............328.6cSt......180.8cSt..........9cSt 5W/40.............811.4cSt......421.4cSt..........14cSt 10W/50............1039cSt.......538.9cSt..........18cSt 15W/50.............1376cSt.......674.7cSt.........18cSt 20W/50.............2305cSt.......1015cSt..........18cSt If you are using anything more than a 10w oil, always warm the car properly before driving it as the oil needs time to circulate. Just a word of warning really. Cheers Simon