Wow! where to begin? Years ago, the fluids were almost all universal throughout all vehicle makes and models, which made it easy to find and top off fluids anywhere you were. In the shop you could have one type of coolant, a couple different grades of oil, a couple different transmission fluids, some power steering fluid and a bucket of 90 weight gear oil and that would about cover 90% of the cars on the road. With the advancing technology in vehicles since about the 1980s, fluids have been redesigned and modified to function and service the technological advancements in our cars today. Each particular vehicle manufacture has their own specific fluids, most designed for that particular vehicle.
Engine oil has one of the most diverse assortments, it’s like going to our local Thai restaurant and looking at the 6-page menu, what do I order? There are oil grades that range from 0w-60 to 20w-50 and even beyond that. I am not an oil expert by any means but I can tell you the importance of using the correct oil that was designed for your particular vehicle. The engines of today are engineered with precision and close tolerances compared to earlier vehicles. It has allowed us to use thinner oils, improve fuel mileage, among many other benefits. This also makes regular oil changes and regular maintenance even more important because when the oil starts breaking down, it loses the ability to keep the internal parts lubricated properly and prevent wear.
Let's take a particular oil and break it down a little more to understand the importance of using the correct oil. My car calls for a 5w-30 oil, I can find my oil at the supermarket, parts store, gas station, our local hardware store and many other places. They all say its 5w-30 but they are not all the same. Some oils are made by the same manufacture and have the selling brand slap their label on it, while others make and brand their own oils. Depending on the country of origin, 5w-30 oils are made to different specs because of the car manufactures in that area, so it is important to use a European spec oil on a European vehicle. European oils have higher standards compared to Asian or American oils. I have my oil favorites but I am not going to go into that. It’s important to use the right oil for your particular vehicle.
We stock over 20 different engine oils at our shop because of the different specs for different vehicles. We use the oil that meets the requirements of your vehicle manufacture because we know and understand the importance of why we should use the correct oil. If you want to know more about oil, I recommend you visit “Bob is the oil guy” at https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/. The amount of information here will make you fall sleep.
I will be having a little fun with other fluids in the up-coming articles. Be sure to follow me as we explore your car.