Engine Oil

[BT76]

For my Job I drive for at least 6 hours a day and I was told only to use THE VERY BEST engine oil and change it frequently, but, what is THE BEST engine oil and how frequently?? My car is a 1.6 petrol engine W plate. Cheers.

[Skids]

The best engine oil is the one recommended by the vehicle manufacturer in the vehicle's owner's handbook. The frequency of change should also be in there or in the service handbook. Or go and find out from the service desk at your local main dealer. Different manufacturers recommend different oils.

[KebabMeister]

And it also depends if the manufacturer has a contract with the oil supplier! ;)

[Toureman]

What you were told is completely wrong!

A car that is only used for short trips is when you have to have more frequent oil changes, on short trips the engine never reaches correct running tempratures so it deteriates quicker.

There are three main types of engine oil, normal, partly synthetic and fully synthetic, the partly synthetic will be quite adequate for your car and type of driving.

Do check with the oil charts in somewhere like Halfords which will tell you the correct type of oil for your car. Try to get a drivers handbook for your car, that will also tell you the correct oil and how often it needs to be changed.

A lot of car manufactures have now extended the oil change intervals so it seems to their customers that the oil hardly ever needs to be changed, in my Laguna the handbook says it only needs to be changed every 16,000 miles which I and a lot of other Laguna owners think is totaly inadequate, I change mine once a year or at 10,000 mile intervals. D

on't believe everything you are told, check the facts.

[Alltorque]

Having recently retired from a major oil company I can categorically tell you that manufacturers extended oil drain intervals are safe. Modern engines put far less in the way of contaminants, (unburnt fuel, soot, metal wear particles etc), into the oil. Modern fuels are much lower in suplhur, (so less acid attack), and modern oils are simply superb..............from all the major producers. With all due respect, what Laguna driver's "think" about oil drain intervals is irrelevant. Go for a semi-synthetic and be happy; (Halfords is v good, I know who makes it), but do check with the car manufacturer recommendations re viscosity. Some of the later Ford engines need a 5W-30 and the VW/AUDI/SKODA/SEAT 1.9 TDi engine needs a special oil to give best very long life service. There is no BEST oil, just good, better and wrong.