Finding the right oil for my car easily

There is a large variety of oils for each vehicle. Due to the large diversity, the question arises  which oil is needed for each vehicle arises. In order to avoid any damage on the car and to select the best oil, it is very important to choose the right oil. In order to help you make the right decision about which oil to choose and which is the suitable lubricant, we will tell you what to look out for so that your vehicle is getting the right oil. Our navigation will guide you to the desired oil very quickly and easily.

Operating manual for your vehicle: The manufacturer’s specifications.

The best way to get the right oil for your vehicle is to consult your service book also known as the operating manual since it is the most reliable source. Keep in mind that modern lubricants are different and serve different purposes. Operating supplies and parts of structural elements must be coordinated to work perfectly since it often appears that expensive high quality oils cause engine damage rather than improve the mileage and the life of your vehicle. To work at ideal level the engine requires a fitting oil. If the oil is wrong, great damage will be the result. Also, using the wrong oil will cause restrictions in the warranty.

Modern Engines – High aspiration to engine oils

Modern engines become more and more sophisticated. Therefore the demands towards engine oils have changed, too. Rather simple oils can potentially cause problems with the technologically advanced engines - but it can also happen that the modern oils cause problems in older engines. In a case like this, the operating manual of your vehicle is your best choice: the information you need is found in the section “Vehicle Maintenance”. There you will find all necessary information as specified by the manufacturer such as VW 507 00, BMW Longlife 04, MB 229.5 or specifications (eg, with: ACEA A1/B1 or API SG). Specifications refer to a classification of motor oils which have been developed by different institutions. In this case, the main specifications are ILSAC, ACEA and API.

Manufacturer’s specification

Car manufacturers have started to develop their own in-house standards for the field of lubricants. The performance of in-house standards differ from the specifications which have been originally laid down. Especially in the area of physical and chemical data, accentuated requirements are being held up and tested mainly through special road tests. Thus, some vehicle and engine manufacturers have established and published their own engine specifications. These are generally based on the API classification or the ACEA classification. Some of these specifications contain specific practical road or driving tests. In Germany, Ford, BMW, Porsche, VW, Opel, Mercedes-Benz, Audi, Seat and Skoda work with these standards.

Motor oil manufacturer’s recommendation

Motor oil manufacturers regularly imply so-called "recommendations" and point out that they are "field proven and tested". In this case, “recommendation” states that, though no official release has been made by the oil manufacturers yet, the oil meets the required standards and specified norms. Frequently, the original part numbers and even the spare part numbers are listed in the “recommendations”.

For example: the manufacturer „Fuchs“ recommends using the transmission fluid “Fuchs Titan ATF 3353“ where “Ford M2C202-B”, “Ford M2C195-A”, “DEXRON III”, “BMW 83 22 9 407 807”, “BMW 83 22 9 407 765”, “Ssang Yong” is required.

Viscosity as the most important characteristic of the lubricant

An important feature of the lubricant is the "viscosity". It is the measurement of the flow-resistance or the viscosity of a liquid. For example, honey is thick, whereas water is thin. So honey has a higher viscosity than water. The viscosity of oil and the ambient temperature has to fit. Therefore, motor oils and automotive gear oils are divided by their viscosity into so-called "SAE classes" while industrial oils are divided into “ISO viscosity grade (VG)”. The shortening “SAE" stands for "Society of Automotive Engineers", an association of American automotive engineers. The system is divided into different numerical classes: the classes 0W to 60W are available for engine oils and the classes 70 W to 250 W for gear oils. Since viscosity is the measure of internal friction of a liquid, it strongly depends on temperature as well and is classified in a number-letter combination (example: 5W-40) by the SAE committee. In this case, the key figure "5 W" is the code for the behavior at lower outdoor temperatures. The "W" stands for "Winter ", while the key figure "40" is the code which indicates the flow behavior at high temperatures. A key criterion concerning the life of the engine is that the oil reaches the last lubricating point in the engine even at low temperatures in a time of 2.8 seconds when using “0W-XX” oils or in 48 seconds when using “15W-XX” oils. Applied, for the engine this means that if the viscosity of the oil in a cold engine is too thick, the engine can not be moved. If the viscosity in a hot engine is too thin, the oil can not adequately protect the engine parts. Once again, make sure to consult your operating manual.

Oil-guidepost – lubricating index

Lubricant manufacturers offer a service on their websites that helps selecting the correct lubricant.To help you, we have compiled a small selection for you.Due to large data sets and modified OEM specifications, errors in the assignment of lubricants can occur. Therefore, they should be viewed carefully. To ensure you found the right oil, look into your operating manual.

ATO24 – Your choice of lubricants

In our Online Shop, we have provided a wide selection of lubricants. In order to facilitate the proper selection of your lubricant, we have divided our products into different categories and presented them according to different parameters. When you click on “Lubricants” in the main navigation, a list of choices classified by the following is available:

• by application area
• by manufacturer
• by viscosity
• by specifications
• by manufactuers’ approvals

Additionally, you may further specify your possibilities via the selection boxes.