Is German Castrol really going the way of the dinosaur?
- Thread starter Gman87t
- Start date
CTsupra said:German Castrol located in CT.
Autozone
95 Myrtle ST.
New Britain, CT (downtown area)
I'm sure this means all autozones in CT carry it. They had one full row of the stuff on their shelves with dates of m07179. They're getting new cases in tomorrow and I'll be buying... some
Edit: Forgot to mention this is the green GC!! Did the winter oil change today (7qts.) on the supra and noticed that.
The supra seems to be liking the GC. I noticed a bit more pep when I hit the gas at low rpm's, and a little better oil psi at idle on the stock guage over the 5w-30 RP I was running previously. At 3000rpm on the highway I noticed my oil pressure was 45 psi at operating temp vs. 38-42 psi with the RP. This is on a stock GTE oiling system... for the moment.
This is why I was asking about the Green Castrol
Chris - I understand. If it's the date codes he posted, it's not the Green GC (at least to my knowledge). He was not specific about the bottles he actually bought
I'm also unaware of any new green and I've been using GC for years. In fact I'm pretty sure I was the first to mention it on this forum, along with lots of other oil advice. Course, nobody ever listens to me
CTsupra
Supramania Contributor
Well, I'm not an expert on the "old" vs. "new" GC, so I took some pictures for you guys to debate. The oil looked green to me when I was pouring it in the motor. It wasn't a sunny day, so the lighting probably effected how the oil looked vs. a sunny day.
Anyway, here are the pics:
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I hope this helps! Also, I'm going to get an analysis done on a virgin sample to see what kind of esters are in it. I'll post the info when accomplished!
Ken
Anyway, here are the pics:
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I hope this helps! Also, I'm going to get an analysis done on a virgin sample to see what kind of esters are in it. I'll post the info when accomplished!
Ken
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Hmmm...I see they changed the bottle...Again!
I can also see why you would think this is a "new Green GC"...it does have a green tint to it as does the 2006 production in the pics below. Next to it is 2004 production Green GC...I took pics in different lighting to highlight the difference.
BTW - the green color is just a dye...much like the "purple" in Royal Purple oil. The difference in GC is thay also changed the formula slightly along with the color change. Dont know why they screwed with it, but it's still a very good oil.
Yeah JJ was preaching about oil long before I showed up...he's the one that got me researching this stuff. A real Pandora's Box I tell ya
I can also see why you would think this is a "new Green GC"...it does have a green tint to it as does the 2006 production in the pics below. Next to it is 2004 production Green GC...I took pics in different lighting to highlight the difference.
BTW - the green color is just a dye...much like the "purple" in Royal Purple oil. The difference in GC is thay also changed the formula slightly along with the color change. Dont know why they screwed with it, but it's still a very good oil.
Yeah JJ was preaching about oil long before I showed up...he's the one that got me researching this stuff. A real Pandora's Box I tell ya
Good point Brian...
CJ: That's the gold. Fwiw you're far from the first person to be fooled by looking in the bottle. Also, GC both green and gold have been gas chromographed by some very knowledgeable people in the lubricants biz. You can find entire threads on it over at the BITOG forums. Iirc the base of gold is entirely 1-decene PAO with no esters or AN. Odd that. As Dub says though, it's still good stuff.
CJ: That's the gold. Fwiw you're far from the first person to be fooled by looking in the bottle. Also, GC both green and gold have been gas chromographed by some very knowledgeable people in the lubricants biz. You can find entire threads on it over at the BITOG forums. Iirc the base of gold is entirely 1-decene PAO with no esters or AN. Odd that. As Dub says though, it's still good stuff.
The green is more desirable, but was last made in early 2005...if you find any, it's old stock. But in all honesty, it really doesn't matter...GC is still an excellent oil in it's present formulation.
CTsupra
Supramania Contributor
If anyone has the means to get out here and wants to, there is ALOT of the m07 stuff here in a nearby town called Utica in New York. I bought 17 quarts last night from the shelf and they guy said there were a good number of cases in the back. Most of the bottles I bought are M07234. I havent had a chance to change my oil with it yet but I'm planning on next week.
Could someone post the Autozone part number from their receipt for this German Castrol so I can go to my local Autozone and see if they can order some in?
Thanks Rick
Thanks Rick
yep thats the right number. Try to buy them soon because they are on sale right now. You get 5 quarts and a mobil 1 filter for 25.99 which i think is a great deal.
Just got back from my local socal autozone and nothing came up in their computers. So I e-mailed autozone to see what they have to say.
Sounds like you might be dealing with morons at that AZ Rick
Consider Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30...if I can't get GC, that is what I'd use
Consider Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30...if I can't get GC, that is what I'd use
just thought I'd mention it's still readily available in canada. I've checked three Canadian Tire's here in Ontario, and all have had full shelves of the GC, new bottles.
Well I pretty much struck out on the autozone thing but I did get this email back from Castrol when I wrote and asked them where I could buy the german castrol in socal. This is the second email from them the first one I got basically blew me off, then I received this one. If you look down at the bottom there's an interesting email address, it appears Castrol is owned by British Petroleum, aka BP
Lisa Gerada to me
show details 8:18 AM (3 hours ago) Reply
The North American Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 offers the same performance as
the German SYNTEC 0W-30. Performance attributes are clearly demonstrated in
the performance ratings and OEM approvals indicated for each of our
individual product offerings.
Castrol produces and utilize formulas from various sources, including North
America and Europe depending on the product, performance and component
sourcing. Products may vary in raw materials as a result of the regional
production facility. However, the end performance met whether API or ACEA,
is still the same. Formulations meeting European standards can be sourced
from the US or Europe. It all comes down the most efficient way to supply
the product to market taking into consideration development and supply chain
logistics. The performance specifications on the bottle may read differently
as American Standard testing varies from European testing.
Formulations meeting European standards can be sourced from the US or
Europe. It all comes down the most efficient way to supply the product to
market taking into consideration development and supply chain logistics.
The decision for 0W-30 to be sourced from Germany is based upon the most
efficient supply logistics.
Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer's
warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and
turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended. Exceeds
European ACEA: A3, B3, B4; VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01; MB 229.1, 229.3; BMW
LL-01 and the engine protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified
Gasoline Engine Oils and meets Energy Conserving Standards.
-----Original Message-----
From: ContactUs@BP.com [mailto:ContactUs@BP.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 4:20 PM
To: Online customer service
Subject: Castrol USA - Contact Us Form Data
Importance: High
Lisa Gerada to me
show details 8:18 AM (3 hours ago) Reply
The North American Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 offers the same performance as
the German SYNTEC 0W-30. Performance attributes are clearly demonstrated in
the performance ratings and OEM approvals indicated for each of our
individual product offerings.
Castrol produces and utilize formulas from various sources, including North
America and Europe depending on the product, performance and component
sourcing. Products may vary in raw materials as a result of the regional
production facility. However, the end performance met whether API or ACEA,
is still the same. Formulations meeting European standards can be sourced
from the US or Europe. It all comes down the most efficient way to supply
the product to market taking into consideration development and supply chain
logistics. The performance specifications on the bottle may read differently
as American Standard testing varies from European testing.
Formulations meeting European standards can be sourced from the US or
Europe. It all comes down the most efficient way to supply the product to
market taking into consideration development and supply chain logistics.
The decision for 0W-30 to be sourced from Germany is based upon the most
efficient supply logistics.
Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer's
warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and
turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended. Exceeds
European ACEA: A3, B3, B4; VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01; MB 229.1, 229.3; BMW
LL-01 and the engine protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3 for API Certified
Gasoline Engine Oils and meets Energy Conserving Standards.
-----Original Message-----
From: ContactUs@BP.com [mailto:ContactUs@BP.com]
Sent: Thursday, February 28, 2008 4:20 PM
To: Online customer service
Subject: Castrol USA - Contact Us Form Data
Importance: High