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So, I need to get some oil for the car, the halfords website says I need this:
[url= http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_210681_langId_-1_categoryId_165581 ]Castrol Edge[/url]
But this is cheaper:
[url= http://www.halfords.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_storeId_10001_catalogId_10151_productId_253905_langId_-1_categoryId_165581#dtab ]Castrol Magnetec[/url]
It's a 3.0l diesel, if I put the cheaper one in will I kill the car?
Somewhere in your driver's handbook, it will tell you the minimum oil specification.
As long as the letters and number on the oil match or exceed that, it will be OK.
So as long as it's 5w-30, the rest is all marketing nonsense?
No, some oils really are better than others.
I've always gone by the API ratings, S* C*. The higher the second letter, the better the oil.
There's all sorts of other rating in use these days, but as I drive a 20 year old Land Rover, I've never bothered to look in to them.
Have you got the handbook ?
As above, your manual should state the oil spec.
It will probably name a brand of oil, followed by Acea B3 or similar. You can ignore the brand, but take note of the spec.
The cheaper oil above states 'Acea B1 (fuel economy) or B5 (fuel economy plus extended drain)' whilst the more expensive is B3 (high performance and/or extended drain)
A while back I found a table which explained which grades could be considered an upgrade over the recommended Acea grade, and which grades were specific to prevent early failure of particulate filters via sooting etc. Can't find it unfortunately.
I reckon you could buy a Halfords own brand oil that would meet the spec, though with the various offers its sometimes cheaper to buy one of the branded ones.
The manual says, "the engine oil must always comply with ACEA A3 and ACEA B3 specifications" so I need 5w-30 A3 and B3, correct?
Avoid Halfords, they have a limited stock. Locally to me there is a fuel & oil distributor, and they have pretty much as many types of oils as you could want, and cheaper than Halfords - have a look if there is such a place near where you are.
When I used to do my own servicing on diesels, I used to use Millers, which isn't cheap unless you start to but it in bulk.
In terms of spec, so long as the oil you use exceeds the handbook spec, you should not do the engine any harm.
Got it. Thanks for the help.
That Halfords link says Magnatec complies with ACEA A1 B1 or A5 B5.
I don't know what that means or why it complies with two different standards, so I don't know if that's better or worse than ACEA A3 B3.
Edit;
This should tell you everything you need to know. 😀
Just a note... NOT ALL 5W30 oils are the same, there are a few different specifications... You can't put a 5W30 designed for a Ford into a VW/Audi for instance.
Now, first of all what car is it? That might help... Secondly, if you're in any kind of confusion at all, speak to a main dealer service/parts department for some advice. Ask them for a price too, you may be surprised (or may not) as often they can be cheaper than Halfords. That said, most places are cheaper than Halfords now...
What I will say though is that new cars really rely on modern engine oils to help maintain them, it's not a gimmick. Tolerances are much tighter these days, and modern oils are designed for specific applications quite often, such as in this case. I would suggest you do go for that Specific Castrol Edge 5W30 that meets the recommended standards, what I would suggest is shopping around for a better price though.
It's an E46 BMW 330d. I found something that "meets BMW specifications".