I have seen this for £14.99 (normally £30) in my local halfords. It is a 5w/40 or 10w/40 fully synthetic (made by comma) is this stuff any good for a normally aspirated engine (my wifes ZT V6) or would i be better with a semi-syn like magnatec!

 

i used halfords oil in my scoob when i needed to top up cus i wass v low... had no problems with it

Phil

 

Well it does seem excellent value, esp as it is normally £30

 

Has any one used this in there scoob for full services???? sounds like a great bargain and may get my self a few for my next service.

 

Been using it for years - MY94 now on 148K..& no smoke...

 

I can hear PS Lewis footsteps just around the corner!

 

According to something I read Halfords owns castrol - is this true ? Would that mean they are basically the same but one has a halfords brand label

 

I think not, 'proper' fully synth oil (such as polyaphaolefins) costs a lot more than this hydrocracked stuff.

Not saying theres anything wrong with the Halfords for a NA engine, just wouldnt use it in my turbo.

 

Have used this for the last 7 years on my MY99, then MY00 and now on my MY02 STi PPP.
Changed every 3months/3000 miles whichever comes first (usually time not mileage these days).

No problems to report, and no oil usage between changes.

It is API SL classification so exceeds the Subaru handbook requirements for my car which is SJ classification.

I currently have 45 litres in the garage, as I buy 20 litres at a time when its on offer.
Thats £60 per annum for oil changes 4 times a year.

I prefer to work on the premise that newer oil swapped 4 times /year of the required quality is better than old oil swapped once a year, of 'better quality?' is sat in my engine.
Which at the price of the 'best?' oils would be what I would be forced to do.

Cheers
MTR

 

here we go with the brand names myth....

"i use super xx brand oil cos it says its perfect on the tin"

" I only fit genuine timing belts cos there superduper"



if the oil / belt is from a recognised supplier / manufacturer, and it states it meets a recognised manufacturing specification, then it will.

Halfords or any other are hardly going to sell oil/ brake shoes / timing belts that are from dodgy dicks emporuim, could you imagine the warranty claims they would face.....

if you dont believe me... have a closer look at some of the stuff you buy..


lucas distributer cap.... brand named £20+ ( in a lucas box)

non gen dizzy cap exactly the same down to the logo area on the part, which is blank.. and a halford box £5+

now i know these come out of the same factory, as they have sold there spares arm off to a local company..

most of what goes into a car, comes from only core businesses, as they have to support the oem,s you dont get tinpot 2 man outfits upplying major oems with 5000 parts a day without some form of quality system behind them.

most of what you pay for the oem stuff is profit and advertising,


i only fit branded oil, as i have to have one with a stupid spec, which i believe halfords dont do


Mart

 

Mart,
I agree.
I work at BAE Systems and all bought out items fitted to all civil and military aircraft have to meet our defined specification.
There is no such thing as a good oil seal as opposed to a bad oil seal for example. It either is manufactured in line with and meets our spec or it doesn't and doesn't get fitted.

I have to hold my hands up and state that I am not an expert in the lubrication industry, but understand about manufacturing specifications, and the need for manufactures to comply with them.

Cheers
MTR

 

I think you'll find it's Comma oil. I would pay just a little more and use Millers
JohnD

 

Used it in T5 Volvo and my Scooby. It exceeds the oil recommended by Subaru so it will be fine.........

 

Mart, I dont disagree with anything you say but you do generally get what you pays for. The Halfords 'fully' is cheap because its just a group III hydro processed mineral oil, and thats fine if you change the oil every 3000 miles as MTR above does. But the newage Imprezas have extended service intervals which means I only need get my car serviced twice a year. On that basis I want the best lubrication available for my 300+bhp engine even if it costs another £20 on the bill. If I'm throwing money away fine then I'll live with that but if I used the cheap stuff and the car was to throw a bearing I'd always wonder - would it have happened if I'd used a PAO or ester based fully synth oil?.

Dis me if you like but thats my take on it.

 

So would the halfords synthetic should be fine for a normally aspirated engine then, even if it is a V6, but the oil would be changed every 6000 miles max.

 

IMHO opinion (which everyone else seems to disagree with) yes it should be fine.

 

It's made by Esso to a tight cost/budget. It meets API SL for your protection and will be fine for stock N/A road cars should you wish to save a few quid.

The price (at 1/2 price) reflects the true cost of this oil, Halfords are not selling this at a loss even at this price!

It is a hydrocracked oil (modified mineral oil) and at £30 is waay overpriced, the 2 for 1 offer is a more realistic price for this oil, it's no bargain.

You cannot make a pao/ester proper fully synthetic for this offer price.

For those with modded or tracked or turbo'd scoobs don't go there no matter how tempting it is, use a proper synthetic oil.

The day they sell Mobil1 for £14.99 it will be a true bargain but this will never happen as it's more than they pay for it!

Cheers
Simon

 

I have used the fully and the semi dependant on what car - no problems.

 

No Castrol is owned by BP, Castrol do rebrand oils for other people, a good example of this is tesco oil, where they use different guises of gtx. Castrol also did supply halfords with oil which was packaged in halfords containers, but I dont think they do this anymore.

 

Absolutely fine in a Scooby Engine with Oil changed at 6 monthly intervals!

I use COMMA Semi at £15 for 5Litres - so, this Halfords offer is outstanding value ..................... I'm going to buy 2 years worth!!

Pay more if you wish ............. you will get ABSOLUTELY no extra protection on a road driven Scooby.

Track days and heavily modded cars 'may' warrant the expensive stuff - thats a 'Maybe'!!

Pete

 

Never thought i would agree with mr PS Lewis! lol, but having worked in the nuclear industry for nearly 20 years, maintaining plant/engines significant to the safety of nuclear plant, if an oil states it is such a grade then it is excatly what it states or better(by law)..... Do not let the cost/make/ or anything else make you think any different.

 

I'm very old and have decades of Engineering experience .... strangely enough, 20 odd years in the Nuclear Industry.

One thing I have learnt in life is that some people will prey on anothers fears to line their own pockets (NOT implying ANYONE on here BTW!) But, in life, thats how the cookie crumbles.

Being an Engineer it just seems so logical to me - but, if you are in IT say, then someone saying your engine will blow up if you DARE to use cheaper oil then they will scare you into buying THEIR product at £x + £X + £Y +£Z!!

Do NOT do it! Just my educated opinion ..... from decades of calling up and using Oils in Industry

Pete

 

CEGB ? Mr Lewis?

 

AWE - Mr N*UFO

AWE, the Atomic Weapons Establishment, provides the warheads for the United Kingdom nuclear deterrent.

It is one of the largest high technology research, design development and production facilities in the country.

Pete

 

I do not subscribe to that argument at all as it depends what the intended use of the oil is.

I don't think you'll find that the aviation industry, specialist areas of the metal working industry or the F1 circus uses non-synthetic oils.

These sweeping statements are misleading!

I have said on many occassions that it is your car and your choice, the benefits of synthetics are well documented by many experts inside and outside of the industry.

Whether they are suitable or indeed in some cases overkill in certain applications will always be debated but at least the consumer has a choice.

They may well be overkill in an N/A car but in turbocharged ones they are essential and the reason that many OEM's now insist in the handbook that synthetic oils are used.

Each to thier own, it's a free world.

Cheers
Simon

 

And i was begining to think you were a PROPER engineer! lol

 

Nah, sorry ............. just a common Nuclear Warhead Engineer

Pete

 

Use a lot of oil in nuclear warheads do they?, no wonder they smoke!

 

Maybe they don't ............................ but we are talking a simple motor car here

We all know you sell top quality oils at an appropriate price for that percieved quality ......... so have a vested interest in scaring people into thinking that their worlds will end unless they used Hydro-Cakked this or Ethinol based that ............ any Engineer worth their salt will not be taken in by such talk and will buy the stuff to do the job.

And the Halfords Fully Synthetic at £15 does the job very well indeed!!

I would like to see you take on Halfords by declaring that their oils do not meet the specs. that they say they do!!!

Pete

 

What kind of Oil is used in the rocket, do you think?

Pete