Some questions regarding the engine oil.

[kn5owa]

When I worked in technology, people would frequently tell me that they asked an IBM employee a technical question (about an IBM product), and tell me that "IBM said xxxx." I tell them, no, IBM did not tell you anything. One person who works for IBM told you something, and there are hundreds of thousands IBM employees, and they don't all have the same level of expertise, and they don't all agree with each other. I know this because I used to work for IBM, and a lot of idiots told customers the wrong stuff all the time.

When I worked for IBM, nobody would even get past the switchboard unless it was the CEO of an oil co. or something - or maybe somebody with a service contract.

 

[Mark_888]

One other thought.
Is this oil ever likely to be fake/ counterfeit?

I guess that depends where you buy it, and whether the cap seal is broken. I once bought some oil at Walmart, and when I got home I realized the cap seal was broken, and probably someone put some cheap oil back in the 5-quart container and returned it for a refund, so I did not use it.

 

[Mark_888]

When I worked for IBM, nobody would even get past the switchboard unless it was the CEO of an oil co. or something - or maybe somebody with a service contract.

Yep. No entitlement (service contract), no service. Even IBM employees cannot get technical support unless they use the customer number of one of their customers.

IBM technical support is usually pretty good, but there are a lot IBM consultants who give out advice who don't know what they are talking about. Plus, sometimes reasonable people can disagree about certain things. There is not always one correct answer.

 

[Midnightsun]

I guess that depends where you buy it, and whether the cap seal is broken. I once bought some oil at Walmart, and when I got home I realized the cap seal was broken, and probably someone put some cheap oil back in the 5-quart container and returned it for a refund, so I did not use it.

Tell me about it! A few years back one of my aquarium filters bit the bullet so I wander into Walmart and buy a new one. So I get home break open the packaging which was vacuum sealed by the way, open the box and inside is a dirty old filter full of algae! I felt terrible bringing it back and trying to explain however the girl behind the counter thought nothing of it. Obviously some people are sealing up the parcel with a sealing machine and putting anything back in it,s place so when brought back they just say it was never opened and they do not check as it is still sealed. Unbelievable but so very true.

 

[nickpike]

You're correct, I am retired and have the time. As a retired Development Engineer, I have a lot of experience of seeing the results of poor lubrication due to whatever reason. I know how important lubrication is. I was involved with Tribology for a few years also. I'm trying to be thorough, get the most suitable oil money can buy, and not necessarily the cheapest, and then put this to bed and I don't have to think of it again for year after year when the servicing is due. As you can see, the manual may give oil grade standards, but this leaves a choice of oils, even the same make, and some have benefits over others. So it doesn't appear to be an exact science.
I personally like Shell products and will use one of the Shell products we have talked about.
I'm not sure I completely agree with your reason why they recommend Shell in the manual as an advertisement. I would be surprised if Hyundai has not completed extensive oil testing. I know we did and Shell products always performed well.


Many thanks for you help. I may have the time but I always find this kind of thing interesting. It was kind of you to apply your time also.
cheers
Nick

 

[Mark_888]

I'm not sure I completely agree with your reason why they recommend Shell in the manual as an advertisement. I would be surprised if Hyundai has not completed extensive oil testing. I know we did and Shell products always performed well.

I agree that Shell makes very good products. But so do Mobil 1, BP (Castrol in the USA), Valvoline, Chevron, and others (Pennzoil and Quaker State are Shell brands in the USA). Do you really think that Hyundai tested Shell and all the other products and determined that Shell was the best, and based on that alone, put the recommendation the owner's manual? If so, I would say you are very naïve. Not to mention that there are so many different motor oils from each brand, and they change over time, that it would be futile to test them all.

Hyundai manufactures 3 million vehicles per year, which makes it desirable to have an agreement on buying large quantifies of motor oil as factory fill, and part of that is getting a better deal on the purchase if Hyundai recommends Shell to its customers in the owner's manual. By no means am I suggesting that Hyundai would recommend a motor oil in their owners manual that is not very high quality, but as I mentioned above, there are lots of high quality motor oils these days. But just about any synthetic motor oil is far superior to Shell conventional oil, which what is recommended by Hyundai.

 

[nickpike]

Just for completeness, I received this from Hyundai UK, and it agrees nicely with the Shell recommendation.

I can confirm the recommendation for the 3.8L 2WD Genesis engine oil is:
Shell Helix Ultra- Professional AG 5W-30. Acea -A3/A5
C2/C3 (Diesel)
I wish you a very happy Christmas.

 

[Mark_888]

Just for completeness, I received this from Hyundai UK, and it agrees nicely with the Shell recommendation.

I can confirm the recommendation for the 3.8L 2WD Genesis engine oil is:
Shell Helix Ultra- Professional AG 5W-30. Acea -A3/A5
C2/C3 (Diesel)
I wish you a very happy Christmas.

Yeah, so they called Shell or went to the Shell website. So of course it agrees with Shell.

But that motor oil is fine, so use it. Just don't use that ECT low-emissions stuff.