More on Engine Oils Abroad

I wrote to Castrol, asked these questions and I had this response:

1. Please could you recommend an engine oil for my car. I have a Mercedes 230TE which has a fuel injected petrol engine. My car first hit the road in 1987 and it has now done over 240,000 miles and still going strong!

GTX Magnatec 15W-40 would be recommended for this engine, but Magnatec 10W-40 is also suitable.

2. I sometimes take my car abroad and get connfused with the different names of your oils. For instance in France what is GTX2? I can't find a data sheet for this on your website.

Unfortunately, I don't have the details on GTX 2. From previous customers, I think that GTX 2 is equivalent to UK GTX. One way that you can check on the specification of the oil, using the 15W-40 grade oil, is the ACEA rating on the back of the can - Magnatec meets A3/B3, and this exceeds A2/B2 which is the GTX spec.

3. What does the viscosity rating mean (SAE 10W/40)?

Essentially, there are two things you need to know; the higher the number represents a thicker oil, and all oils thin down a lot as they get hotter. 10W-40 means that the oil is a multigrade and behaves like an SAE 10 oil at cold temperatures but like an SAE 40 at high temperatures. For a 10W-40, the oil is fairly thin at cold temperatures to allow for easy starting and rapid oil circulation, but doesn't thin down so much as for example an SAE 10 at high temperatures, which maintains protection by means of a strong oil film.

I hope this helps. If you need any more information, please don't hesitate to contact us again.

Regards
John

So if Castrol don't know their overseas products then who does?