Guys,
You might find it a bit strange to see a review on Engine Oil, as it's probably not as obvious a thing to review as brakes or something more tangible.
However with the plethora of oils out there, and big name brands spending £100m's on marketing, and therefore commanding high prices... the less discerning amongst us (myself included) often get suckered into the hype around big name brands, as ultimately we all want the best for our engine.
I won't go into the details of what is in an engine oil etc as there is already good useful and factual information on this site. This is quite a good read, and written by one of our already recognised traders.
http://typeaccord.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/76-oil-information/
I think what is absolutely essential to remember, whether you own a petrol or a diesel, is that oil is THE single most critical element that will determine the longevity and reliability of your engine. It will also help/hinder with things like fuel economy and general 'feel' of the car.
Since ownership, I've always bought big brand name oils in the belief that I'm getting something 'more' for my money. Crucially, they've always been 0w/30 which is the correct oil for the diesel. However at around £70 a pop (after all member discounts) it's quite pricey, especially if you want to maintain oil change intervals over what Honda recommend.
Recently, we discovered a company called Lubetech who supply EXOL oils. Their pricing seemed really too good to be true, and to be honest, we initally wrote them off as a team thinking perhaps their products would not be on par with the big names..
However on further investigation, when Andy (monks) took the initiative and delved a bit deeper, he discovered that actually their engine oils comply with all the main industry recognised accreditations and it seems to be a very good product indeed.
Andy's experience was good, and he commented that he noticed no change in engine feel from his previous Motul engine oil. That was good enough for me, and I also switched to this oil yesterday (also from Motul).
I'll try and keep this thread upto date as I cover some miles, but I wanted to get this out on the forum to ensure you are considering EXOL in your maintenance regime.
The price... well after our member discount (PM one of us for the code) it cost me around £90 delivered for a 25 litre container. The container is quite easy to handle and dispense oil into a smaller container. For the ICTDI, 25 litres is enough for 4 oil changes and a bit left over for top ups.
Consider that I was paying around £70 just for one oil change!
At the moment (20/08/2010) the Lubetech website www.lubetechshop.co.uk is down for maintenance, but they tell me it will be back up very soon. In the meantime if you want to place an order, then contact Tony at Info@lubetech.plus.com and mention you are a club member here. Might be worth you getting the discount code from one of us first just in case he needs it.
Important info to consider on the EXOL 0w/30:
The 0w30 is a high specification product. The important specs are the ACEA (European car manufactures) specifications this product meets A3, B3, B4 which is a guarantee of quality, the ACEA grading is a more stringent requirement than the API (American petroleum institute) and is strict in the quality of base oils and additive packs.
The product also meets BMW longlife 98 spec and Mercedes 229.3 again a good indication of quality. All the above specs mean that you are getting a sheer stable stay in grade product so it will be 0w30 when you put it in and a 0w30 when you take it out.
The price is good because Exol are not a brand name although they are the largest independent manufacturer in Europe, and they do not spend millions on advertising. They can therefore offer much better prices than Castrol, Mobil etc.
The quality when compared to brands is as good and sometimes better..
Lubetech also sell every other product relating to lubrication requirements for vehicle maintenance, so be sure to check them out.
www.lubetechshop.co.uk
You might find it a bit strange to see a review on Engine Oil, as it's probably not as obvious a thing to review as brakes or something more tangible.
However with the plethora of oils out there, and big name brands spending £100m's on marketing, and therefore commanding high prices... the less discerning amongst us (myself included) often get suckered into the hype around big name brands, as ultimately we all want the best for our engine.
I won't go into the details of what is in an engine oil etc as there is already good useful and factual information on this site. This is quite a good read, and written by one of our already recognised traders.
http://typeaccord.co.uk/forum/index.php?/topic/76-oil-information/
I think what is absolutely essential to remember, whether you own a petrol or a diesel, is that oil is THE single most critical element that will determine the longevity and reliability of your engine. It will also help/hinder with things like fuel economy and general 'feel' of the car.
Since ownership, I've always bought big brand name oils in the belief that I'm getting something 'more' for my money. Crucially, they've always been 0w/30 which is the correct oil for the diesel. However at around £70 a pop (after all member discounts) it's quite pricey, especially if you want to maintain oil change intervals over what Honda recommend.
Recently, we discovered a company called Lubetech who supply EXOL oils. Their pricing seemed really too good to be true, and to be honest, we initally wrote them off as a team thinking perhaps their products would not be on par with the big names..
However on further investigation, when Andy (monks) took the initiative and delved a bit deeper, he discovered that actually their engine oils comply with all the main industry recognised accreditations and it seems to be a very good product indeed.
Andy's experience was good, and he commented that he noticed no change in engine feel from his previous Motul engine oil. That was good enough for me, and I also switched to this oil yesterday (also from Motul).
I'll try and keep this thread upto date as I cover some miles, but I wanted to get this out on the forum to ensure you are considering EXOL in your maintenance regime.
The price... well after our member discount (PM one of us for the code) it cost me around £90 delivered for a 25 litre container. The container is quite easy to handle and dispense oil into a smaller container. For the ICTDI, 25 litres is enough for 4 oil changes and a bit left over for top ups.
Consider that I was paying around £70 just for one oil change!
At the moment (20/08/2010) the Lubetech website www.lubetechshop.co.uk is down for maintenance, but they tell me it will be back up very soon. In the meantime if you want to place an order, then contact Tony at Info@lubetech.plus.com and mention you are a club member here. Might be worth you getting the discount code from one of us first just in case he needs it.
Important info to consider on the EXOL 0w/30:
The 0w30 is a high specification product. The important specs are the ACEA (European car manufactures) specifications this product meets A3, B3, B4 which is a guarantee of quality, the ACEA grading is a more stringent requirement than the API (American petroleum institute) and is strict in the quality of base oils and additive packs.
The product also meets BMW longlife 98 spec and Mercedes 229.3 again a good indication of quality. All the above specs mean that you are getting a sheer stable stay in grade product so it will be 0w30 when you put it in and a 0w30 when you take it out.
The price is good because Exol are not a brand name although they are the largest independent manufacturer in Europe, and they do not spend millions on advertising. They can therefore offer much better prices than Castrol, Mobil etc.
The quality when compared to brands is as good and sometimes better..
Lubetech also sell every other product relating to lubrication requirements for vehicle maintenance, so be sure to check them out.
www.lubetechshop.co.uk