FAQ - GC ( German Castrol )

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Plus those Camry V6's have better specific output than most production engines made just a decade ago... Granted, they're relatively easy on oil too, but the version in my IS350 puts out nearly 90hp/L at only 6,400rpm, a pretty impressive feat.

I'd love to see a GC UOA on this engine, as it would certainly help me decide what to do with my pre-Ultra stash!
 
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I'll see what I can do! Sometimes, my Dad toddles off and gets an oil change or some work done before he lets me know. He doesn't want to bother me, he says, but I'm trying to teach my son some of this stuff too...
 
That's how my dad is. I just use a pump/extractor and pull a sample right before he takes it for the change. :)
 
Not sure I'd call that wasting GC. Sure there are cars that benefit more from that oil than a Camry, but I'll never insult someone for using a better or "overkill" oil in any application.
 
Yes, the chart shows a HT/HS of 2.6. That must be an error as part of the ACEA A3 spec calls for 3.5 or greater HT/HS. FWIW--Oldtommy
 
Hey, I bought about a case of random GC 0w-30 at Autozone, and I was wondering if I bought Gold or the Green GC.

Here are the visible codes I can see on the bottles:
4x: M111616 11:18 A3 ATW3100
7x: M111616 11:52 A3 ATW3100
1x: M111616 11:51 A3 ATW3100
1x: M110706 10:27 A3 A7200

So are all these made in 2011? i.e. M "11" or am I confused about the GC FAQ?

Thanks,
 
Originally Posted By: TJPark01
Depends on your driving style. GC acts more like a 40 oil. If you drive enough long distances consistently, it should be fine. But if your driving is a lot of stop and go city or short trips, it's not really ideal.


Interesting point. I live in the Northeast, so we get the dreaded winters. I do about 35-40% city driving. Does the benefit of a 0W for winter outweigh the loss in fuel economy of a 40 wgt oil in my case???

I got an excellent UOA for this oil after running it for 8K miles with an oil filter change at the 4K mark over one winter in my car which holds 4.5 quarts of oil.
 
Originally Posted By: AlphaMale8
I got an excellent UOA for this oil after running it for 8K miles with an oil filter change at the 4K mark over one winter in my car which holds 4.5 quarts of oil.

If you're talking about the Maxima, I don't think you really need to run GC. If you do short trips in city type driving, I'd be more inclined to use M1 AFE 0W-20.
 
Originally Posted By: pengc99
Is the current production gold Castrol 0w-30 Made in Germany still a PAO/Ester synthetic or is it a Group III now?

The specs haven't changed in years, so it's probably still made of the same components as before, but no one can answer this with 100% certainty. Does it really matter though?
 
How about "Castrol Edge with SPT European Formula 0W30; New name formerly Syntec; Made in Germany"? It is on sale at AutoZone for $26 after rebate with a K&N filter.
 
Originally Posted By: ganseg
How about "Castrol Edge with SPT European Formula 0W30; New name formerly Syntec; Made in Germany"?

Yup. That's the new name of GC. Check a couple of pages back in this thread.
 
If anyone is looking for some GC, I found a few cases of it at Pepboys in Paterson NJ, it was on sale (with the rest of the castrol synthetic) for 22.99 with a bosch black oil filter. I found a few on top stamped Made in Germany, and promptly rearranged it to bury that GC haha. I picked up 2 cases of 5/50 and 2 of 5/40, for under 120 bucks, plus a rebate. The filter selection was lacking though. If anyone needs it, youll have to dig but its there. I found 4 cases, so there might be some more. I might go back and grab a case just to have some.
 
The amazing part is that some of the 0W30 was not made in Germany. In addition, all of the GC that I have is marked on the back instead of the cap. What the did the non-GC look like?
 
Sorry for the confusion Pete. I was trying to ask the Audios about the appearance of thew non-GC looked that seems to have been found. If it is the original US 0W30, it would be fairly old at this point. I also did not understand if Audios was saying that the GC quarts were found on the top of some sort of stack or if he was suggesting that "made in germany" was found on the top of the bottle somewhere. This story seems difficult to believe. GC is not rare. The US vintage is rare. I used my last quart of US vintage 0W30 in '06 in place of 5W20.
 
What is the general thought on shelf life? I found some SL grade stashed in my parent's garage that I must have hid...still good? Bottles are still sealed.
 
Originally Posted By: InvalidUserID
What is the general thought on shelf life? I found some SL grade stashed in my parent's garage that I must have hid...still good? Bottles are still sealed.

Probably just fine to use.

By the way, current GC that's on retailers' shelves is SL as well.
 
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