Response from Castrol on GC

[weatherdude]

The GC supply where I live has gone down to nil. I bought the last 4 quarts I could find (we have two Autozones in the town where I live).

So I decided to email Castrol about this sad state and their reply is below (it may or may not be of interest to the group):

BEGIN QUOTE:

Thank you for contacting Castrol North America.

You can rest assured that Castrol SYNTEC 0w-30 available in North
America, is the exact same product as Castrol SYNTEC 0w-30 manufactured
in Germany.

Thank you again for your interest in Castrol, The Technology Leader!

Consumer Relations
Castrol North America

The North American Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 offers the same performance
as the German SYNTEC 0W-30. Performance attributes are clearly
demonstrated in the performance ratings and OEM approvals indicated for
each of our individual product offerings.

Castrol produces and utilize formulas from various sources, including
North America and Europe depending on the product, performance and
component sourcing. Products may vary in raw materials as a result of
the regional production facility. However, the end performance met
whether API or ACEA, is still the same. Formulations meeting European
standards can be sourced from the US or Europe. It all comes down the
most efficient way to supply the product to market taking into
consideration development and supply chain logistics. The performance
specifications on the bottle may read differently as American Standard
testing varies from European testing.

Formulations meeting European standards can be sourced from the US or
Europe. It all comes down the most efficient way to supply the product
to market taking into consideration development and supply chain
logistics.

The decision for 0W-30 to be sourced from Germany is based upon the most
efficient supply logistics.

Castrol SYNTEC SAE 0W-30 exceeds all car and light truck manufacturer's
warranty requirements for the protection of gasoline, diesel and
turbocharged engines where API SL, SJ, SH, CF or CD is recommended.
Exceeds European ACEA: A3, B3, B4; VW 502 00, 505 00, 503 01; MB 229.1,
229.3; BMW LL-01 and the engine protection requirements of ILSAC GF-3
for API Certified Gasoline Engine Oils and meets Energy Conserving
Standards.

There are many forums on the internet and these are often the result of
seemingly knowledgeable persons offering so called "expert information"
to those that aren't. Performance attributes are clearly demonstrated
in the performance ratings and OEM approvals indicated for each of our
individual product offerings.

Castrol Syntec 0W-30 offers the same performance, whether it is
manufactured in Germany or not.

Castrol Consumer Relations

END QUOTE

 

[luvs2drive]

quote:

---

Originally posted by weatherdude:
You can rest assured that Castrol SYNTEC 0w-30 available in North America, is the exact same product as Castrol SYNTEC 0w-30 manufactured
in Germany.

Products may vary in raw materials as a result of
the regional production facility. However, the end performance met
whether API or ACEA, is still the same.

---

Could it be true that the American made stuff is a full syn like the German made stuff? I wish that were true. I'll be interested to see what this board has to say about this.
In the first half they say exactly the same. Then later on they say that products vary depending on raw materials. Sounds fishy! LOL

 

[MMX]

quote:

---

Castrol Syntec 0W-30 offers the same performance, whether it is
manufactured in Germany or not.

Castrol Consumer Relations

---

Same logic! NA Castrol Syntec is a full synthetic, whether it is Group III or not.

 

[Pablo]

Thanks I needed that.

I was thinking Amsoil was the only lube company that spews BS.

 

[EmbarkChief]

E-mail them a picture of the USA 0W-30 and GC in a glass container side by side and ask them if its the same oil why are they two different colors?

 

[weatherdude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by EmbarkChief:
E-mail them a picture of the USA 0W-30 and GC in a glass container side by side and ask them if its the same oil why are they two different colors?

---

I did that. I went through the whole deal about the smell and the color and how they were different in my eyes, and they took it as such. Their reply, to me, is saying that I, uneducated when it comes to their oil and their formulations, may see asthetic differences. However, they claim that those differences are irrelevant, and the two are more or less equal in performance.

Now if you believe that or not is your own call. I'm not really buying it, but am planning on doing my first UOA with my current fill of GC and then buy some of the NA 0w30 and do a UOA of it as well (might even throw in a VOA of both since I do have half a quart left of the GC). Who knows...

 

[T-Keith]

I thought that the American 0w30 didn't meet the same specs, unless this has changed?

-T

 

[weatherdude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by T-Keith:
I thought that the American 0w30 didn't meet the same specs, unless this has changed?

-T

---

Their reply indicates this as well:

"The performance specifications on the bottle may read differently as American Standard testing varies from European testing."

They then go on to say that they meet or exceed the same specs. In other words (how I am reading their reply), they may say different things on the bottle, and the oil inside my look/smell different, but it still performs the same. Or something to that effect.

I'm guessing only some UOAs can prove it one way or another. I'm hoping to do that in the coming year. I am hoping to throw a UOA of my current GC fill out there some time around the end of this year (will be my first UOA so any suggestions on labs will be appreciated). I'll then go on to do the same with the NA stuff. My driving routine is fairly constant, and the weather changes over this fall/winter are pretty constant with the changes we experience durring the winter/spring shift as well so conditions should be close enough to produce some sort of comparison.

 

[EmbarkChief]

Is there a VOA for USA 0W-30? I noticed a few for GC...

 

[Audi Junkie]

It is the same oil as far as customer relations is concerned, 0w-30. I guess you would have to state the question more specificly, not letting them dance around the US vs Euro specs. "Does it meet Porsche requirements even though the bottle does not say so and Porsche themselves do not reference it? Why does it not have the specs on the bottle? Can I see the actual results of the test sequence? Does your recommendation mean it passed a paper test or that it passed an actual test or just *might* pass it".

 

[weatherdude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Audi Junkie:
It is the same oil as far as customer relations is concerned, 0w-30. I guess you would have to state the question more specificly, not letting them dance around the US vs Euro specs. "Does it meet Porsche requirements even though the bottle does not say so and Porsche themselves do not reference it? Why does it not have the specs on the bottle? Can I see the actual results of the test sequence? Does your recommendation mean it passed a paper test or that it passed an actual test or just *might* pass it".

---

I could have spent more time trying to get more information from them; however, when I first attempted to deal with them via phone I wasn't impressed and was getting pretty frustrated. So I fired off a few emails. I got one response that looked like it came from two people and lumped into one message. My thinking is that I've gotten all the info I can out of them. Which is fine, I'll just shoot for testing the oil on my own.

As for the VOA of the NA 0w30, I don't know if one has already been done, but I plan on doing one anyways. I figure the more the better.

 

[EmbarkChief]

Weatherdude

 

[poison]

I call BS. The NA bottles I've seen say nothing about the VW, BMW, and Porsche requirements being met.

There is no way it would pass those yet wouldn't be printed on the bottle.

Nate

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

---

Originally posted by poison:
I call BS. The NA bottles I've seen say nothing about the VW, BMW, and Porsche requirements being met.

There is no way it would pass those yet wouldn't be printed on the bottle.

Nate

---

It is BS. The difference I find most interesting is that the American made 0w-30 does NOT meet the ACEA A3 specification whereas GC does. The author of that response is either uninformed or dishonest. Bad either way, if you ask me.

 

[weatherdude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by ekpolk:
It is BS. The difference I find most interesting is that the American made 0w-30 does NOT meet the ACEA A3 specification whereas GC does. The author of that response is either uninformed or dishonest. Bad either way, if you ask me. [/QB]

---

I would guess that they are uninformed and probably going off of some sort of company script. I can't really fault the person(s) who wrote the message as they were doing their job.

I do fault Castrol as a company for this type of crud.

 

[Michael Polutta]

This is similar to the betrayal I felt when I learned that Castrol's definition of "synthetic" was suddenly different from mine. I know Group III oils are good oils, but I absolutely HATE that they are allowed to be called synthetic.

 

[newtoncd8]

I call BS. The NA bottles I've seen say nothing about the VW, BMW, and Porsche requirements being met. There is no way it would pass those yet wouldn't be printed on the bottle.


When I asked the question, I was told the new(er) NA bottles will meet/exceed and be labeled with ACEA A3, VW502, etc. If you find any that don't Castrol USA is saying that is old stock.

I am still looking for the NA ACEA A3 bottles....all I have found to date is (thankfully) the German product.

[ October 27, 2004, 06:29 PM: Message edited by: Curtis Newton ]

 

[buster]

The NA bottles don't say A3. Their full of **** . Big companies and most oil geek consumers like us, who are small minority, really don't care enough for this to ever change. That is the reality of it.

 

[weatherdude]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Curtis Newton:

When I asked the question, I was told the new(er) NA bottles will meet/exceed and be labeled with ACEA A3, VW502, etc. If you find any that don't Castrol USA is saying that is old stock.

---

Then there is a heck of a lot of old stock in my area. For the four qts I found this weekend, there must have been cases upon cases of this old stock without the ACEA/VW/MB,etc ratings.

 

[SSDude]

They are as clueless as the AutoZone employees.