Originally Posted By: Johnny
Dave, I really love reading these debates between you and Doug, highly respect both of you, but I have to ask you, do you really make decisions based off what you read on Wikipedia? The way that system is set up, we could go in there and tell you Group IV was made from maple syrup.
Oh, and speaking to what Americans regard, BMW is not a Chevy.
Wikipedia is useful to define a common frame of reference and I have actually found it to be quite accurate. The internet is full of anal people like myself who will ensure it stays up to date and accurate!
I chose the BMW Chevy comparison in my signature as it is a reference that most Americans would understand. They are the German equivalent of Holdens (thats Saturns to you) actually when it comes to quality
I had a very bad experience with a BMW and loathe the entire brand with a passion.
Equally, I loathe marketing departments who have, particularly in recent years, gone from "stretching the truth" about products (such as oils) to downright lies. If Castrol Australia are calling a Group III (Magnatec Professional) a "Full Synthetic" what other lies are they spouting about the standard Magnatec. Their marketing material is couched in terms that are open to interpretation. That's obfuscation, not marketing.
Some of what Doug and I are disagreeing about is semantics. When I first experienced Magnatec in 1999, it wasn't available for retail sale until 2000 (it was available to Dealers only). I consequently made
numerous enquiries of both Lexus Australia and Castrol's Technical people who informed me that it was an "enhanced conventional oil" and then proceeded to send me 5 litre's of the stuff for top ups (in an unmarked bottle - seriously!). I used this oil for 7 years and believe that it is a high quality oil. It is
not however a Synthetic Oil if it's base stock is Group III or a Semi-Synthetic if the Synthetic portion of the oil is Group III.
The whole "Group III can be called Synthetic oil" is a US centric issue only. It is a legal defnition only and doesn't change the fact that Group III are highly refined Dino oils - they are not Synthetic.
I'm looking forward to Doug's reply and hopefully providing clarification either way. He is an honest man with good connections in Castrol, ExxonMobil and Shell and should be able to bypass the typical marketing s#ite (even if he does love their products a little too much!
)