So I just switched from GC to XD-3 0w-30 (price)

[m4gician]

It`s great so far,

Nothing negative to say, everyone is saying that XD-3 0w30 and German Castrol are very similar oils though XD-3 is cheaper.

Unfortunately I`m late to the party in finding out that the XD-3 is discotinued and that I found one of the last cases availale locally. Gotta try to stock up, cuz it`s a bargain oil.

Anyone else using thisÉ

 

[CATERHAM]

Actually I think XD-3 is superior to GC; at the very least it has has a higher VI (176) and an unsurpassed MRV, which means it is lighter at all start-up temp's.

It's not being discontinued but has been rebranded as
Mobil Delvac Elite 222 0W-30. No idea what the pricing is under the new name but the PAO based oil is the same.

A number of fellow Canucks have used this oil including 21Rouge.

 

[yeti]

caterham -- is the mobil delvac 0w30 sold in stores, or just at the oil "depots" ? TIA.

 

[CATERHAM]

I suspect just the oil depots.
Home Hardware who carried XD-3 apparently won't be carrying the Mobil branded version.

 

[cp3]

Interesting. Is the name change to make it easier to peddle south of the border?

 

[CATERHAM]

Good question, as BITOGers would love this stuff but I just think it's still for us Canadaians. We're so lucky!

 

[m4gician]

oh no, what I meant was that the MObil verison it's being rebranded as is 30% more expensive at the least, so I'm probably going back to GC sooon heh.

 

[CATERHAM]

Or stock up on the ESSO XD-3. I know some Home Hardware stores still have it.

BTW M1 0W-40 is a superior product to GC due at least in part to it's much higher VI. It's actually lighter than GC at temp's as high as 25C. And if you want to stick to a HTHS 3.5cP 0w30 a 3 to 1 mix of M1 0W-40 and M1 0W-20 will acheive the same thing with a VI of over 180.

 

[fredf]

Is the XD-3 VW 502?

 

[CATERHAM]

Originally Posted By: m4gician
oh no, what I meant was that the MObil verison it's being rebranded as is 30% more expensive at the least


I checked with NOCO Lubricants in Etobicoke and it's $8.04/L in a case of 12 which is a lot cheaper than GC in Canada.

 

[cp3]

What about Duron 0W30? HTHS of 3.3 and 175 VI with pretty good cold numbers. I believe OVERK1LL posted what he paid last year and it was cheaper too but maybe not.

 

[CATERHAM]

Yes PC Duron 0w30 would also be an option although it's a bit lighter than the Mobil Delvac (HTHS 3.5cP).
But that shouldn't be a problem as you could blend in any amount of PC Duron 0W-40 (HTHS 4.04cP, VI 179) to get whatever viscosity you want.

 

[cp3]

What vehicle are you using this oil in?

 

[m4gician]

Originally Posted By: CATERHAM
Originally Posted By: m4gician
oh no, what I meant was that the MObil verison it's being rebranded as is 30% more expensive at the least


I checked with NOCO Lubricants in Etobicoke and it's $8.04/L in a case of 12 which is a lot cheaper than GC in Canada.


I jsut bought my XD-3 from NOCO and it was something like $6.50 a litre. I'm essentially paying for a new label now for the Mobil 222 whatever.

 

[m4gician]

Originally Posted By: cp3
What vehicle are you using this oil in?


Volvo T5 engine - 5 cyl turbo tuned and boosted a bit.

 

[RogerBacon]

I paid $6.10/litre for Elite222 0W30 about 1 month ago at the ESSO depot in St. Thomas Ont. They swear it is the same oil as XD3. I have been using this oil ever since it came on the market and still believe it is the best oil available for the money anywhere. Roger

 

[cp3]

Originally Posted By: m4gician
Originally Posted By: cp3
What vehicle are you using this oil in?


Volvo T5 engine - 5 cyl turbo tuned and boosted a bit.


Nice.

$6.10 is a good price I would think, sure beats GC.

 

[pitzel]

Yup, great stuff, been running it since 2004. I posted in another thread that I had nearly 60,000km on a single change of it in a GM 3.1L V6 engine (only drained to repair an unrelated mechanical issue in the engine, the lower intake gaskets). Am now 40,000km into my second oil change of it.

I paid < $4/L for it though.. Considering that natural gas prices are down considerably from even 2003/2004 levels, it is surprising that the price of XD-3 is considerably higher, although it really is a premium product that was probably under-priced (and I am an Imperial Oil shareholder....so I shouldn't complain too much!).

 

[dparm]

Sadly not available in America or it would be something I'd consider.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: pitzel
I paid < $4/L for it though.. Considering that natural gas prices are down considerably from even 2003/2004 levels, it is surprising that the price of XD-3 is considerably higher, although it really is a premium product that was probably under-priced (and I am an Imperial Oil shareholder....so I shouldn't complain too much!).


Imperial Oil isn't the only company with some weird pricing structures. PC seems to sell their 0w30 a lot cheaper than their other synthetics.

At under $4 per litre for XD-3 0w-30, that might be a good option for my old F-150, now that it's been rebuilt.