Motorcraft bulk at the dealer

[nascarnation]

If you nose around the service dept, it shouldn't be too difficult to locate their supply area and see what's on the barrels or totes. Just ask one of the service techs.

 

[Blue99]

Just as a note, the Motorcraft oils on this website are still listed as API SJ, so my question would be has any of the lubricant information been updated within the last 2-3 years?

Motorcraft Oil Webpage

 

[Thomas Pyrek]

one of the criteria of 5w-20 was that it needed to be easily aquired.

If it wasn't available in 55 gallon drums, then it sure wouldn't be easily acquireable for a stealership IMO.

 

[JohnnyO]

I posted this a while back, but we got our 2003 Taurus used at a Ford dealer. Oil had been freshly changed and Motorcraft filter installed. I sent that oil out for a UOA after 4000 miles and it showed more like 5w-30.

Click here for UOA

 

[acovington]

The Motorcraft website may not list 5W-20 as available in drums *from the factory*, but a local lubricants jobber could easily be repackaging the product into drums. My employer does it all the time for Chevron and Texaco products.

 

[ddolat]

I quess my concern is that unless Ford actually enforces its specs. on the dealer, then they could just use whatever is the cheapest for them. This raises the concern of what other shortcuts dealers use in servicing vehicles. Do they use a recommended fluids? Do the perfrom services as recommende or do they take shortcuts knowing the customer will never know? These questions are making me lean more towards doing my own maintenace.

 

[pepper32]

Having worked in a steel scrap yard, we recieved drums from the local Ford dealership. Many were Motorcraft 5w20.

 

[ddolat]

Everytime I take my truck to the dealer for an oil change the invoice lists Motorcraft 5w-20 as the oil used. The other day I was looking over the Motorcraft website and saw a link to their bulk oil. The website does not list 5w-20 as one of the oils available in 55-gallon drums, only 5w-30, 10w-30, 15w-40, 10w-40, and 0w-30 are listed. So, does this mean that the dealer is using a 30wt. and just listing 5w-20 on the invoice? I have asked for a sample for a voa from their bulk containers but they say its against their policy.

 

[JohnnyO]

quote:

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Originally posted by ddolat:
I quess my concern is that unless Ford actually enforces its specs. on the dealer, then they could just use whatever is the cheapest for them.

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My feeling is that some do, some don't. If I ever took mine to the dealer for an oil change (note that I did the wife's car a few weeks ago one-handed because I'd just had surgery on my elbow), I'd give them a Blackstone jar and say "Put a little in here, I always send it to a lab. I will the next time too." Even if I know I won't. Hey, I can lie too.

Pepper32's post gives me some comfort though.

 

[Big Jim]

All of the dealers that I have worked for get their bulk oil by tanker truck, not 55 gallon drums. At least here in California, each place that a technician can pump oil must be labeled and the oil distributor is required to keep them current. Sometimes the label is on the ceiling when the shop has overhead reels. It is always on the supply tank as well.

Ford in particualr is very picky about dealers using Ford oil for warranty repairs. It is uncommon for a Ford dealer to use something else for retail oil changes since it would mean dual storage and supply systems within the dealership. Ford has also been very agressive about getting the dealers to have 5w20 oil. The cost of buying Motorcraft 5w20 as case goods is prohibitively expensive. The dealer cost is more than what you can buy it for at Wal Mart.

So in short, it is not very likely that the dealer will be installing something other that Motorcraft 5w20 if that is what they say thay are installing.