Castrol 5w40 vs Castrol 0w40

Patman

Staff member
Joined
May 27, 2002
Messages
22,185
Location
Guelph, Ontario
I see a lot of people praising Castrol's 0w40 on here but I never see anyone talking about their 5w40 at all, is it really that inferior? My local Costco carries the 5L jug of 5w40 for $32 CDN, although it's still cheaper for me to buy Castrol 0w40 across the border in a US Walmart.

So what is it about the 5w40 that rubs my fellow BITOGers the wrong way?
 
It's nitpicking to some extent, but higher Noack of Edge 5w-40 indicates lower quality oil bases. It's one of the reasons it cannot meet MB 229.5 spec.

Since Edge 0w-40 is the same price or less and meets more stringent MFG specs, most people just don't see a reason to buy the 5w-40 stuff.
 
When I lived in NW Ohio, I had 2 friends with Audi vehicles that specified VW 502 oils. Several years ago I scored a bunch of loose quarts for $2 each at Autozone of Castrol 5W-40, 0W-40, & 0W-30 as well as older Pennzoil Ultra and newer Pennzoil Platinum in 5W-40. All met VW 502 specs, and the vehicle that used up the Castrol 5W-40 is still running fine today. It was a 2011 A4 4 cyl DI turbo.
 
Last edited:
When I spoke to Castrol over the phone, they told me their two Euro oils that were PAO based were Edge 0W40 and Edge 10W60. By implication that makes the Edge 5W40 a Group III synthetic. Nothing wrong with that, but that is the difference.

I also hear it's Noack is a touch over 10%, still good, but also the reason it can't claim MB 229.5 for the 5W40. It can claim other great specs like Porsche A40.

Here the Edge 5W40 is always priced below the Edge 0W40, which I assume helps it sell. I've seen the 5W40 at a good sale price a few times, but never pulled the trigger on it. The Edge 5W30 A3/B4 with BMW LL-01 and MB 229.5 is more my style. The 5W30 A3/B4 is also Group III, but viscosity wise it's a tighter oil, so less VII and a lower Noack.
 
Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
It's nitpicking to some extent, but higher Noack of Edge 5w-40 indicates lower quality oil bases. It's one of the reasons it cannot meet MB 229.5 spec.

Since Edge 0w-40 is the same price or less and meets more stringent MFG specs, most people just don't see a reason to buy the 5w-40 stuff.

The oil is thicker.
 
The 0w-40 is easier to find than the 5w-40 (Amazon, Walmart) for me. Given a lower Noack and better base oil (though honestly there doesn't appear to be much difference in performance and protection between Group III and Group IV base oils) it's a pretty easy choice for me.
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
I see a lot of people praising Castrol's 0w40 on here but I never see anyone talking about their 5w40 at all, is it really that inferior? My local Costco carries the 5L jug of 5w40 for $32 CDN, although it's still cheaper for me to buy Castrol 0w40 across the border in a US Walmart.

So what is it about the 5w40 that rubs my fellow BITOGers the wrong way?

Castrol 5W40? Total POS.
Used it in Passat 1.8T B5.5 and it took 4,000 miles for hydro lifters to start knocking.
That problems was never present with Castrol 0W30 (GC) I used later and is one of the reasons I switched to 0W30.
It is actually below average Group III oil since there are other Group III oils that meet MB229.5 or MB 229.51 like Valvoline 5W40.
 
I wish we still had GC 0w30 here (and for the $5 per liter I used to find it at back then!) as this would be my top choice for her BMW!
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
I wish we still had GC 0w30 here (and for the $5 per liter I used to find it at back then!) as this would be my top choice for her BMW!

As much as it pains me, check CT and Partsource on that product, too. NAPA Canada is, again, another option. Of course, the 1 L pricing is always the barrier. Getting a good relationship with an independent parts store that sells Castrol is another option, particularly for products that are getting harder to find or that are less frequently on sale.

Quattro Pete: All our Walmarts used to carry the Castrol 0w-30 A3/B4. Now, it's a bit hit and miss. In fact, your link shows it's not available at any of the local Walmarts currently, but if I were needing the product, I'd verify in person, because I don't know how accurate their site is on stock. Canadian Tire's site seems to have correct inventory numbers, with online stock matching their computer, but whether someone stocked the shelves is another matter, too.
 
I haven't seen GC at my local Walmart or Canadian Tire in quite a while now, and the price would be a problem too, my wife's car takes 7 quarts at oil change time (plus one for top up) and single 1L bottles of any Castrol product are about $13, so it would be almost triple the price of buying in the bigger jugs (and GC never did come in the bigger jugs) I should have built up a bigger stash back in the day! (I think my largest supply was 80L at one point!)
 
The local CTs here usually have it, though of course, that can change at any time. All I could recommend is watch for the one litre specials, and see what you can find. Of course, there's nothing wrong with the other options in the sensible container size. I think Bluewave Energy is your Pennzoil-Quaker State distributor, as well, so they might be able to get you a decent price on the PP Euro 5w-40 LL01, too.
 
Even if I found a steady supply, and even if it went on sale for 50% off, it would still be more costly than just buying the big jugs of 0w40 from the US. Plus I remember how pouring 7L of oil into an engine one bottle at a time is not much fun too
 
Originally Posted By: Patman
Even if I found a steady supply, and even if it went on sale for 50% off, it would still be more costly than just buying the big jugs of 0w40 from the US. Plus I remember how pouring 7L of oil into an engine one bottle at a time is not much fun too

That's absolutely true. Getting GC at $7 to $9 a litre now would be a major stretch, and that's hard to compete with the 0w-40 even at our retailers on sale, let alone from the States. I always like the bigger jugs anyhow.
 
So I was wrong, my local CT does have a decent supply of Edge 0w30, but at $13.49 I won't be buying it anytime soon. I remember when the regular price of GC 0w30 was $6.66 at Walmart (who could forget that evil price?)
crazy2.gif


They also had Motomaster Euro Formula 5L jugs on sale for $39.99 but I'm not tempted to try it out at that high price when I'm going to be heading to the US this week and can pick up Castrol 0w40 for $25 per jug (or I could be tempted to try Pennzoil Euro 0w40 if it's around the same price or less)

PS-I like big jugs too
banana2.gif
 
Yes, and even CT regularly has Castrol 0w-40 under $40 a jug. My dad adored 1 L bottles for a reason, despite all the agricultural equipment. He only got pails when forced to.
wink.gif


The joke totally went over my head for a minute!
whistle.gif
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Patman
Even if I found a steady supply, and even if it went on sale for 50% off, it would still be more costly than just buying the big jugs of 0w40 from the US. Plus I remember how pouring 7L of oil into an engine one bottle at a time is not much fun too


Sometimes the 5L 0W40 goes on sale at CTC for $29. Picked up 8 jugs on the last sale. That is about $23 US.
 
Originally Posted By: mightymousetech
Originally Posted By: Patman
Even if I found a steady supply, and even if it went on sale for 50% off, it would still be more costly than just buying the big jugs of 0w40 from the US. Plus I remember how pouring 7L of oil into an engine one bottle at a time is not much fun too


Sometimes the 5L 0W40 goes on sale at CTC for $29. Picked up 8 jugs on the last sale. That is about $23 US.



That's what I do. I generally buy all they have, because they don't stock a ton.
 
Back
Top