Odd Mercedes oil spec email

[RamAir5]

While browsing the MB Bevo oil spec 229.51 on their website I discovered that there are several Castrol Edge oils on the approval list. One in particular is "regular" SN Edge 5w30. MB requires low SAPS oil carrying the 229.51 approval due to the vehicle having a Gas Particulate Filter. There are several Edge oils that carry the approval on the containers (many of these are advertised as low SAPS). The Castrol Edge 5w30 and 5w40 SN oils on their list do not state approval on their containers and don't appear to be low SAPS.

Link to MB BeVo...

https://bevo.mercedes-benz.com/bevolisten/229.51_en.html#close

So I emailed MB for clarification.

Their first response...

Thanks for the question regarding the Mercedes-Benz BeVo app.
I have requested confirmation that these oils are indeed still approved by Mercedes-Benz from our app developers as they are still in the BeVo app. It could be an oversight by Castrol that they forgot to add this to their package labelling.
Once I receive confirmation from my colleagues I will be back in touch.

Kind regards
Your Mercedes-Benz BeVo app support team

Their second response...

Our app developers have come back to advise that both the oils you mentioned are indeed approved by Mercedes-Benz.
Companies who have Mercedes-Benz approved products are not obliged to highlight this on their products, it is purely voluntary. Our app developers are going to approach Castrol regarding the omission of MB approval on their products with a view to convincing them to highlight this purely as a marketing aspect.
I hope this helps but should you have any further questions please do not hesitate to get in touch with us again via the app.

Kind regards
Your Mercedes-Benz BeVo app support team

Anyone have knowledge if these are indeed low SAPS?

It seems to me their email response conflicts with the owners manual which states only oils meeting the spec are to be used. Their explanation as to why the spec is not present on the container leaves me a little suspect.

 

[JAG]

The oil they are talking about is not the typical US version whose product data sheet is below. This oil does NOT meet MB 229.51.
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/CE9BF20358A9348E80257FAA00722E1B/$File/BPXE-AA5D3W.pdf

 

[Rollins]

It may be a carryover from a still active certification of a product(I think it was 5 years approval period for MB categories before re-certification..) - like this one:
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/361C20DEF3CA4A1780257CBA0051E5FC/$File/KRAE-9J6KHG.pdf
..which now may have been renamed and/or reformulated to a new name or discontinued(but with still unexpired approval).
In this case it may disappear from the list very soon.

Ah, the full name of the US version is "EDGE 5W-30 U.S." Well, it is not in the list.Then everything's alright.
https://www.msdsdigital.com/castrol-edge-5w-30-us-msds

 

[RamAir5]

Originally Posted by JAG
The oil they are talking about is not the typical US version whose product data sheet is below. This oil does NOT meet MB 229.51.
https://msdspds.castrol.com/bpglis/FusionPDS.nsf/Files/CE9BF20358A9348E80257FAA00722E1B/$File/BPXE-AA5D3W.pdf


In my email, I specifically addressed this. I questioned the vagueness of their list and inquired directly about the use of "regular" US SN(+) Castrol Edge. Their response was basically... Yep. Go ahead and use it. It's on our list.

What's concerning is they are recommending an oil that is on their list but does not carry their spec on the bottle.

 

[Rollins]

RamAir5, mind the full names of the products please. You're talking about different products. "Castrol Edge 5w-30" is totally legit and 229.51 -certified.

The list of pds and msds of the Edge 5w-30 products available for the US market (are they?) under their full trade names -which appear verbatim in the msds and BEVO and other OEM approval lists - can be found here:

https://msdspds.castrol.com/msdspds...ricants&unrestrictedmb=No&cols=0

A product is certified under a given trade name. Changing the trade name of the product (even if the formulation remains 100% the same) means a new certification procedure.

BEVO is correct in this case.

 

[pezzy669]

I believe a number of those oils are unavailable to purchase in the states.

There is this one that meets the specs, but may be difficult to find. You could go to a VW or Audi dealership for it (they keep it in stock for the TDI's) but if you have to go through that effort you might as well just find another oil to use or go to the MB dealership parts department.

Castrol Edge "European Diesel"

 

[DS9]

Sorry, wrong post, please delete.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted by Rollins
A product is certified under a given trade name. Changing the trade name of the product (even if the formulation remains 100% the same) means a new certification procedure.

BEVO is correct in this case.

I would agree, and Castrol is very picky about their naming conventions. Their 5w-30 SN/GF-5 synthetic is actually called "5w-30 US" and that's on the bottles up here, too. I suspect that's a legacy of the confusion between 0w-30 ILSAC and 0w-30 A3/B4 to the detriment of VW/Audi owners in the day.

 

[supercity]

This is what we've had in Australia and their MB approvals

Castrol Edge 5w-30 LL - 229.51
Castrol Edge 5w-30 - 229.51
Castrol Edge 5w-30 A3/B4 - 229.5

Castrol Edge 5w-40 SN - 229.3
Castrol Edge 5w-40 A3/B4 - 229.5

Castrol Edge 0w-40 - 229.51
Castrol Edge 0w-40 A3/B4 - 229.5