I didn't know Mexico had Walmarts and Costco's and certainly wasn't aware they had AutoZone. Guess I live a sheltered life.
Mexican oil observations
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Major Costco brick/motar in Korea - without that the deficit would have more than doubled in 4 years once KORUS was signed
(It doubled)
(It doubled)
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Did you get out unscathed? Last time we went to Juarez we got held up at a gas station. We were only their for one day.
Originally Posted By: OneEyeJack
There's a Mexican landscaper here that lives in Tecate and crossed the border often. He has a late model 150 with a V8. He tows a tractor that's got to put him near or over the towing limit. He runs 20w-50 Castrol GTX and changes it every 5K miles and at 100K he's doing fine. He said that no one he knows in the business uses 5w-20 or even 5w-30. They all say it's too thin.
I used to do construction and speak good Spanish. Most all the Latinos I know put 10w-30, 10w-40, or thicker in everything!
There's a Mexican landscaper here that lives in Tecate and crossed the border often. He has a late model 150 with a V8. He tows a tractor that's got to put him near or over the towing limit. He runs 20w-50 Castrol GTX and changes it every 5K miles and at 100K he's doing fine. He said that no one he knows in the business uses 5w-20 or even 5w-30. They all say it's too thin.
I used to do construction and speak good Spanish. Most all the Latinos I know put 10w-30, 10w-40, or thicker in everything!
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Originally Posted By: Ammofirst
Did you get out unscathed? Last time we went to Juarez we got held up at a gas station. We were only their for one day.
Oh wow that sucks! Yes, we were fine. I'm a native El Pasoan so the border scene doesn't scare me...too much lol
Did you get out unscathed? Last time we went to Juarez we got held up at a gas station. We were only their for one day.
Oh wow that sucks! Yes, we were fine. I'm a native El Pasoan so the border scene doesn't scare me...too much lol
Good to hear. We only lost a couple hundred bucks
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/09/full-78893-36158-e2405d7b_8467_456f_a52b_c3e2ad635233.jpeg "[Linked Image]")
In Mexico and found the same.
Hey El paso neighbor
i used to buy oil over there, can't recall the name but the oil was blue in color 10w30 and full synthetic and the bottle was grey. I only bought because the oil was blue and thought it looked cool and thats what my engine required ( I was a teen at the time in the late 90's)
Originally Posted by 2012AccentSE
I guess what I found interesting is that we are so close to the border. Here 20w50 is "waaayyy too thick" but 10 min south 25w60 is the "standard"
Can you imagine the mass hysteria and confusion if owners manuals specified grade by longitude, latitude and season?.. even if it said, "South of the 35th parallel in summer run XwX".. people would be lost. I'm about 47° so I can't do anything above a 5w in winter.
I guess what I found interesting is that we are so close to the border. Here 20w50 is "waaayyy too thick" but 10 min south 25w60 is the "standard"
Can you imagine the mass hysteria and confusion if owners manuals specified grade by longitude, latitude and season?.. even if it said, "South of the 35th parallel in summer run XwX".. people would be lost. I'm about 47° so I can't do anything above a 5w in winter.
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Saw similar in Costa Rica. Not much thinner than 20W-50 on the shelf. Of course most engines seemed to smoke, a heck of a lot worse than similar cars (ie: Corollas) would in North America. And a couple repair shops that I drove by curiously had crate engines sitting in cages next to the shop, presumably ready to go in.
So I wonder if the vehicle fleet in Costa Rica received any oil changes, as opposed to just the addition of 20W-50 until the engines finally died? Or if the 20W-50 that such engines ran was a contributor to the smoke?
(yes, I am mindful of the fact that many vehicle manufacturers market products outside of North America with no cats, and emission controls substantially absent. Refined fuels may not be of the same quality either....)
So I wonder if the vehicle fleet in Costa Rica received any oil changes, as opposed to just the addition of 20W-50 until the engines finally died? Or if the 20W-50 that such engines ran was a contributor to the smoke?
(yes, I am mindful of the fact that many vehicle manufacturers market products outside of North America with no cats, and emission controls substantially absent. Refined fuels may not be of the same quality either....)
Yup they have thick thick stuff available in Mexico but it's generally not very high quality stuff.
On the other hand , Down Under they have high quality thick stuff!
I would love me some Penrite HPR30 20W-60
On the other hand , Down Under they have high quality thick stuff!
I would love me some Penrite HPR30 20W-60
I agree it's odd that there's no 5w30 or 10w30, and VERY odd that there's no SM or SN oils. But also the government requirements are different than in the USA. If the vehicle is used for hauling or towing or other hard miles, it might actually live longer with the 25w40 in a warm climate like yours... might. Personally I would still run the 5w30 which covers all temperatures and flows better at "cold" startup, cold being a relative term LOL.
For me Toyota put an end to my concerns about thin v. thick and cafe requirements.
Page 673 of owners manual of my 2019 rav4 hybrid states that
" An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions. "
0W16 is the preferred oil here in USA.
So a thicker oil might provide better protection at high speed's like driving 8 hours on the highway on a hot summer day.
This is further confirmed by 2019 rav4 hybrid owner manual for Australia. It allows 10w30 roughly at 0 F and 15w40 at roughly 10F.
So now I have no more concerns about vvt etc. not working properly as I use thicker oil in warmer temperatures.
Page 673 of owners manual of my 2019 rav4 hybrid states that
" An oil with a higher viscosity (one with a higher value) may be better suited if the vehicle is operated at high speeds, or under extreme load conditions. "
0W16 is the preferred oil here in USA.
So a thicker oil might provide better protection at high speed's like driving 8 hours on the highway on a hot summer day.
This is further confirmed by 2019 rav4 hybrid owner manual for Australia. It allows 10w30 roughly at 0 F and 15w40 at roughly 10F.
So now I have no more concerns about vvt etc. not working properly as I use thicker oil in warmer temperatures.
Originally Posted by 2012AccentSE
... It begs the question, what would last longer if everything was identical, a car running SL 25w40 or a car running 5w30?
Neither. 0w20 is the go to oil IN ALL CLIMATES ... or so we are led to believe by more and more manufacturers.
![[Linked Image]](https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/attachments/usergals/2019/09/full-63158-36180-screen_shot_2019_09_09_at_8.05.11_pm.png "[Linked Image]")
... It begs the question, what would last longer if everything was identical, a car running SL 25w40 or a car running 5w30?
Neither. 0w20 is the go to oil IN ALL CLIMATES ... or so we are led to believe by more and more manufacturers.
Originally Posted by geeman789
Originally Posted by 2012AccentSE
... It begs the question, what would last longer if everything was identical, a car running SL 25w40 or a car running 5w30?
Neither. 0w20 is the go to oil IN ALL CLIMATES ... or so we are led to believe by more and more manufacturers.
My impression observing the relatively low-mileage smoking cars in San Jose, Costa Rica, was that they most likely suffered under-lubrication at (frequent) startups. Which might very well be due to that 25W40 that they run taking longer to reach the valve-train and the rings (through the piston sprayers). I didn't hear any engines with any evidence of knocking which would be more strongly associated with lower crank bearing wear.
Of course when the "thin vs thick" threads come up on BiTOG, usually the cited reason for using a higher viscosity is to protect against bottom end wear, ie: main crank bearings.
Originally Posted by 2012AccentSE
... It begs the question, what would last longer if everything was identical, a car running SL 25w40 or a car running 5w30?
Neither. 0w20 is the go to oil IN ALL CLIMATES ... or so we are led to believe by more and more manufacturers.
My impression observing the relatively low-mileage smoking cars in San Jose, Costa Rica, was that they most likely suffered under-lubrication at (frequent) startups. Which might very well be due to that 25W40 that they run taking longer to reach the valve-train and the rings (through the piston sprayers). I didn't hear any engines with any evidence of knocking which would be more strongly associated with lower crank bearing wear.
Of course when the "thin vs thick" threads come up on BiTOG, usually the cited reason for using a higher viscosity is to protect against bottom end wear, ie: main crank bearings.
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