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fair comment, eg Ford specifies 5W-30 A1/B1 which is in fact semi synth, or enhanced mineral oil as Halfords call it.
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If you intend to keep this vehicle for a while and drive it hard, - go for a fully synthetic - Mobil 1 0-40w or Castrol SLX
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Be guided by what Toyota recommend in the owners manual. Volvo recommend oil to ACEA B4 spec for their new D5 turbo diesel, so thats what I use. Mobil 1 0-40 satisfies this. The oil the dealer was going to use didn't.
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Fif
Odd this - not only do Halfords supply 'enhanced mineral', but they also supply 'semi synthetic' 10/40 according to the back of the can I have. I'd assume the Ford spec oil is semi synth due to the oil change intervals (A1/B1 is actually 'low friction' spec), so what's the difference?
Regards
John S
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Yes odd indeed John.
You might have guessed from other posts that I had a TDCi Mondeo in the pipeleine and it has now arrived. All well so far.
I cannot quote chapter and verse from the handbook as I'm overseas at the moment. BTW last night first job was to fit winter spiked tyres, 15 cm of snow yesterday and 0.5 deg C last night so just a shade slippery. :-(
What I do recall is the recommended oil is 5W-30 A1/B1 or A3/B3. (the bold type is exactly as I recall the owners manual)
I presume the bold means that A1/B1 is preferred.
They went on to allow if I recall correctly 10W-30, and maybe 10W-40, 15W-xx grades were frowned upon. I would need to have the book in front of me to be precise about this. If this thread is still alive and of interest next weekend I might get round to reposting more definitively.
Anyway all the oil in my garage was of different grades, the nearest was a bit of 10W-40 semi synth.
So a trip to Halfords showed that the only 5W-30 oil they sold was what they called on the sales stand enhanced mineral oil, but IIRC also made some comment about semi synth on the can.
Furthermore these 5W-30 oils were the only oils which were specifically stated as suitable for all modern Ford engines.
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Spiked tyres eh? Serious weather! What's the initial view of the Mondeo? I have a friend who has just got a zetec, and reckons it's better than the previous model. I'm a bit put off by the garish trim in the cabin I have to say, but haven't yet driven one.
I believe the modern Fords need the thinner oils (or at least the low 'W' viscosity to prevent problems with the hydraulic lifters during cold starts). Certainly comments here about them jacking up when using 20W oils. All the info I've seen makes no reference to the longevity of A1/B1 oils, stating they are 'low friction' whereas A3/B3 is always noted as being for long drain intervals ('long' being undefined), and are therefore at least semi-synth. I imagine that's why A3/B3 oil is acceptable.
Regards
John S
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"What's the initial view of the Mondeo?"
To quote HJ's CbyC breakdown.
"On your first drive of the car it immediately feels fantastic. Then it gets better."
Spot on there HJ.
Wasn't particularly a fan of the old mondeo, but that comment is coloured by that old Duratorq diesel engine.
The TDCi is quiet and quick. It is certainly so free revving it's actually difficult to run in to HJ's recommended <3000 pm for first 1000 miles. So far economy is not wonderfull very low 40's but guess that could improve with mileage, plus I have been a bit free in using that mid range torque. ;-)
Ride, handling and levels of grip are extremely and I mean extremely impressive. Comfort is good. Even colleagues used to Peugeot ride/handling/seats have commented on the ride and comfort levels favourably.
Negative comments suchas they are.
I have to lower the seat a little so the wheel doesn't obscure the top of the instrument cluster.
Not enough cubby holes in the boot space for storing all that "just in case" garbage I carry about and never use.
Odd view from the door mirrors, the Vectra's are far better in reality despite being subject to far more criticism.
Odd handbrake action. The handbook says not to press the button when pulling up the lever. It is difficult to get out of the habit of doing this even though there is no "ratchet effect."
I guess this is due to those modifications following a few runaways. You have to press the footbrake firmly, then pull up the lever and then its OK. Otherwise it does not feel so secure.
Find Ford's warranty position very odd. When we have other manufacturers giving 3yr and in Hyundai 5 year they only offer 1 year plus this extra dealer thing with tons of loopholes for them to wriggle out of. Not impressed with that frankly.
Thats all the negatives I can find so far, give it another 50k and I'll be ranting along with the rest.
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