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I see Castrol after having reduced from 5 litres to 4.5 litres years ago has reduced again to 4 litres. with no reduction in price. I will be considering taking my business to another brand now. It's only because I got them (magnatec 10/40 petrol) for £17.61 inc VAT from Makro on special offer that I bought them this time. Halfords was £24.99.
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would like to know if i can change from castrol high mileage mineral oil to synthetic oil as im due an oil / filter change about now, would there be any benefit to an old high mileage mk 3 fiesta or would i be wasting my money?
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Stick with what you've been using.
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Castrol have, in my view been conning the motorist for several years. In the past, GTX was a good quality general purpose mineral oil specified for both petrol and diesel engines - an excellent product in its day which would even stave off Ford Pinto camshaft wear, given a reasonable chance.
Then the marketing men moved in. They were quick to realise that the diesels of the day (say 10 - 15 years ago) needed more frequent oil changes than the equivalent petrol engines. The temptation was too great. GTD was born at a price premium - what a goldmine. I suspect there was little if any difference between GTD and GTX of equivalent viscosities. That was the point at which I jumped off and bought oil from Fuchs instead - better value.
The 5 - 4.5 - 4 litre transformation is obviously their latest strategy. Vote with your cheque book.
659.
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On a slight divergence - why do main dealers take us for mugs when carrying out a standard service?
I'm referring to the all too common practice of supplying oil at a hugely inflated and unrealistic price.
I live in Spain and my VW/Skoda dealer charges IIRC around 60 euros for some high spec BP gloop.
My car has a VW pd diesel engine, so the the required oil has to meet VW 505.01 spec.
I can buy the correct grade at my local car supermarket for around 35 euros for 5 litres.
I now take my own oil to each service - they use it and leave the surplus in the can for my use in topping up.
If their original price was more realistic I wouldn't bother and they would still be supplying me oil with, perhaps, a more modest profit, but still a PROFIT!
Roger. (Costa del Sol, España)
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They are all doing it. Comma are down from 5 to 4.5 litres at the same price, in a can cunningly disguised to look the same size.
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actually the oil charged at a main dealer isnt very high.... 4lts of oil ...£21 honda mail dealer
also last yr 4.5 lts of oil at bmw dealer £28.. both specified as fully synthetic
now go to halfords....£45 for castrol edge....(approx price)
ok, so the dealer charges me for changing it....but id expect that...
why not ask for an oil change only....
i did and got charged 45p for the filter washer....£21 for the oil and £8.51 for the filter....i reckon that is pretty good for a main honda dealer or even a bodge it and leg it garage.
And my prices are from last week. I was once told by the bmw dealer that they can charge it so cheap because they buy it in 205 lt barrels so that it why.
Maybe the prices are so high and the oil contents are so low because you are prepared to pay it..
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you prefer to pay for the oil rather than the adverts, it's well worth trying your local Vauxhall dealers parts department. They do some really good deals on oil bought in larger quantities* - and there are a few different grades and qualities to pick from. The oil is good quality, and good value.
* I can't remember the exact drum size, but, it's 20 odd litres or so - enough for 4 or 5 oil changes for most cars (or 3 oil changes if you run something with a larger sump capacity)
Number_Cruncher
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Another reason for this bangernomics, no need for this synthetic/semi-synth nonsense with a banger, in goes ordinary oil from Tesco's own brand @ £7-odd for 4 litres. I checked the oil's ratings against carbibles.com Engine Oil section once and it's quite a good grade for the money.
I can't believe how expensive some of the branded oil is, I would never pay that!
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Save up a few empty 5 litre/4 litre bottles, and get a 25 litre drum of branded oil for about £44 fully synthetic.
Fill your bottles with a funnel and put them in the cupboard.
Don't pay for adverts, holgrams, fancy moulded bottles, leaflets, point-of-sale racking stands, F1 sponsorship etc....
Castrol GTX etc... is just toys for grown-ups who still crave nice packaging, bright colours and realistic flip-spout action etc...
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actually the oil charged at a main dealer isnt very high.... 4lts of oil ...£21 honda mail dealer also last yr 4.5 lts of oil at bmw dealer £28.. both specified as fully synthetic
We have a Jazz and I've never seen oil at such low prices as that, and the BMW one just seems wrong - was that really a main dealer?
Fully synth oil in any main dealer is generally in the £10 per litre area. My local Mercedes dealer charges 12.95 +VAT per litre, so the 6.5L my car needs would cost near enough £100 9I take my own). And dealers often charge for whole litres too.
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HORIZON HONDA... POOLE DORSET 01202 740270
WOODS OF BOURNEMOUTH (BMW) 01202 535535
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sometimes a little bit too much opinion....but its only because i care !!!
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Local Ford dealer near me, 6 Ltrs of Ford 5w/30 Semi-synthrtic oil (5ltr & 1 Ltr bottles) & a Filter costs £39 from parts department. Next door Rapidfit 6.5 Ltrs oil (same oil but from bulk tank) and filter changed for you £29.99 ???
No point DIYing it.
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BMW dealer charged me around 14 pound a litre for recent service!!!!!!!!
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Local main Mercedes dealer lets you bring your own oil if you like, seems fair to me.
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My local Mazda will let you take your own oil but they only charge £13.09 plus vat for 5L to C1 spec and its for particle filters as well and this oil is very hard to find but it can't be synthetic at that price! I thought they had just charged me for a litre at first sight of the bill.
vulcan7
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I e-mailed Castrol about the reduction in quantity of their oil... this is the reply that I got.....
Dear Mr XXX, thank you for your enquiry with regard to oil pack sizes.
We have recently introduced a new range of products. As part of this we reviewed both the average engine oil capacity, and also how customers were using our products.
Current car manufacturer trends have been moving towards smaller sump capacities, and our research has also shown that customers are using larger pack sizes for top up purposes, to which a 4 litre pack is better suited.
As you can appreciate we make sure our product range reflects these changes to ensure the best possible fit with consumers needs, however as I am sure you can appreciate given the variations that exist, we are unable to accommodate all the different sump sizes available on the market.
With regards to the product pricing, this is not something we can comment on as it is a matter for individual retailers. Our involvement in the setting of pricing levels is prevented through UK competition laws.
Thank you for taking the time to contact us.
Regards
Castrol UK
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