Tesco oil... would you??

[brownnova]

So its service time... I was planning to pop into the local motor factor to purchase some Castrol or similar for the job. But in Tesco tonight I noticed Tesco own brand oil, in the right grade, reduced to clear for £4ish for 5 litres  (how decadent!)​ 4 litres.

Part of me thinks this is a bargain... Part of me thinks it might be rubbish oil and ruin my engine.

Any experience? Any thoughts?

[320touring]

read the Lidl oil thread;)

[Tamworthbay]

£4 for 5 litres? Isn't cooking oil around that price? Whilst I don't buy stupid expensive oil I wouldn't use that unless I intended to bridge it in the near future, but then I wouldn't bother changing it at all in that case.

[320touring]

its been reduced to clear if you read the op, and he says it is correct grade.

[Rocket88]

I don't think that Tesco, on top of their recent troubles, would take the chance of selling oil that could "ruin engines"

[spartacus]

I'm happy for somebody more knowledgeable to tell me otherwise but surely it's just a basic oil. It may not be the absolute best but it must be made to a minimum standard. It's cheap because Tesco have buying power and also because it's on offer to clear.

It can't be any worse than the 'good' oils of twenty years ago, so if your car's twenty years old then logic says it should be OK. Maybe.

It would depend on usage to some extent, I wouldn't put it in my G##f, because I thrash it mercilessly. I would put it in my mk1 Panda though, and maybe my 520, because neither of those get driven hard.

[dribble]

Used to buy it for an old Vectra B that was burning serious amounts of oil - got 8 months out of it before I bridged it for a failed MOT on brake lines, worn front ball joints and leaking rear shocks. Engine never really got any worse, no knocking, didn't burn any excess over what it was burning. Surely there has to be some sort of quality control/standards, if it states it 5W30 on the tin and it's not 5W30 motor oil inside surely they're leaving themselves open to be sued through the arse if you're engine throws a bearing which could be tracked back to their oil. 

 

That said, I wouldn't go putting it into anything I intended keeping or was worth a few grand. 

[HH-R]

I've got some Tesco Extra Value 10w40 in my chip pan and it works great.

[Tamworthbay]

its been reduced to clear if you read the op, and he says it is correct grade.

correct grade or correct spec? VERY different things.

[Guest Lord Sward]

I'd buy it and use it quite happily in chod.  On old knackers, its the frequency of the oil change thats important.

[Tamworthbay]

Used to buy it for an old Vectra B that was burning serious amounts of oil - got 8 months out of it before I bridged it for a failed MOT on brake lines, worn front ball joints and leaking rear shocks. Engine never really got any worse, no knocking, didn't burn any excess over what it was burning. Surely there has to be some sort of quality control/standards, if it states it 5W30 on the tin and it's not 5W30 motor oil inside surely they're leaving themselves open to be sued through the arse if you're engine throws a bearing which could be tracked back to their oil. 

 

That said, I wouldn't go putting it into anything I intended keeping or was worth a few grand.

 

all the 5w30 tells you is how thick it is, you could probably get treacle to be 5w30 if you mixed it right. The spec is what to look for, there are loads of different ones depending on Europe or USA and different makes. It's usually a series of letters and or numbers e.g SAE

[Alexg]

£4 for 5l?! Link please

[brownnova]

all the 5w30 tells you is how thick it is, you could probably get treacle to be 5w30 if you mixed it right. The spec is what to look for, there are loads of different ones depending on Europe or USA and different makes. It's usually a series of letters and or numbers e.g SAE

The API and ACEA ratings/spec/approvals (whatever they are) are the same as Castrol GTX - so spec seems spot on

 

 

£4 for 5l?! Link please

 

Still full price online... so not sure why my local one has it so cheap!

 

It's this stuff  http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-10w40-part-synthetic-oil-4l/593-5139.prd

[LabRat]

I've used it it the punto to no ill effect, but bear in mind that the punto won't see another mot. (Be lucky if it sees another few months before the bridge beckons)

 

Saying that, it's not burning any or knocking/rattling worse than it did before, so I'd be happy to use again if needs be.

 

I think their oils do conform to basic standards, just don't expect the base stock to be anything too sparkling and full of additives like posher oils.

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Tamworthbay]

The API and ACEA ratings/spec/approvals (whatever they are) are the same as Castrol GTX - so spec seems spot on

 

 

 

 

Still full price online... so not sure why my local one has it so cheap!

 

It's this stuff  http://www.tesco.com/direct/tesco-10w40-part-synthetic-oil-4l/593-5139.prd

in that case as a cheap oil it isn't going to be horrendous so worth going for I would think. Some cheap oils have no listed spec at all, like comma motorway (but comma sonic is great stuff).

[brownnova]

Hmmm... I'm thinking it might be worth getting some as a top up oil or for flushing... But using it as the oil in the MX5... I'm just not sure.

[wuvvum]

I bought a load of Tesco oil a couple of years ago last time they had it reduced stupidly cheap - I got everything from 5w40 fully synth to 15w40 mineral diesel gloop.  I've used it (and pretty much nothing else) in the fleet (including modernz) ever since, and not had any issues

[Parky]

Tesco won't have a dedicated factory/refinery making oil so it is probably bought in from Carlube or Comma (or someone like that) so it is probably OK.

 

Personally if I had something old with a tired engine I would be happy to use it. If I had a turbocharged Porsche I probably wouldn't

 

i don't think MX5's are all that fussy are they? 10/40w semi synth is all they need if I remember correctly. Unless you have a later one of course

[Keymaster]

 

 

Tesco won't have a dedicated factory/refinery making oil so it is probably bought in from Carlube or Comma (or someone like that) so it is probably OK.

This.

[NorfolkNWeigh]

Like wuvvum , I buy up the whole stock from the local Tesco garages (. 3 of em within 5 miles) whenever they reduce stupidly due to package redesign or whatever.

For 10 years I've used nothing else in everything, even my 500 mile a day Benz 3.0 Dizzlers that supposedly need low ash unicorn cum @ £15 a litre. No ill effects on anything including a1.6 MX5 and Eunos.

 

As Parky suggests , I'm sure I've read somewhere it's made by Carlube.

[trigger]

It will be fine, its probably a repackaged Comma, as long as its the right grade for your car thats all thst matters.

[UltraWomble]

Yes I would.

But then I use pretty much anything oil based in the engine of my shitters.

Currently using 20W 40 from a red plakka tub the label washed off years ago in the rain to top up the bumflan every 100 miles.

I think I purchased it from some quality outlet like Asda.

[cort1977]

As others have said above as long as the API and ACEA spec is correct and it's the correct grade you won't have any issues.   There's a lot of tosh talked about oil in my opinion, if it meets the spec then it's fine.

[SiC]

Depends on the engine. Most n/a petrols will be fine with most stuff.

 

If got a turbo and/or diesel - especially one with a DPF then you have to be more careful. Turbos spin at 100-200k and get bloody hot. So can be hard on the oil.

 

Most modern Diesels need low sap oil. If you don't, it'll clog up the EGR and I'd you have a DPF require regular regenerations - possibly damaging it.

[rainagain]

If you want to know who makes it call customer services pretending to be a company who has purchased some of the oil and request a MSDS (material safety data sheet). They will sound very confused but eventually you should receive one, it will tell you who made it. In a previous job I was in charge of the coshh cupboard and had to do this for ever chemical in it. Found Asda bleach is made by Domestos.

[rainagain]

Found link on their website:

http://www.tesco.com/direct/faq/do-tesco-provide-coshh-data-sheets/594.faq#

[rainagain]

Quick example, Tesco daisy bleach is made by Jeyes

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://www.heartcleaning.co.uk/images/staff/library/TescoDaisyThickOriginalBleach.pdf&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwjxoMbtuv3LAhWDfRoKHbv_BkgQFggRMAM&sig2=7LMLPLISTPZS3wGOQ9qRlg&usg=AFQjCNGi6K-01V99OyKTqn_cHLiw1RoARQ

[rainagain]

Found quite a few, here's 15W40

http://www.google.co.uk/url?q=http://www.tetrosyl.com/tesco-products%3Fdownload%3D2:tesco&sa=U&ved=0ahUKEwj546X0u_3LAhWCMBoKHRIZAfcQFggQMAI&sig2=yxi6E2MJS49mmlqrFEsEUA&usg=AFQjCNHrEQRJfbSQIQdhpdAgjbhyPY9ayg

[rainagain]

So Tesco oil is made by tetrosyl who sell oil under the Carlube brand.

Enough internet sleuthing for me, hope this is useful, night all

[brownnova]

I'd read it's Comma (so my interweb sleuthing says) I'm reckoning on a car that doesn't do that many miles it'll probably be fine. As said above its not a fussy engine so as the Doctor Pepper ad says 'what's the worst that could happen?'

 

Although I think if I put doctor pepper in the engine... It might go badly 😂