HELP! Accidentally used synthetic blend..

kevinkar · Jul 21, 2018

PQIAmerica, which tests lots of different auto fluids has checked CAM2 oils before and they all meet or exceed the API specifications for all major auto makers. Any oil that meets or exceeds these standards is safe in your car.

http://www.pqiamerica.com

The only thing I'd say is a little off-putting is they seem to use a recycled base for their blends which in and of itself is not a bad thing as long as the oil meets the standards.

The company that makes CAM2 also makes race-proven products so if they are working for race car engines, they should work in your consumer-grade engine.

There's no need to be scared and remove the oil tomorrow. Your car is not going to die. Instead of doing that, just check it periodically and see that it's still clear and is at the right level. Maybe don't wait until 5000 miles to change it and instead go 3000. But no need to panic. This isn't like you put honey in the car instead of motor oil.

adam1991 · Jul 21, 2018

kevinkar said:
PQIAmerica, which tests lots of different auto fluids has checked CAM2 oils before and they all meet or exceed the API specifications for all major auto makers. Any oil that meets or exceeds these standards is safe in your car.

http://www.pqiamerica.com

The only thing I'd say is a little off-putting is they seem to use a recycled base for their blends which in and of itself is not a bad thing as long as the oil meets the standards.

The company that makes CAM2 also makes race-proven products so if they are working for race car engines, they should work in your consumer-grade engine.

There's no need to be scared and remove the oil tomorrow. Your car is not going to die. Instead of doing that, just check it periodically and see that it's still clear and is at the right level. Maybe don't wait until 5000 miles to change it and instead go 3000. But no need to panic. This isn't like you put honey in the car instead of motor oil.

so, your advice is to ignore that he put oil in that doesn't meet the manufacturer's spec? As long as it meets OTHER specs?

kevinkar · Jul 21, 2018

adam1991 said:
so, your advice is to ignore that he put oil in that doesn't meet the manufacturer's spec? As long as it meets OTHER specs?

API SN and ILSAC GF-5 are both the top rating in both of those scales. While that might not meet the specifications of the VW approved standard 502 in all criteria, it is not going to break the engine.

As for the container not saying it meets 502, so does a quart of Mobil 1. Doesn't say it but it is. So, while this particular oil might not say it and it might not be it, that doesn't mean it's going to kill her car. Unless she's going to track it tomorrow, there's no reason to change it. If she drives it normally for a few months, she'll be just fine.

So yes, I am saying just that

adam1991 · Jul 21, 2018

Well, even VW says it won't break the engine--but they do say to change it at the soonest opportunity, per the owner's manual.

jackalope · Jul 23, 2018

People are saying it's no big deal...

Well the car has a turbo that gets very hot and spins at many thousands of rpm. Pretty sure you don't want to have it lubricated by the wrong oil

dr_mat · Aug 11, 2018

I could be wrong but I don't believe the turbos have oil supplies to the bearings these days. That went away a long time ago.

And anyway. When you say "wrong type of oil"? Oil is oil, as long as its viscosity falls in the right range and it's not full of impurities then it is functionally identical to any other oil and won't cause short term damage. Long term it may degrade differently and need to be changed sooner of course.

...if it creaks, it's probably made by VAG

Elwood · Aug 11, 2018

dr_mat said:
And anyway. When you say "wrong type of oil"? Oil is oil, as long as its viscosity falls in the right range and it's not full of impurities then it is functionally identical to any other oil and won't cause short term damage. Long term it may degrade differently and need to be changed sooner of course.

Non-synthetic oil will break down and coke in the turbo when you shut off the car. That was the problem the early 1.8Ts had years ago when VW came up with the new oil specs (502, 505, etc). They even put bigger oil filters on the cars thinking that would help, but although there was some success, it was limited.

danall · Aug 21, 2018

API SN and ILSAC GF-5 are both the top rating in both of those scales. While that might not meet the specifications of the VW approved standard 502 in all criteria, it is not going to break the engine.

I agree it likely will not "kill the car" but if something engine related was to go bad it would give VW an out to not cover it. Just a matter if one wishes to take that risk.

dwvw · Sep 3, 2018

dr_mat said:
I could be wrong but I don't believe the turbos have oil supplies to the bearings these days. That went away a long time ago.

...if it creaks, it's probably made by VAG

Umm, don't trust this guys advice. It's not that he could be wrong, it's that he is wrong.

dr_mat · Sep 3, 2018

dwvw said:
Umm, don't trust this guys advice. It's not that he could be wrong, it's that he is wrong.

Lol, .. dry bearing turbos do exist, I assumed that the industry was moving that way some time ago to remove the normal issues you see with wet turbos.

...if it creaks, it's probably made by VAG

oddspyke · Sep 3, 2018

dr_mat said:
I could be wrong but I don't believe the turbos have oil supplies to the bearings these days. That went away a long time ago.

And anyway. When you say "wrong type of oil"? Oil is oil, as long as its viscosity falls in the right range and it's not full of impurities then it is functionally identical to any other oil and won't cause short term damage. Long term it may degrade differently and need to be changed sooner of course.

...if it creaks, it's probably made by VAG

I don't mean to pick on this guy, but basically everything in this post is false. Pretty much every production car turbo uses oil for both lubrication and cooling. Journal bearing turbos cannot function without it, event for a very short time.

"Oil is oil" is also VERY wrong. Oils have additive packages that resist absorbing water, raise their smoke point, reduce coking, along with a whole lot else.

The Fed · Sep 13, 2018

kevinkar said:
API SN and ILSAC GF-5 are both the top rating in both of those scales. While that might not meet the specifications of the VW approved standard 502 in all criteria, it is not going to break the engine.

As for the container not saying it meets 502, so does a quart of Mobil 1. Doesn't say it but it is. So, while this particular oil might not say it and it might not be it, that doesn't mean it's going to kill her car. Unless she's going to track it tomorrow, there's no reason to change it. If she drives it normally for a few months, she'll be just fine.

So yes, I am saying just that

Mobil 1 0W-40 meets VW spec.

dr_mat · Sep 13, 2018

oddspyke said:
"Oil is oil" is also VERY wrong. Oils have additive packages that resist absorbing water, raise their smoke point, reduce coking, along with a whole lot else.

I think the point I was making is that "oil designed for car engines is all approximately the same". Very minor variations in formulation and additives is all you will see between the different ratings for the different manufacturers. No one is suggesting you can swap in chip fat and be ok...

As for the turbos thing.. I read years back that some were going to dry bearings but I guess that didn't catch on in the end..

...if it creaks, it's probably made by VAG

HELP! Accidentally used synthetic blend..

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