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New Oil Thread.....now don't give me that Look!


Gun Oil

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Castrol Syntec 5W-50 seems to run about $6.50 per quart in the local auto parts stores, and the cheapest I can find the certified oil is about $9.00 per quart. So it seems we are down to preserving the warranty or saving $21 per oil change.

Advance Auto has periodic specials, usually buy three, get one free. I got some last month for less than $5 a bottle. Ask the counter guys when their next Castrol special is due.

 

BTW, I do stick with the Motorcraft oil filters (820s or Ford Racing filter). I've heard that the premium aftermarket filters are not such a good idea.

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  • 8 months later...
So can anyone out there provide proof positive that another brand of motor oil for sale to the general public meets the FoMoCo WSS-M2C931-B specification ??

 

Roush meets the -B Ford spec and it's made by Valvoline. $7.99 @ Jegs

 

Also Altrom's BLU synthetic -- see page two of this PDF

Ok, did I win anything? ;)

 

...of course, in Japan, check here -- just search on WSS-M2C931-B :hysterical: (just a spec list -lol)

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Advance Auto has periodic specials, usually buy three, get one free. I got some last month for less than $5 a bottle. Ask the counter guys when their next Castrol special is due.

 

BTW, I do stick with the Motorcraft oil filters (820s or Ford Racing filter). I've heard that the premium aftermarket filters are not such a good idea.

 

Guys - I work for a company that makes filters. There is a difference. We have to meet their specs so it might be something as simple as more pleats in the filter media to completely different types of media. Paper versus sythetic. I'm GUESSING that there might be the same differences regarding oil. Just be carefull and don't void your warranty! My 2 cents.

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I have been doing some additional reasearch after making some mis-statements of my own in other threads....

 

FoMoCo has specified that we must conform to "non-typical" industry standard motor oil for our GT500 motors...

 

Meeting this "Unicorn" like WSS-M2C931-B specification is the root of all of our collective issues....

 

I have read in another post that Conoco Phillips refines motor oil for Ford, and I personally have confirmed that with a Product engineer at the Phillips 66 hotline....He did say that it really isn't supposed to be stated, but that "YES" they make the 5w-50 that we thirst for....

 

I also read in another post that the party in question claims to have been using Phillips Trop-Artic branded 5W-50 in his GT500, and that it meets spec.....I have attached the most current spec sheet form Phiilps Lubricants dated 10/07:

 

Trop-Artic Fulll Synthetic Specs

 

If you will note, they no longer even list 5w-50 as an availble product....!

 

I had also sourced another Phillips PDF that was dated 2004, and they DID offer a 5w-50 at that time, but it only referenced the FoMoCo WSS-M2C931-A Spec at that time....

 

Another call is placed to the Phillips Hotline, and I got the same Engineer that I had talked with earlier today....I pointed out the PDF's & he sincerly apologized, and said that Phiilips discontinued the 5w-50 Full Synthetic early LAST YEAR! But he did re-affirm that they are infact the source point for Motorcraft 5w-50 Full Synthetic Motor Oil

 

So can anyone out there provide proof positive that another brand of motor oil for sale to the general public meets the FoMoCo WSS-M2C931-B specification ??

 

I know for a fact that currently Mobil-1, Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, Valvoline, Kendall, Unocal, and Trop-Artic do not.

 

Amsoil doesn't even list a 5w-50 on their website.....neither does Royal Purple.

 

So we now have a legal issue in front of us. Ford is MANDATING the use of a particular product, that is only available from them. This is a potentialy blatent violation of the Magnuson-Moss Act.

 

I am going to site the main area of this Federal Law for your viewing pleasure....the "Tie-In Sales" section:

 

 

"Tie-In Sales" Provisions

Generally, tie-in sales provisions are not allowed. Such a provision would require a purchaser of the warranted product to buy an item or service from a particular company to use with the warranted product in order to be eligible to receive a remedy under the warranty. The following are examples of prohibited tie-in sales provisions.

 

In order to keep your new Plenum Brand Vacuum Cleaner warranty in effect, you must use genuine Plenum Brand Filter Bags. Failure to have scheduled maintenance performed, at your expense, by the Great American Maintenance Company, Inc., voids this warranty.

 

While you cannot use a tie-in sales provision, your warranty need not cover use of replacement parts, repairs, or maintenance that is inappropriate for your product. The following is an example of a permissible provision that excludes coverage of such things.

 

While necessary maintenance or repairs on your AudioMundo Stereo System can be performed by any company, we recommend that you use only authorized AudioMundo dealers. Improper or incorrectly performed maintenance or repair voids this warranty.

 

Although tie-in sales provisions generally are not allowed, you can include such a provision in your warranty if you can demonstrate to the satisfaction of the FTC that your product will not work properly without a specified item or service. If you believe that this is the case, you should contact the warranty staff of the FTC's Bureau of Consumer Protection for information on how to apply for a waiver of the tie-in sales prohibition.

 

 

 

The last section could be an escape clause for Ford....but without Legal review....(I neither play a Lawyer on TV, nor claim I was one in another life....) I will not make that determination.

 

Here is the entire Act from the FTC Website:

 

Magnuson-Moss Act

 

So where are we with all this crap that is starting to make my brain hurt?

 

Right back to square one....having to go to your local Ford Dealer for oil.

 

I still find it odd that Phillips 66 discontinued the 5w-50 at about the same time we all needed it, and that no other oil company out there has been able to obtain the Ford Certification.....hmmmmmmm.....

 

Not sure if the potential availability from other sources like K-Manparts changes this debate any....the fact remails, "B" Spec is "B" Spec, and your warrnaty is in jepardy if you are using other brands that are "A" Spec....and only one BRAND of Motor Oil meets this requirement.

 

I am going to continue some additional research on this with my sources inside of Pennzoil to find out exactly what the process is for getting the "B" rating to meet Ford's Spec....if nothing else, I have learned a lot today.

 

Class dismissed.

 

(PS....a little about me. I have been a Product Engineer for American Honda, a Parts & Service Director for Acura, and also a line tech in years prior to this. I have been self employed for the last 20 years as a Franchisee with Oil Can Henry's . We service over 20,000 cars a year at my Center in Washington State, and have used Pennzoil products for the duration.)

Here is the response I received from Castrol.

 

Dear Mr. Allen,

 

Thank you for contacting Castrol North America.

 

SYNTEC 5W-50 meets the WSS-M2C931-B specification for the 2008 Ford Shelby

GT 500 (that calls for 5W-50 oil) however it does not have approval by Ford.

 

 

Castrol Consumer Relations

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  • 2 weeks later...
Here is the response I received from Castrol.

 

Dear Mr. Allen,

 

Thank you for contacting Castrol North America.

 

SYNTEC 5W-50 meets the WSS-M2C931-B specification for the 2008 Ford Shelby

GT 500 (that calls for 5W-50 oil) however it does not have approval by Ford.

 

 

Castrol Consumer Relations

 

 

FYI everyone, here in Denver, NAPA is selling SYNTEC 5W-50 for $5.79 / quart.

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I called my dealer this morning, Wagler Ford in Sigourney, Iowa, to see if they carried Motorcraft 5w-50 to the "B" spec. He had it in stock and since it was for my first oil change, he gave me the oil and filter on the house. I don't know what I might have to pay for it in the future, but I sure like Mike Wagler's customer service.

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Here is the response I received from Castrol.

 

Dear Mr. Allen,

 

Thank you for contacting Castrol North America.

 

SYNTEC 5W-50 meets the WSS-M2C931-B specification for the 2008 Ford Shelby

GT 500 (that calls for 5W-50 oil) however it does not have approval by Ford.

 

 

Castrol Consumer Relations

 

They don't need Ford's approval to state it meets the WSS-M2C931-B spec. That's what specs are for. All they need to do is have an independent lab certify that it meets the spec. Since Castrol's full-synth 5W50 container says it meets the WSS-M2C931-A spec I must conclude that's because either they have not bothered to have it certified to the-B spec (but he didn't say that) or that it does not meet the WSS-M2C931-B spec and that Castrol needs some truthfulness lessons because approval by Ford has absolutely nothing to do with the certification process.

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They don't need Ford's approval to state it meets the WSS-M2C931-B spec. That's what specs are for. All they need to do is have an independent lab certify that it meets the spec. Since Castrol's full-synth 5W50 container says it meets the WSS-M2C931-A spec I must conclude that's because either they have not bothered to have it certified to the-B spec (but he didn't say that) or that it does not meet the WSS-M2C931-B spec and that Castrol needs some truthfulness lessons because approval by Ford has absolutely nothing to do with the certification process.

 

 

68.....You may have a lot of posts, and I have a lot of respect for your opinions and your posts, but on this issue, you have the facts all wrong.

 

To meet the "Spec" Castrol (or any other brand)must submit to bench testing procedures that take time and $$$. If infact they have done it, so be it, and they can proudly wear the "label" as it would be. AS I had mentioned in previous posts, my source insdide of the Pennzoil Tech division gave me the skinny, that this entire issue is dictated by the marketing dept. If they feel based on market data that it justifies the ROI, then they will submit they product to the required bench tests. PERIOD.

 

I would have to say that they(BP Castrol) infact have not done it....When it is stated as such on their product container label....cool beans!

 

To my knowledge and research their are only 2 motor oils that meet the "B" Spec.....Motorcraft, and Roush.....Does anyone have factual proof where Roush motor oils come from? ( I would put a Cold Coors Light on that the fact that Roush M/O is sourced from Conoco Phillips with the blessings of FOMOCO.....why re-invent the wheel? Just a guess on this.....)

 

Re-read some of my posts on this subject. I have spent countles hours on this, and the facts speak for themselves.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, pour what makes you warm & fuzzy, but if you give a ratz ass about your warranty, and the technicalities of maintaining it, the 2 previously mentioned certified M/O's are your only choice for now.

 

:shift:

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68.....You may have a lot of posts, and I have a lot of respect for your opinions and your posts, but on this issue, you have the facts all wrong.

 

To meet the "Spec" Castrol (or any other brand)must submit to bench testing procedures that take time and $$$. If infact they have done it, so be it, and they can proudly wear the "label" as it would be. AS I had mentioned in previous posts, my source insdide of the Pennzoil Tech division gave me the skinny, that this entire issue is dictated by the marketing dept. If they feel based on market data that it justifies the ROI, then they will submit they product to the required bench tests. PERIOD.

 

I would have to say that they(BP Castrol) infact have not done it....When it is stated as such on their product container label....cool beans!

 

To my knowledge and research their are only 2 motor oils that meet the "B" Spec.....Motorcraft, and Roush.....Does anyone have factual proof where Roush motor oils come from? ( I would put a Cold Coors Light on that the fact that Roush M/O is sourced from Conoco Phillips with the blessings of FOMOCO.....why re-invent the wheel? Just a guess on this.....)

 

Re-read some of my posts on this subject. I have spent countles hours on this, and the facts speak for themselves.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, pour what makes you warm & fuzzy, but if you give a ratz ass about your warranty, and the technicalities of maintaining it, the 2 previously mentioned certified M/O's are your only choice for now.

 

:shift:

 

 

The Roush oil is Valvoline. Check out this link.

 

http://www.roushoil.com/5w-50.html

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68.....You may have a lot of posts, and I have a lot of respect for your opinions and your posts, but on this issue, you have the facts all wrong.

 

To meet the "Spec" Castrol (or any other brand)must submit to bench testing procedures that take time and $$$. If infact they have done it, so be it, and they can proudly wear the "label" as it would be. AS I had mentioned in previous posts, my source insdide of the Pennzoil Tech division gave me the skinny, that this entire issue is dictated by the marketing dept. If they feel based on market data that it justifies the ROI, then they will submit they product to the required bench tests. PERIOD.

 

I would have to say that they(BP Castrol) infact have not done it....When it is stated as such on their product container label....cool beans!

 

To my knowledge and research their are only 2 motor oils that meet the "B" Spec.....Motorcraft, and Roush.....Does anyone have factual proof where Roush motor oils come from? ( I would put a Cold Coors Light on that the fact that Roush M/O is sourced from Conoco Phillips with the blessings of FOMOCO.....why re-invent the wheel? Just a guess on this.....)

 

Re-read some of my posts on this subject. I have spent countles hours on this, and the facts speak for themselves.

 

I've said it before, and I'll say it again, pour what makes you warm & fuzzy, but if you give a ratz ass about your warranty, and the technicalities of maintaining it, the 2 previously mentioned certified M/O's are your only choice for now.

 

:shift:

 

No prob, Gun Oil, and thanks for the kind words -- much appreciated. I don't think we're really disagreeing, are we? Aren't the bench tests what's necessary for a spec compliance cert?

 

Maybe I was being a little harsh on Castrol's e-mail but I was taking issue with their statement that they meet a spec without the cert. As you said it's likely a marketing decision -- it may just not be worth it for Castrol to go thru the process to get certified for the WSS-M2C931-B spec for a relatively small market (dunno).

 

If that's the case, they really have no legit basis to claim in that e-mail that they meet it, imo -- (even if they've done their own testing) because it's like they're trying to have it both ways. That's where I was coming from. Btw, I very much like Castrol products and have used their motor oils since the '60s -- good stuff!

 

---

 

Besides the Motorcraft and Roush (Valvoline) there are two more oils that are certified to the WSS-M2C931-B spec but one is Japanese and the other Altrom's Blu, if I recall. [edit:] here's the other post I was lookng for.

I also found this attribution to Team Shelby from another forum site but when I click thru from there it just goes to the TS main page :shrug: so I'll insert it below since this might be a good contact:

 

WSS-M2C931-A is essentially SAE 5W-50 API SL. WSS-M2C931-B is essentially SAE 5W-50 API SM. Both have a few other characteristics beyond SL or SM. The change from A to B was to upgraded to the latest catagory.

 

I can't explain why no one else wants to claim these specs. These specs do have a lower phosphorus limit than what is required for SL or SM, for catalyst compatability. So this may be why similar viscosity grades can't claim they meet these specs.

 

Hope this answers your questions.

 

Thanks

Ron

Service Lubricants Technical Expert

FCSD, Service Product Development, SEO

Diagnostic Service Center II

 

Ford/Motorcraft MSDS Help Desk

 

....and a follow-up comment stated:

 

Basically, in addition to rharris' post [above], -A is GF-3 and -B is GF-4. Really about all there is. Just a really technical way to say what oil you should use.

 

-Dan

[edit:] Altrom Blu synthetic appears to be the product of a small 'boutique' Canadian oil company. I guess, for all practical purposes, they're not available here in the states (dunno, but can't find anyone carrying it). -Dan

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WOW so much info on oil my brain hurts. Just to get my facts straight when I go to the dealer today to get oil for my first oil change, I need to get the Spec B oil correct?

 

 

 

:hysterical: Don't get any of that Spec B on your rear tires --if will make you

go nowhere fast :hysterical:

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