what's your Oil

[Kevin B]

Hi,

Interested in hearing what oils Landy owners use, do you have a Favourite or should I say does you landy have a favourite, most of my driving life I have used Valvoline XLD, so when I did my oil change in the D1 on the weekend I used it, must say not impressed with it, I use 20w50 and now as soon as I start up in the morn it clatters and the oil light stays on a couple extra second till oil works its way around the engine, it still clatters only not as loud until the engine is hot, then its all smooth.

Lets hear what you guys and gals are using...

[wrinklearthur]

For my 300TDi's I use Castrol RX Super, whilst it isn't the cheapest it is easily found around the outlets, performs well with constant oil pressure, --- no clatter of a first morning start, the only time I do hear that is the first start after a oil change.

I buy the 20 litre drums and look for specials at Super Cheep, that keeps the cost per litre down for me.
.

[Kevin B]

Forgot to mention mines a v8..

[Slunnie]

Mobil 1 5-50 in my TD5

[TheTree]

I have used Penrite oils in many vehicles over the years, including Range Rover Classics and I have never had a problem.

Using Penrite GAS 20-60 in my 1999 P38 HSE 4.6 and it is very smooth.

Whatever oil you use, all seem to agree mineral based oils are what our venerable V8 loves :D

[wrinklearthur]

After rebuilding a Holden red six, I ran the RX Super in that as well, never had any problems in the fifteen year I ran that ute.
.

[Landy Smurf]

when working at supercheap i got told that this is the best order(roughly)
best. mobil,penrite,castrol,shell,calibre. I can not remember where the gulf and nulon fit in. But normally the price says it.

[Epic_Dragon]

I am still deciding what to put in my td5 when i do my service in next few weeks, not sure whats in it now (cant remember what you told me signal1 if you come in here haha) but in all my vehicles i run neo. expensive but its so brilliant. its hard to get now, can get online from their website, but only worth while to buy a decent amount. I also dont want to put that in a car when its just going to leak it out haha. i even run it in my ride on mower. a VE ute i had, put in the oil they recommended, car sounded awful, so put in neo and was 100% better. i think i voided my warrenty in running different oil, which makes no sense as it was a lot better! other than that heard great things about liquid moly. its not overly expensive. i am going to give that a whirl in the discovery this time round i think. and its in my golf from when my ex serviced it when he used it until he found another car. and he uses it in his diesel navara. only says good things haha hes super fussy with his oils.

[Yorkie]

I am still deciding what to put in my td5 when i do my service in next few weeks, not sure whats in it now (cant remember what you told me signal1 if you come in here haha) but in all my vehicles i run neo. expensive but its so brilliant. its hard to get now, can get online from their website, but only worth while to buy a decent amount. I also dont want to put that in a car when its just going to leak it out haha. i even run it in my ride on mower. a VE ute i had, put in the oil they recommended, car sounded awful, so put in neo and was 100% better. i think i voided my warrenty in running different oil, which makes no sense as it was a lot better! other than that heard great things about liquid moly. its not overly expensive. i am going to give that a whirl in the discovery this time round i think. and its in my golf from when my ex serviced it when he used it until he found another car. and he uses it in his diesel navara. only says good things haha hes super fussy with his oils.

for the td5
Penrite Oil - A Better Class Of Oil (http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_fuel_type=3&id_products=7)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/06/1094.jpg

sorry, not sure for the v8 but would look at penrite first. :)

[Westie]

Ditto in my 200 TDI

[flagg]

For my 300TDi's I use Castrol RX Super, whilst it isn't the cheapest it is easily found around the outlets, performs well with constant oil pressure, --- no clatter of a first morning start, the only time I do hear that is the first start after a oil change.

I buy the 20 litre drums and look for specials at Super Cheep, that keeps the cost per litre down for me.
.

Same for me in my 4BD1. Supercheap have sales where you can get 20L for $100.

[Kevin B]

Thanks guys,

what is the general consensus on Mineral or Synthetic, i have read varying reports some say mineral is the best and some say Synthetic, i was looking at Penrite HPR 10w-50 its a Synthetic oil, one ting i should mention is my Egine has just clocked 270,000km

[Slunnie]

Thanks guys,

what is the general consensus on Mineral or Synthetic, i have read varying reports some say mineral is the best and some say Synthetic, i was looking at Penrite HPR 10w-50 its a Synthetic oil, one ting i should mention is my Egine has just clocked 270,000km
... and then the debate starts. :D

I'd say to stick with what you've been using.

Mineral oils are not as clean as synthetics, and I'm guessing that your engine has predominently used mineral type oils based on it being older technology and fit. If you switch to synthetics you may find that it cleans out the engine and the gaskets start to leak oil. I think 270k is pretty good for a privately owned petrol motor of that age, just keep the filters and fresh oil up to it to maintain longevity. In my old Toyota Sprinter I could see oil pressure drop at about 7000km using GTX2. I think one of the advantages of synthetic apart from cleaning, is its service life but I'm not sure if the benefits will outweigh the problems for your motor.

[Eevo]

for the td5
Penrite Oil - A Better Class Of Oil (http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_fuel_type=3&id_products=7)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/06/1094.jpg

sorry, not sure for the v8 but would look at penrite first. :)

this stuff is good for diesels.

for my 3 petrol cars i use nulron or penrite. 5w - 40.

[Kevin B]

... and then the debate starts. :D

I'd say to stick with what you've been using.

Mineral oils are not as clean as synthetics, and I'm guessing that your engine has predominently used mineral type oils based on it being older technology and fit. If you switch to synthetics you may find that it cleans out the engine and the gaskets start to leak oil. I think 270k is pretty good for a privately owned petrol motor of that age, just keep the filters and fresh oil up to it to maintain longevity. In my old Toyota Sprinter I could see oil pressure drop at about 7000km using GTX2. I think one of the advantages of synthetic apart from cleaning, is its service life but I'm not sure if the benefits will outweigh the problems for your motor.

Servicing has not been a problem for this car, one of the MAIN reason i bought this one was that it came with a Service record with oil changes at every 5000km for its Whole Life, which i am very happy about, as i was informed while i was looking that "Landrovers Thrive on Servicing" keep them serviced and they will serve you well, hence this thread, i am not happy with the Valvoline i just put in it..

good point about the Synth oil and Gaskets, never though of that one.

Thanks

[schuy1]

Have run Castrol Tection Global in the TDi300 since new, 1996 model 310000 kms later........still good. Correct grade , changes and servicing has a bigger bearing on motor longevity than any specific brand of oil. I just have used Castrol more over the years than most others,only because its easy to get here. Could so easy have used BP if it was local too. But brand name stuff of whatever is your poison is the go.

Cheers Scott

[rick130]

A nice cold pressed, extra virgin and fresh olive oil, please :D












:angel:

[Yorkie]

A nice cold pressed, extra virgin and fresh olive oil, please :D



i think its for the car not personal use!. :D

[Tank]

when working at supercheap i got told that this is the best order(roughly)
best. mobil,penrite,castrol,shell,calibre. I can not remember where the gulf and nulon fit in. But normally the price says it.
I don't beleive price is the criteria you should use, my next oil change for my 300TDi will be Gulf Western, a lot cheaper than most brands. It is an Australian owned company, they supply most of the big miners and they sell more oil than Penrite and Valvoline.
As they don't have to pay overseas oil companies for licenses they can keep their prices down, check out their web-site, Regards Frank.

[Kevin B]

I don't beleive price is the criteria you should use, my next oil change for my 300TDi will be Gulf Western, a lot cheaper than most brands. It is an Australian owned company, they supply most of the big miners and they sell more oil than Penrite and Valvoline.
As they don't have to pay overseas oil companies for licenses they can keep their prices down, check out their web-site, Regards Frank.

Autobarn are selling Gulf Western at the Moment for $7.99 for 4 litres (limit 2 per customer, just go outside and put a hat on then come back in :)) thats pretty cheap if its anygood...

[Eevo]

Gulf Western, a lot cheaper than most brands.

i do recall the guy at repco telling its cheap and ****ty.

having said that, its currently in my wrx.

[Landy Smurf]

I dont know too much about the gulf oil, I have used it only as a flush oil as it is cheap.

[Landy Smurf]

I normally go for what is ever on special, but best value for money is penrite IMHO.

[Redback]

For our D4 2.7L, any brand of oil will do, as long as it meets these specs.

Where ACEA C1 is required. Key specifications ACEA C4, Ford M2C-934B (level)


Baz

[rick130]

i think its for the car not personal use!. :D


Hmmm, oh, ok, can't really comment then. :angel:

[Tank]

Autobarn are selling Gulf Western at the Moment for $7.99 for 4 litres (limit 2 per customer, just go outside and put a hat on then come back in :)) thats pretty cheap if its anygood...
I was originally attracted by the low price, then thinking it can't be any good, hearing stories from spares parts salesman that wouldn't know where to put the oil anyway.
So I emailed the company and asked why their oil was so cheap and was it any good.
Next day I get a call from a bloke that has been with the company since it started, was started by a concrete mob like Readymix. Anyway most of the mining contractors use it in their heavy equipment and vehicles, never had a engine/ gearbox failure due to GW oil, they sell more oil than Penrite and Valvoline and because it is developed and manufactured in Australia by Australians GW does not have to pay license or royalties to overseas companies.
Go to their web-site and send an email and express your concerns, I'll bet they will get back to you, all of their oils meet or exceed the standards required by Land Rover, Regards Frank.

[dero]

I have used Delo 400 multigrade every 5000km for 320,000km in a rebuilt 300TDI , still a strong , smooth motor .

[roverrescue]

On threads about what oil to use - I probably should refer to Rick and just say my preference is depends on whats in the pan.

For fresh coral trout or red emporer my choice is a 50/50 of light extra virgin olive oil and Western Star butter ;)

But when it comes to up and down round and round metal vs metal

Just because you used XYZ since Jesus played for the Nazareth under elevens means jack!
What matters is strip down anaylsis or UOA.
Just cos it feels good or clatters subjectively less or the oil pressure gauge dances to the beat of Beth Orton means very very little. Oils aint oils and there is no way to test what oils are doing by feel good phenomenon.

What do your bearings look like? Stop typing, go yank the sump and take some photos ;)

Steve

[Kevin B]

On threads about what oil to use - I probably should refer to Rick and just say my preference is depends on whats in the pan.

For fresh coral trout or red emporer my choice is a 50/50 of light extra virgin olive oil and Western Star butter ;)

But when it comes to up and down round and round metal vs metal

Just because you used XYZ since Jesus played for the Nazareth under elevens means jack!
What matters is strip down anaylsis or UOA.
Just cos it feels good or clatters subjectively less or the oil pressure gauge dances to the beat of Beth Orton means very very little. Oils aint oils and there is no way to test what oils are doing by feel good phenomenon.

What do your bearings look like? Stop typing, go yank the sump and take some photos ;)

Steve

Good point Steve, colorful but good point...

[Eevo]

Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/)

[Slunnie]

Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/)

Very interesting read!

[Eevo]

Make sure u read all 9 pages.

[Slunnie]

Make sure u read all 9 pages.

Absolutely. It was a late night for me!

[460cixy]

Rx super or rimular x the oil that protects of valvoline super diesel just depends on what I can get a good deal on I get a bit of a discount on oils but the margin is pretty thin

[Eevo]

Absolutely. It was a late night for me!

ok, now for the exam

[TheTree]

I don't beleive price is the criteria you should use, my next oil change for my 300TDi will be Gulf Western.

Just had a look on their site at their LubeDesk and i would be a little concerned at their recommendations.

They suggest a Dexron IID for the auto, when the minimum required is a Dexron III spec.

It also suggests a semi-syn oil for the crankcase in the V8, which some seem to think is a bad idea.

That said, I am sure if you get the right product, their oils are good !

[Eevo]

everyone recommends a different oil (yes i have a few cars)

nulon
s14 3.7L 10-40hi-tech
s15 3.5L 10-40hi-tech
wrx 4.5L 5-30long 0-40hi-perf 5-40long 10-40hi-tech
disco 5.8L 10-40hi-tech
jackaroo7.5L 5-30 diesel 10-40hi-tech

penrite
s14 3.7L 10-50
s15 3.5L 5-40
wrx 4.5L 5-40 0-50perf
disco 5.8L 5-40 0-50perf
jackaroo7.5L 5-40 diesel

gulf western
s14 3.7L 20-50hi-tech
s15 3.5L 20-50hi-tech
wrx 4.5L 10-40
disco 5.8L 10-40 5-40
jackaroo7.5L 10-40

redline
s14 3.7L 10-40 15-50
s15 3.5L 10-40 15-50
wrx 4.5L 10-40
disco 5.8L 10-40
jackaroo7.5L 15-40

shell
s14 3.7L Helix HX7 10W-40
s15 3.5L Helix HX7 10W-40
wrx 4.5L HELIX ULTRA 5W-40 Helix HX7 10W-40
disco 5.8L Helix HX7 10W-40 HELIX ULTRA 5-40
jackaroo7.5L Rimula R3 X 15W-40

mobil
s14 3.7L MOBIL 1 5W-30 MOBIL SUPER 2000 5W-30 or MOBIL SUPER 2000 X2 10W-40
s15 3.5L MOBIL 1 5W-30 MOBIL SUPER 2000 5W-30 or MOBIL SUPER 2000 X2 10W-40
wrx 4.5L
disco 5.8L MOBIL 1 0W-40
jackaroo7.5L MOBIL 1 5W-30

castrol
s14 3.7L CASTROL EDGE 5W-30 CASTROL MAGNATEC 10W-40
s15 3.5L CASTROL EDGE 0W-40 CASTROL EDGE 5W-30 CASTROL MAGNATEC 10W-40
wrx 4.5L CASTROL EDGE 5W-30 CASTROL EDGE 0W-40
disco 5.8L CASTROL MAGNATEC 10W-40
jackaroo7.5L CASTROL EDGE 5W-30 CASTROL MAGNATEC 10W-40

valvoline
s14 3.7L 15-40
s15 3.5L 20-50
wrx 4.5L 5-40 10-50
disco 5.8L
jackaroo7.5L 5-40

motul
s14 3.7L 5-40 10-40
s15 3.5L 5-40 10-40
wrx 4.5L 5-30
disco 5.8L 5-40 10-40
jackaroo7.5L 5-40 10-40

[rick130]

Motor Oil 101 - Bob is the Oil Guy (http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/motor-oil-101/)


Now, I'll start off with "I've only skimmed that link" as I'm well aware of the good Doctors posts years ago on BITOG, but lets just say I take some of what he says with a grain of salt.

Some of his theories on viscosity, flow and wear needed some serious challenging, he was absolutely obsessed with running low visc oils, and his statement that F1 engines use straight SAE 5 oils is downright wrong, but for the most it's pretty right and a good read.
(I don't have a problem with ultra low viscosity oils in the right place, I was using 0W-5 engine oils in race engines in the early/mid nineties and I know, there's no such SAE grade but it was thin, it poured like water and the blender listed it as a 0W-5 :D) but it's a really good read for those that have little/no knowledge of how the SAE viscosity grades work and their correlation to kinematic viscosities and temps.

[Tombie]

Interesting on GW site... If you ask for Oil recommendation for TD5 you get "please phone 1800xxxxxx"

[Slunnie]

mobil
s14 3.7L MOBIL 1 5W-30 MOBIL SUPER 2000 5W-30 or MOBIL SUPER 2000 X2 10W-40
s15 3.5L MOBIL 1 5W-30 MOBIL SUPER 2000 5W-30 or MOBIL SUPER 2000 X2 10W-40
wrx 4.5L
disco 5.8L MOBIL 1 0W-40
jackaroo7.5L MOBIL 1 5W-30

One of the really smart oil geeks on here, I think it was IsuzuRover(???) was saying that there is something with the 30wt and probably lighter in the Mobil 1 that makes it not suitable for the TD5, but the 40 up is fine. I dont think it was viscosity related.

[rick130]

One of the really smart oil geeks on here, I think it was IsuzuRover(???) was saying that there is something with the 30wt and probably lighter in the Mobil 1 that makes it not suitable for the TD5, but the 40 up is fine. I dont think it was viscosity related.


Naa, it's the low HTHS number, it's a fuel economy oil, it's just not robust enough and leads to lobe wear IMO.

OW-40 M1 is an excellent oil, but I'd go for Delvac 1 over it in a TD5.

[Slunnie]

Naa, it's the low HTHS number, it's a fuel economy oil, it's just not robust enough and leads to lobe wear IMO.

OW-40 M1 is an excellent oil, but I'd go for Delvac 1 over it in a TD5.

Ahh Rick, my apologies! Thanks.

[Naks]

Naa, it's the low HTHS number, it's a fuel economy oil, it's just not robust enough and leads to lobe wear IMO.

So within the 913C spec oils, should one rather go for an oil which has a higher HTHS number then?

[disco gazza]

Having tried rx super,mobil and another brand that my mate used to get free.
Last oil change I did was with GW. So far so good,the thing that has impressed me with this particular brand is that the rocker cover bolts dont have any oil leaking from them. :p

cheers

[ramblingboy42]

my td5's done a couple of hundred thousand on Caltex rpm delo 400. currently it has Nulon but not sure what spec....

[ATH]

The Pumas due for a mid period oil change at 90K so I thought I'd try Mobil 15W 30 as my son reckons his engines always run quieter with it and an old marine engineer mate swears by it.
Reason I'm thinking of using it is the difficulty of getting the recommended Castrol Professional C1 as none of the retailers around the northern burbs sell it and the stealer says any good quality synthetic "should" be OK.
But is it suitable for the 2.4 Puma?
I'd really like something to get rid of that awful rattle but not sure if oil alone will do it......maybe a bomb would be better!
What do others reckon on Mobil?
AlanH.

[justinc]

the shell helix ultra 5w30 meets the ford spec iirc, easy to get. a different oil is unlikely to change the rattle, i would get that checked as there are numerous reasons these common rail engines make excessive combustion noise, some are normal, some not:eek:
here is a more comprehensive list...

here is a list of oils that claim to meet the ford WSS-M2C913-B or C requirement:

Liqui Moly Leichtlauf Special F 5W-30
Castrol Magnatec 5W-30 A1
Total QUARTZ 9000 FUTURE NFC 5W-30
Total ACTIVA 9000 FUTUR 5W-30
Mobil Super 3000 X1 Formula FE 5W-30
Fuchs TITAN Supersyn F 5w-30
Gulf Formula FS 5w-30
Millers Oils XF Longlife ECO 5w-30
Nulon Full Synthetic 5W-30 Diesel Formula Long Life Engine Oil
Havoline Energy 5W-30
Motul 8100 Eco-nergy 5W30
Motul Specific 913C 5W30
AnglomOil Roadmaster GEO 550F
Q8 Oils Techno 5W-30
BP Visco 5000 FE 5W-30
Comma Xtech 5W-30
CHAMPION SYNTOLUBE 5W30 F 913-C
ADDINOL Premium 0530 FD
OPTIMA VIMAX FD 5W/30
Ford Formula F 5w30
Sunoco SYNTURO DYNAMIC 5W30
Opus SYNOPUS F 5W/30
Shell Helix Ultra AF 5W-30


jc

[joel0407]

for the td5
Penrite Oil - A Better Class Of Oil (http://www.penriteoil.com.au/products.php?id_categ=1&id_fuel_type=3&id_products=7)
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2013/06/1094.jpg

sorry, not sure for the v8 but would look at penrite first. :)

After a lot of reading this is what I settled on for the TD5

Happy Days

[robbotd5]

After a lot of reading this is what I settled on for the TD5

Happy Days

Yep, me also. (Penrite 5W40 diesel 5)
Regards
Robbo

[Benny_IIA]

Yep, me also. (Penrite 5W40 diesel 5)
Regards
Robbo

yep me too...

[gromit]

I use GTX diesel in my Defender (used to be Castrol GTD when it was launched), I get the 20 litre drums when they are on special. I use any 20w/50 in my Series vehicles, pretty much any oil meets the spec for Series vehicles (in fact even the cheapest oils exceed the spec.)
I buy a lot of oil from an independent blender in Bayswater, no advertising overheads so its a good price.

If you visit Australian Lubricants it's interesting to see all the different oil manufacturers containers coming off the lines....AL is run by BP & Caltex but you see Castrol containers there as well.

A while ago I spoke with a tech guy at Caltex regarding the wife's Delica because there were a lot of reports about sludging if the incorrect oil was used. One comment he made was that it's best to stick to one oil type and not change. Because of it's unknown history I went for Delo400 and 5 years later it was running OK when we sold it.
Another conversation with a Shell tech guy about straight 40 oil. I wanted a straight 40 for an old motorbike and couldn't find it easily, the tech guy put me onto the mower oil. It's listed as 30 but is at the top end of the spec for 30 (closer to 40). I didn't like the idea of mower oil in the bike so I got some straight 40 from the independent blender.

A lot of people seem to go for Penrite, must be all their advertising paying off.......



Colin

[rick130]

A lot of people seem to go for Penrite, must be all their advertising paying off.......



Colin

Actually the stuff's pretty good.

A few years ago I was having some dodgy oil tests in a 300Tdi and my oil analyst advised me to dump my exxy full syn name brand HD diesel oil and use Penrite in the short term as he'd had nothing but stellar results from his customers using it.
Really surprised me at the time as I thought it was all advertising hype and chronically over-rated. He assured me otherwise, and that the oil I'd been using and that had been testing oh so well in two different engines was in fact over-rated and wasn't holding up as well as it had in the past.

He had no dog in the fight as he's based in the US ;)

[joel0407]

A lot of people seem to go for Penrite, must be all their advertising paying off.......

Colin

I haven't seen much advertising. I just read other peoples opinions online most of the time. Thing is there are not much choices in the 5w30 or 40 range. There are a few for the later eviro motors but after a fair amount of reading I found something about the enviro oil NOT having some particular lubricating component in it's make up. I cant remember what it was but oil with it doesnt work with diesel partical filters and the vehicles wont meet standards when they run old oil. Thing is the newer motors are built with different metals to compensate for the lack of this component in the oil. We have apparently reached a point where newer oils are not necesarily better. Newer oils actually offer less protections and lubrication. For a 15 year old TD5 we are better off to run an older standard of oil.

If it wasn't for the research I'd be running Castrol EDGE Professional Longlife III 5W-30 or something similar because it meets VW 507.00 specs which my Skoda needs.

I think I found more info when I was searching for VW stuff to run in my Skoda. There was something like the you cant run new 507 spec oil in old 505 spec VW engines because it doesn't have enough lubrication for the fuel pump. VW still sell older engines that specify 505 oil. Running the newer 507 spec oil in these vehicles will void the warranty. Some motors have broken down, the oil has been tested and VW have refused to pay for the repairs. Thats the guts of it anyway.

There are planty of older 5w-30 oils but not for diesels. Diesels require more detergent then petrols so I'm not prepared to run a petrol spec oil either.

High or newer specs don't exceed older or lower specs these days. it did in the old days but now it just means different spec.

Happy Days.

[rick130]

I haven't seen much advertising. I just read other peoples opinions online most of the time. Thing is there are not much choices in the 5w30 or 40 range. There are a few for the later eviro motors but after a fair amount of reading I found something about the enviro oil NOT having some particular lubricating component in it's make up. I cant remember what it was but oil with it doesnt work with diesel partical filters and the vehicles wont meet standards when they run old oil. Thing is the newer motors are built with different metals to compensate for the lack of this component in the oil. We have apparently reached a point where newer oils are not necesarily better. Newer oils actually offer less protections and lubrication. For a 15 year old TD5 we are better off to run an older standard of oil.

If it wasn't for the research I'd be running Castrol EDGE Professional Longlife III 5W-30 or something similar because it meets VW 507.00 specs which my Skoda needs.

I think I found more info when I was searching for VW stuff to run in my Skoda. There was something like the you cant run new 507 spec oil in old 505 spec VW engines because it doesn't have enough lubrication for the fuel pump. VW still sell older engines that specify 505 oil. Running the newer 507 spec oil in these vehicles will void the warranty. Some motors have broken down, the oil has been tested and VW have refused to pay for the repairs. Thats the guts of it anyway.

There are planty of older 5w-30 oils but not for diesels. Diesels require more detergent then petrols so I'm not prepared to run a petrol spec oil either.

High or newer specs don't exceed older or lower specs these days. it did in the old days but now it just means different spec.

Happy Days.

VW oil specs are a world unto themselves and have no relevance here.

Generally only use an ACEA 'C' rated oil in an engine requiring it too, they really are engine specific oils, D3/4 and TDci Defender owners know all about these oils by now, however;

In terms of diesel oils an API CJ-4 or ACEA E9 oil delivers at least as much wear protection, and usually more, than an older CI-4+ or ACEA E7 oil and with much higher soot handling capabilities than older oils.
With ACEA spec oils look for an E4/E6 rating too, and you'll have the best oil ever developed for HD Euro diesels.

Case in point, Penrite's Enviro+ 10W-40 is an ACEA E4/6/9 oil capable of lasting for over 100,000km in a large Euro truck engine with bore polish and wear protection levels as good as they've ever been if not better, yet with ZDDP levels below 1000PPM.
The additive pack is totally changed as the additives function is synergistic, the whole is greater than the sum of their parts and additives are used that are just more expensive than ZDDP to achieve this with reduced ZDDP levels.
Modern engines also use roller cam followers, etc with revised metallurgy to reduce the reliance on extreme pressure additives to save things like cam lobes.
FWIW additives like Boron based additives are used that function extremely well at colder oil/engine temps, our good old ZDDP wasn't activated until high temps/high loads anyway so wear could be experienced until things got really hot, something that can take a good 10-20km of run time.

Use an oil like Mobil 1 10W-30 in a TD5, an old spec oil that sports an API CF diesel rating and you stand a chance of doing your injector lobes in, it just doesn't have high enough anti-wear/EP additive levels for our use as it's formulated to meet the ILSAC GF-4/GF-5 fuel economy standard, yet a modern Chev V8 will run happily on it for years.

Zinc and phosphorous have never been the best anti-wear additives, just easily the most cost effective, it was impossible to beat their performance/cost ratio.
Now that diesel exhaust after treatment is common other additives needed to be utilised that don't poison/block the cat/DPF/whatever.

[TheTree]

I too have been using penrite for many years, well before any major advertising was happening, and have always had good results.

Steve

[ATH]

All very confusing especially when the stealers service foreman says any good synthetic will do the job. I checked on the Castrol website for recommendations for Transits with the 2.4 Tdci and at the bottom it said something like "If you can't get (whatever they really recommend) use an A3/B4 oil".
I really can't imagine a load of builders oiks or couriers who bomb all over the UK/Europe at 100mph bothering to read all that tiny writing on an oil bottle to make sure they get the completely right stuff and will grab anything synthetic like Edge or Mobil and bung it in.
I'm using Edge 5W 30 and was told it's good enough.
AlanH.

[Awest]

After a lot of reading this is what I settled on for the TD5

Happy Days

That's what I use!