So my car (ford ) runs on 5 w 30 oil the mrs car ( Volkswagen) runs 5 w 30 halfords book instore says that I have to run different oil either halfords branded oils for ford or vw or similar from castrol etc is this correct or can I buy a big bottle to use to top up both engines?

If it means anything then my car is diesel and the other is petrol

Advice appreciated

My mechanic reckons my diesel car needs specific oil due to the DPF filter so I’m guessing it may be the same for yours ?

Buy one of each!

Car manufacturers are getting really really difficult about which oil to put in their cars these days!

My daughter went down to my local factors the other day for my Hyundai and they said they couldn’t sell her any oil for it! so I rang back told them to check the Kia Sedona (same engine and use the oil specced for that) daft sods!

Our main oil supplier at work has 9 different 5W30 oils to meet the specs for different vehicle manufacturers. Even they say it’s stupid, and is causing headaches with most customers trying to stock suitable oils.

Personally, if it’s only for minor top-ups i.e. a litre or so between services, I’d find out which of the two oils is the higher spec, and use that.

There’s much more to oil than the viscosity, which is what the 5w30 means.

In your handbook it will say that the oil needs a certain manufacturer specification – and they all have their own. My Passat for example needs 505.00 or 507.00. These are VW specific numbers. Ford have their own numbers.

Some engine oils meet multiple specifications from different manufacturers, but it does tell you on the back of the bottle.

You may not think it’s important, but in the case of my Passat, it’s a PD engine (as many pre 2008 VAG cars are) which means the injectors are driven off the camshaft individually. This means that the cam lobes for the valves are half the width, and subject to more wear than normal. The VW oil spec for PD engines gives enough lubricity to cope with this extra pressure.

So it is important – much more so than the brand.

If you look in the service manual for both cars there will be a manufacturer’s specification code (EG VW 507.00, Ford WSS-M2C 913-C) or you might get lucky and get a standard ACEA standard code. If you can find one oil that meets both then that’s what you need, however if one is a Diesel and one a Petrol it’s unlikely.

It’s the additive packages that are the problem, (for things like soot absorption, life extension, water/coolant stability) not the viscosity.

11 seconds. 🙄

What Molly said. Match the spec codes.

Okey doke cheers for the info