All motor oil approvals. Specifications

2024 Author: Erin Ralphs | [email protected]. Last modified: 2024-02-19 11:41

Many motorists are aware that today there is a certain list of accepted methods by which automobile oil is classified according to its quality and various performance characteristics. But in fact, it so happened that this is not enough for most car manufacturers, so they decided to come up with their own engine oil tolerances, certifying them for certain types of engines. At the same time, car owners often do not even know what such a classification is and why it is needed.

What is this?

In short, engine oil tolerances represent a certain quality standard, for which a complete list of parameters set by the car manufacturer is determined. Compliance with these requirements is mandatory when using certain products in your engine.

How are they assigned?

The process of assigning tolerances is quite complex, and in order for a manufacturer to obtain the right to label a certain value of a particular manufacturer, the company must first obtain the appropriate certificate. On the other hand, the auto manufacturerinitially, he must conduct rather complex tests of the resulting product, as well as analyze it in a special laboratory, and only then set his own tolerances for motor oils. Naturally, the company that will manufacture the final product pays for all these procedures, and the amounts of such payment are quite large.

Information about what engine oil tolerances are assigned to a particular product must be present on its label, and if it is missing, this only says one thing: the oil you buy was not certified, even if the seller insistently claims otherwise.

Why is this needed?

First of all, such standards were introduced due to rather tough competition in the markets of modern cars, and one of the first motor oils with Ford approvals appeared. Such competition did not appear suddenly and has existed for several years, and during all this time, most concerns are doing everything in order to retain their customers and, of course, attract new ones. In order to achieve their goals, companies position their products extremely rigidly in a number of parameters, in particular, this applies to engines.

For example, a certain manufacturer claims the high speed of their cars, while another highlights economy as an advantage, and a third even positions its cars as powerful and passable cars. However, each of them producesown lines of motors, ranging from economical and weak to fast and high-torque.

How does the positioning of the motor affect its design?

It is quite natural that such an approach has a direct impact on the production procedure, and in particular it concerns engines. Different manufacturers use different technologies, and they are mainly dictated by how this or that brand of car is positioned, in connection with which engine oil has appeared with approvals from Ford, BMW, Lexus and other manufacturers. Different companies also use different materials in the production of internal engine parts, and this is what mainly affects the chemical characteristics of the final product and is directly related to the interaction of the additives contained in the composition of the selected oil.

How does this affect operation?

Since everyone uses different additives, in the end it turns out that exactly the same products can be great for one engine, but at the same time have an extremely destructive effect on the operation of another engine. That is why any competent specialist will say that there are no good and bad motor oils, they are just different and are intended for different engines or operating conditions.

In addition, the thickness of the film formed by the oil on the internal components of the car is of critical importance in this case, since some additives deal with itadjustment. If this thickness exceeds the gaps set by the manufacturer, this will lead to constant overheating of the piston group and all the ensuing consequences. If the value is less, then the oil will simply burn out too much.

What do they give?

It is for this reason that most automotive manufacturers prefer to develop their own standards and requirements for each individual engine model, in connection with which Dexos2 approved motor oils and many others have appeared. At the request of the manufacturer of these products, a certain list of necessary tests and studies is carried out, according to the results of which specific brands may be allowed to be used in certain engines. All this must necessarily be issued in the form of a certificate, in the presence of which the oil manufacturer receives the right to indicate a specific tolerance on the label.

Tolerance is the most important parameter

It is worth noting the fact that with the widest variety of products on the market today, and also taking into account the number of structurally different engine models and their manufacturers, reinforcing oil approval with a car manufacturer's certificate is a fairly serious argument in favor of its use. And vice versa - if this certificate is missing, the use of such oil in a particular car becomes quite risky.

Approvals for Audi, VW, Skoda and Seat

List of tolerancescar manufacturers should be directly on the label immediately after information about what viscosity it has and what ACEA and API quality classes it belongs to. If the tolerance you are interested in is not indicated on the label, this indicates that this oil definitely does not have it. In the following, we will only give a brief description of what VAG tolerances are. Engine oil can have different specifications, and for the most accurate definition for specific engines, it is best to first check with the documentation for the car or contact the official representative:

• VW 500.00 engine oil approvals are for multigrade, energy efficient SAE 5W-30, 5W-40, 10W-40 or 20W-30 products and are used in gasoline engines. Standard specifications fully comply with the basic requirements of ACEA A3-96.
• VW 501.01 is a category of universal motor oils that can be used in diesel and gasoline engines equipped with direct injection. Their standard parameters fully comply with the basic requirements of ACEA A2. It is worth noting that it is best to first check for compatibility with various elastomer gaskets, and they can only be used in turbodiesel engines in combination with VW 505.00 oils.
• Engine oil with a 502.00 approval is used in gasoline engines equipped with a direct injection system, as well as those with increased effective power. Production parameters comply with the basic requirements of the ACEA A3 class. Most oftenmany people try to find just such an engine oil (502 tolerance is the most common).
• VW 503.00 is a relatively new standard for extended service interval gasoline engines. This tolerance exceeds the requirements of 502.00, but at the same time, such oil is intended exclusively for those engines that have been produced since May 1999. Unlike how motor oils with a VW 502.00 approval can be used, products with this approval are prohibited for use in cars of previous years of production, as they have a lower high-temperature viscosity, which often leads to various engine damage.
• VW 503.01 are oils that are designed for use in heavily loaded gasoline engines with extended service intervals.
• VW 504.00 are intended for any fuel engines with an extended service interval. This list also includes engines equipped with fine filters without any foreign additives in the fuel used.
• VW 505.00 - products designed for diesel passenger cars with or without turbocharging. The standard parameters of such oils fully comply with the requirements and standards of the ACEA B3 class. In this case, it is also recommended to pre-test for compatibility with special elastomer gaskets.
• VW 506.99 are Volkswagen engine oil approvals designed for passenger diesel cars equipped with a turbocharger and having an increased serviceinterval.
• VW 507.00 is a product group for all fuel engines with extended service intervals, including diesel engines with fine filters without any extraneous fuel additives that require a special engine oil. The 507.00 approval is an alternative for 505 class oils.

Mercedes Approvals

Considering the tolerances of Mercedes engine oil, it is worth highlighting a few basic ones:

• MV 228.1. SHPD brands of motor oils for all seasons, which are approved for Mercedes-Benz vehicles equipped with diesel engines. There is an extended oil change interval for turbocharged truck engines. Standard requirements fully comply with the main parameters of ACEA E2. It is recommended to test compatibility with different elastomer gaskets before use.
• MV 228.3. Multi-viscosity SHPD all-season automotive oils designed for various diesel engines of tractors and heavy trucks, regardless of whether they are equipped with a turbocharger. Depending on the specific operating conditions and the service used, the replacement interval is generally kept in the range from 45 to 60 thousand kilometers. Standard parameters fully comply with ACEA E3 class.
• MV 228.31. Motor oils designed for various commercial trucks equipped with diesel engines with special sootfilters. This approval requires the product to meet the API CJ-4 standard, in addition, this engine oil must also pass two stages of testing developed by the designers of Mercedes-Benz.
• MB 228.5 This engine oil is designed for heavily loaded diesel engines of various commercial trucks, the characteristics of which comply with Euro 1 and 2 standards, and has an extended drain interval. It is worth noting that for the heavy class, a replacement interval of up to 160,000 km is provided, if this is in accordance with the recommendations of the vehicle manufacturer.
• MV 228.51. An all-season oil designed for use in diesel engines of modern heavy-duty commercial trucks that meet the basic requirements of the Euro 4 standard, providing for extended oil change intervals. Standard requirements fully comply with ACEA E6 class.
• MV 229.1. Products used in passenger cars equipped with gasoline or diesel engines manufactured between 1998-2002. Slightly higher requirements than ACEA A3 and ACEA B3.

BMW Approvals

In accordance with the specifications of the BWM concern, for cars of all series equipped with gasoline engines, only those engine oils that have previously passed a special set of tests and have the status of officially approved by the company can be used. The same vehicles with diesel engines providethe use of universal oils, if they meet the requirements of specific classes according to the specification. The main tolerances are as follows:

• BMW Special Oil. Car oils used in BMW diesel and gasoline engines and having a general classification. Special motor oils in this case are products with a high degree of fluidity, and each individual brand of such oil is allowed to be used as the first refueling of cars of this manufacturer only according to the results of factory tests.
• BMW Longlife-98. Car oils designed for use in various gasoline engines manufactured since 1998. Such products can be used in those engines that provide for the possibility of maintenance with an extended service interval. The standard requirements are based on the ACEA A3 and ACEA B3 classifications. It should be noted that such engine oils cannot be used in engines of earlier years of manufacture, as well as in those engines for which a Longlife service interval is not provided.
• BMW Longlife-01. Products that are used in gasoline engines of BMW vehicles manufactured after 2001 and with an extended oil change service interval. The standard requirements are similar to the previous category.
• BMW Longlife-01 FE. Exactly the same category as the previous one, but in this case, the oils are intended for those engines, the use of which is carried out in conditions of increased complexity.
• BMW Longlife-04. This approval for motor oils appearedin 2004 and it is intended for the most modern BMW engines. These motor oils are highly discouraged for use in engines manufactured before 2004.

There are also many other options: diesel engine oils with DH 1 approval, GM-LL-A-025 and a number of others, but in this article we have outlined a list of the main tolerances of the most popular car manufacturers.

Thus, for each specific car and a certain brand of engine, you need to select only the oil that has the appropriate approval, otherwise you risk the safety of your vehicle.