help oil for the focus

[Big Dave 58]

I own a 2004 focus SR and am having great dificulty in obtaining the correct
5w30 oil for it that meet ford specifications.
Ford customer service said i should be using 5W30 all the time
Shell have one helix special F but you cannot get it, Mobil have one to but cant get it either, castrol well lots of people say dont use it and my ford dealer said not to use synthetic in it at all and each time i get it serviced by ford it gets what ever 1st service 5W30 (?), second service10W30 (Caltex), last service 10W40 (Mobil)i am now confused. does any one use 5W30 all the time and what brand is it.

[b2tf]

when I had mine (2002 model, so same engine etc) I used Penrite HPR5 which is easily available, and never had any problems. Went quite well.

[GXL078]

Caltex Havoline Premium Plus is a 10W30 you can get at any Caltex servo:
http://www.caltex.com.au/products_oil_detail.asp?id=328
I have used it in my SP23

[Green X]

"my ford dealer said not to use synthetic in it at all"

And the reason they gave you for this was??

Compleat load of **** IMO

[Big Dave 58]

Thanks for your reply. The reason being they told me it would harm the motor you have to take there advise when you are not oil savy, and the other dealers don't put it in either around here.
May be its the cost.

[Ives]

Originally Posted by David Millar

Thanks for your reply. The reason being they told me it would harm the motor you have to take there advise when you are not oil savy, and the other dealers don't put it in either around here.
May be its the cost.

OK, first of all good luck finding 5W-30 engine oil that's not fully sik... I mean synthetic . Castrol EDGE 5W-30 is widely available. Autobarn, SuperCheap Auto, Repco, even K-Mart stock EDGE 5W-30.

I've heard sayings like "These cars don't need 5W-30 for Australian driving, those are for European use" etc etc but still, I bring-in my own 5W-30 oil to services and ask them to use it.

[Big Dave 58]

thanks a lot ill give Edge a go.

[mustang70]

what a loadof @#$% about not using synthetic i wouldnt run anyhting else in a car i car about. i would think they just want you to keep using their own (overpriced ) oil.

[Ives]

Originally Posted by David Millar

thanks a lot ill give Edge a go.

No problems, they're good value for money cos they're one of the cheapest/if not the cheapest out of all the big brand names. I bought 5-litre Castrol EDGE 5W-30 from K-Mart for about $43 (normally $49.95).
Keep an eye out on special deals from places like SuperCheap Auto and Autobarn. Recently I got a SuperCheap Auto catalogue in the mail, advertising $10-off all Castrol EDGE oils.

[melbzetec]

Originally Posted by Green X

"my ford dealer said not to use synthetic in it at all"

And the reason they gave you for this was??

Compleat load of **** IMO

Hear hear.

I have used fully synthetic in my 2003 LR Focus since first service. Not a problem at all. (And always put in by a Ford Dealer Service Department...I supply the oil)

5W-30 is hard to find. I have always used 10W30 Mobil1 (Mobil's recommendation for LR Focus by the way) in the Focus without an issue.

I also have Mobil synthetic in the gearbox...but no one ever talks about gearbox oils

[FOCUSonTHIS]

I used Mobil1 5w40.....better than the Edge to be honest with you

[1lifeliveit]

I had probs finding Mobil 5w-30 as well. So I go to the ultratune near my home and they get for me. The only problem is I gotta tell them EVERYtime that its 4.25 lts. Otherwise they just empty the 5 lts into the engine and argue that they know what they r doing. I had to get them pump it out.

AAAAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHH.....and I found out that this problem is pretty common. what do they know that we dont?

[ivorya]

I use havoline 10W-40 semi-synth. No probs getting it. $25 from Big W. You'll also find the other havoline products 10W-30 and Synthetic 10w-50 is also there.
Castrol edge 5W-30 is also sold there $40 odd...
And no i don't work at Big W.....

[GXL078]

You could proably use any of the above oils and not have a problem. Just depends on how much you want to pay. Remember that ad with Peter Brock flogging Mobil 1? "Oil from the ground contains impurites so synthetic Mobil 1 is better". What a load of tripe, ever heard of fractional distillation?

[zetec]

Ford Genuine Oil is as follows

SAE 5W30 spec.

Ford Part Number - R15305L

Retail Price (incl GST) - $52.69

Bottle is 5L so it's just over enough, lets you use some for top-up if needed.

I believe it's a Semi-Syn, but your local Ford Dealer should be able to confirm. Runs to the genuine spec and your car will run happily forever on it at manufacturer's specification. Not too expensive either, especially against the fully synthetics at around $80-90.

[kiwijohn42]

castroledge
Fully synn & not that expensive. About $60 for 5-30w or less :

[murcod]

Does the owners manual specify a range of oils depending on the climate the car is driven in- a lot of manufacturers do?

Another option not mentioned is Shell Helix Ultra - it's 5W40 (close enough) and is available at Big W so is very easy to find. I used it in my ST24 Mondeo and never had any problems (it was supposed to use 5W30 too.)

Australia is considered a hot climate compared to Europe so the 5W40 shouldn't hurt. It simply means the oil won't be quite as thin under hot conditions compared to 5W30.

[melbzetec]

You're right David. From memory there is a list of grades mentioned in the handbook depending on climate

[zetec]

Originally Posted by melbzetec

You're right David. From memory there is a list of grades mentioned in the handbook depending on climate

No, just checked, it just lists 5w30 and nothing else.

[FRA]

I use Mobil1 10-15w40 and have had no problem at all.

[eXtremist]

If your car has lower than 20,000kms, I wouldn't use synthetic oil.

[melbzetec]

And I would.

[scooby]

A guy from Ford Service Dept. told me last week to use synthethic oil to prolong engine life and slightly improve fuel economy, BUT to wait until 15,000km service before using it. His recommendation?... Mobil1

[More revs]

Thats what I heard from the guys in the WRX club too... Let the motor be fully run in before going to a full synth... they also suggested about 20,000 Km. they claim some oils are too slipery and can create glazing on cylinder bores.

[melbzetec]

Originally Posted by melbzetec

You're right David. From memory there is a list of grades mentioned in the handbook depending on climate

This is the page I was talking about. Mind you, looking at it closely, I'm now not exactly sure what it is saying. (I'm talking about the diagram top right)

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by zetec

Ford Genuine Oil is as follows

SAE 5W30 spec.

Ford Part Number - R15305L

Retail Price (incl GST) - $52.69

Bottle is 5L so it's just over enough, lets you use some for top-up if needed.

I believe it's a Semi-Syn, but your local Ford Dealer should be able to confirm. Runs to the genuine spec and your car will run happily forever on it at manufacturer's specification. Not too expensive either, especially against the fully synthetics at around $80-90.

Late reply I know, but Matt, what's the go?

Why on earth would you buy oil from Ford when you can get it from just about any auto shop in the correct grade and for about half the price? Seriously I dont understand why anybody would pay that much for oil.

[zetec]

I just bought some Syn myself, I'm a convert! I wasn't aware at the time of my post that the Synthetics could be had for under $50... my boo boo.

Castrol Edge Sport 5w30 Fully-Synthetic - $47.99 for 5L from my local Supacheap Auto. Going in tomorrow morning at 90,000km service.

[b2tf]

Originally Posted by zetec

I just bought some Syn myself, I'm a convert! I wasn't aware at the time of my post that the Synthetics could be had for under $50... my boo boo.

Castrol Edge Sport 5w30 Fully-Synthetic - $47.99 for 5L from my local Supacheap Auto. Going in tomorrow morning at 90,000km service.

supercheap autoing_sm :MrT_anim:

Edge is good stuff, Im running it in the ute but it's a bit thicker than 5w30!

[Stugots]

Edge Sport is first choice for me. Reasonably priced and if it's good enough to be recommended by BMW, Volvo, Jaguar and FPV's, it's good enough for the Focus.

[zetec]

Well it went in today and I must say, the startup and idle is smoother than ever, the thing is almost dead quiet at idle now! Smoother all the way through. New brake fluid and new power steering fluid means she's so much smoother it feels like a new car again!