[extra_g]

I bought my car new and when I took it in for the first oil change the service guy told me they drop the mineral oil that is put in during production for running in the motor and change it to fully synthetic 5w-30. Since then I have done my own oil and filter changes every 12 months using Shell ultra extra which is fully synthetic 5w-30 and the bottle says ACEA C3, A3/B3, A3/B4. After reading some post on this site some have said that oils with C3 spec lack additives which are found in A3/b4 for maximum engine protection.

Shell LubeMatch - Australia

The above link is the oil Shell recommend (ultra extra is now ultra ect)

The Shell ultra ect C3 5w-30 does not display A3/B4 spec, but I am led to believe that C3 can be used in place of B4 but not the other way around due to B4 not being suitable for DPF.
As I change it every 12 months, 10,000 to 12,000 kms with city driving and a good run daily down the highway with no towing, is this oil good protection for my motor?

 

[extra_g]

Shell Helix HX8 Synthetic 5W-30 - Australia

Would I be better using the above instead of the ultra ect?

[extra_g]

So after a bit of googling I found this


A1 Fuel economy petrol
A2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
A3 High performance and/or extended drain
A4 Reserved for future use in certain direct injection engines
A5 Combines A1 fuel economy with A3 performance

B1 Fuel economy diesel
B2 Standard performance level (now obsolete)
B3 High performance and/or extended drain
B4 For direct injection car diesel engines
B5 Combines B1 fuel economy with B3/B4 performance

C1-04 Petrol and Light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 low SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C2-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible.
C3-04 Petrol and light duty Diesel engines, based on A5/B5-04 mid SAPS, two way catalyst compatible, Higher performance levels due to higher HTHS.

So my understanding is that C3 combines A1,A3,B3,B4 whilst the mid SAPS puts it in the C3 class needed for some DPF vehicles.

Therefor would it be true that C3 oil can be used where A1,A3,B3,B4 or C3 is required???

[beerman]

I wouldn't use the higher spec DPF oil only because I have found it is more expensive.

Here is a guide from Hyundai that Rusty posted some time ago. Personally I use mobil 1 0w40 that I source from Ebay