[Yellow/Black OneD]

Just a note to MINI owners regarding the use of Castrol SLX oil in their engines....
The topic of Oil seems very confusing at the moment, with so many varieties on the market, which one do we choose.
I got hold of some SLX II thinking it would be superior to the ordinary SLX, eventhough it only lists VW's approval "506 01" which is for their PD derv engines.
I contacted Castrol themselves and asked what their view was on this, the e-mail is quoted below.......

"-----Original Message-----
From: Hodgkinson, Simon [mailto:Simon.Hodgkinson@amec.com]
Sent: 11 August 2004 08:43
To: Cat, Enquiries
Subject: SLX II


Dear Sir, Madam,
I have recently purchased (perhaps mistakenly) a litre of your
Castrol SLX Longlife II 0W 30 oil. Listed of the package is only a VW
specification. There is No API service classification and No ACEA
classifications. Therefore is it Not suitable for vehicles asking for API,
ACEA or BMW Longlife 01 etc classifications?
I own a MINI OneD and am scared that putting this oil into my engine will
cause serious damage,

Best Regards,

Simon Hodgkinson

__________________________________________________ _______________________

Simon,

SLX Longlife II does meet API or ACEA specs as it has not undergone approval (although it would very likely pass). It is primarily a VW oil used on their variable service life engines, and so has been formulated to meet the corresponding VW specs 506.01 and 503.00.

It is not recommended for use in other engines than those in the VW group. The oil you need is called Formula SLX 0W-30. The main difference with the SLX Longlife II oil is that it is a 'fuel economy' oil and so will thin down more than the Formula SLX to contribute to fuel saaving.

I note you have only bought a litre pack, I presume for top-up. IF you have used this for top-up, you will not cause damage to your engine but it would not be suitable for a fill. If you have not yet used this, I would advise you return it and purchase Formula SLX. This is the only oil that meets the latest AP and ACEA specs *and* the BMW Longlife 01 spec.

Regards
John"

INTERESTING?

[Martin L]

It doesn't really help that Castrol SLX is hardly stocked anywhere
I ended up finding some at an Audi dealership. Kind of weird when you would have thought that since they're part of the VW group they'd use SLXII

[Yellow/Black OneD]

Quote: Originally Posted by Martin L

I ended up finding some at an Audi dealership. Kind of weird when you would have thought that since they're part of the VW group they'd use SLXII

Maybe Audi are as confused as we are, and are stocking the wrong 'SLX' Oil.....