[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by Lil bastard

ACEA (European Automobile Manufacturers Association) Ratings aren't really any different or more stringent than those from API (Am. Petroleum Institute) or SAE (Soc. of Automotive Engineers), it's just those crazy Euros coming up with their own system to prove that they - the United States of Europe, aka the EU, are just as good as we are.

And, don't confuse a ratings claim as a certification. NO oil is ACEA approved - the ACEA does not approve motor oil. The Mfgrs. are just claiming to be in compliance with ACEA testing standards. Oil mfgrs. are responsible for their own testing and conformance to ACEA specs is voluntary. Just because a manufacturer doesn't claim ACEA compliance for their product, doesn't mean it isn't, especially if they are already complying with API or SAE specs.

I think we're seeing waaay too much Oil paranoia here lately. People obsess about which oil to use and then add a K&N or Gauze filter which introduce far more contaminates than oem, or go 15k mi. between service intervals. That's kinda like smoking in the doctor's waiting room.

Choose a name brand synthetic of your choice, swap between 7500 or annually (unless your conditions dictate otherwise), and you'll be fine. Using MB1 under these circumstances will not increase the odds that you'll grenade your engine anymore than if you choose Pirelli or Continental shoes for the car. Remember, EVERY Boxster leaving Stuttgart or Uusikaupunki, for better or for worse, has a belly full of Mobil 1.

If your engine does implode, it's much more likely that the poorly engineered IMS bearing or RMS are to blame.

PS to learn more about ACEA see: http://www.enerplus.com.my/images/acea-oil-sequence.pdf
and: http://www.lubritecinc.com/PDF/2008synpcmo.pdf

Unfortunately, you are dead wrong on the ACEA. Unlike the API, which is self policing, ACEA REQURIES that you submit your finished product to an independent outside lab that runs the tests and determines which rating category the product fall into.................

From the ACEA documents on their website:

All engine performance testing used to support a claim of compliance with these ACEA sequences must be generated according to the European Engine Lubricants Quality Management System (EELQMS). This system, which is described in the ATIEL Code of Practice1, addresses product development testing and product performance documentation, and involves the registration of all candidate and reference oil testing and defines the compliance process. Compliance with the ATIEL Code of Practice is mandatory for any claim to meet the requirements of the 2007 issue of these ACEA sequences.