Analysis of the purchase and use of automotive lubricants

How should the lubricant be selected? What are the usage points and precautions for use? Perhaps this is a problem that the benevolent sees the wise and see the wisdom, but also with the different models, the owner's driving habits also have a great relationship, today NetEase car invited to the Shell Lubricant Engineer, for everyone to do a more detailed interpretation of lubricant knowledge.

The first aspect: oil purchase

First of all, how can we guarantee the purchase of genuine lubricants?

Shell engineers reminded us that we can choose from two aspects: first, to distinguish from the appearance, if the product packaging and printing is not clear, and if the lubricant contains a lot of impurities, are not normal. Second, you can call the factory for help. For example, Shell uses 11 counterfeit protection technologies to verify product authenticity from multiple dimensions. If you really buy non-genuine lubricant products, you can also seek help from manufacturers and seek legal help.

Second, how do you choose the lubricant that suits your car?

Today, the choice of Engine oil is based on two standards. One is the viscosity standard, ie, SAE; the other is the quality standard, namely API/ACEA/ILSAC. When the different vehicles leave the factory, the automobile manufacturers specify the two indexes of the lubricant: AE viscosity. And API/ACEA/ILSAC grades. The engineer advises the owner to select the appropriate SAE viscosity and the appropriate API/ACEA/ILSAC grade lubricant according to the above instructions in the vehicle manual. Different brands of lubricants have SAE viscosity and API/ACEA/ILSAC ratings. The owner can choose between two different labels.

At the same time, in addition to the selection criteria for automotive manuals, it is also possible to determine how to use lubricants based on the following three criteria:

A: Engine technology: Generally speaking, automotive engines equipped with advanced technologies such as TSI, in-cylinder direct injection, and turbocharging are recommended to use fully synthetic engine oil in order to ensure smoother operation and reduce engine wear.

B: engine displacement: The greater the engine displacement, the more stringent the internal working conditions, the higher the demand for lubricating oil, and the engine with more than 2.5L displacement is recommended to use fully synthetic engine oil;

C: Conditions of use of the vehicle: The conditions of use of the vehicle mainly include the driving habits of the driver and the environmental conditions of driving. On the one hand, if the vehicle is in a congested idling state for a long period of time or is driven at a high speed for a long time, the loss of the engine oil will increase. It is recommended to use fully synthetic engine oil. On the other hand, if the air environment is not good, the quality of the fuel in the engine is not good, and the engine will inevitably increase impurities, thus reducing the life of the lubricant, so this situation is recommended to choose a better overall quality synthetic lubricant Oil use.

At the same time, Shell engineers also reminded that modern engines have characteristics such as light weight, precision, and high load, and fully synthetic engine oils are more in line with the requirements of modern engines. At the same time, fully synthetic motor oils perform better in terms of oxidation resistance, film strength, and viscosity stability. , Use better.

However, when choosing a lubricant, it is not necessary to pursue full synthesis. According to the situation of your car and the degree of cherishing your car, the total synthetic oil price is higher than that of semi-synthetic and mineral oil. You can also choose other oils according to your needs.

The second aspect: the use of lubricants

First, high temperatures are a problem in the use of lubricating oils.

High temperature is an important issue in the use of lubricating oil. In the above-mentioned vehicle use conditions, the temperature in the engine during long-term idling and high-speed operation will be high, and deterioration and damage will be easily caused and the lifespan will be reduced.

At the same time, even if the lubricating oil has good oxidation resistance, the long-term high temperature in the engine will cause the water in the oil to evaporate, making the oil thicker and the lubrication effect decreasing, and it may increase the engine wear.

Second, if the engine is not operated for a long time, it will cause the lubricant to deteriorate too quickly.

The long-term abnormal operation of the engine refers to the long-term operation of the car within a five-kilometre drive. However, this is an extremely extreme phenomenon. In this case, after the fuel and oil enter the engine compartment, the engine does not enter the normal operation process. Stop running, this will cause the fuel to enter the oil, dilute the lubricant, resulting in a drop in the quality of the lubricant, deterioration too quickly.

Third, the quality of some accessories and fuel in the engine will also affect the service life of the oil.

The quality of engine parts will also affect the service life of the oil, especially the machine filter and air filter. If the quality of the machine filter is not good, it will cause too much impurities to be mixed into the oil, causing the oil to oxidize too quickly, and the air filter will be the same. Today, the air quality of large and medium-sized cities is not small, so if the quality of air filtration is not in place, the impurities in the air will also be mixed into the oil to reduce the oil life.

The quality of the fuel is also an important factor. Excessive impurities in the fuel, impurities left in the engine compartment after combustion will also be mixed into the lubricating oil as the lubricating oil cleans the engine room, causing too much impurities in the engine oil and oxidation. Fast, also reduces oil life.

The third aspect: the replacement of lubricating oil

The oil change cycle must be strictly in accordance with the requirements of automotive manufacturers.

In combination with the three important factors in the process of use, Shell's engineers recommended that the oil change intervals must be strictly in accordance with the manufacturer's oil change requirements. Domestic air quality and oil quality are not the same. At the same time, congestion conditions in large and medium-sized domestic cities are also It is easy to cause the car to idle for a long time. Therefore, it is recommended to replace the lubricant in strict accordance with the manufacturer's requirements. If the lubricant is not replaced for a long time, many large amounts of carbon deposits, sludge and deposits will remain, causing serious damage to the engine.

In addition, some tips for identifying lubricant replacement standards on the Internet are not recommended.

Finally, we specifically sought confirmation from the Shell engineers about the feasibility of using the “chronic test strips” to identify the use of lubricants on the Internet. Shell engineers stated that such testing methods for chronic strips generally do not recommend consumers to use lubricants as replacements. Because in the internal testing process, the chronic titration test is only one of the many testing standards and it is conducted under more stringent conditions. However, if the consumer tests itself, it cannot guarantee the effectiveness of the test, especially Identifying impurities in the lubricating oil, if visible impurities are found on the chronic test paper, indicates that the engine oil has deteriorated.

Lubricant preservation

In many cases where car owners are more concerned about the preservation of lubricants, Shell engineers recommend keeping them in a condition protected from light and heat. Unopened lubricants can be stored for about three years. Lubricants after opening can be stored in a good storage environment. It will be kept for a year or so, but it is not recommended to put it in the trunk. After all, the temperature in the car in summer is still relatively high, which will accelerate the loss of lubricating oil.

Lastly, Shell engineers once again recommended that they select lubricants based on their own needs. Of course, long-term use of fully synthetic lubricants will result in better maintenance and longer service life, which can delay overhauls.