using slick 50

[smoothcoupe]

has anyone used slick 50 in their motor, are there any benefits. also which is the best oil to use in my 1993 s500 with 122000 miles. thanks.

 

[Dieselman]

Don't use Slick50. It's a teflon particle additive so will form a grinding paste, which isn't great for bearing journals.

Use a decent 10W-40 and no additives.

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>Don't use Slick50.

I don't think I've ever seen any advice on a car forum which I can agree with any more emphatically.

All you need to do is to meet or exceed the oil quality requirements and drain intervals specified in your car's amnual. There's very little more to it.

Yes, there's lots of academic twaddle spoken about oils - but, lubrication based engine failure is so rare, you will be OK following MBs guidance.

If lubrication based engine failure were the problem which you might imagine it to be when reading oil threads on car fora, the same fora would be full of people asking about where they could get reconditioned engines, and how many times is it acceptable to grind a crank - I don't see any evidence of these questions.

 

[Sp!ke]

What they said.

Slick 50 were sued big time in the US as well as a numer of other snake oil sellers.

Frankly I'm surprised they re still in business over here.

 

[flango]

Don't use Slick50. It's a teflon particle additive so will form a grinding paste, which isn't great for bearing journals.

Use a decent 10W-40 and no additives.

Exaactly this happened to my Vauxhall Senator running Slick 50 wish I'd never seen the stuff cost me a £1k engine rebuild.

 

[big x]

>>

If lubrication based engine failure were the problem which you might imagine it to be when reading oil threads on car fora, the same fora would be full of people asking about where they could get reconditioned engines, and how many times is it acceptable to grind a crank - I don't see any evidence of these questions.

Google Saab and sludge

http://www.nationmaster.com/encyclopedia/Oil-sludge

Saab have spent millions replacing seized engines due to lubrication failure.

Running mineral oils on extended drain intervals must have caused literally $ billions of damage over the years
in many makes.

 

[crockers]

A lot of Americans I know still swear on an oil change every 3000 miles.......bet that's not Mobil 1

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>Google Saab and sludge

Yes, that's an American problem. They tend to use poorer oil as a matter of routine, and have poorer fuel standards - lower cetane rating in diesel, for example.

I don't see hordes of people on here or the other UK based sites where I lurk complaining that their engines have gone bang.

It's a non-problem if you meet or exceed the manufacturer's requirements.

 

[big x]

>>Google Saab and sludge

Yes, that's an American problem. They tend to use poorer oil as a matter of routine, and have poorer fuel standards - lower cetane rating in diesel, for example.

I don't see hordes of people on here or the other UK based sites where I lurk complaining that their engines have gone bang.

It's a non-problem if you meet or exceed the manufacturer's requirements.

Actually the Saab problem was/is worse here due to the greater use of semi-synthetics and a tradition of a once a year oil changes as opposed to the 3 month jiffi lube routine in the States. Even using fully synthetic in the affected Saab engines is the kiss of death if the original manufacturer extended drain intervals are followed.

I sent a sample of oil to Blackstone labs for analysis from a BMW that had spent it's whole life being serviced as per the dash board lights.For most of that period BMW were using Castrol magnetic semi-synthetic. At the change-out period of 14k the oil showed higher than healthy levels of lead and copper, a sure sign of excess bearing wear.

Due to short journeys, crowded roads and a temperate climate in the UK, engines here tend to have top end EGR breather problems IE. white sludge from condensation.

The solution is to have more frequent oil changes. Looking at lab reports posted on the oil analysis forums circa 8k is about right and a bit more for fully synthetic.
There are exceptions to this for example Audi V8 S4. These highly tuned engines show very high levels of fuel contamination in the oil. If extended drain intervals using high quality fully synthetics are followed failures at circa 60k have been reported.

At the other end of the performance scale, Audi A2 computers can go show as long as 28k before indicating an oil change is due. Guess what comes out of the sump ? Nothing.... the engine is full of jellied gunk !

 

[Number_Cruncher]

Of over 700,000 posts on this forum, only 302 contain the word crankshaft. Of those 302, by far the majority are talking about running problems caused by failing crankshaft position sensors. Of those which are talking about mechanical problems many of them are asking about the harmonic balancer on the crank nose. The posts talking about mechanical problems which might have some basis or root cause in the oil are extremely few and far between.

 

[GuyFawkes]

Of over 700,000 posts on this forum, only 302 contain the word crankshaft. Of those 302, by far the majority are talking about running problems caused by failing crankshaft position sensors. Of those which are talking about mechanical problems many of them are asking about the harmonic balancer on the crank nose. The posts talking about mechanical problems which might have some basis or root cause in the oil are extremely few and far between.

You posit a logical fallacy.

There is no mention of every single crankshaft failure in the UK either, from which we can draw statistics based on fact...

 

[big x]

Of over 700,000 posts on this forum, only 302 contain the word crankshaft. Of those 302, by far the majority are talking about running problems caused by failing crankshaft position sensors. Of those which are talking about mechanical problems many of them are asking about the harmonic balancer on the crank nose. The posts talking about mechanical problems which might have some basis or root cause in the oil are extremely few and far between.

I'm not sure why you have homed in on crankshafts. These days if assembled in a clean environment the bottom end of most cars have an indefinite lifespan and are not a major problem area.
The German magazine 'Auto motor Und Sport' strip down cars at 100,000 Km and measure wear on every part. Typically the crank journals will only show minimal wear or sometimes scoring if dirt has got onto the surfaces. Once this happens wear will increase rapidly.
Over time infrequent oil changing does increase wear throughout the engine. Things like bore wear lead to reduced performance, piston slap, uneven idle, increased oil consumption etc rather than catastrophic failure.The later rarer event is caused by a complete blockage, normally oil sludge or coke in the sump pick up ,or restricted oil supply to the top end and timing chains.

 

[flango]

A lot of Americans I know still swear on an oil change every 3000 miles.......bet that's not Mobil 1

I drop my CLK every 3000 and do the filter, don't use Mobil one as we have had some horror stories with it in motorsport, use Shell Helix instead much better protection, just google Mobil 1 tests and you'll see the stories particularly kills Porsche's

 

[Number_Cruncher]

>>You posit a logical fallacy.

On a forum where there is a lively discussion of motoring matters, one would expect some discussion of engine problems if they happened.

I would expect to read threads saying my engine's is being replaced, should I fit new engine mountings while it's out?, should I fit a new starter motor, a new clutch, and so on.

There are many threads on engine problems which do happen frequently, like CDi injectors leaking, like low pressure fuel pipes on OM606's, like OVP relays failing, and far fewer threads talking about the need for new engines.

I'm not claiming that my numbers would in any way satisfy a statistician, but, they don't suggest to me that there's a big problem.

>>I'm not sure why you have homed in on crankshafts.

Purely for illustration - I don't think the numbers would change too much if I substituted pistons, vlaves, cylinders, etc, etc.

>>Things like bore wear lead to reduced performance,piston slap, uneven idle, increased oil consumption etc rather than catastrophic failure.

Yes!, and as long as this process happens at a rate that's broadly comparable to the rate at which the rest of the car disintegrates, it's not a problem.

For me, it's an enduring mystery why so many car fora focus so strongly on oil & filter changing regimes, while other aspects of maintenance like coolant changes, brake fluid changes and automatic tranmsission oil and filter changes are not given anything like the same hammering.

From my own experience, I can well remember when engine wear, and lubrication failure were much more common and troublesome, and even my father's small workshop (5 mechanics) would have 3 or 4 engines out and on benches in various stages of overhaul - such jobs are rare today. In those days, it was an unusual engine which didn't have major work done to it during its life.

One of the biggest turning points was during the 1980's when better quality oil became more commonly used (IIRC, SG specification).

 

[Bobby Dazzler]

I have a bottle in the garage unused if you want it, but no guarantees given or implied. I've never felt the urge to use it - it was purchased for resale, but never sold.