The unique requirements of modern engines

7 different TotalEnergies oils in the 0W-20 grade

11 kwietnia 2023

TotalEnergies offers up to seven different oils in the 0W-20 grade. Contrary to appearances, despite the identical viscosity class, the individual products differ so much that they cannot be used interchangeably. We explain what these differences are.

Many oil buyers assume that adherence to a specific viscosity grade, in this case 0W-20, is a sufficient criterion for oil selection, and that other labels, including the so-called car manufacturers' approvals, are merely additional information for marketing reasons. This is a very serious mistake. It is also a mistake to assume that an oil with an approval for a powerful engine from the prestigious car brand X will more than meet the requirements of a less powerful, mass-produced Y unit. In fact, both engines may require a very sophisticated oil, but it will differ so much in properties that it will not be interchangeable in either direction!

Viscosity is not the only thing that matters

Let's start by noting that the kinematic viscosity class designation alone is not the only sufficient criterion for oil selection. When looking at the packaging, it is important to pay attention to other markings. The most important of these are the previously mentioned manufacturer approvals and quality standards. Considering all this data at the same time, it becomes clear how different oils of the same viscosity class - in this case 0W-20 - can be.

API standards

API stands for American Petroleum Institute. These standards are very popular and most drivers and mechanics pay due attention to them. We can only remind you that in a typical notation, e.g. SJ/CD, the first term refers to the parameters of oils for petrol engines and the second term to those for diesels. The further the second letter in each section is from the beginning of the alphabet, the higher the quality requirements. This means that SJ/CD oil meets lower requirements than, for example, SL/CF. At present, with the latest specifications for passenger cars, we have already reached the letter P for petrol engines. What is hidden under the latest designations is extremely important. API standards: SP and the slightly older API: SN+ mean that the oil reduces the phenomenon of premature glow ignition in petrol downsizing engines (L.S.P.I. phenomenon). API: SP meets the very stringent requirements for high-temperature deposits, timing chain wear, oxidation resistance and adequate soot dispersion in gasoline direct injection engines.

ILSAC - more than an API

ILSAC (International Lubricants Standardisation and Approval Committee) is an American-Japanese organisation that builds on API specifications, but extends them with additional requirements classified from GL-1 to GL-6. These define the impact of oil on such things as high-temperature deposit formation, L.S.P.I control, timing chain wear, etc. Interestingly - the current ILSAC GF-6 level is divided into two categories: GF-6A (an improved version of GF-5 with viscosity grades of 0W or 5W, but no lower than 0W-20) and GF-6B (SAE 0W-16 and below). This is a special treatment as there can be a problem with backward compatibility of oils with viscosities of 0W-16 and below.

ACEA - European requirements

This quality classification is based on the letters (A) for petrol engines, (B) for diesels, (C) for low-ash oils and a number indicating the oil's quality characteristics. The latest of these is the ACEA standard: C6. Effective from 2021, it combines the energy-saving benefits of the ACEA C5 standard with additional requirements, such as the oil's significant effect on reducing LSPI phenomena, protection of the timing chain against the negative effects of soot and reduction of sludge and contamination in the turbocharger.

Manufacturer standards

Car manufacturers recognise worldwide oil grades and standards as much as possible, but introduce their own labels (so-called manufacturer approvals), which, on the one hand, pose an additional challenge for oil manufacturers and, on the other hand, make selection easier for drivers and mechanics, as the specific car manufacturer's label on the oil package indicates its full applicability in a specific case. However, it is important to bear in mind that approval by a particular car manufacturer does not mean that a particular oil is suitable for all vehicles of that brand.

Examples of 0W-20 TotalEnergies oils and their parameters

TotalEnergies is one of the first companies to offer oils meeting engine manufacturers' requirements such as 508.00, 509.00 (new Volkswagen specifications), the latest Mercedes hybrid standards (MB 229.71, MB 229.72), the new BMW standards for 3-cylinder, 1. 6 direct injection (LL 17FE +/ LL 14 FE+) supercharged petrol engines, a whole series of new standards for Opel, which has come into production in the PSA Group, and of course oils meeting PSA Group standards, e.g. for 1.2 PureTech engines and the latest French diesel engines (with Euro 6d standard). In the 0W-20 range TotalEnergies also offers oils for the new VOLVO and FORD engine architecture.

Developing one super-perfect oil that meets the requirements of all manufacturers is impossible, because it would have to have several mutually exclusive characteristics at the same time. In principle, each engine manufacturer emphasises something different, and dedicated oils meet precisely these individual requirements. Of course, there are oils that meet multiple requirements from different manufacturers, but it is chemically impossible to meet all of them at the same time. This is why, within one viscosity grade - e.g. 0W-20, we have so many products with significantly different properties.

Andrzej Husiatyński, TotalEnergies

The following are the most popular TotalEnergies oils in the 0W-20 grade.

Quartz INEO Xtra Dynamics 0W-20
ACEA: C5; API: SN-RC
BMW: LL-17 FE (1.5 L 3 cyl. - special product)
Aston Martin (5.2 V12 biturbo engine)
FORD: WSS-M2C-952-A1 (level)
Jaguar Land Rover: STJLR.03.5007

Quartz INEO Xtra First 0W-20
ACEA: C5
PSA: B71 2010
FIAT: 9.55535-DM1 (level)
OPEL: OV 040 1547-D30

Quartz INEO Xtra EC6 0W-20
ACEA: C5, API: SP (RC), ILSAC: GF-6A
VOLVO: RBSO-2AE
Mercedes Benz: 229.72
OPEL: OV 040 15470-A20
FORD: WSS-M2C947-B1/M2C962-A1
JLR.03.5006
FIAT: 9.55535-GSX (level)
Chrysler: MS-12145 (level)

Quartz INEO Xtra FDE 0W-20
ACEA: C6, C5 API SP, GM: Dexos D, Mercedes Benz: 229.71,
OPEL: OV 040 1547-A20, FORD WSS-M2C952-A1
JLR: STJLR 03.5006

Quartz 9000 FUTURE GF-6 0W-20
API: SP, ILSAC: GF-6A
Required for most Japanese gasoline engines

Quartz INEO Xtra Long Life 0W-20
ACEA: C5
VW: 508.00/509.00
Porsche: C20

Quartz INEO Xtra V-Drive 0W-20
OPEL/FIAT/VOLVO
VOLVO: VCC RBS0-2AE 0W-20
VOLVO: Drive-E (VEA - VOLVO Engine Architecture)

About TotalEnergies Marketing Polska
TotalEnergies Marketing Poland has been operating in Poland since 1992 and has an established position in the motor oil market. It offers products from two well-known brands TotalEnergies and Elf. Since 2008, TotalEnergies also offers bitumen products and has a presence in the industrial specialty fluids market. In December 2014, TotalEnergies launched its first gas stations in Poland, thus entering the retail market. In 2021, TotalEnergies opened its first car washes and launched a project to establish an electric vehicle charging network.

About Marketing & Services TotalEnergies department
The business segment TotalEnergies Marketing & Services offers to its professional and private customers a wide range of energy products and services - petroleum products, bio-fuels, charging electric vehicles and related services, gas for transport by road and sea - to support mobility thereof and to help them reduce the carbon footprint. Every day more than 8 million customers visit our 16 000 fuel stations all over the world. As number four in the world in the field of lubricants, we design and sell high-efficiency products for motorisation, industrial and maritime sectors. So as to respond to the needs of our B2B customers best, we implement our sales forces, our international logistics network and our diverse offer. We operate in 107 countries where 31 000 employees of ours are close to all our clients.

About TotalEnergies company
TotalEnergies is a multi-energy company that manufactures and sells energy in the global scale: crude oil and bio-fuels, natural gas and green gas, renewable energy sources and electric energy. 105 000 our staff members are involved in generation of the increasingly cheap, pure, reliable and available to the greatest possible number of people energy. Being active in more than 130 countries, TotalEnergies focuses its activities on sustainable development in all dimensions thereof, in particular in the area of its business projects and operations that shall contribute to increased quality of life of people all over the world.

Contact TotalEnergies
Bartosz Cyran | bartosz.cyran@proautomotive.pl | +48 662 454 679

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