A40 vs C40 Approved Motor Oil
#1
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Recently purchased brand new 2019 CGTS. Prefer to do my own work on the car and am in process of buying motor oil and filter for first oil change.
Noted that all oils available with correct viscosity are marked as 'A40'. However, in the owners manual of the car, it indicates required 'Porsche C40' or 'VW 511 00' approval required.
Is anyone able to assist with explanation of this situation? From what I see online; it looks like everyone is using A40 approved oils and either havn't noticed this, or the C40 noted in the owners manual is a mistake?
I am in Canada (small market and products are more limited availability than ie. the US)
Thanks!
Noted that all oils available with correct viscosity are marked as 'A40'. However, in the owners manual of the car, it indicates required 'Porsche C40' or 'VW 511 00' approval required.
Is anyone able to assist with explanation of this situation? From what I see online; it looks like everyone is using A40 approved oils and either havn't noticed this, or the C40 noted in the owners manual is a mistake?
I am in Canada (small market and products are more limited availability than ie. the US)
Thanks!
#2
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I vaguely remember reading in another Rennlist forum - C40 is a more recent list than A40. It is like the Porsche approved tires that go from N0 then N1. The older list is still valid
#3
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Hello SS. Like you, I also have a 2019 CGTS. I simply want to have a quart/liter of engine oil in the car for emergency topping-off purposes since the engine oil consumption in the owner's manual is shown as being "up to 1.36 quarts/1,000 miles." I have been looking for the C40-spec oil and this is what I have found. In the Porsche 982C17 parts listing that is available online, there is a reference to the engine oil changing from A40 to C40 in the middle of May 2018. So since it has been in use for over a year you would think that the C40 oil would be readily available. But it is not. Currently, the only oil that meets the spec, apart from the Porsche oil, is Mobil 1 ESP X3 0W-40. The Mobil oil distributor in my area does not have that oil on their list and they had me call a technical service person at Mobil to check on it. I was told that it is a European oil that has not yet made it to the United States (probably Canada, as well) and it is "on the list" at only one of the distribution centers in the U.S. He said that there is no timetable for bringing it to the U.S. The Mobil oil is being sold on Amazon UK but no sellers are currently delivering it to the U.S. I have found several etailers in the UK and continental Europe who sell the Mobil oil but the shipping charges to North America are very high. I have contacted Pelican Parts about offering the Mobil oil through their website and just yesterday I received a reply thanking me for bringing the situation to their attention and stating that they would be checking into it. Pelican Parts does enough Porsche business that they can afford to import large quantities of the Mobile oil until Mobil decides to get their act together and distribute it in North America. Until then, it looks as if our only recourse is to purchase the oil through our Porsche dealers--with a list price of a little north of US$33 per quart. Sonnen Porsche, a dealership in California, is currently offering the oil for US$20.96 per quart, so ordering multiple quarts from them would certainly justify paying shipping charges. Otherwise, it would probably be acceptable to use the A40-spec oil for a short time until the C40 is more readily available.
#5
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The page from the owner's manual that came with my 2019 CGTS showing the oil specification and the page from the Porsche 982C17 parts listing. This is what Porsche did, not why Porsche did it. We are simply discussing which is the correct oil to use and the current options for purchasing it.
#6
SJW, a Carin' kinda guy
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Right, my point is that if you are in the US or Canada, your 2019 718 does not have a gpf whereas if you are in Europe it does. The C40 as I understand it is a new formulation to protect the gpf which you would not need. ESP is Emissions System Protection. I wonder if the owners manual reflects the European configuration.
#7
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At the front of my owner's manual there is information about how to contact NHTSA. Elsewhere in the manual, technical information is presented primarily in mph, lbs, psi, etc., with secondary references in European units. I believe that the owner's manual that was included with my car is correct for my car. I will not second-guess the information presented in the manual.
In the right hand column of the Porsche 982C17 parts listing, there are no model references shown, which means that the oil usage listed is for all cars.
In the right hand column of the Porsche 982C17 parts listing, there are no model references shown, which means that the oil usage listed is for all cars.
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#9
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My owner's manual specifies the oil that is to be used in my car. I have no need to contact anyone else.
If you are second-guessing the specifications that Porsche has set for the cars they make, perhaps you should contact them to get your questions answered. They, not other Rennlisters, are in the position to provide you with the information that you are seeking.
If you are second-guessing the specifications that Porsche has set for the cars they make, perhaps you should contact them to get your questions answered. They, not other Rennlisters, are in the position to provide you with the information that you are seeking.
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Pulsedub (12-14-2019)
#10
SJW, a Carin' kinda guy
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...
Is anyone able to assist with explanation of this situation? From what I see online; it looks like everyone is using A40 approved oils and either havn't noticed this, or the C40 noted in the owners manual is a mistake?
I am in Canada (small market and products are more limited availability than ie. the US)
Thanks!
Is anyone able to assist with explanation of this situation? From what I see online; it looks like everyone is using A40 approved oils and either havn't noticed this, or the C40 noted in the owners manual is a mistake?
I am in Canada (small market and products are more limited availability than ie. the US)
Thanks!
The situation is that in Europe, 718 got GPF filters, but in North America, they did not. GPF filter cars require C40 oils.
https://www.mobil.com/English-RO/Pas...-1-ESP-X3-0W40
Applications
Mobil 1 ESP X3 0W-40 is recommended for high-performance engines requiring GPFs (gasoline particulate filters).• Mobil 1 ESP X3 0W-40 can only be used in the vehicles for which it is approved. It is not backward compatible with vehicle engines requiring an A40, C30 or C20 . ***
That is why I suggested contacting your Porsche center to see what they use. I suspect the reason the ESP is not available in North America yet is because there are no cars that require it. The part list you attached above has a switch over from a40 to c40 oil which roughly coincides with when GPFs were fitted to European 718. So I don’t know if I would call the owners manual a mistake, but Porsche may have a service bulletin on the issue.
#11
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Evilfij, you do realize that I am not sweetsound, do you not? I merely replied to sweetsound with the hard data that I had regarding oil that meets the C40 specification. I am an engineer. I deal with hard data. Conjecture is little more than wheelspin.
You wonder if non-European cars, which (apparently) do not have GPFs, must use C40-spec oil, or if they can use A40-spec or some other oil. Ask Porsche.
You wonder if Porsche made a mistake with the oil specified in the non-European owner's manuals. Ask Porsche.
You wonder if Porsche has a service bulletin regarding the specifications for engine oils. Ask Porsche.
Until I hear differently from Porsche, I will believe what is shown in my owner's manual to be true. Because my owner's manual says to use C40 oil, my car requires it and I will use it. Why Mobil has not yet created the packaging and completely set the C40 oil up in their system is something that would need to be asked of them. If I was a Porsche dealer, I would not have a problem with the slow roll-out in North America because the mark-up on the oil is substantial. I would be surprised if Sonnen Porsche is not making a reasonable margin at their current $20.96 per liter selling price.
I am not offended by anything that you have said. I am merely attempting to point out to you that you are making suppositions and asking questions that only Porsche can confirm, refute or answer. Because you are questioning the oils that Porsche has specified for it's various vehicles, you should ask them about it. Perhaps they did make a mistake with the oil specified for non-European cars and they didn't know about it. You would be a hero. Or perhaps they would simply tell you why they did what they did. We fellow Rennlisters cannot provide any of that information for you.
You wonder if non-European cars, which (apparently) do not have GPFs, must use C40-spec oil, or if they can use A40-spec or some other oil. Ask Porsche.
You wonder if Porsche made a mistake with the oil specified in the non-European owner's manuals. Ask Porsche.
You wonder if Porsche has a service bulletin regarding the specifications for engine oils. Ask Porsche.
Until I hear differently from Porsche, I will believe what is shown in my owner's manual to be true. Because my owner's manual says to use C40 oil, my car requires it and I will use it. Why Mobil has not yet created the packaging and completely set the C40 oil up in their system is something that would need to be asked of them. If I was a Porsche dealer, I would not have a problem with the slow roll-out in North America because the mark-up on the oil is substantial. I would be surprised if Sonnen Porsche is not making a reasonable margin at their current $20.96 per liter selling price.
I am not offended by anything that you have said. I am merely attempting to point out to you that you are making suppositions and asking questions that only Porsche can confirm, refute or answer. Because you are questioning the oils that Porsche has specified for it's various vehicles, you should ask them about it. Perhaps they did make a mistake with the oil specified for non-European cars and they didn't know about it. You would be a hero. Or perhaps they would simply tell you why they did what they did. We fellow Rennlisters cannot provide any of that information for you.
#12
SJW, a Carin' kinda guy
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Clearly I did not realize that. ![Wink](https://rennlist.com/forums/images/smilies/wink.gif)
anyway, I would like to see this, but I can’t find it.
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anyway, I would like to see this, but I can’t find it.
Porsche's latest Technical Information bulletin, Allocation of Approved Engine Oils (33/18) released in January 2019, introduced several notable changes including the addition of gas particulate filters to their newest sports car models and new recommendations.
If anyone has it, please post it.
If anyone has it, please post it.
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wdr911 (11-04-2020)
#13
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As I was at my dealer for the frunk structural reinforcement recall last Friday, I took the opportunity to speak with a parts person and the service manager.
The parts person confirmed for me that the dealership purchases the C40 oil from Mobil in bulk packaging for use in vehicle servicing at the dealership and that they do not offer the C4 oil for retail purchase. The websites of most Porsche dealerships with online part sales that I have checked do not recognize the Porsche part number for the one-liter bottle of the C4 oil. As Sonnen Porsche is one of few online sellers that do list the oil on their website, it is reasonable to expect that they have purchased the oil from a European source independent of the Porsche parts system.
I asked the service manager to look into the lack of availability of the C4 oil in retail packaging. I also asked him if he would provide me with a copy of the 33/18 technical bulletin. I received an email reply this morning. In it he stated that he and their parts manager are working with both Porsche and Mobil to figure out how to get retail-packaged C4 oil available at their dealership. He also included the attached document in response to my request for the 33/18 bulletin.
It is my expectation that retail-packaged C4 oil will not be available at my dealership (and probably most dealerships) anytime soon, so I will be purchasing it from an online source.
The parts person confirmed for me that the dealership purchases the C40 oil from Mobil in bulk packaging for use in vehicle servicing at the dealership and that they do not offer the C4 oil for retail purchase. The websites of most Porsche dealerships with online part sales that I have checked do not recognize the Porsche part number for the one-liter bottle of the C4 oil. As Sonnen Porsche is one of few online sellers that do list the oil on their website, it is reasonable to expect that they have purchased the oil from a European source independent of the Porsche parts system.
I asked the service manager to look into the lack of availability of the C4 oil in retail packaging. I also asked him if he would provide me with a copy of the 33/18 technical bulletin. I received an email reply this morning. In it he stated that he and their parts manager are working with both Porsche and Mobil to figure out how to get retail-packaged C4 oil available at their dealership. He also included the attached document in response to my request for the 33/18 bulletin.
It is my expectation that retail-packaged C4 oil will not be available at my dealership (and probably most dealerships) anytime soon, so I will be purchasing it from an online source.
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#14
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Unfortunately, it is often the case that the oils designed to protect the longevity of the emissions equipment are less protective of the motor. The additives that protect the motor like Zinc and Phosphorous (ZDDP) harm the emissions gear. Since the emissions equipment has an 8 -year warranty and the engine only 4 before it’s the owner’s problem, draw your own conclusion...
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