What are the differences between API SM and API SL quality standards?
API SM has higher requirements for the lubricants to meet such as superior engine performance, protection and cleanliness as compared to the requirements of API SL.

What are the advantages of a quality oil ?
A good quality oil provides motorists with a number of benefits :

• Easier cold start and reduced wear (20 to 30% of engine wear occurs between startup and the time the engine reaches optimal temperature).
• Longer engine life.
• Fuel savings as a result of reduced friction of moving parts and better engine performance.

What is the difference between mineral and synthetic oil?
Mineral lubricants are composed of molecules present in crude oil that are separated in the distillation process at a refinery. Synthetic lubricants are made up of molecules that have been modified under complex chemical processes and allow for enhanced performance under extreme conditions of temperature, pressure and forces.

What is viscosity?
Viscosity is a measurement of a liquid’s resistance to flow. For example, water has a low viscosity compared with honey, so in this case honey has a higher viscosity than water under the same temperature. A good quality lubricant keeps its viscosity steady under different temperature and usage conditions for a longer period of time.

What is a multigrade oil?
Lubricants that are able to maintain their performance in high and low temperatures are called multigrade. They are defined by two numbers. The first (followed by a W) indicates the lubricant’s viscosity under lower temperatures. The second and higher number indicates the lubricant’s viscosity under greater temperatures. A multigrade lubricant minimises viscosity changes under changes of temperature. Eg SAE 20W/50.

What are additives and why are they used?
Additives are chemical compounds which, when added to base oils, will improve the performance of the lubricants, protecting them from breaking down and allowing them to perform at optimum level to meet the demands of the modern engine. The blend of various additives is what sets a quality lubricant such as GB 9000 apart from the competition.

My oil consumption is very high. Why?
It is wise to check for faults, taking into account the type of engine, its age and the driving conditions to which it has been exposed. Faults could be caused by a leak in junctions or seals, wear to pistons or cylinders, or deposits limiting the lubrication of some surfaces.

Does the colour of the oil mean anything?
The colour of an oil has no special meaning, but depends on a number of factors, such as the refining process and the types of base oils, additives and crude oil used. Oil may turn a darker colour after use because it contains a number of suspension particles – the reason for this is that oil cleans the engine of particles and other deposits produced by the high temperature combustion, keeping the particles in suspension to avoid depositing them on the engine’s surface.

What do the classifications and specifications on the back of the pack mean?
Lubricants vary in their use and quality. Some are only suitable for particular engines, while others can only be used in certain climates. Even two oils optimised for the same engine and climate conditions can have vastly different levels of performance. Universal criteria to describe oil performance and usage are therefore used.

The main classifications boards are:

Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) - defines oil according to its viscosity. Oil can be monograde or multigrade, depending on its viscosity performance at various temperatures.

American Petroleum Institute (API) - classifies oils according to their capacity to protect the engine. The letter S is used for petrol engines and the letter C for diesel. The letter that follows the S or the C indicates the degree of performance and protection, with A the lowest and X highest. Some oils can be used in petrol and diesel engines, so their classification is stated as SM/CF or CF-4/SG.

Why we need to change the oil?
The oil quality gets reduced while in service due to oxidation of the oil and/or contamination of the oil and / or depletion of the additives as it gets used up during its service. Oxidation of the Oil in presence of air & high temperature produces acidic and gummy substances. If it is allowed to increase beyond certain limits then it will start corroding the equipment or leave unwanted deposits on the moving parts. Similarly contamination of the oil with water, dust, dirt and soot from combustion products leads to corrosion and abrassive wear. The TBN, Antiwear and performance enhancing additive gets used up in service and below certain levels will not be in a position to protect the equipment. Because of these primary reasons that we need to change the oil once it looses its useful life to protect our costly equipment.

When do we change the Oil ?
It is advisable to change oil as instructed by the equipment supplier after fixed hours of operation or after fixed KMs of running provided the right quality of the oil is used as suggested by the equipment supplier. The equipment manufacturers establish these change periods after extensive bench tests & field trial. So please be guided by the Manufacturers suggestion as to when to change the oil.

Can I use the after market additives in the oil to enhance the performance of the oil ?
A careful balance is maintained while developing a Lubricating oil to give the optimum performance as required by the various International Standard. The additives and base oil are selected to give the right performance and each of the additives has its own role to play. This delicate balance may get affected by adding another additive in the oil and at times the additives may react with each other to form harmful products to the equipment.

What are the advantages of using GLOPAC Lubricants?

• Longer oil live through improved oxidation stability. GLOPAC oils contains superior additives package to impart oxidation stability and reduced deposits enabling longer lubricant life.
• Reduced oil consumption. GLOPAC lubricants were blended using superior quality Viscosity Improver to help make them less volatile, thus providing engine oils with lower oil consumption and show less thickening after use.
• Better wear protection and longer engine life. GLOPAC lubricants have more stable viscosity at extreme temperature, thus providing lubricants that thicken less at cold tempereatures and thin less at higher temperatures. It has got excellent low temperature properties also.
• Better low temperature fluidity and pumpability will make the engine easier to start in the morning.
• Energy savings – makes the car more powerful and smooth while saving more fuels.

Can I mix GLOPAC lubricants with other brands of lubricants?
Yes. However, it is not recommended for users to mix two different types of lubricants as chemical compounds and additives used by manufacturers may not be compatible.

My car manufacturer recommends API SG lubricants. Can I use API SM lubricant instead?
Yes. API SG is the minimum recommended standard. It will not cause any problem to your car engine if you use a higher standard lubricant. In fact it will give your engine better protection.

What are the benefits in switching to GLOPAC lubricant from the one I am using now?
GLOPAC lubricants will give better engine protection and performance. With regular use, engine life span is prolonged and maintenance costs are greatly reduced.

Why does my engine need oil?
Metal to metal contact within an engine causes friction and heat. This leads to increased engine wear, performance as well as products of combustion such as carbon. Oil lubricates, cools and cleans the engine and allows it to operate at optimum efficiency.

What does the oil have to do?
Oil needs to lubricate the engine in a veriety of conditions. It needs to be thin enough to allow lubricants to reach various parts of the engine but also needs to maintain thickness as the engine heat increases. All moving engine parts will be protected by coating of oil to ensure maximum efficiency.

Why top-up?
Tests show that as oil levels fall, car performance drops and engine wear increases. Car manufacturer recommend oil levels be kept on the dipstick maximum line, research shows most drivers think they are protected as long as their oil level is between maximum and minimum.
Check your oil level regularly, keep it topped up to the max line.

How do I check the oil level?

• Make sure your car is parked on a level surface and your engine is turned off.
• Pull your bonnet release lever.
• Lift your bonnet and secure.
• Pull out your dip stick, wipe it and re-dip before taking a measure.
• Now look at the tip of your dip stick. You’ll see two marks – a maximum and a minimum.
• If your oil reached maximum, wipe off the dip stick, replace it and close your bonnet.
• If it’s below maximum, top up the oil a little at a time. Keep checking gthe dipstick every time you add in the oil. Leave a few seconds between adding the oil and checking the dipstick.

Why use a hgh-quality motor oil?
High-quality oils make your engine safer and last longer. High quality oil is essential for some vehicles used in certain conditions (town and city, motorway). Some top-end oils are fuel savings and can help make a significant contribution to lower pollutant emissions. These high-performance quality oils can be found in semi-synthetic and synthetic oils.

Is oil depletion normal?
To avoid problems, motorists are advised to regularly check the level of oil in their engine. When it runs in the engine, a small amount of oil burns off – this is perfectly normal ( an engine in good condition can consume between 0.1 and 0.2 litres of oil every 1000 km). Nonetheless, no amount of top-ups can ever replace oil change. Although oil depletion is normal in small quantities, engines which require frequent top-up will face problems.

Does it mean I don’t have to do an oil change?
Not at all. As the miles mount up, the lubricant is put under severe strain. Lubricnats perform severe function; and as they wash out impurities, combustion residues and combat oxidation, the gradually losing efficiency in the process. Therefore the oil bath must be topped up regularly. However, regular never regenerate spent oil. The oil level should be checked regularly, and especially before long journey.

What reasons are there for carrying out an oil change before I reach the manufacturer’s recommended mileage?
Manufacturers specify intervals between oil changes on the basis of the engine’s characteristics and of the lubricant it uses. Two general parameters are applied: mileage and time. In certain condition however (e. g town and city, traffic jams, repeated shourt journeys), oil changes should be performed frequently. This is especially important now that the oil change intervals specified by manufacturer is longer all the time.