I would not use amsoil in the diesel cruze. AFAIK, it doesn't meet the spec. Amsoil will state things like "use where dexos2 is required" or "engineered for use in cars where dexos2 is required". They don't say "meets dexos2 spec". Feel free to correct me if I am wrong and please don't "shoot the messenger"!
For oil choice - I am looking at pennzoil platinum - it is a synthetic derived from natural gas. I have seen reports that it is sold at walmart at decent price.
I am also going to do first oil change at about 5k miles. I will just pay for it out of pocket if they have issue with it.
jeff
You're absolutely right, it doesn't meet the spec: it exceeds it.
Dexos 1/2 are just blood sucking oil taxes that occasionally place idiotic limitations on oil additive levels for regulatory emissions reasons. Note, I am not referring to emissions equipment compatibility here, I'm referring to some moron legislator in California who knows nothing about oil formulation saying "you can't have more than X of this additive in the oil because it will kill all the birds." Most of the time, we are talking entirely insignificant differences where such regulations occur.
As a result, for this platform and others, I just bypass the oil taxes and look at the more respected industry specifications. I'll break this down for everyone.
There are generally two types of european oils: full SAPS and mid/low SAPS. The full-SAPS formulas are for older European vehicles or those without sensitive emissions control equipment. The mid/low SAPS oils are those with strict emissions control equipment. Almost all European formula oils fall under one of those categories.
Full-SAPS Formulas
ACEA A3/B3, A3/B4
BMW LL-01
MB 229.5
VW 502.00, 505.00
Porsche A40
Mid/Low-SAPS Formulas
ACEA C3
BMW LL-04
MB 229.51
VW 504.00, 507.00
Porsche C30
As it pertains to European formula oils, these are all basically the same. Across the board, an oil that meets MB 229.51 will also meet the BMW, VW, and Porsche specifications for mid/low-SAPS formulas. Across the board, an oil that meets MB 229.5 will also meet BMW, VW, and Porsche specifications for Full-SAPS formulas.
There are very few exceptions to those statements. MB has a pretty good approval process for this kind of thing, and they literally don't let you list their spec on your product label or webpage unless your oil gets sent to them for testing and approval, so they're usually a great reference point. Same for VW.
If I am looking for a full-SAPS oil, ANY full synthetic oil that meets MB 229.5 will provide me excellent results.
If I am looking for a full-SAPS oil, ANY full synthetic oil that meets MB 229.51 will provide me excellent results.
AMSOIL is not the only company that refuses to pay the oil tax for having a label on their bottle. Motul also comes to mind, and also makes fantastic lubricants. There is nothing about the dexos2 specification that presents higher performance requirements than do the BMW, MB, Porsche, and VW approvals.
Furthermore, it is worth noting that these are
minimum performance requirements. It means that the oil must be "at least this good," because companies out there like Shell, Valvoline, and Mobil 1 are obsessed with keeping price as low as possible, and these specifications ensure that the oil performs to at least a certain quality specification. Companies like AMSOIL and Motul don't play these games. They try to produce the best oil that money can buy for a given application and service interval, and are generally known for going well beyond the requirements of OEM specifications.
They are able to do this, and keep costs low, because they don't pay royalties and exorbitant certification fees to stick a "dexos2" label on their bottle. Don't forget, the dexos2 specification could be certified with a semi-synthetic group 2/3 blended product. To suggest that a full synthetic group 4 PAO, or even a group 3, would not perform much better would be absurd. If anything, dexos2 is has a lower performance requirement than the European specs listed above.
My advice, in closing, is this: use the best oil you can get your hands on. The manufacturer is not the least bit concerned with your vehicle's reliability once the warranty expires, but you most likely are.
