Engine Oil top ups (thing of the past maybe?)

Never. I may have been lucky, but I've never had a car that really required a top-up between oil changes. (First car a 1972 Escort.)

Many makers these days specify the brand and type of oil to be used exclusively. Last time mine was serviced, they included a top up pack of the correct oil - a litre in a plastic bag with disposable gloves and tissues. ;-)

Never bothered. Used to have an old 850 Mini that did 500 miles to the pint. Always carried a gallon of Duckhams 20/40W in the boot for on the fly topups!

My GF had one that did 50 miles to the quart.../

I was told that with new cars main agents are obliged to put in whatever is in the manual or originally in the car. Wether you believe that is up for discussion, I a friend who had a particular fondness for Triumph Dolomites in the day and had a battle with his local Lookers BL garage who charged by the quart can for oil despite being told by a mechanic that the oil came o ut of big drum at the back of the garage.

Richard ,

When I was a kid in the 1950's my father regularly bought half a pint of oil from the local garage when getting petrol. The garage forecourt had a little row of graduated oil-pouring cans standing by the pumps just for that purpose.

Worked on the pumps one summer in the mid 60's, often got asked to check the oil and top it up. We were required to refill empty oil cans from the bulk tank in the workshop, and try to make sure the customer didn't see that we didn't have to remove an aluminium tab from them. Castrolite and XL in those days.

Dealers today still buy oil in bulk. But charge you the retail price per litre.

Had my car serviced by the local main BMW dealer (spit) now thankfully closed down. I picked it up from them and looked under the bonnet to check they'd fixed a leak from the steering - which I'd asked to be done and been charged for. If they had, they'd not cleaned it up. So checked the oil too. Well under full on the dipstick. On their level forecourt. I'd not even started it.

Workshop manager said this was impossible as their equipment measured out the correct amount for each model. And told me I didn't know how to check the oil. So got the c**t to show me where I'd gone wrong. Even gave him a tissue from the box in the car. He obviously loved looking the fool he was. Then told me I should have asked to have the leak from the steering cleaned. I hope he lost his job when they closed down.

Probably filtered sump oil. In the 60s they had bulk oil tanks on the forecourt and green jugs to transfer the oil to the engine.

remember that rip off...didn't come from tins with that tin foil rip off strip anyway...

loved that tear off strip

You'd need some filtration to make used oil look clean again. Although it can be done in a factory. Many small garages used old sump oil to heat the workshop in the winter.

Yes - a cabinet containing the oil. And a hand pump to get it to the jug.

All garages used to to that in the days when most cars used the same type of oil. Local Citroen /peugeot dealer had oil pipes delivering from a bulk tank round the back, to individual nozzle guns at each of the 4-post ramps, 6 of them I seem to recollect.

Now almost every model seems to have its own special oil code.

These days they all seems to be running the 'oil flush treatment' racket, where this wording is printed on the invoice and billed at anything from 9.99 to 17.99 plus VAT.

I really think we need to know if it is Synthetic, Semi, or mineral. Not too bothered about the brand - or I would take what I wanted to the garage.

My dads old Hillman Minx ended up using almost as much oil as petrol!

Brian

Yes well, the smell and smoke from the older cars like the ones described could not under any circumstances to be said to be clean and green. Mind you surprised people have not banned 2 stroke engines as used in some garden equipment and el cheapo outboard motors as they check out a heap of blue smellyness. When I was young I liked the smell. weird. Brian

Exactly, no chance of that in a workshop of those days.

I still find it mildly astonishing that you can still see through the oil in my Jazz after a year.

Well the darkening is (mainly) soot from the combustion bypassing the rings, so I am guessing they've improved the tolerances ?

Judging by the number of drivers I've known that failed to notice their engine was firing on 3 not 4 cylinders, it might not get noticed ....