2011 Dexos oil spec

[Texhawk]

Are owners of 2011 Camaros waiting for the new Dexos oil certification to appear on the labels of synthetic oils, or are you just going ahead and using synthetic oils meeting the GM4718M spec?

I have found only Pennzoil Platinum and Quaker State Ultimate currently meet the 2011 spec, but probably just because other oils have not spent the money to be GM certified.

[intense1]

I just bought some of that Pennzoil Platinum to use on my 2011. I didn't see the dexos cert on the bottle, either way thats the oil I decided to go with. Most of the guys I spoke to use Mobil 1, but there all 2010's...

[Texhawk]

Pennzoil is a good choice.

I think Mobil 1 quality may have declined over the years, and several other fully synthetic oils have surpassed it.
Valvoline Synpower and Castrol EDGE both advertise they have better wear protection than Mobil 1 on the standard wear test.
Most of the top brand synthetic oils now meet the GM4718M spec, but dexos is supposed to exceed even that spec.

I am a little concerned that GM is pushing more on improved fuel mileage and we may end up with them recommending lower viscosity oils with more expensive wear reduction additives, and less engine protection, rather than better protection.

Here are some good comments by another forum member,
Let's see if I can summarize what is going on and what it means to the consumer.

- GM wants to really push the efficiency of their engines for CAFE reasons by going with marginally protective, low viscosity oils.

- These marginally protective oils now need to be boosted with antiwear additives to enhance their protection, so engines won't get ruined.

- The problem with boosting ZDDP levels is that catalytic converters can suffer (SL vs SM effect), so moly disulfide is the antiwear agent of choice. Unfortunately, MoS2 is horribly expensive.

It seems that GM is really complicating things, and taking a step backward in technology. They're like a dog chasing it's tail, trying to iron out this issue they've created. I can't imagine the extra cost of the oil to the consumer will result in any kind of payback over the life of the vehicle.

Good luck to GM trying to selling this oil to the general public. I can only hope that the old 5W-30 will be legal to sell and be around for a long time.

[Toasty]

If you look at the replacement/update insert for the 2011 owners manual, it states that if Dexos is not available, use the GM 4718M spec for synthetic or GM 6094 for conventional... As there are no Dexos spec conventional oils for the V6

[Texhawk]

Makes me wonder if the V6s still come with conventional oil, or if both now come with synthetic oil from the factory.

[Toasty]

Originally Posted by Texhawk

Makes me wonder if the V6s still come with conventional oil, or if both now come with synthetic oil from the factory.

I don't recall the manual specifically saying, but it does clearly say to use one GM spec for the V8 and the other for the V6. I would think that if they were both factory fill with synthetic, that it would call out the same spec for both.

[justa25thTA]

Originally Posted by Toasty

If you look at the replacement/update insert for the 2011 owners manual, it states that if Dexos is not available, use the GM 4718M spec for synthetic or GM 6094 for conventional... As there are no Dexos spec conventional oils for the V6

Use of Substitute Engine Oils if
dexos

™ is unavailable: In the event
that dexos™ approved engine oil
is not available at an oil change
or for maintaining proper oil level,
you may use substitute engine oil
displaying the API Starburst symbol
and of SAE 5W-30 viscosity grade.
Use of oils that do not meet the
dexos™ specification, however,
may result in reduced performance

under certain circumstances.

Specification When dexos™ Oil
Not Available (V6 Engine)

Use only an oil that meets GM
Standard GM6094M. Oils meeting
these requirements should have the
starburst symbol on the container.
This symbol indicates that the oil
has been certified by the American
Petroleum Institute (API).

Specification When dexos™ Oil
Not Available (V8 Engine)

This vehicle's engine requires a
special oil meeting GM Standard
GM4718M. Oils meeting this
standard may be identified as
synthetic. However, not all synthetic
oils will meet this GM standard.
Use only an oil that meets GM

Standard GM4718M.

Oils meeting these requirements
should have the starburst symbol on
the container. This symbol indicates
that the oil has been certified by the
American Petroleum Institute (API).
When adding oil to maintain
engine oil level, oil meeting GM
Standard GM4718M might not be
available. You can add substitute
oil designated SAE 5W-30 with the
starburst symbol at all temperatures.
Substitute oil not meeting GM
Standard GM4718M should not
be used for an oil change.

Viscosity Grade

SAE 5W-30 is the best viscosity
grade for the vehicle. Do not
use other viscosity oils such as

SAE 10W‐30, 10W‐40, or 20W-50.

Cold Temperature Operation: In an
area of extreme cold, where the
temperature falls below −29°C
(−20°F), an SAE 0W-30 oil should
be used. An oil of this viscosity
grade will provide easier cold
starting for the engine at extremely
low temperatures. When selecting
an oil of the appropriate viscosity
grade, be sure to always select
an oil that meets the required
specification. See “Specification”

earlier in this section for more

information.

[cmore]

Another money maker for GM!

Here is an article I ran across ( http://www.imakenews.com/lng/e_artic....cfm?x=b11,0,w) :
GM Offers Details on its 'dexos' Plans
By Lisa Tocci

General Motors' new global engine oil specification is now trademarked as dexos -- yes, it's spelled with all lower-case letters -- and is poised to make the leap from the drawing board into the market. Dexos II, designed for use in passenger car diesel engines, is launching now in Europe, and the company says its gasoline-fueled counterpart should be available globally for its 2011 model year vehicles.

Eric R. Johnson of General Motors Powertrain, North America, provided some details about dexos to Lube Report. "We expect to have dexos for all our manufacturing plants worldwide, as factory fill," he said. "This may actually be easier for the lubricants industry, because our factory-fill suppliers will only have to manufacture to one engine oil specification, instead of making different oils for different regions."

He believes the distribution chain for dexos will also be simplified, as dexos will be backward compatible with ILSAC GF-4 engine oils that are currently on the market. That means automobile dealerships and other installers that service GM vehicles will need to stock only dexos, he noted.

Johnson, who will describe dexos in more detail on Tuesday at a STLE Detroit Section meeting in Southfield, Mich., confirmed that qualified engine oils will be licensed to display the dexos name and a newly designed logo, similar to the way they show GM's trademarked Dexron name on automatic transmission fluids.

In its current form, the dexos specification uses tests from ILSAC and Europe's ACEA, plus some proprietary GM tests. At this time it includes the Sequence VIB test for fuel economy contribution of engine oils. When that test is upgraded to Sequence VID, "we'll move to that test too," Johnson added. He declined to say if the test's limits would differ from the limits being developed for ILSAC GF-5 oils (see related story, above).

The dexos specification is written very narrowly, and some formulators who have reviewed it say it will be achievable only with heavy use of API Group III or polyalphaolefin base oils, due to its low Noack volatility limits. Johnson said the specification is designed around GM's performance needs, and not written to exclude other base oils. If oil marketers and their additive suppliers can meet dexos using conventional base stocks, he said, they may do so.

Since around 1970, the American Petroleum Institute has managed engine oil categories and licensing, joined by North American and Japanese automakers for the past 20 years. Throughout this time, General Motors continued to have its own specifications and to reference them in its owner's manuals. The manuals currently include GM spec 6094M and 4718M for service fill. Dexos will replace both of these, Johnson said.

The Center for Quality Assurance, part of the Savant Group in Midland, Mich., has been selected as the program administrator for dexos licensing. Licensees will pay a $1,000 annual fee for each product, plus a royalty of 36 cents on every gallon of dexos they sell.

One reason these royalties are needed, Johnson told Lube Report, is that a number of engine sequence tests are soon going to need replacing, as they become obsolete or the hardware becomes unavailable. GM's costs for engine test development will be huge, he said, and the company needs to be prepared for that.

These licensing fees are far beyond what the lubricants industry is accustomed to paying to API. Currently, licensees pay a flat fee of $1,050 per company ($200 more for non-API members), and a royalty of $0.0015 per gallon for volumes exceeding 1 million gallons a year. That fee entitles the qualifying oil to show API's donut and starburst logos.

The starburst logo for many years has appeared in all General Motors owner's manuals, advising consumers to seek out products that display it. This time, Johnson said, the automaker cannot commit to having its 2011 owner's manuals reference the ILSAC GF-5 oils now being developed by the lubricants industry, or to including the API "starburst" logo that will identify them in the market.

That's because the new ILSAC category is a year late in development, and GM doesn't know yet if it will deliver the oil it needs for 2011. "GF-5 doesn't exist now, so we can't comment on our plans for it until the specification is finalized," Johnson stated. "We will include dexos, in place of the older GM numerical specifications."