Sir Les
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- VF Calais V V6 MY14
Took my VF2 Calais V6 to the stealership today for a regular service. Just noticed on the invoice that they have used a different engine oil spec - 10W30 instead of 5W30 (recommended by Holden). Should I be worried?
I don't think so, for two reasons:
1. It could just be a typo on the invoice.
2. If they have used 10W30, the only difference is the oil will be slightly more viscous when cold. There will be no difference at normal running temperature. I don't think the slightly increased cold viscosity will affect engine wear to any perceptible extent.
I believe Holden specified 5W30 for two reasons. One is that finer manufacturing tolerances in modern engines (smaller gaps between moving parts) requires a lighter oil for cold starts. The other is that lighter oils reduce friction, improving the all-important fuel economy figures. However, as I stated previously, I don't think you'll have anything to worry about. The most important thing in prolonging engine life is to change the oil and filter at the recommended intervals, or even earlier if you're that worried about it.
By way of comparison, I used to use 20W50 oils in the cold UK climate years ago, and didn't experience any problems with premature engine wear. But I made sure to service my vehicles on time.