First, with a few exceptions, brands matter less than the specs and the type of oil. Everyone makes great oils and everyone makes cheaper, less great oils. Even that's a stretch - few oils are "good" or "bad" its mroe a "right oil for the right application".
So there is no problem with Total /ELF per se. In fact, they are excellent oils.
The total /ELF quartyz synthetic 5w40 is pretty much ideal for our cars when driven "normall" - not in the arctuic, not on the track. It is in fact one of my preferred brands/blends. It has better hot viscosity and HTHS numbers than M1 0w40. But again, i stress that this only matters when the oilis quite hot, and the motor under high load and spinning very fast. That';s why its "high temperatire and huigh speed shear" :-)
A buddy who's head of field tech for Audi, when asked what kind of oil to use, say "the fresh, clean kind".
Bottom line - if they are careful, competent people, they can use any opf the brands - just use the right version - typically 5w40, synthetic, meeting ACEA A3/B4, and with a high Total Base Number (so it can stay there a long time and fight acid). TBN is critical for the unwisely-long drain intervals Porsche suggests.
Grant
Grant
gee-lenahan-at-gee-mail-dot-com
Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2014 11:47AM by grant.
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