Why lifetime engine oil isn’t possible.

Imagine if a lifetime engine oil was possible! No messy oil changes, no costly labour and parts: So why is this not a reality?

Already manufacturers such as BMW, Mercedes and Volkswagen fill their transmissions with lifetime transmission fluid and claim the original fluid will last the life of the transmission. By way of example a 2009 BMW came with a 4-year 100,000-kilometer warranty which included no oil changes: And if you examine the service schedule you’ll see there’s no transmission oil service in this period.

So if lifetime transmission oil has been around for years, why not lifetime engine oil?

Well, engine oil is a completely different ballgame.

The challenges facing a lifetime engine oil.

Unlike a transmission fluid that operates in an environment that, due to very effective filtration, is pretty much free of moisture and other air-borne contaminants; Engine oil performs three functions:

• Lubrication of the engine's internal components such as the bearings, crankshaft, camshafts and lifters.
• Heat transfer/ engine cooling of internal engine components which keeps engine temperatures under control.
• Cleaning of pollutants where the detergents and additives remove carbon build up and dirt that are largely a by-product of the combustion process. 

Yes, transmission fluid lubricates and cools, but a car or truck's transmission is a completely sealed system. It doesn't have to cope with the outside elements that come in through the intake and combustion chamber.

In addition, transmissions do not generate the same type of heat. In today’s vehicles where a Turbo Charger can easily reach 900Deg C, the base oil and additive package eventually deteriorate. So can you see a lifetime engine oil is a completely different ballgame.

Why a lifetime engine oil would be very difficult?

Engine oil changes aren't really an oil problem – high quality synthetics could feasibly easily accomplish (And in some tests have accomplished) 50,000km’s without any problems. The problem lies within the actual function of the oil:

• The detergent additives in the oil are sacrificial. So, by keeping the engine clean these are depleted over time. 
• Continued exposure to severe temperature cycles also tend to deplete the anti-oxidant additives. Synthetic oils handle heat better and have already resulted in oil change intervals being extended on some cars: For instance, BMW recommends an oil change every 25,000 km’s for the MINI Cooper – whereas 5 to 15,000 km’s are the norm for mineral lubricants. 
• And finally there is suspended dirt that that enters through the air filter or even wear-debris from the engine itself, that accumulate and are not filtered out. There are several companies working on lifetime engine oil filters that are claimed to be more effective at filtering out fine debris over an extended period. 

But for now, the closest you can get to lifetime engine oil is by using a quality synthetic oil, such as Habot Synthetic lubricants’ range of products. Our oil is fully synthetic and made to the highest quality standards.