I have searched all the forums on engine oil as well as the owners manual and all recommendations point to the Castrol Edge 10W60.

 

For the winter 0w-40 is safe in colder climates. What are your temps getting down do in your city? I ran 10w-40 just fine. The 0w just means its thinner at startup for quicker protection on startup. It will not harm your car. In fact it will give it a slightly freer revving feel compared to the stock oil (not much, but a little).

 

Austin, TX is very HOT! I run this car in 100 degree + temps often and sometimes quite spirited.

Are you certain that it will not harm the engine/rods etc? Aston clearly states not to use anything other than 5-50 or 10-60 full synthetic. My fear is that its such a different weight and I literally drive this 90% in 90+ temps.

Thanks for the input.

 

I'm not in the US, but the commonly used oil in Canada is Castrol TWS which is at least as good a performance engine oil as Edge 10w-60. Easy to find as BMW uses it for all M series cars. I've got a BMW dealership near me and they keep a case behind the counter at the service desk as it's a very common request.

There are a legion of threads out there debating the various merits of 10w-60 formulations but my understanding is that TWS is safe and at least equivalent (and possibly better) than Edge 10w-60. <donsflameretardantsuit>

 

Curious, i have seen these threads too and wish it was this simple.

I have a much different weight and brand and that is my concern! Any input on 0w-40?

 

I have 0W-40 in my V12V as per the manual. I'm not an expert, but I doubt that 0W-40 will harm your V8V.

 

The V12 Astons recommend 0W-40, but the V8 says to stay clear of anything not 10w-60 or 5w-50. As you know owning both, very different engines.....there must be a reason they do not recommend for the V8?

 

It could be that the V8 is built with looser tolerances than the V12 thus requiring a heavier oil. There might be other reasons. I was also surprised that such different weights are specified, not so much for the V12 (that's pretty normal) but the V8 top end of 60 seems way out there compared with other cars. That's probably one reason why so many dealers use the 'wrong' oil.

 

Ask your dealer to put their comments "in writing". Send that along with the invoice to AM USA and ask for clarification. Start putting the "right" oil in the engine for the ease of mind. I doubt it has damaged your engine at all. These cars are overengineerd and unless you have been seriously tracking your car, you have never pushed it anywhere close to the engine limits.

 

I like that idea. If the dealer refuses to put those comments in writing, then you'd have good grounds for demanding that they drain the existing oil and replace it with the oil recommended in the manual. I still think the 0W-40 is fine, but if the dealer was going to put something in the engine other than what the manufacturer recommends, they should have gotten your permission ahead of time.

Lesson here? Always confirm what oil the dealer is going to put in the engine before you give them the keys!

 

if you are concerned, just bring your own oil next time. 10-60 would be hard to find. that's why dealers use 0-40 instead. look at the oil on your dipstick (if AMV8 has one) to assess the oil condition roughly. this isn't too scientific but give you an idea.

i can tell you that M1 0-40 is not very thick from my own experience in using it in a daily driver. interestingly, the Castrol 5-40 is a little thicker and doesn't go dark like the M1 0-40 as quickly. Just food for thought.

 

Speaking of oil, does anyone know of a source for the Castrol Edge 10-60 other than the dealer?

 

I think BMW dealer has them. I believe they use them in their M cars.

 

Check your local BMW dealer, they usually have great pricing
(M3's use this grade)

I did a forum buy earlier this year and paid $12.99 Cdn per Litre.

 

I appreciate all of comments. My only concern is any potential damage to the engine.