Al, Listers,
I emailed an inquiry regarding Syntec to Castrol and got the following
reply. The way I interpret their response is that they are using a more
efficient (i.e., "cheaper") method of producing "synthetic" oil. I'm not a
petroleum chemist, but it's obvious that to produce any oil, synthetic or
otherwise, you have to start with a base stock of some kind. In the extreme,
you could start with methane, the simplest hydrocarbon, and build a
"designer molecule" for your ultimate synthetic oil. While probably
technically feasible, this is likely not the cheapest way to produce
synthetic oil in large volumes. Castrol claims to have found a method using,
as they call it, "advanced base stocks". Reading between the lines, I
interpret this to mean a base stock refined from mineral oil base, aka "dino
oil". I would submit that it doesn't really matter what you start with, it's
what you wind up with that counts. Apparently that's what the scientists at
Exxon and Shell convince the government and competitors of too.
Thank you for contacting Castrol regarding our Syntec Full Synthetic Motor
Oil.
We apologize for the concern you were caused and ask that you allow us to
clarify the issues
for you.
In response to your inquiry, Castrol decided to take advantage of exciting
new developments in
technology that allows the production of advanced high-performance synthetic
base stocks. We
found that by using advanced base stocks, we could produce synthetic oil
that exceeded high
performance levels achieved with standard synthetic base stock.
Due to this change in our technology, we were challenged to prove that our
Syntec brand is
properly marketed as full synthetic oil. On this issue, Castrol
successfully substantiated this
claim by proving that Syntec is indeed fully synthetic. In fact, the
National Advertising
Division (NAD) of the Better Business Bureau ruled completely and
unequivocally in favor of
Castrol, a decision that was never appealed by our competition.
Castrol won the dispute because of the overwhelming evidence we presented,
which included
testimony from leading scientists, conclusions of the Society of Automotive
Engineers, and the
opinions of scientists at Exxon and Shell.
More importantly, Castrol has always believed that the true test of motor
oil is the degree to
which it protects your engine. Castrol Syntec passes the most rigorous
tests in the world and
offers the ultimate in engine protection. Therefore, you can continue to
rely on Castrol Syntec to
seek out and neutralize corrosive particles in your engine preventing
premature engine wear
during all phases of engine operation, help prevent the formation of
sludge,meet standards of
protection that conventional oils simply cannot attain, provide vastly
increased stability at extreme temperatures, bond to engine parts at a
molecular level leaving a layer of protection, and finally to exceed all
gasoline engine warranty requirements for US, European and Japanese cars and
light trucks.
We hope that we have properly addressed all of your concerns. Once again,
thank you for
contacting Castrol and for being a valued Castrol Syntec consumer.
Susan Howell
Reference: 103248
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-tigers@autox.team.net [mailto:owner-tigers@autox.team.net]On
Behalf Of twojohnsons@home.com
Sent: Thursday, August 30, 2001 5:37 AM
To: Bob Palmer
Cc: Michael Lane Hobson; Tiger List (E-mail)
Subject: Re: Synthetic Oil
Bob & Mike---
Castrol "Syntex" has synthetic additives, but is not considered a synthetic
oil
as is Mobil 1, Amsoil, or Redline. Although they have had no trouble
adopting
synthetic pricing strategies.
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