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Does the engine oil you use always have to be the same brand that the manufacturer used for the initial factory fill? Many drivers are convinced that switching lubricant brands can negatively affect engine performance. However, as Adam Klimek, TotalEnergies ambassador, explains, this is yet another popular myth that is not supported by vehicle manufacturers’ recommendations.
Factory recommendations concern standards, not brands
In advertising materials, marketing communications, and sometimes even under the hood of a car, you can find recommendations for specific oil brands. However, it is worth remembering that these are for informational or promotional purposes only. The key is the information contained in the vehicle’s owner’s manual. Car manufacturers always specify the required quality standards, viscosity grades, and oil approvals. It is far less common—and in practice almost never to find a provision requiring the user to use only oil from a single, specific brand.
The owner’s manual as a reference
A TotalEnergies expert points out that consulting the owner’s manual is sufficient to resolve any doubts. For example, the technical documentation for select BMW models includes information on required standards, such as BMW Longlife-04, BMW Longlife-12 FE, or BMW Longlife-17 FE+. However, there is no requirement to use oil from a specific manufacturer.
The situation is similar for Hyundai vehicles, where the manufacturer specifies quality requirements, such as API SB PLUS/SP or ILSAC GF-6, without assigning them to a specific oil brand. In turn, for some Audi models, information about the required oil is found on a label under the hood—e.g., VW 508 00 / VW 509 00 in the SAE 0W-20 class, also without specifying the oil manufacturer.
When oil is designed for a specific engine
There are also cases where the opposite is true, with the lubricant manufacturer developing a product dedicated to a specific engine family. An example is TotalEnergies Quartz INEO EcoB 5W-20 – an oil designed specifically for EcoBoost engines. In such cases, the information on the packaging serves as a guide for the user, but compliance with specific standards and approvals remains crucial.
Summary: Specifications Over Brand
When selecting engine oil, one should not rely solely on the product brand. The most important factor is meeting the quality requirements specified by the engine manufacturer: standards, approvals, and viscosity grades. Only then can one choose between brands offering oils that comply with these guidelines.
If you have any doubts or lack access to technical documentation, the TotalEnergies oil configurator, available at https://totalenergies.pl/dobierz-olej-0, is a helpful tool. It allows you to select the right oil for a specific vehicle make and model based on official engine manufacturer recommendations.
Another myth under the expert’s microscope
Adam Klimek also discusses the topic of engine oil selection in a video. The video, in which the expert debunks another oil myth, is available on the TotalEnergies YouTube channel:
