Castrol Nexcel Oil Change System

[DaveBerlin]

As there are so many comments regarding Oil in this section I thought this was the ideal place for this. Steve if you want to move it by all means do it !.
I thought that this could be a new innovation for the future and perhaps DIY servicing could be easier - Dave

Oil changes are a vital part of car ownership. For some this simple bit of maintenance gives them a sense of accomplishment and a closer connection to their car. Others just find it a hassle. Castrol might have a compromise with new tech called the Nexcel that packages the oil and filter into a single, easily removable container.
The company claims switching the unit out takes just 90 seconds. Instead of draining the oil for a regular change, the whole Nexcel is replaced each time. Castrol then retrieves the used containers and recycles the fluids inside into other lubricants.
The system offers manufacturers and motorists three primary benefits in performance, servicing and sustainability:
1. Castrol has demonstrated that Nexcel delivers a reduction in carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions on modern engines. Moreover the technology paves the way for a new generation of precision-engineered engine oils delivering further engine performance & CO2 benefits.
2. Nexcel makes the oil change super quick and clean for workshops, allowing them to offer more flexible and convenient service options to customers.
3.Oil cells are collected after use, avoiding wastage of used oil. This oil can then be re-refined back into high quality lubricants.

http://www.autoblog.com/2015/10/09/cast ... de-3657583

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G_s5zOw8GDg

[fat controller]

I read about this earlier - fantastic idea! The only minor concern would be how it is pumped out of the engine back to the cartridge for changing, and then pumped back into the engine (would there be protections in place to stop an engine being ran dry for a few seconds whilst the cartridge refills the engine?) - and what would the cost differential be against conventional oil, and would that cost be offset by lower labour charges?

[DaveBerlin]

Here is a comment with regards to the problems with VW at present that could help the implementation of Nexcel. Take a look at these video's of the first car to have this system installed the Aston Martin Vulcan. - Dave

http://www.businessinsider.com/vw-emiss ... ?r=UK&IR=T

Goodwood Fesival of Speed 2015 :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oxLipspcsAY

Engine Sound :
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WhNiCBESAFY

[oilman]

Hi

It is a good idea in some ways, but I'm not so sure it will work that well for everyone.

As it's a Castrol design, you'd need to use Castrol each time to replace the oil, meaning they can charge what they like. I guess the design is patented, so they won't let Mobil etc use it, or will charge them to use it, putting the price of the oil up.

It's going to be for standard cars, so when a car is modified and a performance oil required, you're going to need to get some sort of aftermarket kit, adding another cost.

Garages that use that will charge a lot for it as they won't be able to charge an hours labour for the oil change.

I think it could be a good thing, if done industry wide and open to all oil manufacturers, but at the moment, it seems a bit restrictive to me.

Cheers

Tim

[DaveBerlin]

I have just read this on a USA Website and this Guy seems to have thought about the advantages of this New System against the Old. I have cut the comments about a bit to reduce the content but it seems to make sense what he says for the DIY people - Dave

"Quote" : Oil Changing - At the end of the day it still takes time :

- time to let the car cool off
- time to change my clothes
- time to get the extractor off the shelf
- time to grab tools from the toolbox (ratchet and socket, oil filter wrench to remove the filtration.
- time to lay out a couple of rags so I don't get oil drips from the filter element (or filter canister, depending on the car) on the motor.
- time to remove said filtration
- time to suction out the oil
- time to refill the oil
- time to reinstall the filtration, a filter that you remove from a housing, have to pull that out and replace an o-ring, or just spin a new canister on
- time to dump the oil from the extractor to the oil container
- time to wipe the extractor tube
- time to put away the tools
- time to put away the extractor
- time to clean my hands
- time to change out of the clothes I wear to work on the car
- time to bring the oil container off for recycling

This is burning 30-45 minutes of actual engagement with doing the job on one car and even more time if you count the cool down time and trip to drop off the oil and the opportunity cost of the other things I could be doing. Time I could be driving my car somewhere while I'm instead waiting for the car to cool off. Hanging out on my boat working on my tan. Fixing something that's annoying me around the house. Cooking dinner with my family. And so on and so forth.

I'm certainly not going to skip changing oil, because I like my car to be maintained properly so it's reliable for me. So for me the proposition of a method that allows me to maintain my car in a few seconds vs 30 minutes plus is something I'd be all about. I'd pay a small premium for that because I'd place more value on the time than the money in the case of an oil change.

I wouldn't expect this to cost much more anyway. I mean oil already comes in a big jug with a big old handle, it can't cost much more to design and produce what is essentially a jug that can withstand the rigors of an engine bay and has an integrated filter and has a latch to keep it in place. Not to mention the potential benefits from changing the engine mounting position in the engine bay and the fact that this may represent a potentially more environmentally friendly system for oil changes, which are both nice benefits. As long as they provide a means to top-off the oil and can keep the price in check I'd love to see something like this available on the market.