Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
OEM Oil Approval vs Meets or Exceeds: Not the Same
An approval is a licence granted after testing and carries a checkable identifier. Meets-or-exceeds is the seller's own assertion. Here is how to tell.
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
ILSAC GF-6A vs GF-6B: Not Two Grades of One Thing
The A and B are not a quality ladder. They cover different viscosity territory and are deliberately not interchangeable, which is unusual in this field.
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
API SP vs SN: Manual Says One, Shelf Has the Other
Newer API S categories are generally intended to supersede older ones. Here is the principle, where it stops, and why your manual names an older letter.
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
What Does 5W-30 Mean? Two Grades, Not Two Units
The W is winter, not weight. Neither number is a measurement in any unit. They are grades from two separate tests, and that is the whole thing.
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
How to Read a Motor Oil Label: Which Marks Matter
Four independent systems plus marketing. Here is which markings are requirements your vehicle sets and which are words the seller chose.
Fluids, Refrigerant & Chemicals
What Fluids Does My Car Take? Finding Every Spec
Your owner's manual has a specifications section listing all six together. Here is what a real fluid specification looks like and why one word is not it.