If anyone's in the market for cheap engine oil for Austro engines, Amazon now stocks the 5W30 Castrol Edge European Formula oil here: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0161A4CKG. It's $5.37/qt vs. ~$17 for the AeroShell that most Diamond service centers use.
I've seen the 0W40 Castrol Edge recommended here before. The problem with this is that it's 0W40, and the AeroShell is 5W30. Since the SAE grades don't mix, you wouldn't be able to "top off" an AeroShell engine with the 0W40 Castrol oil. The linked 5W30 oil is the same SAE grade as AeroShell, so you should be able to mix the two.
Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
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- michael.g.miller
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
This is exactly what I purchased last May (according to Amazon). I pour it into two 1qt containers to keep some in the plane, although it is rare that I need to add any... maybe a little over 1 quart per 100 engine-hours.
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
Where did you buy your qt containers? Just old AeroShell quarts? Also - any tricks for funneling into the plane? I always have trouble spilling with the weird angle of the oil dipstick hole.
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
Yeah, I just reused two AeroShell quart containers that came along with the plane. I suppose you could order one or two single quarts of the same stuff from Amazon along with the larger jug, but it was over $10/quart at the smaller size, IIRC.michael.g.miller wrote: ↑Tue Mar 15, 2022 9:30 pm Where did you buy your qt containers? Just old AeroShell quarts? Also - any tricks for funneling into the plane? I always have trouble spilling with the weird angle of the oil dipstick hole.
I keep thinking about getting a funnel, but so far I've (surprisingly) managed to fill directly from the quart bottles without making a mess. I'm not sure if hte AersoShell Diesel Ultra bottle shape is the same... that might make a difference. I don't fill the quarts all the way to the very top, which I'm sure helps.
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
Thanks folks! So no performance or longevity difference for this Castrol vs AeroShell?
Castrol 03037 Edge 5W-30 A3/B4 Advanced Full Synthetic
I am about to take delivery of a newish NG to be used in a flight school so the oil changes will be fairly frequent. I assume there is nothing preventing me from specifying that the techs should be using this oil.
Any other oil change related items I can buy much cheaper myself and provide to the techs besides the oil itself?
Castrol 03037 Edge 5W-30 A3/B4 Advanced Full Synthetic
I am about to take delivery of a newish NG to be used in a flight school so the oil changes will be fairly frequent. I assume there is nothing preventing me from specifying that the techs should be using this oil.
Any other oil change related items I can buy much cheaper myself and provide to the techs besides the oil itself?
Last edited by hifiaudio2 on Tue May 31, 2022 4:24 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
I've been using the Castrol (0W-40 variant) successfully for the past 8 years in my DA42-VI and now DA62 engines. And I've always gotten back positive oil analysis reports from Blackstone. I would think the similar Castrol 5W-30 oil would be just as good. (I noticed that my local Walmart stopped stocking the 0W-40, but now has the 5W-30 available off the shelf.)hifiaudio2 wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2022 4:16 pm Thanks folks! So no performance or longevity difference for this Castrol vs AeroShell?
Castrol 03037 Edge 5W-30 A3/B4 Advanced Full Synthetic
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Former DA40XLS, DA42-VI, and DA62 owner
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Former DA40XLS, DA42-VI, and DA62 owner
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- michael.g.miller
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Re: Cheap Amazon-shipped oil for Austro engines
I might refrain from bringing my own supplies to a shop, at least for consumables. The shop makes money selling parts, like oil/filters/tires. Bringing your own cuts into their margin. It’s one thing for boutique parts the shop would have a hard time ordering (like a propeller governor). But for consumable parts, I would either buy from the shop, or insist they charge a handling fee for owner supplied parts. Bringing your own oil, you might get some nasty looks from the shop…hifiaudio2 wrote: ↑Tue May 31, 2022 4:16 pm Any other oil change related items I can buy much cheaper myself and provide to the techs besides the oil itself?