Rossmore advises on extended drain intervals
The general manager of Rossmore Lubricants, Dave Woodman (pictured, right), has pointed to the importance of stringent testing of long-drain oils to ensure commercial vehicles can stay on the road for longer and reduce unscheduled maintenance downtime.
The company, which is the official UK distributor for Gulf Lubricants, says Gulf’s high-quality range of long-drain oils are tested extensively in the engines in question before approval, and the process for testing and approving these oils is extremely rigorous to ensure maximum efficiency is achieved.
Not only do the oils need to pass a programme of engine testing, which assesses the oil’s performance under conditions which are more severe than those experienced in normal operation, but there is a field trial where the oil is tested in real vehicles over the distance of the extended drain interval and beyond.
For example, Scania’s field trial procedure involves testing the oil in three trucks on European roads. The trial typically takes 18 months to two years to run and in that time the truck will cover approximately 150-200,000 km, with the severity of service being taken into account in determining the required distance.
After testing, the engine is taken apart and assessed by experts for wear and tear. The oil is analysed at regular intervals during the course of the trials, for example, perhaps every 10,000 km.
Wear metals in the oil can be monitored and oxidation of the oil over time can be assessed in this way.
Rossmore Lubricants has recently been appointed as the New Authorised Distributor for the Gulf range of products in the UK, offering an extensive range of commercial lubricants for a wide range of trucks, buses, and other heavy-duty vehicles.
Thanks to the recent enhancements of its product portfolio, Gulf says it can offer an oil for virtually every truck, bus, or other heavy-duty vehicle on the road today, while offering the benefit of more than 100 years’ global experience and technical innovation.
Dave Woodman also advises that if an OEM says that a heavy-duty vehicle can run on extended drain intervals for oil, stockists and technicians can rest assured that they can back this up with proven expertise and have carried out extensive testing and field trials to give the customer full confidence.
However, it’s always important to ensure a quality lubricant is used that meets all of the correct specification requirements, the company says. By using the right oil in commercial vehicles, maintenance costs can be reduced, while protecting the engine from wear and overheating.
“Gulf’s specially formulated commercial lubricants work hard to keep an engine clean and functioning at full capacity – for longer, no matter what the climate.”
