With almost 30 years’ experience in the oil and lubricants industry, Morris Lubricants’ Automotive Product Manager, Adrian Hill, is perfectly placed to provide his expert insight and analysis.
Q. I just checked for the correct engine oil for a 2005 Corsa 1.2 SXi and the answer appears to be Multilife C-THREE 5W-30 fully synthetic. I was under the impression that some fully synthetic oils can affect seals and gaskets, which can cause leaks. Does the oil have to be fully synthetic? Can I use part synthetic oil or just normal oil? The car is quite old and has never had synthetic oil so I’m a bit wary of causing any problems.
ADE’S ANSWER:
Synthetic oils, formulated for use in modern engines, are completely seal safe. All automotive products, including transmission oils, are designed to be compatible with all common seals/elastomers used in engine or transmission hardware.
There have been rare incidents where a synthetic oil has been used in classic vehicles, with older style seals, where shrinkage has taken place and leakage has occurred. This is not a problem in the vehicle in question. The original oil requirement for a 2005 model of this designation was a fully synthetic 0W-30, so the design tolerances are more than capable of using a 5W-30 without any problems.
