Select your vehicle. We will show the matching GRAUMANN article, its pack sizes and its specification.
Engine details
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The list of makes is short for industrial equipment. If yours is not there, take the figure from the equipment manual: enter the ISO VG number or the grade on the second tab.
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The result is for guidance only. The final decision rests on the vehicle manufacturer's specification; the service-book requirement takes priority.
The list is for guidance. The oil is chosen against the specification the vehicle manufacturer requires; this page does not replace the technical documentation.
DATABASE
This vehicle is not in the database yet
That does not mean there is no suitable oil. The database is filled in model by model — meanwhile use the viscosity search or the catalogue.
If your service book states the required grade, enter that mark on the second tab.
02
Get the recommendation and the reason for it
You will see the matching article, its viscosity grade, its specification and its pack sizes.
03
Work out the pack size
How many cans your sump volume needs and which pack size is more economical — shown in the result.
TECHNICAL BACKGROUND
What to know when choosing
The mark on the canister, the quality grade and what a wrong choice leads to — open each question.
GRADE AND CLASS
5W-30 what does it mean?
The SAE classification describes only how the oil flows; it does not measure quality. '5W-30, so it must be a good oil' is the wrong conclusion.
5
'5' — the cold behaviour
The lower the number, the thinner the oil in the cold and the sooner it reaches the lubrication points.
W
'W' — Winter
The letter W means the oil has passed a low-temperature test.
30
'30' — the behaviour at operating temperature
The second figure is the thickness at 100 °C. The higher it is, the thicker the oil in a warm engine.
Cold-start limit · SAE J300
5W-XX — pumpable down to −35 °C
10W-XX — pumpable down to −30 °C
Under SAE J300 a 5W oil is still pumpable at −35 °C and a 10W oil at −30 °C (the CCS cranking test runs at −30 and −25 °C). The colder the air, the bigger the advantage of a 5W.
The parts are already moving before the oil arrives — and those first seconds are when the engine wears most.
Picking a viscosity 'a bit thicker, just in case' is a mistake: a thicker oil arrives later in the cold, while a thinner one will not hold the film in a worn engine. The right number is written in the service book.
What are ACEA and API?
ACEA — the European standard
The service book of a European car usually carries this mark, C3 or E7 for instance. The letter gives the engine type: A petrol, B passenger-car diesel, C low-ash oil for engines with a particulate filter or a catalyst, E heavy-duty diesel.
API — the American classification
The service book of American and Japanese cars more often carries an API mark: the first letter is the engine type (S petrol, C diesel), the second is the level: the further it falls in the alphabet, the newer the requirement. In the petrol range today that means API SN Plus, SP and SQ; on the diesel side FA-4 is a separate class for oils with a reduced HTHS, and it xW-30 does not replace CK-4.
ILSAC and JASO
ILSAC (GF-5, GF-6 and, from 2025, GF-7) applies only to petrol engines; there is no ILSAC requirement for diesel. JASO is for motorcycles: the engine, the gearbox and the wet clutch share one oil bath, which is why car oil does not go into a motorcycle.
OEM approvals
A list of oils that have passed the factory's own tests — a requirement on top of ACEA or API. The service book states it as a specific code (Volkswagen 504 00/507 00, Mercedes-Benz 229.51, BMW Longlife-04, Renault RN), and on a car under warranty that code decides.
The codes are an example from a service book. The approval list for GRAUMANN articles themselves (from the label) is on the product page.
Which specification matters?
Viscosity tells you how thin the oil is; the specification tells you what it is fit for. The number can match while the grade does not — and then it is not the engine that suffers but the exhaust after-treatment.
Grades are not interchangeable
A low-ash (C) oil and an ordinary (A/B) one are different products by composition: in a C oil the ash-forming additives are restricted, because that ash stays in the particulate filter. There is no such option as 'no C available, A/B will do'.
The service book takes priority
The final requirement is written in the service book that comes with the vehicle.
What does the wrong oil do?
The problem shows up a few thousand kilometres later: power drops, consumption rises, or an expensive component has to be replaced. Here are the six most common cases.
01
The particulate filter blocks
With an ordinary high-ash oil the incombustible ash builds up in the particulate filter (DPF) and regeneration does not clear it. Exhaust back-pressure rises and the turbocharger can suffer too.
02
It arrives late on a cold start
An oil thicker than required reaches the lubrication points later in the cold, and at every cold start that delay becomes dry friction. On a car started from cold several times a day in winter the difference is especially clear.
03
The film thins when hot
An oil thinner than required will not hold the film the warm engine needs. On a high-mileage engine it shows at once: oil pressure falls and noise rises.
04
Coke builds up in the turbocharger
An oil that cannot take the heat burns onto the hot turbocharger shaft and leaves a hard residue — coke. The coke narrows the oilway, the bearing is starved, and it usually ends in a new turbocharger.
05
The gearbox jolts
DSG and CVT boxes run on their own fluid and it cannot be swapped for another. On the wrong fluid the gears engage late, jolts appear and the gears and clutch wear.
06
The brake pedal goes soft
Old brake fluid takes up moisture from the air and its boiling point drops. On a long descent, or after a series of hard stops, the pedal goes soft and braking force is lost.
A car under warranty often calls for a specific OEM approval — an unsuitable oil raises questions in the service history. If in doubt, re-check the approval in your service book before filling.
OTHER FLUIDS
How is a transmission oil chosen?
What to look at. The API GL grade and SAE viscosity; for ATF, the approval.
For a manual gearbox and an axle the API GL-4 or GL-5 grade and an SAE viscosity are specified (75W-90,80W-90,85W-140) ; GL-5 is built for the high pressure of a hypoid axle. Automatic transmission fluid (ATF) is decided by the manufacturer approval (DEXRON, MERCON, factory specifications), while DSG and CVT run on their own separate fluids.
What to look at. The DOT class and the date of the last change.
DOT 4 and DOT 5.1 differ in boiling point and viscosity; a car with ABS and ESP takes the low-viscosity type. Replacement is tied to time, not mileage — usually every two years, with the exact period in the service book.
What to look at. The DIN grade (HLP/HVLP) and the ISO VG.
The grade is chosen to DIN 51524: HL, HLP with anti-wear additives, or HVLP, which stays stable across a wide temperature swing. The ISO VG viscosity (32, 46 or 68) comes from the equipment manual and is never guessed.
Made at one of Germany's large plants to German engineering standards. The range is built for the loads of modern engines: turbochargers, direct injection, start-stop.
The full range
Five categories, 15 articles, pack sizes from 1 L to 20 L. Engine and diesel oil, transmission fluid, brake fluid, hydraulics. All five from one supplier.
