Hi all,

I've been reading this forum since I got my 2002 Skoda Fabia 1.4 16v Classic last year but haven't felt the need to post until now! I went into Halfords today to get some engine oil and according to the owner's manual, oil that meets the vw 502 00 is ok to be used in the car. Now, Halfords have a deal on at the moment that gives you 4l of Castrol Magnatec 5w-30 fully synthetic for £17.50 which meets this standard so I thought I would go for this. However, one of the Halfords assistants came up to me to give me what he would recommend for my car model and he suggested the more expensive Castrol Edge oil instead. I told him that according to the owner's manual, the magnatec could do the job but he said he double checked my car model on the company computer and that Edge is the oil to go for and their computers are never wrong. I'm sure the guy is correct to an extent but am I right in saying that I can use Magnatec in the car also?

the 502 oil is fine since the Fabia mk1 cannot be set to variable servicing.

Ahh cool. So I can go ahead and add the Magnatec then? The guy just sowed a few seeds of doubt after I had decided to get it. That and the bottle says it is "For Vauxhall and Opel cars" but I guess this is just a recommendation. Cheers!

as long as the oil says VW 502 on it, it does not matter what else it says.

I have seen many inaccuracies in Halford's catalogues. I think their data on oils is provided by Castrol - who seem to recommend Edge for almost everything. Being their most expensive oil, they probably stand to make more money if that one is sold.

why go to halfrauds and get ripped off ? Go to a proper Motor Factors like Allwoods or GSF

We have an offer on until today - Magnatec 5w30 £16.99 :-)

Is it Magnatec 5w-30 for Vauxhall meeting the requirements or is approved? Castro Edge 5w-30 is developed for VW, so that's why might be recommended, while Magnatec it might have that meets the requirements or something like that...

Yeh that's probably why he said it but he shouldn't be saying I can't use magnatec. I thought £17.99 for 4L was good but maybe in future I'll shop around!

I use this oil in my tdi alh engine same offer £17.50 4 litres. I try and match where i can but being a total pedant isnt going to make any difference. Most of the general public are ignorant of ratings and viscosity, and yet multiple engine failures due to incorrect oil are few and far between, granted PD and Citroens HDI are more sensitive, but head for the right viscosity and change 6-10k miles and itll be fine like has been said 502 00 and its fine.

Money makes the world go round and companies will always try to push and turn it faster, regardless of truth or ambiguity.

Hi all,

I've been reading this forum since I got my 2002 Skoda Fabia 1.4 16v Classic last year but haven't felt the need to post until now! I went into Halfords today to get some engine oil and according to the owner's manual, oil that meets the vw 502 00 is ok to be used in the car. Now, Halfords have a deal on at the moment that gives you 4l of Castrol Magnatec 5w-30 fully synthetic for £17.50 which meets this standard so I thought I would go for this. However, one of the Halfords assistants came up to me to give me what he would recommend for my car model and he suggested the more expensive Castrol Edge oil instead. I told him that according to the owner's manual, the magnatec could do the job but he said he double checked my car model on the company computer and that Edge is the oil to go for and their computers are never wrong. I'm sure the guy is correct to an extent but am I right in saying that I can use Magnatec in the car also?

I would just like to add having worked at halfords on there amazing computer system (eVolve) it is often wrong for reg look-up (dont get me started on SOT looms haha)... it was (guessing it still is) very much a Work In Progress first gen kind of system to be able to instantly work out what stuff you need from your registration plate. It also gives a whole list of applicable oils including the halfords own brand so saying it ONLY "recommended" edge is basically rubbish - if you unsure i would just say you've forgotten your reg can he look it up manually and that tends to be more accurate. I always used to counter-check reg vs manual lookup as it pulls the info from different places.

more than likely!! Personally i wouldn't let anyone in halfrauds open my Muller crunch corner, nevermind give me car advice!!! lol