Castrol's new oil cartridge

[coldplugs]

Maybe this is old news but it's new to me. Castrol has announced their "Nexcel" lube system that apparently uses a dry sump with an external oil tank that contains the filter and can be quickly removed and changed, sort of like a huge ink cartridge.

Dry sump systems have been around forever but I've never heard of anything quite like this. I think it's a great idea.

 

[Banjo]

It's a neat idea. I have concerns about what happens to the cartridge. We have so many "disposable" things now, I'm not sure starting a trend of "automotive K-cups" is the best thing.
On the other side, if the cartridge gets re-used, and the oil remains completely contained, it may be a good thing.

 

[HealeyRick]

Pretty cool idea but if it doesn't involve hot oil running down my arm to my armpit, is it really an oil change?

It would probably make recycling your oil pretty easy. Collecting the used oil, putting it into a container and bringing it to a place to be recycled is a PITA. My little town doesn't have a recycling center and keeping receipts, refilling the one quart bottles and bringing it back to the point of purchase is no fun. I'd hate to tell you what we did with used oil when I was a teenager.

 

[TRMark]

[QUOTE I'd hate to tell you what we did with used oil when I was a teenager.[/QUOTE]

Dad and I just spread it around on the dirt/gravel alley to keep the dust down,

 

[HealeyRick]

Dad and I just spread it around on the dirt/gravel alley to keep the dust down,

We had a lot of dirt roads amongst the cranberry bogs in SE Massachusetts where I learned my Monte Carlo rallye driving techniques. Great fun in the winter, but in the summer the town would "oil down" those same roads. Another use for old oil was spraying undercarriages for rustproofing, Cars treated that way lasted a lot longer than the 2 or 3 years of normal life.

 

[Banjo]

Not justifying that we should spread oil on the ground, but I always thought it funny that people got so upset about that. the oil came out of the ground to begin with.....
(I know, I know.. there's a big difference there)

 

[PAUL161]

When I was a kid, the county had tanker trucks with a sprinkler pipe across the back and would oil the roads, which were mostly gravel, a couple times a year. The oil was as close to raw crude you could get at the time as it was very cheap. Probably why a lot of cars didn't rust out back then. It did smell bad though. PJ

 

[waltesefalcon]

I remember spreading the old oil over our gravel drive as a kid. Nowadays I drive over to Elgin and pour it into the waste oil tank at the oil change shop.

 

[John Turney]

.... Another use for old oil was spraying undercarriages for rustproofing, Cars treated that way lasted a lot longer than the 2 or 3 years of normal life.

Fortunately, our LBCs have an automatic system for doing that.

 

[Popeye]

Neat find - love the concept. While I do most of my oil changes, I am not a fan of "hot oil running into my armpit"!!!

In my opinion, oil changes are a pain, between the mess of the change and the disposal of oil. I do them myself because that is the way I am, as well as the importance of proper oil level and the opportunity to inspect the underside of the car. I would love a simpler change-out system!!

 

[PC]

Cool system. But the proof will be in the final outcome when it hits the end user.

Fundamentally, it's a common engineering technique that's used all the time. You're exchanging simple components with a complex process for a simple process with complex components.

If the cost of replacing a cartridge is only marginally higher than replacing the oil and filter separately, the added convenience will be worth it. If the cost is substantially higher than the perceived value of the convenience, it won't catch on.

 

[GregW]

Don't forget to throw labor into the cost. Most people don't change their own oil.