For 1990-2009 cars

# USE OF SAE 5W-30 OIL ADVERTISEMENT INFORMATION

FOR YOUR INFORMATION, THE FOLLOWING ADVERTISEMENT EXPLAINING HOW TO SELECT THE PROPER ENGINE OIL AND EMPHASIZING THE USE OF SAE 5W-30 OILS HAS APPEARED IN NEWS PUBLICATIONS NATIONALLY AS PART OF GENERAL MOTORS CONTINUING CUSTOMER INFORMATION AD SERIES:

CUSTOMER INFORMATION FROM GENERAL MOTORS HOW TO SAVE MONEY WITH THE RIGHT MOTOR OIL SAE 5W-30 COULD IMPROVE STARTING, FUEL ECONOMY AND ENGINE LIFE

MANY OF TODAY'S NEW GASOLINE ENGINES WILL START BETTER IN COLD WEATHER AND USE LESS FUEL IF THEY'RE PROTECTED WITH SAE 5W-30 MOTOR OIL. IN FACT, GENERAL MOTORS RECOMMENDS 5W-30 FOR YEAR ROUND USE IN MANY OF ITS CURRENT MODELS. YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL WILL TELL YOU IF YOUR CAR OR TRUCK IS AMONG THEM. EVEN IF IT'S NOT, A CHECK OF THE MANUAL WILL HELP YOU SELECT THE OIL THAT'S RIGHT FOR YOUR ENGINE, FOR YOUR CLIMATE, FOR THE WAY YOU DRIVE. UNDERSTANDING THE LANGUAGE OF MOTOR OIL IS A BIG HELP, TOO. READ YOUR OIL CONTAINER. LOOK FOR THE AMERICAN PETROLEUM INSTITUTE (API) SYMBOL. YOU'LL FIND IT ON MANY CONTAINERS OF MOTOR OIL. IT LOOKS LIKE THIS: SEE BULLETIN. THE PRESENCE OF THE API SYMBOL MEANS THE PRODUCT HAS BEEN TESTED TO MEET SOME HIGHLY SPECIFIC PERFORMANCE STANDARDS. THE SYMBOL SAYS THREE (3) THINGS ABOUT THE OIL. THE LETTERS AT THE TOP TELL YOU IF THE OIL QUALITY IS RIGHT FOR YOUR ENGINE. AN API LETTER CODE OF "SF" MEANS THE OIL IS FOR GASOLINE ENGINES. "CC" OR "CD" MEANS THE OIL IS FOR USE IN DIESEL ENGINES. OILS MARKED WITH A COMBINATION OF LETTER CODES, LIKE "SF/CC" OR "SF/CD", CAN BE USED IN MORE THAN ONE TYPE OF ENGINE. THE CENTER OF THE SYMBOL DESCRIBES THE VISCOSITY OF THE OIL HOW EASILY IT FLOWS. THE VARIOUS GRADES ARE SPECIFIED AND NUMBERED BY THE SOCIETY OF AUTOMOTIVE ENGINEERS (SAE). IN GENERAL, THE LOWER THE NUMBER, THE MORE EASILY AN OIL FLOWS AT A SPECIFIED TEMPERATURE. OILS WITH MORE THAN ONE SAE NUMBER ARE CALLED MULTIGRADE OILS, AND CONTAIN ADDITIVES TO HELP THEM PERFORM WHETHER HOT OR COLD. WITH MULTIGRADE OILS, A NUMBER FOLLOWED BY A "W" INDICATES HOW WELL THE OIL FLOWS IN COLD WEATHER. THE LOWER THE NUMBER, THE MORE READILY THE OIL WILL LUBRICATE AN ENGINE DURING COLD STARTS AT LOW TEMPERATURE. SAE 5W-30 OIL, FOR EXAMPLE, WILL FLOW MORE EASILY WHEN COLD THAN SAE 10W-30. THE SECOND OR LAST NUMBER INDICATES A MULTIGRADE OIL'S LUBRICATING PROPERTIES AT HIGH TEMPERATURES. WHILE THIS NUMBER CAN BE HIGH AS 40 OR EVEN 50, FOR MOST VEHICLES GENERAL MOTORS NO LONGER RECOMMENDS YOU USE AN OIL THIS THICK. THE WORDS "ENERGY CONSERVING" ON AN API SYMBOL MEAN THE OIL MAY SAVE YOU MONEY. EASY-FLOWING OILS REDUCE FRICTION IN YOUR ENGINE, SO YOU'LL USE LESS GASOLINE TO RUN IT. "ENERGY CONSERVING" OILS ARE GENERALLY MULTIGRADES, AND THE LOWER THE VISCOSITY RATING, THE BETTER THE FUEL ECONOMY. THESE GUIDELINES APPLY EQUALLY TO SYNTHETIC AND CONVENTIONAL OILS. SO PICK A MOTOR OIL THAT MEETS THE RECOMMENDATIONS IN YOUR OWNER'S MANUAL, AND FOLLOW THE OIL-CHANGE SCHEDULE. YOU'LL BE SURE YOUR ENGINE IS GETTING THE RIGHT OIL, YOU COULD BE SAVING MONEY, AND YOU'LL BE HELPING CONSERVE VALUABLE NATURAL RESOURCES. AND THAT'S GOOD FOR YOU, FOR GM AND FOR EVERYBODY

THIS ADVERTISEMENT IS PART OF OUR CONTINUING EFFORT TO GIVE CUSTOMERS USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT THEIR CARS AND TRUCKS AND THE COMPANY THAT BUILDS THEM.

General Motors bulletins are intended for use by professional technicians, not a "do-it-yourselfer". They are written to inform those technicians of conditions that may occur on some vehicles, or to provide information that could assist in the proper service of a vehicle. Properly trained technicians have the equipment, tools, safety instructions and know-how to do a job properly and safely. If a condition is described, do not assume that the bulletin applies to your vehicle, or that your vehicle will have that condition. See a General Motors dealer servicing your brand of General Motors vehicle for information on whether your vehicle may benefit from the information.