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Welcome to our TotalEnergies New Zealand FAQ page, your go-to resource for quick and accurate answers to common questions about our industry, products and services. Here, you’ll find detailed information, helpful tips, and insights designed to enhance your experience with TotalEnergies. Whether you’re seeking assistance with orders, product features, or support, our comprehensive FAQs are tailored to provide clarity and convenience. Browse our frequently asked questions to discover more about TotalEnergies oil and lubricant services.
Investing a bit more in a high-quality engine oil may initially seem like an unnecessary expense, but this small decision can yield substantial returns.
Premium engine oil not only keeps your engine running smoothly but also protects your vehicle, enhances performance, and ultimately saves you money over time. Opting for high-quality lubricants is one of the most effective ways to protect one of your most significant investments: your vehicle. The advantages are clear: an extended vehicle lifespan, reduced wear and tear, and countless trouble-free miles ahead. By choosing premium oil today, you’re ensuring long-term benefits for your vehicle.
Read our full article: The importance of choosing a high-quality engine oil
The easiest way to know which products your vehicle needs is to use our Total Net Lube App. Search for correct product using your registration or make and model. Learn more about our app here or search netlube online here.
If you’re unsure which oil your car or vehicle needs, it’s important to learn more about them so you can find motor oils perfectly optimised for your needs.
First, learn the differences between synthetic and mineral oils (scroll up to learn more). The choice of the two will largely depend on the age of your vehicle.
Next, you can learn more about the different motor oil standards used across the market. This includes the ACEA standard, which features a letter and a number (B3, for instance). The letter indicating the type of engine, with A noting it’s for petrol engines, B for car diesel engines, C for light engines equipped with particulate filters or catalytic converters, and E for commercial vehicles.
The ACEA number indicates the performance of the oil. There are three categories for petrol and diesel engines (A3/B3, A3/B4, A5/B5), five for vehicles with pollution control devices (C1, C2, C3, C4, C5) and four for commercial vehicles (E4, E6, E7, E9, of which two are for vehicles with a pollution control device: E6 and E9).
Then there’s the SAE standard (scroll up to ‘What is the viscosity grade of a motor oil?’ for more on that) and the API standard, which consists of two letters – the first meaning either S for petrol or C for diesel engines, and the second noting its overall performance, with letters towards the end of the alphabet indicating better performance.
All TotalEnergies’ premium lubricants are featured in Lub Advisor, including:
Learn more about TotalEnergies’ ranges of car, motorcycle, van, truck, bus, coach, marine, or agricultural and construction lubricants.
It’s important to make sure your engine oils are properly topped up and in good condition, and this means regularly checking your motor oil level and changing it when needed. Doing so is easy:
Explore our guide to learn more about how to check and change your motor oil.
Maintaining your vehicle isn’t just about keeping it clean or making sure it has enough fuel. One of the most crucial aspects of car ownership is understanding the importance of engine oil and knowing when to change it. Think of engine oil as the lifeblood of your vehicle’s engine—it lubricates, cools, and cleans, ensuring everything runs smoothly. But just like any vital fluid, engine oil doesn’t last forever, over time, it can degrade, leaving your engine vulnerable to damage, which raises the question, how do you know when it’s time to change your engine oil?
Read our full article: How to know when it’s time to change your engine oil here
Every motor oil has a viscosity grade, such as 5W30, 10W40 or 20W50. Viscosity grades are used to differentiate different engine oils, representing the lubricant’s fluidity and performance at high and low temperatures. Low viscosity grades tend to be more fluid than those with higher grades, which are thicker and more viscous.
There are two types of viscosity grade: multigrade and monograde:
Multigrade oils are widely used by modern vehicles and can be used in all seasons thanks to their higher temperature range. They are noted as ‘xWy’, with ‘x’ representing the low temperature viscosity grade and ‘y’ the high temperature grade. As with monograde oils, higher numbers seal and protect components, while lower numbers reduce friction, cool and improve engine performance.
Monograde oils are designed for older vehicles and come in two varieties. For summer driving conditions are noted as ‘SAE x’, with ‘x’ being a number between 0 and 60. Monograde oils for wintry conditions are noted as ‘SAE xW’, with ‘x’ being a number between 0 and 25, and W standing for ‘Winter’. Lower numbers offer better lubrication, cooling and fuel-saving power, whereas higher numbers better seal and protect components.
Want to know more? Here are viscosity grades explained.
Understanding the distinction between antifreeze and coolant is crucial for maintaining your vehicle. Although the terms are often used interchangeably, they refer to different things.
Antifreeze is the concentrated liquid that primarily consists of ethylene glycol or propylene glycol. Its main function is to lower the freezing point of the engine coolant, preventing it from turning solid in frigid temperatures.
Coolant, on the other hand, is the ready-to-use mixture made from antifreeze and water. This mixture circulates through your engine, preventing overheating in summer and freezing in winter, ensuring optimal engine performance year-round.
In essence, antifreeze is the base component, while coolant is the finished product that keeps your engine operating smoothly.
For a complete guide on antifreeze and coolant read our full article here
The main two types of engine oil are synthetic and mineral oils.
Mineral oils are the product of refining crude oil, removing contaminants, unwanted hydrocarbons and other natural substances. The first motor oils to be developed, they’re designed to be used on older, less advanced vehicle models, and as a result are lower-performance compared to newer, synthetic oils. Nevertheless, they are some of the cheapest lubricants available, and in the case of vintage and classic vehicles, are usually recommended by manufacturers.
Synthetic oils are formed from highly chemically modified mineral oils, or are oils with entirely synthetic formulations. Featuring far fewer impurities to mineral oils and loaded with additives to boost their lubricating power, synthetics’ anti-corrosion, anti-oxidation, anti-wear and detergent effects are far greater than traditional lubricants. It’s because of this that they’re often the recommended motor oils for high-performance, technologically advanced vehicles and equipment.
Halfway between the two varieties are semi-synthetic oils. Not as advanced as pure synthetics yet offering greatly improved performance compared to mineral oils, they’re used as everyday oils for practical modern vehicles.
Our locations have been strategically placed around New Zealand so wherever you are, we are close!
Our support office is located in Hawkes Bay and we have branches and authorised distributors from Whanagrei to Southland.
Head to our contact page to find the contact details of our branches or distributor in your region.
Alternatively you can call our support office on 06 871 5325
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