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THE ORIGINAL BRITISH MOTOR OIL SINCE 1899
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ENGINE OIL ADVICE

Practical help from Duckhams: checking and topping up your oil, reading the numbers on a bottle and choosing the right oil for your car.

Duckhams QS 5W-30 being poured into a car engine through a funnel

Can I mix different engine oils?

Mixing brands, grades, and synthetic with mineral oil: what is fine for a top-up, and when only the right oil will do.

23 Oct 2026Read the guide
Two Duckhams Q motor oil cans in the yellow and blue livery, marked SAE 20W-50

Classic car oil: choosing the right oil for an older engine

Which oil a classic car needs, why modern oils may not suit an older engine, and when to use a single-grade oil.

23 Oct 2026Read the guide
A technician under a car on a lift, draining the engine oil into a waste oil collector

How often should I change my engine oil?

How often to change your engine oil, what normal, severe and flexible servicing mean, and why low mileage doesn't let you skip it.

23 Oct 2026Read the guide
Duckhams QXR and QS engine oils on a yellow Duckhams drum in front of a car with its bonnet open

Fully synthetic, semi-synthetic or mineral oil: which does my car need?

The difference between fully synthetic, semi-synthetic and mineral engine oil, and how to tell which one your car needs.

23 Oct 2026Read the guide
Duckhams engine oils on a yellow drum in front of a car with its bonnet open, including a 20W-50, a 5W-30 and a bottle of brake fluid

What the numbers on engine oil mean

5W-30, 5W-40, 0W-20: what the two numbers on a bottle of engine oil tell you, and how to tell which your car needs.

23 Oct 2026Read the guide
Person pulling a yellow-handled dipstick out of a car engine, bonnet open on a driveway

How to check your engine oil level

How to check your engine oil in about five minutes, read the dipstick and top up with the right oil.

04 Oct 2026Read the guide

Oil by car make

The oil specifications each car maker sets, and the Duckhams oils recommended for them.

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