European automobile manufacturers design vehicles to use specific high quality lubricants with specific properties and additives.
"Europeans build their cars and impose higher requirements on the type of oil than we are used to here in North America," remarks an oil industry source.
"On top of that, manufacturers have introduced their own standards, most of which start with the ACEA standards, and go further in specific tests to solve specific problems and address specific issues."
European vehicle manufacturers keep tight control over which lubricants they allow to be used in their vehicles. Inner-company bureaucracies are in charge of keeping the approved lubricant lists up-to-date with the latest requirements, and a few companies apply some of the regulations to North America. European aftermarket service stations must stock different lubricants for different automobile brands. Sometimes different models put out by the same manufacturer require different lubricants.
Do-it-yourselfers are less prevalent in Europe. Qualified repair shops, franchised or tightly controlled by the vehicle manufacturers in order to dictate the type of oil being used, typically perform most of the oil changes.
Although synthetic motor oils are generally of higher quality than conventional oils, not all synthetics can meet the stringent European specifications. Just because it's a synthetic doesn't mean it's a top tier product.
"Shop owners must keep in mind that there are numerous special requirements for European vehicles"
Although it's easy to assume that the more expensive the vehicle, the better quality the lubricant it needs, that's not always the case. For example, the mid-priced Volkswagen TDI requires a very specific, high spec lubricant.