Johannesburg - With modern cars hardly anyone does their own oil changes at home anymore, but a clever new concept by Castrol is sure to cause excitement amongst mechanics.
Anyone who’s done an oil change knows the 20-minute drill: lie under car, remove sump plug, let old oil drain into container, replace sump plug, stand up, open bonnet, replace oil filter, pour in new oil.
But Castrol’s new Nexcel oil cell system combines the oil reservoir and oil filter in one easy-to-change unit, marking one of the most significant oil change innovations in automotive history.
With this new plug-and-play system the drill’s much easier and takes about 90 seconds: open bonnet, remove Nexcel unit, replace with new Nexcel unit, done. Oil and filter changed in one easy step, quick and clean.
The all-in-one unit is also claimed to reduce tailpipe carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by ensuring a precise oil-engine match and helping the oil to warm up more quickly.
The sealed oil cell ensures that used oil is collected safely and can be recycled.
The Aston Martin Vulcan track-only supercar will be the first vehicle fitted with the Nexcel, while the device is expected to roll out into mass-production road cars within five years.
Maybe the time saved in oil-changing can be passed on to consumers in the form of reduced mechanic labour charges. We can only hope.
Pretoria News Motoring