How to Check the Production Date on Great Wall Motor Oil?
3 Answers
Great Wall Motor Oil's production date can be checked by looking at the first six digits of the production batch number printed on the packaging box. The functions of motor oil are: 1. To separate the surfaces of relatively sliding parts, thereby reducing wear; 2. To bring heat back to the oil tank and then dissipate it into the air, helping the radiator cool the engine; 3. To circulate carbon deposits, sludge, and worn metal particles from engine parts back to the oil tank, flushing away dirt generated on the working surfaces of parts through the flow of the lubricating oil. The effects of using inferior motor oil are: gum and incompletely burned substances can accumulate on the valves, intake passages, and combustion chambers, affecting the engine's operation and causing engine damage.
I frequently change the engine oil for my beloved car. The production date of Great Wall oil is usually found on the top or side of the bottle cap as an embossed code. Don’t worry if the combination of numbers and letters seems confusing—the first few digits typically indicate the date. For example, ‘20230512’ means May 12, 2023, while a format like ‘23086’ refers to the 86th day of 2023. The label at the bottom of the bottle might also clearly state ‘Production Date: 2023/01/01’. Once, the date on the oil I bought was covered by grease, and I had to wipe it with a cloth for a while to see it clearly. Actually, you can check it when unscrewing the cap—it’s best not to use oil that’s over three years old. Storage conditions greatly affect the oil’s lifespan; oil stored in a sun-exposed warehouse for half a year may not be as good as oil stored in a cool place for a year.
Our auto repair shop frequently stocks Great Wall motor oil, and the first thing we do upon unboxing is to check the date. Here's a tip: directly look at the batch number in the corner of the bottle label, such as 'SN230401-X12'. The '2304' indicates April 2023. New batches have switched to embossed printing on the bottle bottom, so you'll need to hold it up to the light to find it. Some car owners have mistaken the anti-counterfeiting code for the date, but the actual date is always separately marked. Last month, we encountered a case where the date on the bottle cap differed from the box label by six months. The manufacturer explained that the cap codes were reprinted due to wear during transportation. It's advisable not to blindly trust laser-printed codes, as some counterfeit products can now replicate them. Instead, scanning the code for official verification is more reliable. Pay extra attention to the date on plastic containers compared to metal ones, as plastic is more permeable, which can affect shelf life.
