Amsoil XL vs. Mobil 1 EP

The Critic

The Critic

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I am personally considering a switch to Amsoil XL for vehicles where the customer prefers something other than bulk ServicePro Dexos synthetic oil.

Price-wise, with the dealer discount, the cost of Amsoil XL and Mobil 1 EP is within $0.25/qt. Considering that Mobil 1 would require a trip to WM and Amsoil comes to my door, the price is about the same. Also, I do not service any GM vehicles requiring a licensed Dexos product, so the lack of official Dexos licensing on the Amsoil XL product is not a concern.

The reason for this post is that I am curious if Amsoil XL is "better" than Mobil 1 EP. Amsoil claims that their XL oil is fortified with additional detergency which causes the oil to have a higher SA content than the GM Dexos 1 specifications. In real-world applications, what does this really translate to? Does this added detergency level give Amsoil XL a longer service life and better detergency compared to a licensed Dexos 1 Gen-2 product?
 
Interesting thought.

XL is good for 1 year/12000 miles. I suppose it depends on the engine, usage and miles.


Oh, and
35.gif
because the hornets will be here soon.
28.gif
 
Originally Posted By: JLTD
Interesting thought.

XL is good for 1 year/12000 miles. I suppose it depends on the engine, usage and miles.


Oh, and
35.gif
because the hornets will be here soon.
28.gif



So to me, if you didn’t sign up for AMSOIL Signature Series (sorry) …and therefore not getting the most out of Amsoil … then at that point I’d rather support a more important company …
 
Before this turns into another blood bath over Amsoil, my advice is to run whatever makes you feel better. Both are API SN, both are quality oils and either one will treat you well.
 
If I were a service provider that had liability for my work I would be careful to use a product that had the certifications the manufacturer requires. For personal use it is one thing but if I had a business I'd think different.

That works both ways, if the M1 product didn't have the required certs I wouldn't use it either. But whatever the specific engine requirements are I'd make sure the oil has what's needed. If SN is all you need then both are listed on the API list.

So as a service provider you would recommend to your customers that they exceed the manufacturer's recommended OCI?

Originally Posted By: The Critic
I am personally considering a switch to Amsoil XL for vehicles where the customer prefers something other than bulk ServicePro Dexos synthetic oil.

Price-wise, with the dealer discount, the cost of Amsoil XL and Mobil 1 EP is within $0.25/qt. Considering that Mobil 1 would require a trip to WM and Amsoil comes to my door, the price is about the same. Also, I do not service any GM vehicles requiring a licensed Dexos product, so the lack of official Dexos licensing on the Amsoil XL product is not a concern.

The reason for this post is that I am curious if Amsoil XL is "better" than Mobil 1 EP. Amsoil claims that their XL oil is fortified with additional detergency which causes the oil to have a higher SA content than the GM Dexos 1 specifications. In real-world applications, what does this really translate to? Does this added detergency level give Amsoil XL a longer service life and better detergency compared to a licensed Dexos 1 Gen-2 product?
 
This is an interesting question.

As Virtus_Probi pointed out, you can order products from Wal Mart to be shipped, so that ought to eliminate that difference.

I don't think the higher detergent additive level in Amsoil XL necessarily translates to a longer service life. If it does translate to higher SA, that's something that'd make me perk up. But if it's still SN/GF-5, it can't be that big a deal. If it were me, I'd go with Mobil 1 EP. But I can't say it's a "better" choice without splitting hairs on points that probably aren't even meaningful.

If you service no vehicles that require dexos approval, then I'd think the only remaining decision points would be:

1. Price, and
2. Whether you think you'd get more cred by selling Mobil 1 EP or Amsoil.
 
Originally Posted By: kschachn
If I were a service provider that had liability for my work I would be careful to use a product that had the certifications the manufacturer requires. For personal use it is one thing but if I had a business I'd think different.

That works both ways, if the M1 product didn't have the required certs I wouldn't use it either. But whatever the specific engine requirements are I'd make sure the oil has what's needed. If SN is all you need then both are listed on the API list.

So as a service provider you would recommend to your customers that they exceed the manufacturer's recommended OCI?



^^^ THIS. What happens if a customer's engine 'blows up' and you are the one that has been doing all the oil changes? Are you liable due to the oil used or the OCI?
 
Amsoil XL is their cheap line. Most likely equivalent to Mobil Super Synthetic, QSUD, Magnatec, and house brands like Service Pro. Definitely NOT in the same league as M1 EP. *Maybe* regular M1, but not EP.

Only their Signature and higher oils are worth going thru the MLM for. Then you might get something better than EP.
 
Originally Posted By: slacktide_bitog
Amsoil XL is their cheap line. Most likely equivalent to Mobil Super Synthetic, QSUD, Magnatec, and house brands like Service Pro. Definitely NOT in the same league as M1 EP. *Maybe* regular M1, but not EP.

Only their Signature and higher oils are worth going thru the MLM for. Then you might get something better than EP.

I believe their "cheap" lineup is the OE oil. The XL is between the OE and Signature Series.
 
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but couldn't you also order the M1 online at Walmart.com and get 2-day free shipping?

Yes you can, two day free shipping iirc, just spend $35 or more. If Mobil has a rebate grab that too, knocking the cost down even more.
 
Originally Posted By: Triple_Se7en
Well if the XL is middle-line with Amsoil, then why is the OP-here comparing it to the EP? He should be comparing it to the regular Mobil-1.


Mobil 1 Annual Protection competes with Amsoil Signature Series.
 
I used xl 0w20 once.I think it can't provide the same level performance while m1 can.it became noicy when i drove 4500miles ,and i did an oci.
 
Originally Posted By: demarpaint
Originally Posted By: Virtus_Probi
Sorry if this is a dumb question, but couldn't you also order the M1 online at Walmart.com and get 2-day free shipping?

Yes you can, two day free shipping iirc, just spend $35 or more. If Mobil has a rebate grab that too, knocking the cost down even more.


And as the rebate is expired and limited to 2 anyway, you could also get it from Amazon which didn't qualify for the rebate either.
 
I personally don't like mail ordering oil, so I'd go with what you can find at WM even it's a bit unbearable at times LOL. As far as quality, XL is probably close to EP if I had to guess.
 
Why not use a (somewhat) cheaper full synthetic, maybe even buying it in a 5 gallon pail? That would be cheaper than dealing with WM or Amsoil. I would be leery of going longer than mfr.'s recommended OCI on customer vehicles, seems risky to me.
 
Originally Posted By: Brigadier
Originally Posted By: kschachn
If I were a service provider that had liability for my work I would be careful to use a product that had the certifications the manufacturer requires. For personal use it is one thing but if I had a business I'd think different.

That works both ways, if the M1 product didn't have the required certs I wouldn't use it either. But whatever the specific engine requirements are I'd make sure the oil has what's needed. If SN is all you need then both are listed on the API list.

So as a service provider you would recommend to your customers that they exceed the manufacturer's recommended OCI?



^^^ THIS. What happens if a customer's engine 'blows up' and you are the one that has been doing all the oil changes? Are you liable due to the oil used or the OCI?


What happens is that you have. A signature line in the work invoice stating a waiver of liability. It's also too expensive for most to pursue from that point.

But I'm not seeing the value proposition. XL is like $9.25 in quarts and $9.05 in gallons. M1 EP is $5.60 or so all day long in 5qt jugs, WM or otherwise.

For the PAO fanbois, XL doesn't state anything about its makeup, while M1 EP gives some SDS insight.

It seems to me that to be customer service oriented, one would be able to get a customer whatever they wanted, fast, but have a few reasonable options.

M1 EP seems to be one, regular M1, PP, etc would also be a reasonable option to stock. A super premium option like Amsoil SS may also be a good idea, but you might only need to stock 6 qts or so and not use them often.

Seems to me there are lots of good options shipped straight to one's door. Searching Amazon shows plenty of prime 5qt oils for $28 or less for 5qt.
 
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