Any Harm in Switching Oil Brands?

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I heard in a podcast said that switching oil brands "could" lead to oil usage. Is there any legitimate reason that this could be true? I don't think it is true but wondering what you think.


And if it is true, if you stayed with the same oil after you changed brands would the oil usage finally subside? I wonder if different brands have compatibility issues? Some brands say not to mix with other brands???

Probably most of us wouldn't know cause we change brands as often as the diapers on my 2 month old grandson get changed. So most of us probably don't have any real life experience in this area.

Have any of you gone for years using the same oil and then switched brands of oil? Did your engine start using oil or did the usage increase?
 
This is mostly BS. Change your oil brand every time and I wouldn't expect the engine to care one bit, assuming the oil changes all fit into the proper interval and include filter changes too.
 
I have experienced only moderate oil consumption on a low mileage car when switching between brands of synthetic. Went away after an OCI or two. No harm though.
 
Some oils might have a better detergency, removing sludge left behind by lesser oils and in the process revealing a leaking stem seal. But that's a problem with the car, not the oil. You can't blame the oil for doing it's job.

Even if you took into consideration a higher volatility, you're talking what...a measurement in grams/few ounces of oil lost during an oci???
 
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Originally Posted by Carbon12
I have experienced only moderate oil consumption on a low mileage car when switching between brands of synthetic. Went away after an OCI or two. No harm though.


I wonder why that sometimes happens?
 
I know the podcast...Lewis can be very opinionated and is set in his ways.

The only way to find find out if it happens in your car is to try it.
 
I've seen it happen when one brand was used for a long time, say 50k miles or more and then a switch was made to a different brand. The usage was usually temporary.

The other example is running Dino oil for a long time and then switching to synthetic. That happened a long time ago so that may not apply to today's oils.

In either case there are a number of variables like the condition of the engine, how many miles on it, driving patterns, etc.
 
on top of all other variables, some brands have much lower (as much as half) Noack number
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I switch oil brands on almost every OCI because I buy my oil by the one on sale and or with a rebate I haven't had a problem doing that for over 10 years. My Toyota well its stingy with oil it goes through a cup to less than a half quart in 7000 miles.
 
Short answer is no. When I changed from Pennzoil to Redline there was a slight consumption but nothing drastic.It was my understanding that it was competing to lay down its own film on parts.Some say the first uoa with redline results in unusual results like lead or aluminum sometimes. Finishing up on redline 0w20 going into 300,000 miles here shortly and had used Castrol Magnatec,Pennzoil Ultra and now Redline and still chugging along.
 
The military does it all the time based upon who wins the contract and they run their vehicles harder than any of us ever will. With modern oils, there seems to be less and less differentiation between brands simply due to the certifications and specifications. I tend to run the same brand, but that is just me, switching will not cause oil consumption or leaks due to the switch, so do what makes you happy.
 
*Interesting Thread : Since new , I've been switching between synthetic oils in my 2017 Sonata GDI (non - turbo) engine and do get some oil consumption over the course of a OCI (0.75 ~ 1.0 qrt.) ... I'll have to run a top rated D1 / Gen 2 synthetic for a few OCI's and see if it makes a difference in oil consumption ?
Originally Posted by Carbon12
I have experienced only moderate oil consumption on a low mileage car when switching between brands of synthetic. Went away after an OCI or two. No harm though.
 
When I bought my Lucerne used at 78k the dealer said they serviced it all it's life with Mobil 5000 5w30. I decided I wanted to use synthetic so the first couple changes I used Magnatec and didn't see any consumption. The last change was done last April with Advanced and have about 1800 miles and it's used about 1/4 of a quart, I say about because it was a little over the full mark and now it's a little under and not sure exactly how much that is. I have three months to go before the next OC, I'll see how much more it consumes and may go back to Magnatec. I honestly can't tell the difference between the two besides the little bit of consumption.
 
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I've switched brands a few times but only saw increased consumption once, and it was not consistent at that. As in, one vehicle used some oil and the other didn't, when I put PP 10W30 in both. Then the oil user stopped using oil.
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I'd say, change away, and keep an eye on oil level (like you should in general).
 
Went from Valvoline to PP in a forester and the car ate that oil all through the oci. I had to buy two quarts. I Never used PP again, the car didn't like it anyhow. Next OCI I went with M1 0W20 EP and I didnt have any consumption issues.
The only other time I recall prior is with was with the Honda Fit, I went from factory oil to Mobil 1 EP and it was using that for about a month maybe a 1/2 quart then it subsided.

The only other BIG issue and I'm having it now is going from a Ti EP addpack to and oil that has the classic infinium Boron, Moly. The engine runs really coarse and noisy for like 1500 miles. then if will calm down. I really think these two packages are not compatible.

Its doing it my VW now again moving from the careless "dealer mistake" Castrol Edge 5W40 to MOTUL specific 0W20. And its not subtle it - sound like the engine is low on oil when it is not and the valves are too tight and the timing is too advanced - to use an "old school" touchstone. Really sounds like harm is being done.

I'll let you know if the engine fails,. of course. I doubt it will - but it sure sounds REALLY bad.
 
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ARCOgraphite said:
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The only other BIG issue and I'm having it now is going from a Ti EP addpack to and oil that has the classic infinium Boron, Moly. The engine runs really coarse and noisy for like 1500 miles. then if will calm down. I really think these two packages are not compatible...

/quote]

ARCOgraphite, would you explain with a little more detail? You can PM if that works better for you.

Thanks!
 
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