Well im having a friendly argument with a friend of mine and well i think there is a little difference between bulk motor oil and over the counter jug motor oil but my buddy thinks they are both the same quality but i say not so for the bulk stuff..what do you guys think?
Bulk Oil and Jug Oil
- Thread starter Indy
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Just my personal opinion here. I also think bulk oil CAN be the same as a Jug. However; do you really know what is in the bulk tank? In addition, if the oil has sat in the bulk tank for a year or more, then additives have started to settle out. I don't want bulk oil in my vehicle because of the above questions. Ed
Where might be the evidence it is different; are there two PDS sheets, one for bottles and one for drums? Same unless otherwise specified IMHO
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Bulk oil is the same quality as bottled oil. There is no such thing a "second quality" variant of a engine oil.
Both bulk and bottled oil originates from the same holding tanks. Our bulk oil comes in to our distributor in large plastic containers on pallets that are loaded onto their pumping trucks.
The old argument that the additives settle out at the bottom of the bulk tank is nonsense too. Our 5 bay shop drains a 275 gallon drum in 5 working days. It is constantly refreshed.
Peak's PDS also reads that the bulk variants of their 5w30 and 5w20 is semi-synthetic. If there is a difference, it will be documented in publically accessible publications.
Both bulk and bottled oil originates from the same holding tanks. Our bulk oil comes in to our distributor in large plastic containers on pallets that are loaded onto their pumping trucks.
The old argument that the additives settle out at the bottom of the bulk tank is nonsense too. Our 5 bay shop drains a 275 gallon drum in 5 working days. It is constantly refreshed.
Peak's PDS also reads that the bulk variants of their 5w30 and 5w20 is semi-synthetic. If there is a difference, it will be documented in publically accessible publications.
Originally Posted By: Indy
but i say not so for the bulk stuff..
What do you base this on? How is the bulk stuff different?
but i say not so for the bulk stuff..
What do you base this on? How is the bulk stuff different?
I think there is a stigma associated with a big drum of oil with a white sheet stuck to it V.S. a pretty jug with flashy colors and sales pitches and numbers, pecentages, pictures of clean pistons, etc..
When your at a resteraunt do you look at the pictures of food first? or the black and white menue list's ?
its all about the marketing in my opinion.
When your at a resteraunt do you look at the pictures of food first? or the black and white menue list's ?
its all about the marketing in my opinion.
It is all bulk oil, just in different size containers.
Thanks for clearing this up salv.Yes this is just old rumours that i here about from the past but i do use bulk oil from time to time when the weather gets nasty for me to do my own oil changes as i dont have a garage and both bulk and jugs are great oils and never had any problems with eather. Its the talk that i here from people years ago and i realy should get on with the times lol.
I would say bulk oil starts out the same, but there is more of a risk that it could be "contaminated" along the way.
I use to have 2x 1000L bulk tanks at my workshop. I filled them when they were empty, but I just bought whatever brand was the best deal at the time. I sure did not get in the tank and wipe it dry before pumping the new stuff over. a couple of litres left over in a 1000L tank is not to be worried about even if switching grades.
I use to have 2x 1000L bulk tanks at my workshop. I filled them when they were empty, but I just bought whatever brand was the best deal at the time. I sure did not get in the tank and wipe it dry before pumping the new stuff over. a couple of litres left over in a 1000L tank is not to be worried about even if switching grades.
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Hi Quattro its just old stuff i here about years ago and it stuck with me since but i here its not true..i guess you can teach a old dog new stuff..its just hype that people talk about and i just been sucked in thats all..both bulk and jugs are great oils and i still use the bulk when i have no other choice and never had any issues whats so ever.The story i have heard was the additives settle over time to the bottom of the drum.I dont think there is any truth to this as i just learned from here today
Additives do settle out according to General Motors. They advised GM dealer to use smaller bulk oil containers if the turn over was more than one year due to additive separation. This statement was distributed about 11? years ago to their dealers. Additives even settle out in quart containers over time as mentioned several time on this site. E
Originally Posted By: Indy
Thanks guys for all your comments.My buddy said thanks as well about the talk here..the myth has been solved..thanks again
Well, there are cases where certain products are available in bulk and certain products are not. Mobil Super 3000 0w-20, listed as a Canadian only product, is only available in a 205 L drum, according to my sheets. Other products are only available in bottles, or in just about anything.
Thanks guys for all your comments.My buddy said thanks as well about the talk here..the myth has been solved..thanks again
Well, there are cases where certain products are available in bulk and certain products are not. Mobil Super 3000 0w-20, listed as a Canadian only product, is only available in a 205 L drum, according to my sheets. Other products are only available in bottles, or in just about anything.
Originally Posted By: Indy
Thanks for clearing this up salv.Yes this is just old rumours that i here about from the past but i do use bulk oil from time to time when the weather gets nasty for me to do my own oil changes as i dont have a garage and both bulk and jugs are great oils and never had any problems with eather. Its the talk that i here from people years ago and i realy should get on with the times lol.
Thanks Indy. I myself am tired of playing around with off the shelf oils, looking for great deals when the best deal is the stuff in my bulk tank, semi-synthetic 5w30 for $2/qt. Filters are another story.
I don't know where you are from in Canada, but we service a lot of cars from Canada, being that we are 64 miles south of Montreal.
Thanks for clearing this up salv.Yes this is just old rumours that i here about from the past but i do use bulk oil from time to time when the weather gets nasty for me to do my own oil changes as i dont have a garage and both bulk and jugs are great oils and never had any problems with eather. Its the talk that i here from people years ago and i realy should get on with the times lol.
Thanks Indy. I myself am tired of playing around with off the shelf oils, looking for great deals when the best deal is the stuff in my bulk tank, semi-synthetic 5w30 for $2/qt. Filters are another story.
I don't know where you are from in Canada, but we service a lot of cars from Canada, being that we are 64 miles south of Montreal.
I don't want to ever take my vehicle to a quick-lube, but their bulk oil is the LEAST of my worries about those places. I worked at a few quick lubes and trust me they go through a lot of oil. We refilled our bulk tanks every couple of months.
I have to agree with stchman, bulk oil used in a dealer, or in a quick-lube would be the least of my worries. I am fortunate to have a lift in my pole barn. I let my friends use it to service their vehicles.
Just today, my buddy with a late model F-150 came over for an oil change. We found that the quick-lube had cross threaded his drain plug into the oil pan. They applied RTV onto the drain plug to keep it from leaking. They did not tell him anything about the issue and sent him on his way. Fortunately, we were able to get a good seal after buying a new drain plug.
I never trust 19 year old "technicians" on ANY of my vehicles. The majority of "technicians" in a quick-lube have little training, and even less ethics if they screw up in my experience.
Just today, my buddy with a late model F-150 came over for an oil change. We found that the quick-lube had cross threaded his drain plug into the oil pan. They applied RTV onto the drain plug to keep it from leaking. They did not tell him anything about the issue and sent him on his way. Fortunately, we were able to get a good seal after buying a new drain plug.
I never trust 19 year old "technicians" on ANY of my vehicles. The majority of "technicians" in a quick-lube have little training, and even less ethics if they screw up in my experience.
In comparing the same oils with the same trade names, there won't be any difference in the product, only in the packaging.
There are some products from major blenders that are available in bulk but not in retail sized containers, unless you consider a 55 gallon drum to be of retail size.
If you compare pricing for bulk oil quantities with the typical on sale somewhere price of retail packaged oil, you'll find that bulk isn't any cheaper.
It's more a matter of not having to open and then dispose of a bunch of quarts or jugs every day in a busy shop.
Also, it's a lot harder to convert bulk oil to personal use than it is oil in jugs or quarts, for those shops that have employees who might be tempted to be dishonest.
There are some products from major blenders that are available in bulk but not in retail sized containers, unless you consider a 55 gallon drum to be of retail size.
If you compare pricing for bulk oil quantities with the typical on sale somewhere price of retail packaged oil, you'll find that bulk isn't any cheaper.
It's more a matter of not having to open and then dispose of a bunch of quarts or jugs every day in a busy shop.
Also, it's a lot harder to convert bulk oil to personal use than it is oil in jugs or quarts, for those shops that have employees who might be tempted to be dishonest.
Originally Posted By: Cosmos
I never trust 19 year old "technicians" on ANY of my vehicles. The majority of "technicians" in a quick-lube have little training, and even less ethics if they screw up in my experience.
I agree 100%, No more teen age "technicians" are going to touch my truck.
I never trust 19 year old "technicians" on ANY of my vehicles. The majority of "technicians" in a quick-lube have little training, and even less ethics if they screw up in my experience.
I agree 100%, No more teen age "technicians" are going to touch my truck.
Perhaps some advantages of using jugs rather than bulk oil is that at least with jugs, you know exactly what oil you are getting/using. Bulk oil can be a secret. There ar ealot of folks that have bad experience with quick lube shops or dealers which can lead to support these myths.
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