Do Brands Cater To Different Crowds?

[WMSmotorhead]

Here's an interesting question...

We all know if we go to a mart store... any mart store... the auto/truck section is packed with Penz, Val, QS, and usually a house brand. This is true of most any retail mart.

Go to a major chain auto part store, you'll see a similar selection, but sometimes with a few stragglers, like Coastal...

Have any of you gone to a Garage supply store? We have 2 out here near me. These guys supply MOST of the indie garages in the region.. and they treat me like a garage, even though I'm a hobbyist.. these store are filled with Warren Unilube, Mag1, Amalie, Wolf's Head, SuperS, and something like Penz is the straggler.

This is what I find ever so interesting.. I've uses Amalie, SuperS, Mag1, and Wolf's Head far more often than I have Penz Val, and Cast. Yet in a few applications, transmission specifically, I've actually like the results BETTER with SuperS than with Penz.

I was wondering if anyone here has a "Garage Supply" store they get stuff from and what are your opinions of the products. My findings across the board say there's really NO SIGNIFICANT QUALITY DIFFERENCE in the lesser known brands...

I've yet to have my garage supply stores disappoint me with quality or price. And everything I get there is up to spec. For example, I was a bit surprised to ask for 75-90 gear lube and out comes SuperS SuperSyn.. Not questioning, I bought it, and then looked it up before opening the bottle. It meets military specs for Gear Lube, and well as the GL-5 spec.

 

[dave1251]

Nothing special because GL-5 gear lube is the successor to the old dated MILSPEC.

Their DEX VI I would not have no problems using.
Not their ATF+4, it is not a official ATF+4 blender.
PCMO's I would use them I hope that it looks better than the results were from PQIA's testing of Wolf's Head.

 

[daves87rs]

Well, for one, they never have to put it on sale....

 

[dave1251]

Not to mention this.

http://www.pqiamerica.com/Tristar.htm

Are you still sure Smitty is up to stuff?

 

[WMSmotorhead]

I knew someone would pull up the tristar stuff...

Smitty's products bearing the API, Ilsac, etc logos are up to the task.

The Tristar stuff... I don't think Smitty claims to have made it, just to bottling it. Do you think I'd buy ATF Labeled Type A anyway?

I've used the SuperS stuff frequently... Usually the SuperSyn gear lubes or ATF's.. Their SureGuard brand 2 cycle gets used in my lawn equipment also.

Getting back to topic.. Do you all think that some brands cater more to garages and fleet maintenance than retail?

 

[dave1251]

The "tristuff" is under Smitty's API license. Yes there are brands that attempt to cater to garages and fleets exclusively but their success is mixed.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

I've used the SuperS stuff frequently... Usually the SuperSyn gear lubes or ATF's.. Their SureGuard brand 2 cycle gets used in my lawn equipment also.

In reference to the WH PQI test.. Yeah, it squeaked by.. but 2 tenths of 1 percent is seriously nothing to freak about. Again, looking at the more recent test, it looks that the problem has been fixed. The 5w30 with the 15.2% volatility is in the bottle from a few years back... there is a newer review of a 5w-20 showing a par volatility.
WH 5w-20 2012
It's possible that the older WH bottle they pulled was on the shelf for a long darn time. The newer 5w30 is a semi-syn, and comes in a bottle much like the 5w-20... I have about 3 cases in the garage.

Believe me, I'd be the first one to "blow the whistle" if I saw Amalie, Smitty's or either Warren dropping the ball.

Current offerings of Wolf's head seem to be adding more of the Boron that is now "In Style"...

Believe me, I read PQI like a monthly magazine, and would quickly look to remove any "bad product" from my Garage's shelf. That said, everything I have out there.. from Engine oil, to Transmission Fluid, to Gear Lube meets all vehicle warranty requirements.

So, If I let you in my Garage, what would you actually see there in the 150+ bottles.....

Federated brand Motor oil (Made by WPP)
Mag1 Motor Oil
Wolf's Head Motor Oil
Federated Brand Transmission Fluid (Made by WPP)
Pennzoil ATF
Amalie Synthetic ATF
Amsoil Engine Oil
Super S Synthetic Gear Lubes
Coastal Gear Lube
and a bunch of Federated and Hastings Filters...

My Garage, albeit a hobbyist garage looks very much like other pro shops around here.

 

[dave1251]

Yeah as soon as the product is improved then this is put on the label.

"Recommended for all Gasoline/Diesel Engines latest warranty requirements of manufacturers around the world, including U.S., Japanese, Korean, and European manufacturers specifying API Service: SN, SM/CF ILSAC GF-5".


"DPF Approved," and the back label states "Approved for diesel particulate filter (DPF),".

Why would you take the time to improve the product then put label that states this?

 

[mechtech2]

I have to ask what your "results" and "finding" were?
Have these oils been upgraded to SN and Dexos specs?

And super synthetic is better than pennzoil in a transmission? They are not manual trans oils, but gear oils more suited for rear differentials.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

Oh brother... you guys are reading into this way too much.

I've serviced a number of Dex/merc and ATF+3. There is a SuperS ATF I've used, and a Pennzoil. I like the way the SuperS shifted better. It's not that I think Penn is bad. The main question was about....

Do some brands cater to garages, where others cater to retail buyers?

Smitty's SuperS and Wolf's Head both have Dexos oils out now..

PQI did a test on the superS version. Looked good.

 

[chiks]

Brands are created to cater to different crowds. That is basic brand management 101.

Where I work, what sticker/emblem/logo is put on the equipment depends upon who the buying dealership is. Different dealers, different customers, different brands, same product.

 

[addyguy]

Castrol is on oil company that has worked really hard to develop a brand identity. They have for years catered to the 'high performance/hard working' engine crowd, and still do.

Lots of trucks in the South, I'm sure, run their whole lives on GTX 20W-50.