After I discovered bobistheoilguy.com I stopped using Valvoline motor oil and started to use Chevron motor oil instead. I can't remember what oil filter I had been using-I think it was Wix. I had been a Pennzoil guy before the Valvoline, and then I heard all of this nonsense about Pennzoil causing sludge so I had switched to Valvoline (you know, in advertising, the brand used by most mechanics).
I have since tried several brands of motor oil and various brands of oil filters. Since discovering this web site I have learned a lot more about motor oil, oil filters, and oil supplements. For example, a long time ago I used to use Tufoil oil supplement but I never will again. I discovered Auto-RX that actually seemed to stop a oil seal leak on a previous Saturn car that I had owned.
I have pretty much come to various conclusions. For one thing, I think most brands of conventional motor oil are roughly the same as long as the brand meets all requirements. Even Valvoline motor oil is probably adequate if a person changes it often enough. The high mileage oils are good for older cars and trucks.
I will probably never use a FRAM oil filter again. A very long time ago FRAM was my brand. I would go looking for it. Unless FRAM makes some major improvements I am done with that brand personally.
I have pretty much made up my mind just to use Mobil 1 oil, a synthetic oil that is easy to locate, and do 6000 mile oil changes, maybe changing the oil filter element on my Saturn (a Saturn like the Ion has a oil filter element) every 3000 miles. I am an old guy and it will be hard for me to change to 6000 mile/6 month oil changes. But such changes will make the Mobil 1 about equal in cost to conventional oil changed every 3000 miles. And the engine will probably stay cleaner.
I used to be curious about every new oil supplement that came out although I used only a few. Since coming to this web site I have reduced my list of stuff I would be willing to use. I believe in Auto-RX, I still believe in Lubegard products, and I am willing to use Gumout Regane and Techron fuel system cleaners. That pretty much is the end of the list. Instead of using some supplement I think most people are better off just changing coolant, or automatic transmission fluid, or whatever, and maybe switching synthetic products for conventional where you can. Auto-RX has proved effective in cleaning various things such as the inside of engines and transmissions. I still like Lubegard transmission supplements and power steering supplements. A Lubegard power steering supplement worked for me.
If I do switch to using Mobil 1 and that is currently my plan I will use conventional motor oil only when doing an Auto-RX cleaning and rinse. Heck, I will probably use conventional Valvoline for that-I can find it pretty cheap.
Also since coming to this web site I have noticed that the number of people who visit the site has come up from only a little over a thousand since I joined to several thousand people. I think that indicates the quality of this web site. I have told severla people, especially mechanics and NAPA employees, about this web site.