Havoline Pro-DS 5w30 -- 5,305 mi -- 2014 Mazda 3 with 2.0L

[Artem]

I find this oil to be an amazing deal @ $19.97 for a 6qt box from ChinaMart. Planning to see just how good it is with an extended oil run in my beloved Mazda 3. Sucks to see the viscosity taking a hit.

I ran a short 500 mile run with this same brand of oil prior to pouring in this batch, to make sure all previous oil is diluted and flushed out so nothing messes with the results.

The Oil Life was showing 50% oil life left when I sampled it. Oil is currently still in use @ 6,500 miles & 40% oil life. Will probably pull another sample at 7k to see how its doing.

OIL             Chevron Havoline Pro-DS 5w30 Synthetic     
MILES IN USE    5,305 miles         
MILES on unit   107,000 
SAMPLE TAKEN    11/01/2021
Make up Oil     0

                              Universal Average based on 6,000 miles


ALUMINUM        2              4
CHROMIUM        0              0 
IRON            5              10
COPPER          0              2
LEAD            0              0
TIN             0              0
MOLYBDENUM      269            150  
NICKEL          0              0 
MANGANESE       0              1 
SILVER          0              0
TITANIUM        0              5
POTASSIUM       1              1
BORON           61             82 
SILICON         10             12 
SODIUM          6              22
CALCIUM         1495           1530
MAGNESIUM       486            459
PHOSPHORUS      705            666
ZINC            798            759
BARIUM          0              0


                            Values Should Be*


SUS VIS 210* F   53.1           56-63
cSt @ 212*F      8.20           9.1-11.3
FLASHPOINT F     405            >385
Fuel %            <0.5           <2.0
Antifreeze        0.0             0.0
WATER             0.0            <0.1
INSOLUBLES        0.1            <0.6
TBN               4.1            >1.0
TAN               3.4

 

[Oro_O]

I'm trying to understand the cSt@100C (viscosity) value reported?

wrt:

I ran a short 500 mile run with this same brand of oil prior to pouring in this batch, to make sure all previous oil is diluted and flushed out so nothing messes with the results.

 

[CharBaby]

I'm trying to understand the cSt@100C (viscosity) value reported?

wrt:

I looks as though this oil has sheared a bit. Other than that it looks very good!
I have noticed that Havoline oils seem to run on the thinner/lower end for their grade to start with(VOA). Which isn't an issue since these Mazda's call for 0W20 anyway.

SUS VIS 210* F---53.1...56-63
cSt @ 212*F---8.20...9.1-11.3
look like a 5W20 instead of a 5W30

This could be a combination of:
*the Mazda3 2.0L having a 0W20 or 5W20 on the previous OCI...though the Artem states a 500 mile run of 5W30 to rid of any 20 grade
*the Havoline 5W30 being on the lower end of grade to start with(as mentioned)
*and some shearing with the 5K mile OCI as no fuel dilution is present.

 

[sparky123]

Going into the 5th year of ownership of our 17' Nissan Rogue Sport, I plan on using this oil in 5w-30 weight. (I have enough oil for 7 oil changes.) I'm debating running a mix of 50% Chevron Supreme 5w-30 (when I bought 35 qt's when it was on sale for under $8 for a 5 qt. jug @ WM.) I won't go beyond 3k. miles per OC because of fuel dilution in this Nissan MR20DD direct fuel injected engine. I have a feeling this blend would be outstanding for such a short run. Any thoughts on this? Thanks....Bill. (BTW...I've put into tiny glass vials all the new virgin oils I've used as samples. Castrol/Pennzoil/Eneos/Mobil/Idemitsu... etc....and the Pro-DS was the lightest color of them all.) No idea if there's any correlation to anything, but it just seemed such lovely pure oil.

 

[Artem]

(BTW...I've put into tiny glass vials all the new virgin oils I've used as samples. Castrol/Pennzoil/Eneos/Mobil/Idemitsu... etc....and the Pro-DS was the lightest color of them all.) No idea if there's any correlation to anything, but it just seemed such lovely pure oil.

I noticed that too about this Havoline when I first used it. Extremely light in color in comparison to the much darker typical amber / gold looking oils from other manufacturers. Almost makes it harder to see on the dipstick immediately after the oil change, and for several thousand miles afterward. Haha.

It does give off the vibe like it’s super refined and pure.

 

[CharBaby]

The color of an oil is just the dye in the oil. Oil companies and/or blenders add this dye with the other additives. From my understanding, the dye is the single most expensive additive in the oil. I may be wrong but this is/was my understanding. Like tranny fluid(most) being Cherry Red, it too is just a dye.

One reason or maybe the only reason is that, the motor oil is "baby oil" clear after refining so, adding a color gives us a consumers a sense of quality and/or the difference in grade of oil.

At one time, oil companies/blenders would dye the oil darker per the heavier grade of the oil so we'd think of a 5W20 and golden and a 15W40 as maple syrup in their color. Now, almost all the grades of oil that I use are similar in color. But, it is just a dye. Oil color(dye) has nothing to do with its grade or quality anymore.

 

[Artem]

Going into the 5th year of ownership of our 17' Nissan Rogue Sport, I plan on using this oil in 5w-30 weight. (I have enough oil for 7 oil changes.) I'm debating running a mix of 50% Chevron Supreme 5w-30 (when I bought 35 qt's when it was on sale for under $8 for a 5 qt. jug @ WM.)

I bought a bunch of it in 5w30 & 10w30 flavor when it was on Rollback earlier this year for like $16.xx for the 6qt box. Couldn’t pass it up. Just kept ordering in 3 packs to be delivered for free every day until the rollback ended.

I’d be strolling thru the oil isle for months afterward with no Havoline on the shelfs. I think I bought it all. Hahaha.

 

[Artem]

The color of an oil is just the dye in the oil. Oil companies and/or blenders add this dye with the other additives. From my understanding, the dye is the single most expensive additive in the oil. I may be wrong but this is/was my understanding. Like tranny fluid(most) being Cherry Red, it too is just a dye.

One reason or maybe the only reason is that, the motor oil is "baby oil" clear after refining so, adding a color gives us a consumers a sense of quality and/or the difference in grade of oil.

At one time, oil companies/blenders would dye the oil darker per the heavier grade of the oil so we'd think of a 5W20 and golden and a 15W40 as maple syrup in their color. Now, almost all the grades of oil that I use are similar in color. But, it is just a dye. Oil color(dye) has nothing to do with its grade or quality anymore.

Yea I remember seeing the 0w20s come out super light and almost clear in color when they first hit the market, giving off a sense of being super thin. Good times.

You forgot about Royal Purple and their interesting choice of dye. Hahaha.

 

[rob1715]

Havoline is a great oil.

 

[CharBaby]

I agree ^^^ Great oil.
I used Havoline for many, many years almost exclusively due to their lower pricing(in my area) and rebates to boot. So, it wasn’t unusual to get Havoline for .20-.49 cents/qt.

Today I use just about any brand that I can get for the best price and also have my new go-to oils as I do see Havoline much any longer and I’m not going to hunt it down.

 

[Artem]

I'm trying to understand the cSt@100C (viscosity) value reported?

wrt:

I’m not sure why it’s out of spec. I have been idling A TON this summer because it was HOT and I didn’t want to get into a steaming car, so it would idle for 10, 15, sometimes 20-30 mins to produce an ice cold windows fogging up interior for me to freeze in on my way home. Maybe that did it.

Or maybe it’s my aggressive driving style. I do rev this thing out well past the factory rev limit on a daily basis (it’s tuned to safely rev higher) and I’ve managed to shear oils out of spec in the past, so I’m not really surprised by it, to be honest with you.

 

[Oliveoil2]

No fuel in oil. This oil is a no-brained for 10k OCIs in this car.

 

[CharBaby]

I believe that the oil is low, out of spec for the reasons that I mentioned earlier. Havoline oils often start out at a lower cSt in their respective grades and the oil may have also sheared. Plus the sample is not a VOA, it’s a UOA.

 

[Oro_O]

I’m not sure why it’s out of spec. I have been idling A TON this summer because it was HOT and I didn’t want to get into a steaming car, so it would idle for 10, 15, sometimes 20-30 mins to produce an ice cold windows fogging up interior for me to freeze in on my way home. Maybe that did it.

Ok, well that's a truly terribly thing to do to an engine. And totally unnecessary. I'm going to guess you are joking? If not, umm...

( I used to live in Fla, and in the '80s when a/c was so much less effective. So I know it's completely unnecessary).

But that's just a terrible UOA result for this oil. It implies a ton of VII's that can't take the usage you are putting to it. If I cared about maintaining a decent HTHS in my engine, this is like a (guess) a 2,500 or 3k oil then toss it.

I'm quaked here as I have bought and used this oil in the past, thought it was decent based on research I did, but this UOA makes me scared.

From @CharBaby :

"I looks as though this oil has sheared a bit."

With respect, it didn't shear "a bit." It went to 20w milquetoast in no time. It's like saying "Mel Gibson availed himself of the open bar." Oh no, he went further.

 

[CharBaby]

As I also mentioned earlier, I had used Havoline oils for many years with great success. Probably from around the early 80s to the early 2000's.
However, the last time I used Havoline DS Full Synthetic(~2 yrs ago), I found it to make my engine(s) more audible. Not loud but noticeable while running compared to other brands. And I had never noticed this in the past. So I used up my small stash and went back to QSUD(and WMSTFS)...Ahhh, nice and quiet again!

 

[Artem]

As I also mentioned earlier, I had used Havoline oils for many years with great success. Probably from around the early 80s to the early 2000's.
However, the last time I used Havoline DS Full Synthetic(~2 yrs ago), I found it to make my engine(s) more audible. Not loud but noticeable while running compared to other brands. And I had never noticed this in the past. So I used up my small stash and went back to QSUD(and WMSTFS)...Ahhh, nice and quiet again!

Hmmmm… interesting about the increase in noise. I haven’t noticed anything in this car as it specs 0w20 and here I am running some thicker juice thru it, so it’s already quieter as is.

I’m also running this in Wifey’s GMC Acadia and a bunch of other cars I used it in recent ranging from Lexus RX350, Acura MDX, Toyota Sienna’s, Chevy Express van, etc etc. only time will tell as I plan to stick to this oil for until prices rise.

 

[Artem]

Ok, well that's a truly terribly thing to do to an engine. And totally unnecessary. I'm going to guess you are joking? If not, umm...

( I used to live in Fla, and in the '80s when a/c was so much less effective. So I know it's completely unnecessary).

But that's just a terrible UOA result for this oil. It implies a ton of VII's that can't take the usage you are putting to it. If I cared about maintaining a decent HTHS in my engine, this is like a (guess) a 2,500 or 3k oil then toss it.

I'm quaked here as I have bought and used this oil in the past, thought it was decent based on research I did, but this UOA makes me scared.

Oh I’m serious about the excessive idling and cold AC. We sleep with ac set at 67F during the summer and in the winter can wake up with it being in the 50s in the house because we only turn on the heat once we’re up and bring it to a comfy 72F.

So it gets cold in the cars and an EPIC AC system is a requirement. I buy cars based on how cold the AC is during the test drive and will walk away if it’s anything but ICE COLD while sitting there idling in the heat. No “it gets colder once you’re driving down the road” nonsense here.

Regardless of the SEVERE duty, aren’t we still to expect the engine and oil to handle it just fine?

I have the maintenance system set to “flexible” which is suppose to take driving conditions into account and adjust accordingly. I guess the car doesn’t think I’m stressing it much… but I’d be scared to do it with 0w20 in the sump.

 

[CharBaby]

Could have been the batch as I never had issues before.

 

[Artem]

Could have been the batch as I never had issues before.

But what “issues” can one possibly have? Even with the thinned down oil, the engine doesn’t seem to care. We’ll see what the next analysis will show.

 

[CharBaby]

I really don't know^^^, and I don't disagree with you.
However, I have used certain motor oils(IDKY) that have caused that audible sounds coming from the engine. It's like a lack of cushion.
Meaning, the engine just isn't as smooth & quiet as with other oils. And this happens for the whole OCI until it is changed and all is well again.
I mean, I've used 5W30 motor oils that made my engines NOISY(so to speak) and 0W20s that were church mouse quiet.

And I'm not alone here, there are other members as well that have had these same issues with certain motor oils, Mobil 1 being one of them.
But, I don't want to get into the Mobil 1 controversy as it has been beaten to death.