High Mileage Oils
- Thread starter Shel_B
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I think Valvoline back in 1999 is where it started. I remember all those years turning down the "new" HM oil upsell at oil change places. 
I have not personally seen any HM flavors of the Euro oils. European auto makers don't seem to be as keen on making cars that go for a million miles like they used to back in the day. My brother goes through Mercedes cars faster than I go through a pair of socks. It would cost the price of a small home to keep those things going long enough to need a HM oil. I would also assume, based on nothing other than assumptions, that HM oils also might be sacrificing one aspect of the oil for another aspect, and making a HM oil might lessen one of the strict standards needed in some of those Euro engines that beat the holy heck out of motor oil.
I have not personally seen any HM flavors of the Euro oils. European auto makers don't seem to be as keen on making cars that go for a million miles like they used to back in the day. My brother goes through Mercedes cars faster than I go through a pair of socks. It would cost the price of a small home to keep those things going long enough to need a HM oil. I would also assume, based on nothing other than assumptions, that HM oils also might be sacrificing one aspect of the oil for another aspect, and making a HM oil might lessen one of the strict standards needed in some of those Euro engines that beat the holy heck out of motor oil.
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I did a quick search on Google Books, looks like ads for Maxlife started in Magazines in the early 2000s, but I found the term "high mileage oil" in several publications from the 50s, I'm guessing they used the term in the same way that we would use the term extended drain interval nowadays.
Many people here have reported that high mileage oil has helped with their seeping seals, so they're not useless, but they're not a miracle in a bottle either, a marginal seal will eventually go, but if you have a high mileage sh**box with a seeping rear main and it's not worth pulling the tranny to fix it and a high mileage oil gets you a a little more time then why not.
When will somebody invent beer for high mileage drinkers? Most of my leaking is nocturnal.
It's not just about seals-the company Transit 250 has burned oil since day one, religiously one quart/5000 miles. Until I switched to Maxlife 5W20 around 75,000 miles-now it can make a whole 7500 mile OCI without topping off!
I think Valvoline back in 1999 is where it started. I remember all those years turning down the "new" HM oil upsell at oil change places.
That's what I remember too... It was 99 or so when I heard of and saw Valvoline Maxlife in the stores.
I think the other majors were a bit slow on adding a High mileage oil to their lineup. Could be wrong about that ... But I think that was happened.
This ad in a Magazine from April 2002 seems to indicate that Quaker State has a new line up of oils including High Mileage, digging through the web archive on pzlqs.com, it looks like Pennzoil high mileage came into existence around the same time.
Here's an ad from Popular Mechanics in July 2000
Shel_B
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This may be the first actual ad for a high mileage oil that I've read. While familiar with some claims made for the qualities of HM oil, I don't recall ever reading that HM oil can remedy problems such as bad rings or valves that don't seal properly. This ad makes me think that HM oil may be more snake oil than anything else. Thanks for posting this and also the QS ad.
Jackson_Slugger
$50 Site Donor 2022
1997...
Yeah I thought it was a couple of years before other high mileage oils came out.
Valvoline definitely cornered the market early on with the Maxlife oil.
Can't find exactly when Castrol GTX High Mileage came into existence but I think it was not too long before this press release.
Been lots of threads on HM oils. Seems to make a difference from some people's experiences.
High Mileage Oils Help Stop Small Leaks ?
Anyone have success on using a High Mileage oil with respect to stopping small oil leaks? GF has a G35 Infinity with 165k that has a small valve cover leak, and the valve covers are a royal pain to get to on this 3.5L V6. Was thinking of using "Valvoline High Mileage with MaxLife" next oil...
bobistheoilguy.com
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Hello everyone. New guy here. I recently switched my 2002 Ford F150 FX4 XLT from Castrol high mileage full synthetic 5W-20 to Valvoline high mileage full synthetic 5W-20
after discovering I would have to add a half a quart of Castrol after just 600 miles. It is a 4.6 engine and it would use the STP 5W-20 synthetic brand I was using before the Castrol as well. I have now gone 900 miles on the Valvoline, using a Mobil 1
oil filter and the oil hasn't dropped one bit on the dipstick. And, my truck has never ran quieter and smoother than it does now. 139,000 miles on the old gal and still going strong. Seems I may have found the oil that works, and works really well for my specific vehicle.
after discovering I would have to add a half a quart of Castrol after just 600 miles. It is a 4.6 engine and it would use the STP 5W-20 synthetic brand I was using before the Castrol as well. I have now gone 900 miles on the Valvoline, using a Mobil 1
oil filter and the oil hasn't dropped one bit on the dipstick. And, my truck has never ran quieter and smoother than it does now. 139,000 miles on the old gal and still going strong. Seems I may have found the oil that works, and works really well for my specific vehicle.
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Isn't it crazy that two oils that meet the same specifications can behave so different? Wish I knew why though. What about one makes it less likely to burn...I don't think the NOACK value would explain such a huge difference.
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