How does Quaker State compare with Pennzoil?

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How does Quaker State compare with Pennzoil? The reason I ask this question is because my dealership uses Quaker State and I can get oil changes there for $19.00. This is so low in cost that I am tempted to get oil changes at the dealership, because it would maintain the warranty on my new car for sure (they could not say I have nelgected the warranty) and because $19.00 is actually cheaper then it would cost for me to do the oil changes myself. The car uses an oil filter element and the lowest price I have been able to find for it has been $7.00. Combine that with the cost of the motor oil (five quarts) and it is hardly worth it to change the oil myself.

I know Pennzoil is a good conventional motor oil-perhaps the best there is OTC. But I do not have a clue how Quaker State compares to it. Shell, Pennzoil, and Quaker State are now one company, but apparently their motor oil formulations differ. If the dealership used Pennzoil motor oil, it would be an easy decision (especially since I have found out that Pennzoil conventional apparently flows well in the cold).

Does anybody know hoe Quaker State compares?
 
For 3-4k oil changes, I doubt you would have any difference.

In most applications the differences between these 2 motor oils does not exist.

I asked Johnny from Pennzoil if using WoLF'S HEAD, the low end of the company's motor oil, was OK for 3K changes. He said it would be fine.

Just my 2 cents
 
Thanks. I appreciate any advice I can get. The French-made oil filter element at the dealership costs $11.00 if a customer buys it-that is the one you get with an oil change. I would guess it is high quality. I know CarQuest has an oil filter element for $7.00. It is made by Wix. And Purolator makes one but I have not been able to find out a price. FRAM may make an oil filter element but they would be the last choice. If I were to do the oil changes myself using the dealer oil filter, you can quickly see that I would probably equal the dealer in price for an oil change.

If I was doing the oil changes myself I would probably use Schaeffer's or Mobil 1. Pennzoil would be good as a conventional motor oil. But I don't think I have ever seen a UOA on conventional Quaker State. I would assume that it is roughly equal to Pennzoil but I recall somebody saying that it is not quite up to Pennzoil standards.
 
It's not like QS is non-lubricating acidic goo that will destroy your engine. It passes current API standards, so it's good enough to satisfy warranty requirements. I say use it.
 
It's not like QS is non-lubricating acidic goo that will destroy your engine.

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It is also chock full of DEADLY POISON!

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I don't know how all of these oil company mergers will affect motor oil formulations, but from what I am able to find out I think Shell, Pennzoil, and Quaker State may be somewhat different. There are several reasons why I believe this is true. For example, Quaker State just now came out with what they call a winter blend, and you don't see Pennzoil having a comparable product-at least yet. And there is some evidence that Quaker State Synthetic is still PAO, but Pennzoil Synthetic may be a Group III.

On the other hand, there seems to be considerable evidence that Halvoline and Chevron are now virtually identical.

And a further argument that can be made is that there are only a few chemcial additive companies and a few sources of base stocks. For example, Conoco and Pennzoil apparently use the same basestocks, but different additives. Does Quaker State use the same basestocks? What about Shell?

And there are a few companies that can produce their own additives and basestocks, such as Chevron.

Who supplies Amsoil with PAO? And Amsoil probably gets its additive package from one of the additive companies-taylored to Amsoil's wishes.

A lot of motor oils may be more similiar then we may think, especially today with all of these mergers. I predict that it will not be economical for merged companies to have several different formulations, and in time there may be different names for what is basically the same product.
 
I started off using QS in my 02 Accord for the first 20K miles. No problems at all. I had a UOA on it and I wouldn't go past 4K with it. All other tested elements came our very good. I was satisfied with it. Plus, QS has a warranty program that basically states if you use their oil and keep the reciepts, the guarantee up to 200K that you will not have any oil related failures. I thought that took balls for a company to do and they obviously have faith in their product. The only reason I switched to M1 was that I wanted to go a little longer on oil changes. Wife drives about 100 miles each day and changing every 3 to 4 weeks sucked.
 
Mystic, I bet you won't go wrong with their QS oil changes for the price at a 3K or 4K interval.

However, since we're all oil geeks here (most of us, anyway) that like to work on our own oil changes....I contacted WalMart about their SuperTech oil. They faxed me the spec sheets for their dino's...QS/Shell faxed them to me, their almost dead-on identical to the QS dino's. No surprise, the rep said it's just rebottled QS oil. Why not use SuperTech 5w or 10w with an aftermarket filter? That makes the price point less by not paying the $$$ just for the name on the bottle.

Is this for your ION? Congrats on a fine car! And an engine that will last a lonnnnnggg time!
 
quote:

Originally posted by ToyotaNSaturn:
....snip

Why not use SuperTech 5w or 10w with an aftermarket filter? .... snip


If you know where you can find something cheaper than the $5 I posted above for an equivalent to the PF 2244G for the Ecotec, please post it.
 
quote:

Originally posted by labman:

quote:

Originally posted by ToyotaNSaturn:
....snip

Why not use SuperTech 5w or 10w with an aftermarket filter? .... snip


If you know where you can find something cheaper than the $5 I posted above for an equivalent to the PF 2244G for the Ecotec, please post it.


Sorry labman, missed the $5 filter you wrote earlier. An oil change for about $10 with SuperTech oil, and $12 for Pennzoil or other top-quality oil is hard to beat price-wise.
 
Per these firms' oil spec sheets, their product formulations can differ significantly, and for most weights, Pennzoil appears the superior oil (see link below). Nothing wrong with Quaker State -- it's clearly a decent SL passenger car oil. But unless QS can be bought at a discount to Pennzoil (which doesn't really appear to be the case from what I've seen), it would seem that QS's market share stems more from advertising and name recognition than from being a truly superior product.

http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=003925

[ October 18, 2003, 05:21 PM: Message edited by: TC ]
 
I think it is clear from that information that Pennzoil and Quaker State are still different formulations. Pennzoil, just based on that information, looks superior to me-it protects just as well at high temperatures and flows better when cold. Eventually, Shell, Quaker State, and Pennzoil oil may be the same. Doesn't look that way right now.

No wonder Quaker State came out with the Winter Blend! They needed it! Pennzoil did not!
 
quote:

Originally posted by Mystic:
mrchecker, are you saying the Pennzoil or the Quaker State is non-lubricating goo?

None of the above. I'm just saying that any current API certified oil changed at reasonable intervals is not going to destroy your engine. I guess we need a sarcastic smiley.
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mrchecker, sorry, I misinterpreted your earlier post. I guess I was still sleepy when I read it. Then I went back to read it and realized that I had misread it.
 
Johnny, who works for Pennzoil once commented that the base stocks come from different refineries. Pennzoil was a Group II+ oil while QS still a group II.

I have no info on the additive packages.
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--- Bror Jace
 
ACDelco PF2244G
Hastings LF548
Purflux L264A
Purolator L 15436
Baldwin P1445
STP S9018R
Fram PH9018
WIX 51365, 57082
MANN HU 69/2

My stealer only charges $8. I picked up the Hastings (same Purflux as in the AC box) at a local jobber for $7, and the Purolator at Pep Boys for $5. I buy 5 quart bottles of Pennzoil 5W-30 dino at Wal-Mart for $6.77. Except for the **** price of the element, I am happy with the canister.

I really wonder if there is any difference in the Shell owned brands now.
 
Other than the 15w40 (still SJ), all SuperTech oils switched from Shell/PZ/QS subsidiary to Warren when the SL oils came out. They are identical to Warren's Mag 1, and (I think) Sears Spectrum. They never were identical to QS, just a QS purchased subsidiary, Specialty Petroleum.

For the record, I'd like to see some QS UOA's.
 
Maybe a noob answer, why not just slap in a quart of synthetic with the QS change?
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