Is oil really too expensive??????

[Artem]

^I don't see what you're complaining about...

Take Mobil 1 EP for example. A 5q jug can be had for $23 at walmart. Thats $4.60 per quart for some of the best oil available off the shelf.

If Mobil 1 can afford to literally be giving away this synthetic oil at $3-4 bucks, give or take, how much does it cost to produce dino oil then? $1?

I mean, really. I just stocked up on M1 EP @ $3.99 per quart during the AAP online special. At that price, i can afford to dump the oil in 3,000 miles and sleep easy knowing my wallet isn't empty.

I agree that the $8.49 a quart for M1 at autozone is a complete RIPOFF and im amazed by how many people go in there and buy it. (its only affordable during their oil change special, where you're getting an M1 oil filter for free basically)

Oil is NOT too expensive.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: Artem
Oil is NOT too expensive.


For you, maybe. For others, that's not the case. And if you can get conventional oil for $2/qt., why spend $4 for no benefits?

 

[webfors]

This debate will go on forever.. and most like get nasty and Bill will lock it up.. lol..

Listen, expensive or inexpensive are relative terms. What is expensive to one might be inexpensive to another. Every person has a different wallet, application, situation and perspective. One guy might have 4 cars to service in the family, another guy just 1. Some follow warranty mandated OCIs strictly, others don't and extend. Everyone needs to make their own decision and be happy with it. To me, getting on someone's case about their choice shows that person isn't really confident in theirs... hence the required public justification..

Use whatever you want and enjoy life man!!

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: J. A. Rizzo
Originally Posted By: Artem
Oil is NOT too expensive.


For you, maybe. For others, that's not the case. And if you can get conventional oil for $2/qt., why spend $4 for no benefits?


Agreed. But not everyone feels that way. I have the "need the best" disease too... it's a slow painful thing to cure.

If you don't mind spending more, there's nothing wrong with that either.

 

[webfors]

Btw.. my last oil change, with filter on the Corolla was $6

 

[Artem]

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

Originally Posted By: webfors
Agreed. But not everyone feels that way. I have the "need the best" disease too... it's a slow painful thing to cure.


It doesn't have to be. On the show Obsessed that shows people with OCD and their treatment and outcomes, the key is exposure. How can you know what your reaction will be until you try it and have nothing bad happen? And at first, it might be painful, but the pain always subsides, and people get their lives back. (or they spend less money needlessly, in this example)

The key is to get past that first hurdle, and that's my only point in all this stuff. People are too stubborn sometimes to admit that the marketing has them suffering from a mild form of OCD and their compulsion is to spend a lot of money needlessly. The solution is to decide that marketing is horse puckey and do what the engineers say will work rather than what some advertising executive says will do it. On newer cars, that means using any cheap oil that meets the manufacturer requirements and running it out to the full OCI recommended for their driving style or until the OLM says it's done, regardless of mileage.

Proof is only proof if it's relative to the application. I love all these photos of dirty and clean top ends. Sure, it looks cleaner. But so what? Did having it clean make any difference in its longevity or performance? Probably not. In fact, dissolving all that crud and putting it in the oil could have caused more harm. Put a slick ad on TV and people buy it hook, line, and sinker. But have a scientist explain it, no way, not sexy enough, it can't be true. Look at those pretty pictures!

 

[PhillyJoe]

I would never buy synthetic oil for the posted $8.49 a quart or pay a dealer/lube center $60 for a synthetic oil change as I don't think the oil provides benefits worth double the price of dino. However when I can walk into AAP on a sale day and buy M1 EP for $3.99/qt which is cheaper than just about every conventional on the shelf, I'll do it every time.
Many of us were brainwashed by the Mobil 1 commercials years ago; the ones where they pour conventional in one skillet and synthetic in the other and it showed synthetic was able to withstand the 1200 degree heat better than dino. When I first saw that commercial, I thought,"if my engine reaches 1200 degrees, my choice of motor oil is the least of my problems."

 

[FloatingBrick]

Thanks to this site and all the great deals posted I have ~20 quarts of dino and ~30 quarts of synthetic - all bought for less than $2/quart.

I'm lucky in that we very rarely put over 7k miles on either car in a 12 month period. So I feel I can go dino or synthetic safely.

I have to admit that I am spoiled though and now refuse to pay over $2/quart. I did not take advantage of the recent AAP Mobile 1 price.

 

[Virtuoso]

I don't seem to be able to get the really good sales that some on here find. Synthetic at $2/quart? I wish. I do buy my dino if it's at or less than that, though.

 

[Tortured_Soul]

Yes. Everything is too expensive. I've worked at my job for over 9 years. I haven't gotten a raise in over 3. The cost of EVERYTHING has gone up. I'm probably done with synthetic oil because of this.

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: Tortured_Soul
Yes. Everything is too expensive. I've worked at my job for over 9 years. I haven't gotten a raise in over 3. The cost of EVERYTHING has gone up. I'm probably done with synthetic oil because of this.


I can relate to that, im underemployed .. but, i dont care. Full time in THESE times? I feel rich.

I must digress. If i had to spend $64 on the Oil each change, thats less than ~$1000 for a cut-rate engine job, done "somewhat better" than the cheapest guys.

But thats just me. I also walk to work as my work is 4 minutes -walking- from my house.

Its all relative?

"Duuuuuu-vaaaaaal." (County. No jobs here, but i got one.) At least its not Miami, the number two (?) city with 8.44 Unemployed people per Job listing, as per Yahoo/Forbes.

 

[Capa]

I just spent nearly $50 at Outback today with my wife. My yearly oil change is significantly less. In fact, I feel quite green using synthetics because I can go a whole year without changing it. It saves money and time and perhaps even, dare I say it on this forum, the environment. I feel that oil is one of the cheapest products that I can buy. For the price of a handful of lattes I can get oil and a filter that last a year. My synthetic is cheaper than my monthly gasoline usage, monthly electric bill, monthly gas bill, monthly water bill, yearly propane tanks for grilling, a PS3 game, etc. I really can't think of anything in my yearly budget that is cheaper than my yearly synthetic OCI!

 

[Pop_Rivit]

Originally Posted By: casperfun
Think about it.

Even the top synthetics are less than the cost of a tank of gas these days.

I mean if your doing...god forbid...3000 OCI's, THAN MAYBE I understand why people try to save a few cents on their oil.

My opinion is if you care about your oil and vehicle so much to be in this forum, then a few more bucks won't kill you on a issue you may be passionate about.

I own three vehicles, and their purpose is to serve my needs. They are all machines, I don't need to pamper them with with an overpriced oil when an inexpensive conventional oil will do just fine. I personally don't care that much about oil-I'm here because there is a lot of other good information.

I usually purchase a name brand conventional such as Pennzoil or Valvoline and change the oil twice a year regardless of mileage and I'm confident that I'll never see a lubrication related failure in any of the engines that I maintain.

I could spend a lot more on oil if a listened to all the hype, and I would be happy to spend more if there were a clear benefit. But I see no reason to spend two or three times more than I currently do without any cost savings or increase in longevity. If you can provide proof of a significant financial benefit to running an overpriced synthetic for my application I'm all ears. My educated guess is that you can't and won't.

On the topic of your money, feel free to waste it as you see fit. If buying an overpriced oil makes you happy then I encourage you to continue to do so.

 

[Capa]

Most of us syn user don't feel that we are "wasting our money" as you assert. In fact, those of us that do long OCI's feel that you are the one wasting your money with dino. If you don't believe the hype about synthetics that's fine, but maybe you should start a different thread about that rather than chiding those responding to the specifics on this thread. Also, if I want Outback rather than McDonalds I have the right to spend the money that I earn rather than having someone tell me that I'm wasting it or that Outback is overhyped. If you want to be cheap that's fine but don't begrudge me because of my generosity.

 

[SLCraig]

Some oils are too expensive.
I avoid certain brands because of their price, and the fact I don't need to spend that much to get a good product.

Jugs of mainstream synthetic in Canada are usually north of $40.

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: Capa
Most of us syn user don't feel that we are "wasting our money" as you assert. In fact, those of us that do long OCI's feel that you are the one wasting your money with dino. If you don't believe the hype about synthetics that's fine, but maybe you should start a different thread about that rather than chiding those responding to the specifics on this thread. Also, if I want Outback rather than McDonalds I have the right to spend the money that I earn rather than having someone tell me that I'm wasting it or that Outback is overhyped. If you want to be cheap that's fine but don't begrudge me because of my generosity.


You're doing it right! Yearly OCIs with a good syn is what syn is all about. But check the UOA forum and you'll see that most syn users rarely push their OCIs far enough to make it worth the cost. But you're right, people can spend their money how they wish. Keep in mind though that a car is not a human, and it couldn't care less whether you feed it dino or syn, while I would certainly feel the difference if I ate McDonalds over a good steak at Outback

 

[HangerHarley]

Originally Posted By: webfors
while I would certainly feel the difference if I ate McDonalds over a good steak at Outback

+100000000000000000000000000000.

 

[Zaedock]

BITOG is a lifestyle, not a forum.

I find pleasure in buying $1 /qt oil, both syn and dino. The same for filters and anything auto related (brake, carb cleaner, starting fluids, etc). It's the thrill of the hunt.

Would I ever really miss the extra $60-$80 bucks a year if I always used a top retail syn? Probably not. But the point is, that's it's my money, and everything is more expensive now. Why not combine a hobby with savings! Besides, mine and your vehicles do not NEED synthetic. 99.95% of the worlds vehicles run on dino. They run well and for a long, long time. In the summer I would put my $.99/gallon Delo SAE30 HDEO against Mobil 1 anyday. 10-15K changes in a gas engine are fine for that oil. With a decent Puro or Wix filter, that's a $5 oil change!

There is no doubt that syn works very well and typically have higher TBN's. I run syn in the winter for the cold flow and to not have to lay under my truck during the winter. I picked it up for $8 a jug though! The syn followers here make great points about the benefits of syn, but when you look at the UOA section, you don't see many who take full advantage of it. Dumping any syn at 5 or 6K miles is a waste.

So, to answer the subject of this post; Yes, oil really is too expensive. As are many other things.

 

[Virtuoso]

Originally Posted By: Capa
In fact, those of us that do long OCI's feel that you are the one wasting your money with dino.


How we define "long OCI" is up for interpretation too, though. Much like the cost of oil

Personally, I run my cheap dino's out to 9,000 miles now, in our car. I see many, many syn UOA's (in fact more often than not) with fewer, sometimes half, the amount of miles.

But like so many have said, it's your money, make yourself feel good. I used to change M1 out at 3k miles..now-a-days I'd be able to run that for 12k or more I'd bet.