I've been considering posting something about my Red Line experience for a while now, but haven't because I know what kind of a s***storm it's going to bring down! So, with that said, keep the following in mind before you respond to my post:
1) I know my experience is just that: experience. This is not a scientific response, nor can any conclusions that I myself have drawn be said to be "scientifically valid."
2) Lots of people here have had experiences that do not mirror mine. They have nothing but good things to say about Red Line, and I say good for them. I guess the bottom line is, it depends on the application.
3) My response may not be the response that someone else might have in the identical circumstances.
4) I am well aware of the other possible diagnoses that could explain the outcome I experienced: I've concluded that, based on my subsequent experiences, Red Line is the culprit. You're free to disagree, but my mind is made up.
5) No, I don't have my oil tested, and never will. (See point 1 above.)
So, here's what happened. I switched to Red Line 5w-40 in my Saturn SL. Previously, I'd been using Delvac1 5w-40 for many tens of thousands of miles before. Why the switch? To make a long story short, I was given a couple of cases of the stuff for free.
Based on what I'd read here, I knew that it would take at least two changes -- if not three -- to really start to see any of the touted benefits of Red Line. So I began running it at (gasp) 3000-mile intervals. (I mentioned it was free, right?)
FYI, this car has seen two full Auto-RX treatments (i.e., 2 X 2-bottle treatments) in its life, the most recent having been a couple of oil changes before the switch.
Here's what I noticed:
Consumption was initially higher than the Delvac 1, but then leveled off to be about the same, which in my case is just over 1.25 quarts every 3000 miles.
Contrary to what I'd heard others say about it, my engine was not noticeably more quiet or smooth than it was with the Delvac 1, and was actually a little rougher running than with the Delvac 1.
The oil, judging by appearances only, was no darker or dirtier than it was using Delvac 1 or Mobil 1 before that.
I developed a rear main seal leak that steadily worsened while using the Red Line. The car hadn't had a leak using an all-synthetic diet up until then. Then again, the car also has 193,000 miles on it.
When I discontinued use of the Red Line, within two oil changes using Delvac 1, the leak lessened significantly. (I.e., it stopped leaving drops on the garage floor overnight.) I'm in the middle of an Auto-RX treatment, and it looks like the leak is drying up completely.
My conclusion? No, it isn't worth the $7+/quart. Why? Because it didn't do anything better than the previous oil had that I could tell. My car is noticeably smoother running any of the following: Delvac 1, Mobil 1, or the dino 10w-30 I have in there now.
Did I develop a leak because Red Line did such a good job of cleaning? Frankly I don't care: I don't need an engine that clean if that's the case! I've always run either Neutra or LC in my oil, and as far as I know Delvac 1 has plenty of detergency, and it was never enought cause leak issues. Maybe the Redline is thicker enough that it caused a pressure issue: I don't know. All I know is that I won't be using it again.
