Just got a little freaked out with my P.U. today

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So I had bought the last of the P.U. from my local walmart and I did an oil change on my truck today. I opened the 5 quart jug and didn't hear the snap & crackle of the seal on the cap when I twisted off the cap.

After dumping it in I got to wondering if someone bought this jug along with another jug of El Cheapo oil, dumped in the P.U. into their car then refilled the P.U. bottle with the cheap stuff then returned it to the store.

I know that the chance is very slim this did happen but it is going to nag me all summer! ARG!! I wish Pennzoil had a peel off seal like some of the other oil companies have.

BTW: the color of the oil was similar to the color of the 1 quart bottle that I opened up to top off my 6 quart sump.

Thoughts?
 
I'm sure you're just overreacting.

I do the same thing with water bottles and coke all the time. It dawns on me after I open it "was it even sealed-?"
 
Ddi it have the peel off seal under the cap on the bottle opening? As far as I can remember they should always have that seal if they haven't been completely opened.
 
Give them the *big sniff* and see if they smell the same
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Jug of PYB 5w20 was already opened so I returned it as well.

Better safe than sorry...
 
I've wondered the same thing when I opened a bottle of Mobil 5000 and the lid came off with that little ring that is supposed to break away.

However, I used it. 5000 miles later my car was still happy.

I've never use Pennzoil Ultra. Does it come with a foil cap?
 
I wouldn't worry about it. I'd think switching oil from one jug to another and then returning it would be more trouble than it's worth.
 
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I wouldn't worry about it. I'd think switching oil from one jug to another and then returning it would be more trouble than it's worth.


Tell that to the sort of person who will pay a $4.50 ATM fee to save $0.10 per gallon on $5.00 worth of gas so they can drive to church. Some people will do crazy things thinking they're somehow "beating the system."
 
Arent the jugs sealed? You can usually see if the cap is tampered with, though some yield with less force than others that snap more.

The chance of being ripped off is real, as the customer service type doesn't scrutinize when returning stuff. Not much you can do now but learn to scrutinize. At least you bought on clearance.
 
If the seal was already broken I'd worry. I've had the seal ring remain attached before, and didn't worry much about it. If the oil came out looking darker than expected, I'd worry, but the chances of some one being smart enough to know which oil is better, but dumb enough to swap oils for a minor savings seems slim, IMO.

Originally Posted By: yonyon
Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
I wouldn't worry about it. I'd think switching oil from one jug to another and then returning it would be more trouble than it's worth.


Tell that to the sort of person who will pay a $4.50 ATM fee to save $0.10 per gallon on $5.00 worth of gas so they can drive to church. Some people will do crazy things thinking they're somehow "beating the system."


My bank refunds ATM fees, but I did the math and the points from my CC are pretty close to equaling the cash price - that, and having to hit up the ATM every time I fill up is a waste of time.
 
I don't know about Pennzoil but all the 5 quart jugs of Castrol I buy have the plastic ring on the outside and a foil seal on them that I have to take a knife and cut it out. The 1 quart bottles just have the plastic ring on the outside.

Like the other guy said I have opened some of the cheaper water brand bottles before and never heard the 'crack' before like it had been opened.

People today are nuts. I'm sure there are several low lifes out there that buy cheap oil and put it in another higher cost bottle to return all the time.

I always look at my oil filters before I go to the register to make sure they are not used, dented, and the right brand and filter number are in the right box.
 
This may sound weird but PU has a certain smell to it that without a doubt I can tell if its PU or not,if u have a quart bottle of PU take a wiff of that and the 5 quart jug if its the same then end of story.
 
Great idea! but I already refilled the jug with the waste oil.
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Originally Posted By: Scion
This may sound weird but PU has a certain smell to it that without a doubt I can tell if its PU or not,if u have a quart bottle of PU take a wiff of that and the 5 quart jug if its the same then end of story.
 
Did the oil thickness/viscosity looks the same as well. Generally PU is a very thin oil compared to a cheap standard oil so that visual thin appearance and pourability could give yoiu a bit more confidence too.
 
A few months ago I bought a jug of Mobil 1 that had used oil in it. I discovered it at home then returned it. I couldn't believe someone would do that!
 
That sounds like an awful lot of trouble/mess for someone to do. But is today's society who knows?
 
Originally Posted By: yucca
That sounds like an awful lot of trouble/mess for someone to do. But is today's society who knows?


I've seen used oil put back on walmarts shelf. There was a tell tale streak on the jug that was way darker than virgin oil of any brand should be.
 
Yeah I noticed that about pennziol too , I opened up 2 big jugs of pp and 1 jug of HM and none of the three had seals under the cap. I have used a lot of castrol over the years and they always seal their bottles, even super tech puts seals on their containers if I'm not mistaken.
 
Originally Posted By: BobsArmory
So I had bought the last of the P.U. from my local walmart and I did an oil change on my truck today. I opened the 5 quart jug and didn't hear the snap & crackle of the seal on the cap when I twisted off the cap.

After dumping it in I got to wondering if someone bought this jug along with another jug of El Cheapo oil, dumped in the P.U. into their car then refilled the P.U. bottle with the cheap stuff then returned it to the store.

I know that the chance is very slim this did happen but it is going to nag me all summer! ARG!! I wish Pennzoil had a peel off seal like some of the other oil companies have.

BTW: the color of the oil was similar to the color of the 1 quart bottle that I opened up to top off my 6 quart sump.

Thoughts?


Sounds like a good reason to do a VOA or UOA and compare with PU's numbers. Drain some oil and send it in, or wait a couple thousand miles for a UOA.
 
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