Mobil 1 High Mileage frustration...

[wemay]

My Brother recently sold his 2007 Nissan 350Z (382K miles) and bought a newer one, 2018 with 25K miles. He has about 4 jugs of Mobil 1 High Mileage 5w30 in the garage he wanted to use. So i showed him the video where Mobil 1 uses a Camry to show this oil did a great job protecting the Toyota for 500K miles (used in the Toyota since new). So he called Mobil 1 just to be safe....twice. And got the same answer...."not recommended due to seal swell agents in the oil". So i called and asked about the video??? I got a few "ahhhh, um, let me check....". Both times they came saying the video is not representative of a new vehicle and they don't recommend it. WHAT!?

My brother promptly took the oil back to Walmart and they graciously exchanged it for PP. He didn't even want to deal with Mobil 1 anymore after that. He also called Mobil 1 back to tell them not to honor the rebates he sent in since he returned the oil.

 

[PimTac]

The downside of having a bunch of oil.

 

[The Critic]

I think Valvoline is the only major oil blender that openly recommends using their Maxlife oil in all engines. Pennzoil and Mobil 1 will recommend against using their High Mileage oils on new engines.

 

[kschachn]

If that's their actual advice it makes me wonder how ExxonMobil snuck their High Mileage oils past the API.

 

[The Critic]

If that's their actual advice it makes me wonder how ExxonMobil snuck their High Mileage oils past the API.

I think the API uses the ASTM D7216 test for seal compatibility testing. I wonder if @MolaKule happens to have a copy of this document and can share some details on what the test entails:

https://www.astm.org/DATABASE.CART/HISTORICAL/D7216-05.htm

 

[rob1715]

I don't use M1. Never have. And to put a video out, then say it's not representative of their product? I'll stick with PP for $7 less and get the same quality.

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

I think Valvoline is the only major oil blender that openly recommends using their Maxlife oil in all engines. Pennzoil and Mobil 1 will recommend against using their High Mileage oils on new engines.

If it was Mobil 1 Extended Performance High Mileage I believe they absolutely would have told him to use it. One of the interesting mysteries of Mobil 1 High Mileage is that it cannot meet the Resource Conserving "Starburst" for some reason but the EP version does...

 

[bbhero]

Too high a HTHS for it being resource conserving I'd bet....

 

[Blagoje]

The only high mileage oil I care to use is Valvoline Maxlife, preferably the synthetic version. I am not convinced that any other High Mileage oil is worth a darn in comparison.

 

[skyactiv]

 

[Jackson_Slugger]

The only high mileage oil I care to use is Valvoline Maxlife, preferably the synthetic version. I am not convinced that any other High Mileage oil is worth a darn in comparison.

I can say that Mobil 1 High Mileage is very good at reducing leaks. Their AN esters are second to none. But MaxLife is great...

 

[Starman2112]

High Mileage oil is a marketing scam.

 

[aquariuscsm]

The downside of having a bunch of oil.

Every time I've built up an oil stash,I've given it away!

 

[aquariuscsm]

The thing that always attracted me to High Mileage oil was the stronger add pack. I wonder if that's still the case?

 

[AJB0009]

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/foru...-oil-seal-damage-debate-finally-ended.326485/

 

[MolaKule]

...And got the same answer...."not recommended due to seal swell agents in the oil"....

ALL engine oils have Seal Well agents in them.

Here is one seal test posted by Solarent some time ago.

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/seal-swell-testing-video.277947/

and some older QOTD threads:

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/additives-ii-seal-swell.41163/#post-1748810

https://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/threads/seals.41199/#post-530741

 

[4wd]

ALL engine oils have Seal Well agents in them.

Yes … and for years wet seals that wicked a little were called leakers … I called them lubricated

 

[4wd]

Every time I've built up an oil stash,I've given it away!

Yep. Half the reason for my clearance sale stash can be called motor oil philanthropy …

 

[Arthur E]

Both times they came saying the video is not representative of a new vehicle and they don't recommend it. WHAT!?

The problem is seal swell.

The Gold Standard for seal swell is ordinary solvent-refined motor oil as used in the "good old days" of cork and rubber elastomers.

For example, when Mobil developed the largely PAO-based Mobil 1 back in the '70s, it added a bit of ester to it to avoid the seal shrink which PAO alone would have caused.

All the major additive manufacturers make seal swell additives

Afton Chemical Seal Swell Additives

for adjusting seal swell in finished products.

The "High Mileage" oils cause elastomers to swell more than the Gold Standard to compensate for shrinkage and age.

What would have happened is that after using High Mileage oil in a newer engine for an oil change or two, when the engine was switched back to non-High Mileage oil it would tend to leak.

You don't want to swell the seals until they're aged and beginning to leak.

 

[Bob Arnzen]

Both times they came saying the video is not representative of a new vehicle and they don't recommend it. WHAT!?

This appears to be miscommunication.

If the video is this one:

Mobil 1 High Mileage

"high mileage" refers to the 500,000 miles, not Mobil 1 High Mileage oil.

Notice the picture of containers of the High Mileage formula come AFTER 02:16 and "75,000" miles, which agrees with their advertising that those oils are for "those with more than 75,000 miles".

The video itself never tells which formula or viscosity was used in the test.