Mobil 1 - the 'Gateway Synthetic'?

[addyguy]

Drug-abuse 'experts' often refer to pot as the 'gateway drug', as its ease of access for young people means it is the first drug they start on, before going on to 'harder stuff'. We've all heard that analogy.

Without being funny, in much the same way, I think of Mobil 1 as the 'gateway synthetic' - because of its wide pubicity, and ease of access, if someone is going to try a synthetic oil in their car, it will often be Mobil 1. Friends recommend it to them, they see an add, or they just keep seeing it on the shelves of stores. Some will be happy with it; and stick with using it faithfully, while others move on to 'harder stuff' - more expensive, exotic sythetic oils, like Motul, Neo, or RLI.

Was Mobil 1 your 'gateway' into synthetic oil use? Did you 'move on' from it? Tell your tale here!

 

[demarpaint]

LOL..Not exactly exotic, but moved on to PP. Would that be considered just a different herb?

Frank D

 

[glennc]

I used M1 for years and thought it was the best before I found BITOG. Now I have gone back to conventional (possible experimentations notwithstanding).

 

[HM12460]

yup, i used mobil 1 back in the mid 90's. still do on occasion on my old ford. graduated to amsoil on my truck.

 

[flux]

My first was also M1. I quit the stuff after learning what a
UOA was, and what it was it was doing to my car.

Some have had great results, but I haven't had the luck that I
would have preferred. I've moved on to PP and time will tell.

 

[TedMeyer]

Absolutely. Actually, the first car I ever bought with my own money, a Mazda Protege, saw Castrol or Valvoline syn-blend, as I couldn't afford the "hard stuff". When I bought my Subie (for my 30th b-day) I switched over to full-synth, and Mobil seemed like quality stuff. As noted above, when a mob of people on the Subie boards started reporting bearing issues, I did more research here and elsewhere and literally drained the M1 in my car with only 500 miles on it.

 

[Steve S]

Originally Posted By: TedMeyer
Absolutely. Actually, the first car I ever bought with my own money, a Mazda Protege, saw Castrol or Valvoline syn-blend, as I couldn't afford the "hard stuff". When I bought my Subie (for my 30th b-day) I switched over to full-synth, and Mobil seemed like quality stuff. As noted above, when a mob of people on the Subie boards started reporting bearing issues, I did more research here and elsewhere and literally drained the M1 in my car with only 500 miles on it.
I would find that very hard to believe.

 

[Steve S]

GPII+ with a good additive package is all the oil I need. PP at sale prices could sway my opinion though.

 

[Pablo]

Originally Posted By: TedMeyer
.... literally drained the M1 in my car with only 500 miles on it.


Why?

 

[buster]

Quote:
literally drained the M1 in my car with only 500 miles on it.


What a waste of good oil.

 

[XPR]

Originally Posted By: addyguy


Was Mobil 1 your 'gateway' into synthetic oil use? Did you 'move on' from it? Tell your tale here!


Yes, my gateway to Amsoil, epically when Mobil 1 introduced the ED line.

 

[FZ1]

Yes,I use M1. It's $20 for 5 quarts at walmart. The uoa's I reviewed here seem to indicate it's an o.k. oil for my 9 mo. 5-6k Oci. I just think I'm better off with a synthetic's better flow rate and less deposits vs. dino oils.

 

[deven]

I refuse to buy Mobil products, be it oil or gas

 

[Whimsey]

My first synthetic oil was Mobil 1 5W-30 in my then almost new 1996 2.0 L Contour. This was well pre BITOG so I believed "thickerer is betterer"

. Went to Syntec 5W-50 for a few oil changes and found that it was not suited to the DOHC Zetec engine. It resulted in lose of "get up and go" as well as a big hit in the mpg's. Went back to Mobil 1 5W-30 and then went to Schaeffer's Supreme Blend 5W-30 around 4 years ago. Both perform satisfactorily, have not had a UOA done on either. But the Mobil 1 was "noisier" and I did use oil, about 1 quart between 5,000 mile OCI's. With the Schaeffer's I use no measurable oil between 5,000 OCI's. By using the "look down the oil fill" method my cams and head still look brand new, no varnish visible with 5,000 mile OCI's at 75,000 miles.

Whimsey

 

[FZ1]

The oil use issue is interesting. Is M1 "worse" because the car uses more oil with M1? Maybe the M1 lubricates better,is slicker,so more is used? What do you guys think?

 

[Vilan]

I used Mobil 1, but I didn't inhale as I poured it in.

 

[Drivebelt]

For a sec I thought the word … "Gateway" … in thread title was misspelled, and it should maybe have read … "Getaway Synthetic".

I thought maybe I was going to read some story about how Mobil 1 was the number choice of bank-robbers. That they used Mobil 1 in their Getaway cars -- need that extra horsepower and protection for a quick getaway. Don't want to have an oil related engine failure while robbing a bank.

Quote:
GPII+ with a good additive package is all the oil I need.


My thoughts too. The excellent price/performance of these Group II's is hard to pass up. I stopped buying synthetic blends 2 years ago (which I had been using since the 1980's) and now use conventional. A straight Group II is much better than the PAO/Group I blends I was using in the 1980-90's.

 

[Benzadmiral]

Originally Posted By: Drivebelt
For a sec I thought the word … "Gateway" … in thread title was misspelled, and it should maybe have read … "Getaway Synthetic".

I thought maybe I was going to read some story about how Mobil 1 was the number choice of bank-robbers. That they used Mobil 1 in their Getaway cars -- need that extra horsepower and protection for a quick getaway. Don't want to have an oil related engine failure while robbing a bank.

Drivebelt, that reminds me of the letter Clyde Barrow of Bonnie & Clyde fame was purported to have written to Henry Ford, praising the Ford V-8s he'd always used to escape the law. . . .

 

[BuickGN]

M1 was my short gateway to Amsoil.

 

[marco246]

I have 9 engines of various kinds and once used or would have used Mobil 1 in all of them. I am "off" Mobil 1 with one exception, and that will happen in a month or two. Thanks to BITOG I have a much better appreciation of the various oils and applications and have gotten over the "more expensive is better" marketing hype. From the M1 phase I went through a period where I had dozens of oils in various grades sitting around, each tailored to s particular engine, and I'm getting over that, too. I'm looking to simplify where one oil can service several engines, and I think I'll end up with maybe three oils on hand: Shell Rotella T 15W-40, 5W-40 (Synth), and 10W-30. But between here and there I've got to use up a lot of odds and ends. It's been an interesting journey. . . .