Mobil 1 + Toyota engines: Still a good match?

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VVTinme

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I've noticed a general trend lately that more and more people seem to be disliking Mobil 1. I'm currently running Mobil 1 EP 5W30 in my 1995 Lexus LS400 with the 1UZ-FE engine. It was last changed several months ago, at around 80k miles when I had my oil pan resealed. I currently have 82k miles, and am thinking ahead for my next oil change several months from now. When I initially posted on these forums, Mobil 1 came highly recommended as far as synthetics are concerned, and I do wish to use a quality synthetic oil for all my future oil changes.

My driving conditions are as follows:
-The car sits for the majority of each week. It is driven around 50 miles or so each weekend divided among perhaps 4 trips and the engine reaches its operating temperature on each trip, although much of it is stop and go.
-On occasion, I drive the car a very short distance during the week, maybe 2-3 miles per trip if I'm picking up food or other goods from nearby stores. The temp gauge reaches operating temp, but this is probably still hard on the car.

I used a Mobil 1 filter when I initially switched but it seemed to starve my engine of oil during cold starts on multiple occasions after my car had been sitting for a few days, so I switched back to a Toyota filter when I had the pan resealed.

My question is this: Is there a better synthetic oil for my needs? Is Mobil 1 no longer considered a quality oil, or at the very least, no longer one of the best? Please don't consider price an issue when giving advice, within reason of course.
 
its still a "quality" oil but its been shown a few times that its not quite what it used to be. if you want to run syn find one on sale. buy one get one frees are great. Advance auto had valvoline synpower for BOGO 2.50$ a qt is better than 5$ a qt.. personaly dino would be a better option but thats just opinion. penzoil or GTX to me are the better dinos out there.
 
i am quite sure that Mobil 1 is still a great oil... but hey, there's alot of others out there. give them all a shot.

i have the same engine as you in my Lexus SC400. long story short, my Dad was running Castrol Syntec 5W-50 for years in that car. why? cuz it was the stuff they had at costco and my Dad doesn't seem to be concerned with viscosities, lol. so when i became a BITOG freak and realized what my Dad has been doing, i quickly switched the car over to Liqui-Moly 5W-40 with the intentions of eventually going to Mobil 1 5W-30. this was about a year ago, when Mobil 1 was touted as the best stuff for Toyota engines.

2 things:

a) the Castrol Syntec 5W-50 used to consume ALOT. since switching to LM 5W-40, the dipstick has not moved even a millimeter.

b) my plans have changed. i got a sweet deal on some Castrol Syntec 0W-30 and decided i want to give it a shot in the Lex. so thats whats going in next. i just recently dumped the LM out and poured in some Mobil Clean 5000 5W-30 dino with a bottle of Auto-Rx. gonna run it for the cleaning phase, and then i have another batch of Clean 5000 for the rinse phase. then the 0W-30 Syntec goes in. we'll see how she likes it. but to be honest, i would personally still be fine with Mobil 1 5W-30. i will most likely go to that after the 0W-30 syntec is done with, unless it somehow seems exceptionally amazing.
 
Mobil 1 is fine in a Toyota engine as long as you don't actually start the engine.

Awwwwww, c'mon, I'm just kidding.
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"Mobil 1 EP is the best oil you can buy off the shelf. There is no truth to the bad mouthing you'll read here on BITOG... "

...best for what? Good price, yiikes? Able to hold viscosity? Effective against fuel dilution? Fights valve train wear? Granted, its average performing oil if you don't stress it too much. You can run it and be happy. You might also consider many others in the same price range or even cheaper that perform just as well or better. Extended oil change interval is as much an attribute of conditions as it is the oil. UOA's of Mobil 1 show nothing special. If you point out one good one it can be as much the result of conditions and driving habits as it is the lab results. Mobil 1 is an expensive commitment and with a little digging around you can pick one of many cheaper replacements and do just as well. Or you can get your Mobil 1 hat on and be a cheer leader.
 
Quote:

Mobil 1 EP is the best oil you can buy off the shelf. There is no truth to the bad mouthing you'll read here on BITOG...

Click to expand...


Well, I ran the Mobil 1 orginal flavor and my UOAs were worst with it over anything I've run in my Toyota.

And in my Chevy V8, Mobil 1 was worst than Chveron or Pennzoil conventional in the UOAs.

I doubt EP flavor is any better. (Oh, I forgot!
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It costs more so it is better..)

Since I've taken quite a few engines well past 200k miles without Mobil 1, I'll continue to do what works for me and my family.

Unlike others, I have TRIED Mobil 1 and the others. Some folks here just STATE that xxx is better period with most of the time them not trying anything else.

Whatever..
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Bill
patriot.gif
 
Sonyman,

I understand your dilema quite well. I have a 2003 Lexus, and a 2006 Tundra. I just did the UOA on the Tundra, excellent results but the engine is in the later stages of break-in. Take a look at the last UOA on my 2003 GS 430 after over 7,500 miles:

Most recent Analysis on 2003 GS430:

There's practically nothing there to analyze! Almost as good as a VOA! I can't imagine how this can be improved upon. Trending is also excellent.

Now: I will be performing the next UOA on this engine in early November. My driving pattern on this batch of oil is quite different - All short distance driving in which the engine doesn't get fully warmed up. I expect the UOA to be worse than above -- We'll see how much worse. Unless it is A LOT worse, I plan to stick with Mobil 1 EP 5W-30. Can someone tell me how any other oil could do significantly better than what my UOAs show so far?

Here is the UOA on my 2006 Tundra. The oil in the report at the link below represents oil in use from 5,000 to 10,000 miles. Yes, it's not perfect, it could be better, but still excellent considering the engine is in the latter stages of break-in. I expect the next UOA to be even better...Again, unless it's worse, I plan to stick with Mobil 1 5W-30EP.

I am open to opinions on whether anyone thinks another oil would really be much better....

First UOA 2006 Tundra 4.7L V8:
 
Quote:

I've noticed a general trend lately that more and more people seem to be disliking Mobil 1. I'm currently running Mobil 1 EP 5W30 in my 1995 Lexus LS400 with the 1UZ-FE engine. It was last changed several months ago, at around 80k miles when I had my oil pan resealed. I currently have 82k miles, and am thinking ahead for my next oil change several months from now. When I initially posted on these forums, Mobil 1 came highly recommended as far as synthetics are concerned, and I do wish to use a quality synthetic oil for all my future oil changes.

My driving conditions are as follows:
-The car sits for the majority of each week. It is driven around 50 miles or so each weekend divided among perhaps 4 trips and the engine reaches its operating temperature on each trip, although much of it is stop and go.
-On occasion, I drive the car a very short distance during the week, maybe 2-3 miles per trip if I'm picking up food or other goods from nearby stores. The temp gauge reaches operating temp, but this is probably still hard on the car.

I used a Mobil 1 filter when I initially switched but it seemed to starve my engine of oil during cold starts on multiple occasions after my car had been sitting for a few days, so I switched back to a Toyota filter when I had the pan resealed.

My question is this: Is there a better synthetic oil for my needs? Is Mobil 1 no longer considered a quality oil, or at the very least, no longer one of the best? Please don't consider price an issue when giving advice, within reason of course.

Click to expand...


M1 performed better then the PP I used previous to it but nothing heads and shoulders in terms of Performance+FE with mitigated wear/sludging/varnish. Hence why I am trying/using the below oil to get FE *annndd* performance with what should be equal mitigated wear/sludging/varnish.
 
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Mobil-1 will still work great in anything Toyota makes includeing Lexus. I do not think you need M1-EP though their regular M1 would be cheaper and work just as well. In fact the M1 High Milage 10W30 is a great deal since it is $19 for 5 quart jusg at Walmart and has a beefy additive package. Now with that said if you can get any other synthetic on sale like Penzoil,Valvoline,Castrol I would not hesistate to use it these engines are not picky. In fact we have seen valvoline 5W30 dino oil turn in great results with regular change interval in the Lexus V8's so that pretty much say's it right their. The only reason for useing synthetic in a Lexus V8 is to keep it extremly clean for year's and year's of use or extended drains. The fewer deposits that synthetic leave behind translate into less wear,hot spot's,carbon,varnish etc......


In fact seeinghow you live in NC would you consider trying Rotella-T Synthetic 5W40? It is $12-$14 a gallon at most Walmart's and I think you might like it. It has an excellent additive package and a proven base stock.
 
I'm always trying to stay on the leading edge of petroleum products for my car. Synthetics are also a must, not because of value, but because of the protection they provide. Every fluid in my car, except for the gasoline and coolant, is a synthetic from various brands for the added protection. I'm basically looking for the best protection possible. If it means moving up a notch to Amsoil 5W30, then I'm willing to go the distance since I only change my oil two times a year. I'm already running Amsoil ATF in my transmission with good results and am considering switching from Red Line to Amsoil in my differential since the white paper came out.
 
Sonyman, I only change my oil in my 2003 Camry twice a year as well and I have some preety good UOA results on this site. You know what since you are after the best cost be darned I am going to recomend you try M1 0W40. It is going to work great in that engine but it is going to cost a more then M1EP but less then Amsoil. The reason for the added cost is becuase you normaly have to get it at AutoZone or some other part's store so the pricepoint is higher. It will give you better cold start performance and better oxidation resistance then what you are useing now and better life span since it has a higher TBN. Last I checked it was still 100% synthetic and is factory fill for AMG's and Porsche's. I donot think that you will be able to do any better then this in that engine no matter what you spend. these engines turn in such low wear numbers that spending more is not going to get you any more in this case. Once you have M1 0W40 in it you will have reached the point of marginal return. Now in some applications running an oil like Redline or Motul can make a huge difference but this is simply not one of those applications!!!
 
Mobil 1 is a nice expensive Group II+, maybe GroupIII synthetic at PREMIUM prices (6.09/qt at AA this evening for plain, and 6.98 for EP). Use it with confidence.
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Speaking of confidence, pair it up with Exxon/Mobil's non-tiered, water-laden, low detergent gasoline. Regular gasoline at PREMIUM prices, 5 cents higher a gallon for regular at an intersection in Northern Virginia with a Shell (Top-Tier) and Sunoco (also Top Tier) on opposing corners. Purchase with confidence (higher is better, right?)
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For your manual transmission, try Mobil 1 GL5 full synthetic gear lube, only 13.99/quart at AA tonight. Heck of a deal for a lube with limited high pressure additive and no guarantee the stuff won't rot the copper and brass in the synchros. This stuff is a REAL value at this price. Use with confidence because after all, at these prices, it's GOTTA be good stuff..
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You Mobil 1 freaks are KILLING ME!!
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And, more money than savvy. At least get the real deal for your money, get the Amsoil or one of the others that are HONEST about the product instead of wormy, crooked denials and assertions that these formulations are proprietary when what they're REALLY doing is selling sub standard product on the strength of wormy advertising technique. Stop falling for it. Eeeesh. Listen to Utah-Billy and Smarten-Up.
 
toocrazy2yoo, Put up or shut up. I have some insanely good UOA in Toyota's dureing subzero tempature's to back up my recomendations. How about you???? Did not think so.
 
Well, I'm no petroleum expert but toocrazy2yoo does have a point. I mean why is ExxonMobil not on the "Top Tier" list of gasoline brands? If they're cutting corners and selling sub-par gasoline, maybe they're doing the same with their motor oil.
 
And why should one have to spend 80 cents extra per quart to buy the Extended Performance? Shouldn't the extra additives be in Mobil 1? I can get AMSOIL here for $6.25 a quart, the same price as Mobil 1 at AutoZone ($6.19). The Extended Performance is about 80 cents extra.
 
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