Mobil 1 - Why do some bad mouth it?

[ZeeOSix]

Originally Posted By: jstutz
That said, my blazer ran over 175k miles on M1 at about 8 k mile changes before i switched it to QS or PP and it dont burn a drop of oil.


Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Funny you mention the 'vette. My friend ran M1 5w-30 in his 've The best vette UOAs I saw were 15w-40 HD.


PP = ?
HD = ?
Sorry, not up on all the abbreviations yet.

How about Castrol Edge? I think it meets the GM Spec also.

Also, I'll ask again ... is there any non-biased, independent oil performance / wear resistance testing that shows how Mobil 1 rates against all these other full synthetics on the market today?

 

[Johnny]

PP = Pennzoil Platinum
PU = Pennzoil Ultra

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: lipadj46
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Funny you mention the 'vette. My friend ran M1 5w-30 in his 'vette thinking it was the best, being "approved" and factory-fill. His UOA was a disaster. The best vette UOAs I saw were 15w-40 HD.


Now the question becomes would another energy conserving over the counter synthetic 5w30 do appreciably better in consecutive UOAs in the same engine during the same interval, the same season driving in the same manner? Or are we just picking and choosing our data points to prove our bias?


It's not about "data points", it's about Mobil 1 5w-30 sucking in an application it's INTENDED for. If it didn't SUCK, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

 

[MetalSlug]

When it come to mobil 1, it seen to have top quality on oil, gear oil, tranny and oil filter ( i know it mobil 1 dont made this ), Can go wrong with any of the mobil 1 product, I really like mobil 1 product because it high quality and it easy to find at any part store.

 

[StevieC]

Playing Devils advocates here... I think we all need to ask ourselves these questions:

For the price of Mobil 1 and the price of other Quality Synthetics why wouldn't you choose the one that has shown the lowest metal counts on UOA's if the price is in the same ballpark?

To me it just makes sense and the whole "I have always used M1 and always had nothing but many miles from it" logic just doesn't work considering the formulations have been changed and since they were changed the higher Iron counts showed up.
Why take the chance with all the other great oils out there?

Why have an E.P. oil and a normal synthetic? When before they only had 1 with an outstanding formulation and a decent price that did an amazing job.

Now they have too many choices and the formulas seem weak on anything but TDT, 0w40, D1, and E.P.

?!?

 

[Audi Junkie]

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

I'll ask again ... is there any non-biased, independent oil performance / wear resistance testing that shows how Mobil 1 rates against all these other full synthetics on the market today?



http://www.valvoline.com/faqs/motor-oil/full-synthetic-motor-oil/37

How does Valvoline's SynPower formula protect against wear?

SynPower full synthetic motor oil is formulated with a balance of high quality ingredients such as detergents, dispersants, antioxidants, friction modifiers, anti-wear additives and premium base oils that work together to provide exceptional protection against engine stress and wear. It provides four times better wear protection than Mobil 1.

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

What about Castrol Edge?


"Edge offers 8x better wear protection than Mobil 1"

http://www.castroledgeusa.com/#/why-upgrade/results

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I really like mobil 1 product because it high quality

How do you know it's high quality? Because their website or TV commercial told you so?

 

[dparm]

In my mind it all comes down to being an educated consumer. There aren't really many secrets out there. It's just easier to be led on by marketing and weasel-words than to read up and learn the concepts for yourself.

As an educated consumer, I now know that Mobil 1 is a decent oil but it does not live up to the hype it once had. And as an educated consumer, I've decided it's not the best choice for my particular needs.


To answer the OP's original question: it's because everyone's a critic. It's easy to be a follower and shoot something down.

 

[StevieC]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I really like mobil 1 product because it high quality

How do you know it's high quality? Because their website or TV commercial told you so?

As any good Sheep would think. It must be a good product if T.V. said so... I mean c'mon no other oil can do 8 summers of boat hauling or stop/go traffic or last in taxi-cabs in dessert heat!

 

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie

It's not about "data points", it's about Mobil 1 5w-30 sucking in an application it's INTENDED for. If it didn't SUCK, we wouldn't be having this conversation.


So its not about data points yet you pull one out to prove your point? Where is the follow up with another 5w30 synthetic in the same car, same mileage, with much lower wear?

 

[Johnny]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Originally Posted By: lipadj46
Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Funny you mention the 'vette. My friend ran M1 5w-30 in his 'vette thinking it was the best, being "approved" and factory-fill. His UOA was a disaster. The best vette UOAs I saw were 15w-40 HD.


Now the question becomes would another energy conserving over the counter synthetic 5w30 do appreciably better in consecutive UOAs in the same engine during the same interval, the same season driving in the same manner? Or are we just picking and choosing our data points to prove our bias?


It's not about "data points", it's about Mobil 1 5w-30 sucking in an application it's INTENDED for. If it didn't SUCK, we wouldn't be having this conversation.

What oil was this and what kind of car was this on?

 

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted By: Audi Junkie
Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

I'll ask again ... is there any non-biased, independent oil performance / wear resistance testing that shows how Mobil 1 rates against all these other full synthetics on the market today?



http://www.valvoline.com/faqs/motor-oil/full-synthetic-motor-oil/37

How does Valvoline's SynPower formula protect against wear?

SynPower full synthetic motor oil is formulated with a balance of high quality ingredients such as detergents, dispersants, antioxidants, friction modifiers, anti-wear additives and premium base oils that work together to provide exceptional protection against engine stress and wear. It provides four times better wear protection than Mobil 1.

Originally Posted By: ZeeOSix

What about Castrol Edge?


"Edge offers 8x better wear protection than Mobil 1"

http://www.castroledgeusa.com/#/why-upgrade/results


Again awesome proof, another companies' test results. Pepsi is better, I remember the Pepsi challenge commercials.

 

[BobFout]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I really like mobil 1 product because it high quality

How do you know it's high quality? Because their website or TV commercial told you so?



Specifications

(this is true of any oil)

 

[Quattro Pete]

Originally Posted By: dparm
It's easy to be a follower and shoot something down.

There are two camps of followers: those who blindly praise it and those who blindly shoot it down. The fact of the matter is that there are no solid facts which would prove (using some meaningful metrics) who's right by showing that M1 is or is not better than competitors.

Those "4x less wear" or "8x less wear" claims are not meaningful, IMO. The wear is already practically nonexistent, so 0 divided by 4 is still 0. But it's a great marketing material...

 

[StevieC]

I think my point still stands... Why take the chance when there is other great oils out there for the same price or less than M1 that don't leave you worrying based on UOA's.

 

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: dparm
It's easy to be a follower and shoot something down.

There are two camps of followers: those who blindly praise it and those who blindly shoot it down. The fact of the matter is though, that there are no solid facts which would prove who's right by showing that M1 is or is not better than competitors using some meaningful metrics.


That's my point. Personally I don't use Mobil 1 5w30 or 5w20 anymore. Call it a safe bet, I don't know one way or the other but why risk it. Other people here are convinced and think they have real proof but the don't even have 2% of the real data needed to make that claim. But that does not seem to stop anyone these days from going on a personal crusade to fanboy land.

 

[lipadj46]

Originally Posted By: StevieC
I think my point still stands... Why take the chance when there is other great oils out there for the same price or less than M1 that don't leave you worrying based on UOA's.

Mind you when they say mobil 1 they really mean mobil 1 5w30 and maybe 5w20. I know that, you know that but the new comers who see this nonsense don't know that and jump on the bandwagon.

 

[Johnny]

I was looking back at my 2009 calendar where I keep notes on my daily activities and last winter I ran Mobil 1 0W-20 in my wife's Honda Element. Not one time did I write down that I was worrying about Mobil 1 based on anything. I slept very well last winter.

 

[StevieC]

Fair enough I should have been more clear... Yes, anything M1 with the exclusion of: TDT, D1, 0w40 and E.P. All the other oils under the M1 umbrella suck large IMO. (15w50 seems like a good oil but I can't vouch for it as I have never used it and don't know enough about it...)

But their 5w30/5w20 sucks large and I'm sticking to it...

I have used their stuff in the past and would use the other stuff listed above but no way am I paying premium price for a product that I can pay to another company and sleep at night knowing my UOA's are where I like to see them with low Iron numbers.

I think it's just a chemical reaction and nothing more but I'm not willing to play Russian roulette with my engine and find out.

Let other blind M1 followers do that for us while we watch from a safe distance.

 

[MetalSlug]

Originally Posted By: Quattro Pete
Originally Posted By: CamaroT56
I really like mobil 1 product because it high quality

How do you know it's high quality? Because their website or TV commercial told you so?



I think I grown up with it, by seeing my dad and his brother use it in their car, and motorcycle. I remember when I was 5 ( im 25 now ), hang around my dad shop ( its small shop, that we carry oil in gallon or 1 quart only ) this customer coming in for oil change, he want nothing but mobil 1 in his motorcycle. My dad told him that we are out atm, and have couple case coming in in 2 day, my dad also tell him about Castrol, He say no and he say he will coming back in 2 day for that mobil 1, sure enought 2 day later he show up.

Since we move to American, I still see my dad buying mobil 1 for his cars. Some time I told him about pennzoils product, or valvolin, how good these and little bit cheaper then mobil 1. He still buying mobil 1, I guest I cant change my old man to change his favore oil.

I also talk to my friend dad from Germany, he a car racer, he using nothing but mobil 1 product when he was in Germany. Now he live in American, he have a Z06 2004 with 500 hp he daily drive this, Mobil 1 for oil and filter, tranny and rear, and dino valvolin for his wife honda.