Motomaster 100% synthetic

[Canuk]

Does anyone have any info on the 100% synthetic motor oils that is sold through the Canadian Tire stores. I realize that this question is most likely answered by the Canadians here, but if anyone else knows, then great.

What I have heard in the past, is that it is made by ESSO here in Canada. It would be nice if the specs on it turn out to be a PAO based product, that compares favorably to Mobil 1, as it sells for less than CDN$6/litre. (CDN$5/litre on sale).

The Canadian Tire website does not have any info on it that I can find, so if anyone knows anything about it, I would appreciate the info.

 

[con carne]

So let's just say that it does turn out to be a true synthetic, does that mean that it will be a good product - what about the add package?

 

[Canuk]

Don't know. That's why I asked the question.

 

[The_Oz]

Patman,

There is a good possibility that the Formula 1 line is distributed by Castrol. I've looked in Shell.ca's website and found no information regarding any 5W50, 0W30, 20W50 oils. I know that Castrol markets these oils as Syntec (with the exception of 0W30 I believe).

There is, however, information regarding Shell's 10W30 and 15W40 diesel oils that Canadian Tire sells under its own name.

So, there is a good possibility that Crappy Tire is selling Shell oil for Diesels and Castrol oil for Gasoline.

I could be wrong...of course.

Oz

 

[Patman]

A guy in my car club works for Imperial Oil and he tells me that Canadian Tire no longer uses them for their oils, but instead, they are now supplied by Shell. So the Formula 1 line of oils are all Shell oils, therefore their 100% synthetic Formula 1 would have the same specs as Shell's synthetic.
It was at least two years ago that Shell took over, so chances of finding old Imperial oil supplied stuff is slim.

[ August 05, 2002, 12:25 PM: Message edited by: Patman ]

 

[Canuk]

Thanks for the info guys.

 

[Dr. T]

Why would you care about a "no-name" oil anyway. I was told to stay away from these as you'll never know what you're getting. Of course they're cheaper....they're the throw-away batches from oil companies' regular brands....just like knock-off/no-name/generic drugs at the pharmacy...they never work like the real thing....but I guess if you were using the oil in your '80's Reliant K Car...but then, you really wouldn't be on this forum anyways...would you? But maybe I'm wrong....where does Can. Tire get their oil? The longest standing joke was that it was Recycled stuff....

PS> I remember for the longest time...especially in Canada (Can. tire) refused to sell name-brand anything...only knock off tires, oil, batteries, etc....and selling them as superior! The public bought it for decades. Tells you a lot about the country...

 

[Patman]

One of the most disturbing thing about Canadian Tire is the fact that all their oil filters, including their premium Formula 1 brand, are made by Fram. So obviously high quality is not their forte.

 

[Employee#08]

I have a friend that works at Canadian Tire head office. I asked him about who supplies the oil for them and he said Shell. Everything from Autolab($1.00 oil) all the way up to Formula 1 Syn. No, Castrol does not supply oil to Canadian Tire except for their own brand. Dr. T, what's wrong with Canada? Every company is trying to make money and Canadian Tire does that pretty well. Every quarter they have increased sales, revenues are up, stockholders are happy. No problem with trying to market their own brand. Batteries are made by Exide. They are the largest supplier in Canada. Tires range from Goodyear, Michelin, Uniroyal, and Dunlop under their own Motomaster brand. Great warranties to go with the tires. You can even special order any name brand you can think of that is on the market. I never liked Canadian Tire but what they are trying to do is changing for the better. Giving more selections to the customer. Only customers are ignorant and write-off CTC. I feel safe to live in Canada and proud of it. I can't really say that about our big brother south of the border.

 

[The_Oz]

quote:

---

I have a friend that works at Canadian Tire head office. I asked him about who supplies the oil for them and he said Shell. Everything from Autolab($1.00 oil) all the way up to Formula 1 Syn. No, Castrol does not supply oil to Canadian Tire except for their own brand. Dr. T, what's wrong with Canada? Every company is trying to make money and Canadian Tire does that pretty well. Every quarter they have increased sales, revenues are up, stockholders are happy. No problem with trying to market their own brand. Batteries are made by Exide. They are the largest supplier in Canada. Tires range from Goodyear, Michelin, Uniroyal, and Dunlop under their own Motomaster brand. Great warranties to go with the tires. You can even special order any name brand you can think of that is on the market. I never liked Canadian Tire but what they are trying to do is changing for the better. Giving more selections to the customer. Only customers are ignorant and write-off CTC. I feel safe to live in Canada and proud of it. I can't really say that about our big brother south of the border.

---

Thanks for the correction. So, now it's Shell (time for some investigating work...heheh). As for Crappy Tire being better than US equivalents (ie. Autozone, PepBoys, etc.), I highly doubt it. Selection and quality is still crap. Oil Filters (for example) are all made by Fram (Fram, Formula 1, Quaker State, Motomaster). Motomaster handtools are okay (good warranty like Craftsman though). No Chiltons service manuals, just Haynes...grrrr. Those are just nit-picky stuff. The things that tick me off though is the parts/service counter...not to say that others are any better, but that's something Crappy Tire should really improve upon!

Regards,

Oz

 

[Employee#08]

I never said CT is better then the US equivalents. I don't even think the Pepboys, Autozone are any better. Yes, they offer more selection because there is a market for the products and they know they will sell since there are so many different auto parts stores. I don't blame Canadian Tire for not offering better products such as oil filters etc.. Would your average Canadian Tire shopper dump $15.00 for an oil filter? No. Why cater to the handful of people that will buy a Mobil 1 oil filter. Not worth it to order or keep as a stock item. Biggest factor at the service/parts counter is hourly wages. Until wages can be higher there is no chance of improvement. If you want certified class A mechanics at both counters then you must be dreaming. If Canadian Tire stores were corporate owned and not franchised plus a union, then quaility of service and products will go up dramatically. What really surprises me is that Redline products can be ordered in from the Keystone catalogue. Canadian Tire is still crappy and will always be because we don't have the buying power like the Americans. I do believe every Canadian on this board will always shop at Crappy Tire even if they say it is crappy.

[ August 07, 2002, 04:08 PM: Message edited by: Employee#08 ]

 

[The_Oz]

Don't get me wrong. I still shop at Crappy Tire. In certain cases, they do offer good selection (spark plugs is a good example). Unfortunately, shops like UAP Napa and CarQuest are all small-time, and therefore some of their prices are a bit too much.

Would I pay $15.00 for an oil filter? Probably not. However, there are better filters out there than Fram sold at about the same price (AC Delco, Wix, Purolator). Purolator PureOne is roughly $12CDN - same as Formula 1. AC Delco is priced anywhere from $3-5CDN - same as Fram and Motomaster. These are just examples.

Crappy Tire probably doesn't care one way or the other because the real people that actually love to maintain their cars are but a few.

As for wages, I'm sure the 16yr old teenager behind the counter doesn't give 2 cents about what you mean by a brake reservoir cap, but it would be nice to actually talk to someone who loves to know about cars & general automotive - as those are the most helpful. I don't think we need to pay someone an extra $10/hr just for that. Customer service these days are quite pathetic (regardless if it is US or Canada).

Regards,

Oz

 

[Patman]

Actually, the Formula 1 oil filters are around $6.99 CDN, and if you wait for sales they are $5.99. So if these filters were good premium filters, and not made by Fram, I'd buy them.

Canadian Tire does sell $15+ oil filters, they sell the K&Ns now. They are $17.99 and up, but on sale for $14 quite often. I bought a couple for the Honda, however after reading how inefficient they are, I'm not going to use the next one I have sitting around (the other one is on the car now)

The Purolator Premium Plus filters out better than those K&Ns, and at less than half the price too!

 

[Patman]

My friends and I call Canadian Tire "The Newfie Speed Shop"!

I really wish we had Autozone or Pepboys up here, our selection of car stuff is very lacking. At the very least I'd like an auto parts store up here which carried more choices in oil filters. Canada has such a poor selection, no Mobil 1s, no Bosch Premiums, no Ultraguard Golds.....

 

[Canuk]

Employee#8 -- Thanks for the confirmation on Canadian Tire's oil supplier.

Dr .T -- I don't know if your an American or a Canadian -- couldn't tell from your profile -- but I can tell you from an overtaxed Canadian's point of view, trying to support a young family on a single income, that I'm looking to maximize my value when looking for a motor oil.

Patman -- Why don't you just stick to the Filtec oil filters from the States. These are the filters sold by Honda in the U.S. I can tell you that I've taken these apart have found them to be a very well made filter. You mail order them here via the internet for about cdn$10 final cost to you. (order 10 at a time).

 

[Employee#08]

quote:

---

Originally posted by The_Oz:


Crappy Tire probably doesn't care one way or the other because the real people that actually love to maintain their cars are but a few.

As for wages, I'm sure the 16yr old teenager behind the counter doesn't give 2 cents about what you mean by a brake reservoir cap, but it would be nice to actually talk to someone who loves to know about cars & general automotive - as those are the most helpful. I don't think we need to pay someone an extra $10/hr just for that. Customer service these days are quite pathetic (regardless if it is US or Canada).

Regards,

Oz

---

Oz, I believe that CT knows the average joe walks in to CT is not a well informed car guy. Yes, he/she might know how to totally rebuild a engine from ground up but doesn't know the new automotive products like we do on this board. There are still a lot of people that feel Fram is still good that shop at CT. Why offer all the high end car products when 90% of them that shop at CT haven't even heard of them. So CT's mission is to make as much profit as possible from inferior products.
As for wages, if they were paid in the ranges of $10/hour and up you would get highly qualified knowledgeable parts guys. If wages go up the management want more qualified people to apply. Teenagers do not need to apply. If CT had the higher standard of dealership parts counters then CT would be in a better position. Yes, dealerships are stealerships but the parts guys on average are more knowledgeable and know their stuff. On a side note, CT offers NEW water pumps now. That is a first.

 

[Employee#08]

Interesting information I got from my friend at head office. CT actually has a department that has people surf the net on various boards like ours to research want the public is after. Now that is really something. Crappy Tire investing money into a department just to research!!! Guess that is why we have K&N products in stock or can be ordered. They even go on sale.

I talked to him about Mobil 1 oil filters and the other high-end filters. He said that contract agreements with suppliers and lack of interest is why CT does not carry them. CT did talk to suppliers but again cost too much to bring them across the border.

 

[The_Oz]

Interesting info indeed Employee#8. Thanks. However, quality filters such as Wix or AC Delco are already across the border. But I'll stick with the contract agreement reason. As for dealerships being more knowledgeable...

You crack me up! A VW MECHANIC not knowing when I said "Hi, I need some diesel oil please." is a good example. And this is coming from a highly-touted VW dealership in Montreal.

Regards,

Oz

 

[Dr. T]

Funny watching the bickering take place.....

1st point: No-name oil sucks...use it in your rusted out 80's K car because you don't give a hoot....who cares who makes it...it's still of unknown quality.

2nd: Any place that toots knock-off stuff as being superior to and or even equal quality is simply lying. This is how China markets.

3rd: You ask what's wrong with CN and then you state "we don't have the buying power like the Americans"....answers your own question. Yes I'm CN, but easy to tout being safe in a neutral "let someone else fight my battles" state while Toronto's crime figure is the highest in 15 yrs. (reported last week)....and no I don't feel proud of a 50 cent dollar and sinking...nor always paying for someone else (taxes). This last point is precisely why the fellow posted that w/ his family expenses he's looking to save a few cents on his motor oil...trust me, this isn't the place to save a few cents.

 

[The_Oz]

Alright guys, let's stop with this Canada vs. US thing. I was merely stating that the US market has better selection (ie. Autozone, Pep Boys, Wal-Mart), while we only have Crappy Tire (and sometimes Wal-Mart), and pretty much have us Canadians cornered.

Regards,

Oz