Never been a Valvoline man!!!

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I was always a Castrol man for dino & M1 for synthetic.

After being on this site, I have changed to be cheap for dino on my beater "get me to work" vehicle, Pennzoil as default dino for nicer cars & recommended to friends & family.

However, with this new "open mind", my non-dd vehicle which I care more about had gotten M1 for the last 8 yrs but I am gonna switch it for experimentation. I have been wanting to try a cheaper oil as well as experiment with something that will not burn off at the same rate as M1 or M1 HM does in this particular vehicle.

With my new love for Pennzoil products, and my old love for Castrol products, I was going to get one of those brands HM dino oil. BUT, I want at least a blend since this is a vehicle that is retired and driven on weekends & to haul stuff, etc. MY only real choice in a synthetic or blend HM oil seems to be Valvoline or M1.

Since I am wanting to try something other than M1 Hm, then my only choice is maxlife and I am going to use the blend 10w30. I have never been a valvoline man but you guys finally convinced me that it is a good oil. I still like the Pennzoil HM dino oil for my daily driver when I find a good price, but in this other beast it will be getting maxlife on its next change once or twice per year depending on how much I drive it and what the burn-off looks like as compared to M1.

I just wanted to share this story with all of you avid Valvoline fans because I get a weird feeling in my stomach by using their products alsmot as if a guy who drive Chevy all his life but decides to buy a Ford Crown Vic since the Caprice was cancelled LOL.
 
Pre BITOG, I actually used Valvoline because of this statement:

"More ASE certified master technicians use Valvoline motor oil in their own cars, trucks, vans and suvs than any other brand of motor oil."

I imagine that many of us older guys are haunted by (or have ingrained)the perceptions about motor oil that we formed based mostly on anecdotal info and marketing. What else did we have to go on prior to BITOG.

Ironically, with today's advanced oils, I now think that the average joe probably does as well as us oil OCD'ers regarding oil choice and engine longevity.
 
Does anyone know where Valvoline base oil comes from (what company and country)? I thought I heard Korea which turned me off, but I'm not sure.

I've ran Castrol HM 10-30, and I know it works. My 96 Volvo 850 Turbo with 190,000 miles on it started to pour oil the size of pancakes after using just 1 quart of RP (left over oil) to top off. The fill was Castrol GTX which it had been using since new. As soon as I switch to the HM the leak stopped and was completely stopped after only 3 or 4 trips. I couldn't believe any HM oil really worked, let alone that well. Plus that engine runs warm and after 5,000 miles, the oil level has barely dropped on the dip stick.

I thought about using the M1 HM just to try to clean things out, but I don't know if it will start pouring oil again. I haven't seen much written abou it. What did you think about the M1 HM.
 
I used to use only Pennsylvaina crude: Wolfs Head, Pennzoil, and Quaker State back in the 70s. I don't remember when I started using mainly Valvoline, but it seems to go back at least to the turn of the century.
 
Before I came to BITOG, I always used Valvoline simply because it's what my family always used (and my Grandpa, etc.). Now I'll use pretty much anything
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I still haven't tried Mobil 1, Castrol Syntec or Valvoline SynPower though. I plan on trying them in the future.
 
i tried valvoline twice on my bros car and i noticed it will burn about a 1/3 quart every 5k or so...pennzoil wont burn any, even after 8k
 
I have 32 jugs of White Bottle to use up. Nothing wrong with Valvoline... Their Maxlife oil is the best in "that" category by far IMO.

"100 Years under the hood" taught them a thing or two, i'm sure!

I will be running my White bottle for 8K KM (5K Mile) OCI's in the summers and then switching to Amsoil for the winters. (Starting next summer!)
 
Originally Posted By: iunderpressure
Does anyone know where Valvoline base oil comes from (what company and country)? I thought I heard Korea which turned me off, but I'm not sure.


Exxon-Mobil. No idea on what country. I imagine they use other providers as well.
 
Well I think Ashland uses USA base??? I know the Conoco Phillips GP-III base is from Korea, but my mechanic swears by it anyway so it is probably a good oil.

I also noticed Pennzoil burns off the least as compared to other oils. But again, I want a blend in the HM flavor so my options are limited. I suppose the Castrol & Pennzoil HM oils are just gp-II or II+ base only?
 
Originally Posted By: StevieC
I have 32 jugs of White Bottle to use up. Nothing wrong with Valvoline... Their Maxlife oil is the best in "that" category by far IMO.

"100 Years under the hood" taught them a thing or two, i'm sure!

I will be running my White bottle for 8K KM (5K Mile) OCI's in the summers and then switching to Amsoil for the winters. (Starting next summer!)
Come on Stevie admit it you're using it because;

"More ASE certified master technicians use Valvoline motor oil in their own cars, trucks, vans and suvs than any other brand of motor oil."
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j/k

I still have a jug of 5w20 Prem Conv. (hard to find) I bought at Wally World when the price was right last summer. Even had a solid UOA with it. Now though, it's one of the higher priced oils. Wally jugs prices, $13 for Prem Conv, $15.50 for ML syn blend and $22.50 for Synpower. Good oil, just too high for me.

As an example, today bought 2 jugs of QS Torque Power 5w30 full syn on closeout for $11.00 @ Wally.
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And QS Horsepower 5w20 for $18 -$5 rebate. Right now looks like I'm a QS/SOPUS man.
 
Originally Posted By: FastSUV
I am for Auto A/C anyway :)
Certifications in my mind are B.S. anyways. My dad was never ASE certified but did have his mechanics license, and I would test him against any ASE certified mechanic any day. It's like A+ certified computer guys. Nothing more than a piece of paper in most cases.

I trust "real world" skills, not certifications on paper.

I have torn apart engines, transmission, carburetors, differentials, brake systems etc. under my dads supervision and have rebuilt them and never had any come back and all have lasted well past the "normal" service lives.

Some ASE certified mechanics have heard about these so called "Carburetors" but have never seen one or rebuilt/tuned one and that IMO is just sad!
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I'm a diesel mechanic for a living, and I've found that ASE certification, atleast in my field, doesn't get you anything more than the next guy. I work for a Mack/Hino dealer, and we get factory trained anyways.
 
Originally Posted By: afoulk
I'm a diesel mechanic for a living, and I've found that ASE certification, atleast in my field, doesn't get you anything more than the next guy. I work for a Mack/Hino dealer, and we get factory trained anyways.
I think it is because there are so many shiester mechanics out there that people try someone with a simple jobs at first and build a "trust worthy" relationship over time through experience, not through big chains or certification.
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Originally Posted By: StevieC
Originally Posted By: FastSUV
I am for Auto A/C anyway :)
Certifications in my mind are B.S. anyways. My dad was never ASE certified but did have his mechanics license, and I would test him against any ASE certified mechanic any day. It's like A+ certified computer guys. Nothing more than a piece of paper in most cases.

I trust "real world" skills, not certifications on paper.

I have torn apart engines, transmission, carburetors, differentials, brake systems etc. under my dads supervision and have rebuilt them and never had any come back and all have lasted well past the "normal" service lives.

Some ASE certified mechanics have heard about these so called "Carburetors" but have never seen one or rebuilt/tuned one and that IMO is just sad!
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^^Absolutely Stevie! My best friend who is a gas and mineral rights attorney by trade,is kind`ve a self taught computer nerd,and can walk circles around any certified computer tech.
 
I went to school for Computer Engineering but decided to work in the Food industry after working in a restaurant we owned and after we sold I went on to work at a District Manager for a big franchise. I love the field and love to work with people and not sit in a cube designing circuits/software. (nothing wrong with that, just not for me)

I had no certifications for this industry until my current employer paid for food-safety & handling, smart-serve, Emergency first aid etc. certification because "I wanted" to take it and it benefited them.

I'm a self taught computer IT guy since an early age and well before the engineering schooling, I'm a self taught mechanic and I also know how to do a lot of other things like electrical, plumbing, carpentry, general construction and refrigeration, all thanks to my dad who was self taught in these areas or holds licenses in these areas (mechanic/refrigeration).

I'm very thankful for all I know and try to learn as much as I can in every area because knowledge, especially practical knowledge is power IMO
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I couldn't agree more. My father was a journeyman machinist engine rebuilder by trade for years ( started in the early sixties. This was back when they made special parts for race boats. No CNC. Just a lathe and a skilled hand. He was also a unlimited hydroplane driver. As a kid learning all kinds of things from him I will never forget the neighborhood kids who had dads that couldn't even change a wiper blade look at him with such admiration. He was always willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn. Still is.
 
Originally Posted By: AzFireGuy79
... As a kid learning all kinds of things from him I will never forget the neighborhood kids who had dads that couldn't even change a wiper blade look at him with such admiration. He was always willing to teach anyone who wanted to learn. Still is.


This was me growing up and my dad to a "T". Thanks for posting that!

It's a neat thing to experience eh?
 
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