i wouldn't use Vavoline/Pennzoil/RP/Neo and all the boutique stuff. I like Chevron, Mobil, Red Line, Havoline and Castrol personally.
oils NOT to use
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Other than the fact that Redline may or may not be boutique oil itself.....why would you not use Pennzoil, but use Castrol?
In my mind it isn't about the cost, it's about out and out lying to your customers by redefining the word "synthetic" because you knew you could get away with it in a given market. Depends on how you define "is" right?quote:
Originally posted by Audi Junkie:
Exactly what I was going to say. Bogus Syntec 5w-30 is probally overkill for 95% of the cars on the road.
I guess the way to be successfull in the oil industry is make the most expensive product at the cheapest price, by your logic.Is buying overpriced PAO from a competitor when an excellent substitute is available really so brilliant? Should Castrol still be using caster bean oil by the boatload? What if Castrol put the 2 cents a quart saved on PAO into R&D...bringing us a great product like GC? Is it ok now?
I notice they haven't tryed to pass off group III oils in Europe as "synthetic" because the europeans have strict definitions that don't allow this. In the US we're not that lucky and Castrol saw a loophole as a way to deceive their customers and jumped right through it.
Tell me, how would you feel if they labeled some group I or II oil as "synthetic" and you bought it for $5 a quart expecting it to go 8K or 10K miles between changes? That's exactly what they did IMO.
I'm using GC now but as far as I'm concerend Castrol is not trustworthy. Because of this I wouldn't use their products if I wasn't doing a UOA at every change...
Red Line is readily available in the Bay Area. I just don't like Pennzoil, primarily because they just sell a lot of gimmicks to people.
I won't use a non-detergent oil. Most all the house brands are fine if they are drained when they should be. The bad thing is that ussually the cheaper oils are used by people that do not service thier car as they should.
Replying to something early in the topic about Chevron and Havoline being the same.
Yes, this is true, they are identical actually since the Chevron/shell takeover of texaco. Chevron makes 90% of the lubricants except for the GL-5 and Retinax grease.
I work at one of their lube centers, so that is where I got my info. Just wanted to point that out before the question arose.
Yes, this is true, they are identical actually since the Chevron/shell takeover of texaco. Chevron makes 90% of the lubricants except for the GL-5 and Retinax grease.
I work at one of their lube centers, so that is where I got my info. Just wanted to point that out before the question arose.
I've used Castrol GTX in my car since I bought it, and it has 130k miles now.
Since I've started changing my own oil, I use:
Havoline
Mobil Drive Clean
Quaker State
All 5W-30 dino.
I have yet to hear of anyone who has had any engine problems due to using any brand-name oil (including Valvoline)... people just gripe about UOA results. As far as I can tell, if you change your oil regularly (every 5000 miles or less), you'll be fine using any brand-name oil in the weight that is recommended for your vehicle.
Brand-name dino oil goes on sale so frequently, I don't see why anyone would consider buying a no-name brand. Last time I went to Checkers, I bought a case of Havoline for $0.69/quart (with mail-in rebate).
Since I've started changing my own oil, I use:
Havoline
Mobil Drive Clean
Quaker State
All 5W-30 dino.
I have yet to hear of anyone who has had any engine problems due to using any brand-name oil (including Valvoline)... people just gripe about UOA results. As far as I can tell, if you change your oil regularly (every 5000 miles or less), you'll be fine using any brand-name oil in the weight that is recommended for your vehicle.
Brand-name dino oil goes on sale so frequently, I don't see why anyone would consider buying a no-name brand. Last time I went to Checkers, I bought a case of Havoline for $0.69/quart (with mail-in rebate).
I'm not one of the guru's, but I am a disgustingly cheap convenience store shopper, and you can buy SL Shell Clean Formula 10W-30 at Dollar General for $1; and a really fine CITGO SL 10W-30, 10W-40, and 30 grades at Dollar Tree stores for $1.
Or, go to Wal-Mart and get the Phillips Trop Arctic Group II oil for $1.04.
Jehovah oil????
Watch it lads, they'll stone you to death for that.
Now write out a hundred times, "Romans go home".
Watch it lads, they'll stone you to death for that.
Now write out a hundred times, "Romans go home".
Tall Paul -
I have never seen a car maker that recommends "only" 10w40 motor oil for a vehicle. What I have seen is temperature ranges with several oil options that cover the various temps. In most cases 10w30 covers the temp range for all but the hottest temps in which case you should be using 15w40 anyway.
My "real world" answer is to use a good synthetic 5w30 or 5w40 the year around and forget about it.
Remember the reason 10w40 dino got all the bad rap? Something about the viscosity extenders "burning up" or "crystalizing"in the engine and fouling up the rings. That is why almost no car maker recommends 10w40 dino any more. I don't want any of that **** in my engine in the first place.
I have never seen a car maker that recommends "only" 10w40 motor oil for a vehicle. What I have seen is temperature ranges with several oil options that cover the various temps. In most cases 10w30 covers the temp range for all but the hottest temps in which case you should be using 15w40 anyway.
My "real world" answer is to use a good synthetic 5w30 or 5w40 the year around and forget about it.
Remember the reason 10w40 dino got all the bad rap? Something about the viscosity extenders "burning up" or "crystalizing"in the engine and fouling up the rings. That is why almost no car maker recommends 10w40 dino any more. I don't want any of that **** in my engine in the first place.
Patman
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If you look at the specs on most 10w40 dino oils though, you'll see that most of them are thin 40wt oils around 13.5 cst at 100c. So they aren't all that much thicker than your typical high mileage 10w30 (which is around 12 cst in most cases) I don't think the latest versions of 10w40 use as much VII in them as the stuff from the 70s and 80s.
FWIW, my dad had a 2001 Infiniti QX4 (same V6 engine that goes in the Maxima and Altima) and it's owner's manual allowed for 10w40 in the summer.
Slightly OT to this post, but I saw a few people bashing Slick 50 earlier in this thread. I won't use Fram filters because I consider them on a par with Slick 50. I don't understand why Allied Signal chose to release a PTFE-impregnated oil filter against the advice of DuPont. Besides, their filters aren't that great, anyway, even aside from the Teflon issue.
Re: Oil, I personally use Shell Rotella 15W40 in one car and Mobil 1 15W50 in the other, just because I feel they offer a good balance of price vs. performance. Don't particularly hate on too many oils, although I don't think I will ever use a non-HDEO, non-syntetic oil again what with the price of Rotella being so cheap.
nate
Re: Oil, I personally use Shell Rotella 15W40 in one car and Mobil 1 15W50 in the other, just because I feel they offer a good balance of price vs. performance. Don't particularly hate on too many oils, although I don't think I will ever use a non-HDEO, non-syntetic oil again what with the price of Rotella being so cheap.
nate
I admit, I can't point you to such. My F150 "takes" 10w40 because that's what I give it.
My only argument here is price, but of course there is always Rotella, if one is willing to go HDEO.
What Patman said. BTW, I am looking to get a thicker 10w40 than the current 14 cSt I am using.
The arguments I recall from this site are "weak add pack" and "overpriced." I don't know that the add pack is any "weaker" than a lot of other oils out there, but for a lack of moly maybe. But for the record, you can chalk me up as a Valvoline user: I have 54 quarts of Maxlife, Synpower, and Durablend at home.
Re: the whole Castrol thing: You may recall, when Castrol was about to make their move to G III, that the entire benefit of Group III vs. IV and V was presented -- at least in the industry press -- as being a cost-to-produce benefit: period. It provided "near PAO quality" for much, much less cost. In other words, Castrol made the move to increase their margin by dropping their costs while still charging PAO prices.
The issue isn't, wasn't, and never will be the "quality" of G III vs IV or V. While I agree that a lot has changed in the industry since then, and that quality-wise and perhaps even cost-wise the two are much closer than they were, it seems indisputable to me that anyone can argue that Castrol wasn't simply trying to save costs and boost profits by marketing the new oil as "synthetic." What does that make them? A corporation. No more or less evil than any other. But, as with FRAM, if I'm going to be spending the same $4.50 regardless of the ingredients or the name on the bottle, why shouldn't I go with something that is closer in price to what it cost to produce? That's why I abandoned Castrol, regardless of where the situation stands now.
Bottom line, I defy anyone to ruin their engine by running any commercially available, off-the-shelf oil changed at reasonable, regular intervals with the level topped up. Can't be done, I'm certain.
The issue isn't, wasn't, and never will be the "quality" of G III vs IV or V. While I agree that a lot has changed in the industry since then, and that quality-wise and perhaps even cost-wise the two are much closer than they were, it seems indisputable to me that anyone can argue that Castrol wasn't simply trying to save costs and boost profits by marketing the new oil as "synthetic." What does that make them? A corporation. No more or less evil than any other. But, as with FRAM, if I'm going to be spending the same $4.50 regardless of the ingredients or the name on the bottle, why shouldn't I go with something that is closer in price to what it cost to produce? That's why I abandoned Castrol, regardless of where the situation stands now.
Bottom line, I defy anyone to ruin their engine by running any commercially available, off-the-shelf oil changed at reasonable, regular intervals with the level topped up. Can't be done, I'm certain.
kev99sl - Bottom line, I defy anyone to ruin their engine by running any commercially available, off-the-shelf oil changed at reasonable, regular intervals with the level topped up. Can't be done, I'm certain.
Shame on you - if you keep this logic up there will be nothing to argue about! Bravo!
Shame on you - if you keep this logic up there will be nothing to argue about! Bravo!
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