Ow
Ok there you go.
I had an Autozone employee tell me M1 Ow 20 oil was wesson oil and didnt have any weight to it. I jokingly replied that I planned to use it on the space shuttle since it was weightless.
Id guestimate that about 85-90% of the public thinks that the w stands for weight and they generally think heavier is better than lighter. I know of people putting 20w-50 into new honda civics because of old prejudices. Ive seen cars destroyed in the winter because they wouldnt crank and its a noisy death. You can walk up to a person in a mall shopping center and suggest a "lighter" oil and they wont appreciate the advice.
Recently I spoke with a petroleum engineer that I know fairly well and she was using a thicker oil than was specced for her car. She didnt know what she was doing so how can you expect Bitog type knowledge from the 3000 mile oil change crowd.
I hoped that XM as you call it *HeH* would educate the public that a 20 viscosity oil is a 20 viscosity oil and that lower cold start performance has its advantages but they didnt. I dont blame them really because they are in the business of turning inventory. We get marketing gimmicks like 15,000 mile oils that capture new shelf space but the 20 crowd was left behind as Ow oil was dropped.
Motor oil is like coke or beer and people have their favorites and they arent going to change even if they are misinformed. Hopefully, I wont ever have to buy another used car and deal with the results of other peoples ignorance.
Im glad Pennzoil Platinum is rushing to fill a void that M1 left open. And Im sure that I will be a customer. I find myself rooting and cheering for the Platinum used oil analysis that should be coming forth.
M1 seems to want marketing gimmicks, shelf space, and market share. Pennzoil seems to be creating better products. This seems to be a classic confrontation of style versus substance except that its in the motor oil world rather than the fashion industry. It will be interesting to see who wins the war.
Happy Motoring All,
Bugshu
