Picking oil for bottle?

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MY jetta is my first car, my first oil change, which was the day after i got the car (97 jetta) I was real low on money, so i got Havoline and Fram filter, I knew even at the time that Fram was bad, but it was on sale for a dollar, and I ran this for about 2000 miles till I got money, which was about 4 months ago and i was ready to do another change. I had 25 bucks to spend, and i told myself that i would not buy a synthetic or a blend so i would have money for techron cleaner. I took a long time to pick my oil, i didn't know as much about oil as i do now, but i knew the basics such as APi & GF and stuff. I looked at labels, held bottles, shaked them a bit, opend some up to see how they smelled, etc. Well, ultimately; here is what my choice came down too: Valvoline. why? The packaging looked nice. Pure white, with blue, in a hansomly packaged bottle and a window that let me see the oil. Also- i'll admit; the top mechanics use valvoline **** also made me fall for it. Well- now im about 2k in to valvoline, and no problems yet- but from what I hear, valvoline doesn't have as many detergents etc. as other oils, and it was a little over priced and if i had to do it again-I wouldn't of used it. Now; answer this honestly, does the design of the bottle sway your opinions about an oil?
 
Nope. If it did, i'd only buy the quaker state in the clear bottles. They're so nifty

Oh yeah, some may say that valvoline has a "weak" additive package, but i've come to learn that it's simply not true. What i mean is, theres a lot more to oil than what shows up in a voa or uoa.
 
dont let some on here scare you away from valvoline. its as quality as every other oil out there.
 
I think the old Pennzoil Platinum bottles were sort of neat (you can see them at your local Home Depot Museum for $2.60/qt).
 
I think you mean the Pennzoil Group 3 "full syn", Cougar. It had a handle molded into the bottle, and a /\/\/\/\/\/\/ pattern like billet-steel ramps carried on moving trucks. Cool bottle. But that didn't get me to buy it, it was the nice price. I bought Pennz Platinum full syn, it's in a plain old silver bottle printed with a lot of nonsense about "timed release" molecules. But that didn't drive me away...Why? Nice Price!
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Timed release..Jeez, if I wanted timed release, I'd go get married!
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Opened them up? If you want to smell the oil just turn it a bit and squeeze the bottle...you'll get a sniff without having to break the ring.

Packaging although having nothing to do with the product is a vital tool for marketing(on anything for that matter) There is a good reason Pennzoil is a bright yellow bottle and Quaker State in a bright green one. You walk down that oil aisle in Wally World and "bam" your eyes go right to them..no hunting, no nothing. Advertising is what it is all about...have a couple of friends who use Quaker State...when I asked them what they used the didn't say QS...." I dunno..the stuff in the green bottles I get at Walmart that Dennis Leary says to get"


Goose
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Hey guys, just for fun, transplant yourself back five to ten years before BITOG and ask yourself: How did I choose my preferred oil/oil filter brand.

Before having a knowledge of oil, it was ALL about perception, marketing, up-bringing, personal bias:

- Many years ago, Pennsylvania crude was the best.
- Then, I'm not gonna use an oil that sludges.
- Pay me now or pay me later - everyone uses orange so it must be the best.
- If most mechanics use it......
- Designed for higher revving 4 cyl. engines...
- Not going to support a company that upset the synthetic definition.....

I can remember asking/telling myself "it's impossible for the average Joe to determine motor oil quality."

The tricks marketing plays on us. I bet it still influences us in a subliminal way - ie. bottle design.

Most have come to BITOG to find the holy grail, which each person does, only then learn that nearly all oils today perform well.

Good topic KieferS -you exposed our weaknesses!
 
As doitmyself said, I followed advertising lines to pick/justify oil use before - I've always thought Pennzoil's "Stop. Go. Pennzoil" slogan was great - 'hey, they're making an oil for real world driving, instead of pandering to NASCAR race fans/hot rod fans who don't drive like that anyway'....
 
I've actually pondered, if I changed my oil obsessively, like every 2000 miles, which is within the range of any oil...

Would they make an oil just for me, with more OIL, and fewer additives, that would protect better over that short a period? Kind of like a racing oil that should be dumped every night? For that attitude, I'd seek out an oil with a "weak add pack"... Valvoline!
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You might only have 100 posts, but you have the oil sniffing additude of those with 1000s who post in the euro botique section. And with a $1 filter, even of dubious quality, you're penny pinching with the best of us too.
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And deferring money from oil for other systems (techron) you realize the engine will probably outlast the car. Nicely done. Antifreeze and transmissions are other good maintenance candidates.

Keep up the good work.
 
Well thank you jefino- I think I found new hobby... Oil hunting, hehe.
But, what I really know is will Valvoline let me last for 5k intrevels? I don't run my intrevels that long on conventional, but if i wanted too, would valvoline be a good candidate, with its 'weak add pack'?
 
As long as you don't drive a mile and shut it down again, eg you get up to temp, any oil will do 5000 miles.

I put "weak add pack" in quotes b/c it's the rep it gets from this board, not from any shortcoming.

BadTLC is right, look up your motor and or oil in the UOA section for what are most likely great reviews.
 
quote:

Originally posted by Blue_Goose:
If you want to smell the oil just turn it a bit and squeeze the bottle...you'll get a sniff without having to break the ring.

So, you're the one, huh?
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I wish I had a dollar for every bottle I've picked up over the past several years and gotten gooey from because some imbecile kid loosened the cap specifically to dribble some oil along one of the sides or the back of the bottle when he tilted the bottle (the fronts are always dry, so this nonsense is intentional as far as I'm concerned). Most often at WalMarts - so I suspect some rite of passage for street gangers or somethin'.
 
One time I tilted the bottle, squeezed it and a jet of oil shot out all over the Walmart floor.
I looked to my left, looked to my right, coast was clear, so I wondered my but out of there over to the electronics department.. LOL
 
I have to admit, years ago, I bought Pennzoil because of the bright yellow bottle. It looked so happy sitting there on the shelf it must be good for my motor. I then went with Castrol because I finally saved enough money to buy my first (And only) new car - a '93 Geo Metro. With three cylinders, I knew I would need an oil for a "higher revving engine." After a few years of that, I started buying the cheapest oil I could find, either Super Tech or whatever was on sale. As long as it had that API stamp of approval somewhere on the bottle. My Dad however, has been a Valvoline man for years for the simple reason that the place he buys his oil, (local NAPA dealer) stocks Valvoline.
 
quote:

Originally posted by KieferS:
....Now; answer this honestly, does the design of the bottle sway your opinions about an oil?

I turned down massive quantities of Redline that AAP was clearing out a couple years back. I didn't know much about RL back then, & I turned it down because I thought the packaging made the oil look "cheap". Doooooooooooooh!
 
Well, I liked Formula Shell when it had a black bottle. I don't like oil in white bottles. I don't buy Formula Shell.
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One qualification: I bought FS because it was on sale. It worked very well in my, at the time, smoking Caravan. I've never bought it since due to other product distractions ..and haven't seen it on sale either. The evolution to the white bottle makes me not want to buy it though.
 
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