Originally Posted By: Tom NJ
Originally Posted By: sayjac
Is anyone else beginning to notice a theme in all these oil advisory warnings? That being, buying no name, off brand, store brand (O'Reilly), non major brand oil, is a crrapshoot.
I wouldn't go that far. The majority of the "non-major brand" oils tested have met all of the specifications, and are often sold at lower prices than the majors. And the majority of those that did not meet specifications were only slightly high in NOACK volatility. There are many fine, quality oriented private oil companies out there offering choice, convenience, and value. These companies should not be painted with the same brush as the few really bad oils found to date.
The blenders are listed on the PQIA site when they are identified on the labels.
I agree it can be difficult for consumers to know what they are buying, which PQIA is trying to help with. A major brand may offer some comfort, but an API certification mark is also very valuable.
Tom NJ
I'm certain you know much more about oil and oil testing than I do, though I clearly recognized that the majority of the no name, off brand, and store brands tested met spec. However, I also recognize the results to date show that it is the "non major brand" oils that have not met spec(no matter how small, some with API cert) in the testing. So, while there may be many acceptable non major brand oils, quite obviously there are those that are not. As a consumer without knowing for sure which non major meet or will meet spec, it seems no more than the luck of the draw.
And while some/many may cost somewhat less than dino from a major, in my experience many of the non majors oil sold in "convenience" stores are actually more expensive than the everyday major oil price at Wally.
Also in my experience, I have generally found the difference in price between the non major and major to be so small, it's not worth chancing it 'for me'. In other words, the cost benefit of using a non major versus a major dino is generally not worth it.
I do appreciate your work with this testing, though I doubt the average consumer (non Bitog) of these oils at places like convenience stores will ever know the results. It's only if the stores selling these oils remove them from the shelves, and/or the blenders bring them into spec that it will make a difference. Hopefully that will happen or is happening, but it would be an interesting follow up to see if these oils are now removed, and/or these oils are brought into spec.
