Question for oil collector

Joined
Mar 15, 2012
Messages
1,786
Location
PEARL River la
How do you make a decision on which oil to use first? I have the oldest I bought was Valvoline Advance Maxlife Synthetic and still have 1 5qt with a partial one with 4 qts all are March 20 then I recently bought Shell Gas Truck 0w20 jugs (3), 6 qts 0w20 , 5 qts 5w20, and 3 qts 5w30 on cheap oldest being January 19. Vehicle takes 6 qts with oil change averaging 9 months. Thought about using partial 5w20 Maxlife and 2 qts Shell first but don't know if base would be affected since different companies as well as different specifications SN+ and Sp. All oils meet certification requirements although manual states 5w20 or 5w30.
 
I stopped hitting the oil sales a long time ago. All I'd end up doing is giving it away haha. My stash now only consists of a half quart QSFS 5W-30 and a full quart Magnatec 5W-30. But SP.
 
It's not like it's going to expire. It was in the ground for millions of years. If you don't use it for a few years or a hundred years, it won't go bad. Just shake the bottle good before using.;)
I understand 5 years is what oil companies state. Heck if you listen to ads this might be last oil as gov wants electric. 🤔
 
Once I hit 30 quarts in my stash, I started putting a label on the bottles with the date purchased. Fortunately I stopped buying oil by the quart containers and now only buy it by the 5 or 6 quart containers. So whenever I need to do an oil change, I just pick the earliest date I see on the containers.
 
I use any opened/unsealed container first, then by date. I'm not super worried though, as I believe oil can sit for many years without issue. I also have no concerns about mixing different winter weights, and even stepping outside of the specc'd weight in my old beater. I don't do that in the wife's new car though. I certainly wouldn't give a moments concern over using different manufacturer's oils in either vehicle.
 
I try to cycle through oldest to newest. First I pour in any open bottles, then top off with an unopened bottle. This keeps things simple on the garage shelf. No more than one opened bottle per viscosity.

Example: My CR-V takes 4.5 qts. I have .5 qt left in a jug. That 0.5qts gets poured into the 4Runner first, then a full jug, then part of another jug 6.6qts total. The empty 0W-20 bottles get flipped and the drip oil drains into the last opened 5qt jug. Next oil change, the opened 5qt jug gets used first.
 
I try to cycle through oldest to newest. First I pour in any open bottles, then top off with an unopened bottle. This keeps things simple on the garage shelf. No more than one opened bottle per viscosity.

Example: My CR-V takes 4.5 qts. I have .5 qt left in a jug. That 0.5qts gets poured into the 4Runner first, then a full jug, then part of another jug 6.6qts total. The empty 0W-20 bottles get flipped and the drip oil drains into the last opened 5qt jug. Next oil change, the opened 5qt jug gets used first.
That is what I am planning to do. 4qts Valvoline Advance Maxlife Synthetic 5w20 left 5 qt container and 2 individual qts Shell 5w30.
 
That is what I am planning to do. 4qts Valvoline Advance Maxlife Synthetic 5w20 left 5 qt container and 2 individual qts Shell 5w30.
I do that all the time. The previous oil change in my motorcycle was 1 qt Mobil1 that I found on a shelf when I cleaned out my garage, 2 qts Valvoline left over from a case and 1 qt Castrol. That oil change took me through 7 states and 4500 miles on my 2019 summer trip.
 
I have no real rhyme or reason in how I use my stash for the most part.

I know my 0w-20 oils go into my Scion, 5w-20 oils go into my truck, 5w-30 is for the Kia and older Santa Fe, 10w-30 is for the newer Santa Fe, and any conventional or blend oil goes into my brother in laws truck.
Age of oil really does not play a part.
 
Back
Top