Shelf life of today's synthetic oil

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Aug 27, 2020
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Does anyone have any insights on the shelf life of QSUD? I see WalMart has it on sale for $14.67 for a 5 quart jug. I just purchased a car, and it's the first time I have had a car in 7-8 years. I'm not sure how much I'll be driving but I'm guessing about 5K miles a year. I live in a Philadelphia, so it will mainly be city driving. I'm planning on doing 5k OCI. I bought a few jugs of the QSUD when I saw the price and I was thinking of buying more, but it may end up sitting around for years. What's the risk of the oil sitting on the shelf for an extended period?

The car in question is a 2017 Kia Forte S with 33k miles. It has the 2.0 MPI engine. I specifically avoided turbo and GDI engines. I'm going to have the oil changed this week (i'd rather change it myself, but I don't have anywhere to do it). It was a lease and I have no idea how long the oil has been in it. The oil that is in there looks and smells fine but I want to change it just to be sure. Last car I had was a 96 Maxima that I had for about 15 years. It had 170k on the odometer when I parted ways with it and it was still running strong.
 
Indefinite in my opinion if stored in a temperature controlled environment.If it gets well above 100F and below 0F on a regular basis that may shorten the life (according to Mobil) but I have no idea by how much. I would likely try to use it within a decade in that case.
 
I'm using SM rated QS Advanced Engine Full Synthetic. At the time, that was the name of their top PCMO. I got a large batch of it around 2007-08. It's just starting to get a little cloudy deposit in the deepest part of the clear bottle. Other than that it looks great, and I'll continue to use it in the Vibe.
QS Bottle.jpg
 
I'm using SM rated QS Advanced Engine Full Synthetic. At the time, that was the name of their top PCMO. I got a large batch of it around 2007-08. It's just starting to get a little cloudy deposit in the deepest part of the clear bottle. Other than that it looks great, and I'll continue to use it in the Vibe.View attachment 28289

Shake, Shake, Shake!

Aren't you afraid to use that ancient PAO/POE oil when you could have a modern GIII/GIII+.... Ahhh... Never mind...
 
Would you use this oil ? Stored in temps above 50 degrees . View attachment 28415View attachment 28416View attachment 28418
Yes I'd use it. There is an article where Blackstone tested oil a few decades old and it was still fit for service for vehicles of that era. I can't imagine that oil being a problem. Warm it up a bit before shaking it, maybe by placing it in the hot sun or on near the radiator when you shut the engine before changing the oil. Then shake it and use it.
 
Would you use this oil ? Stored in temps above 50 degrees .
Yup, without hesitation. I used Pennzoil Platinum that was made in 2009 (SM rated) in a 2012 vehicle in the year 2017, so 8 years old.
It met the engine spec, so I used it.
Pennzoil is notorious for having that stuff in the bottom of bottles, even ones less than a year old.
Key is to leave about 1/4 qt in the jug and shake that, it gets it all "dissolved" again better than full.

Seems someone in the past sent a sample of this and it was a lot of moly?
 
BluPupher: I’ve used retells T4 10w30 and conventional 15w40 in vehicles (diesel of course) at work. Some jugs had little line of black stuff on bottom. Added new oil to the jug and it mixed back in
 
I have some SM Napa syn 5w20 that was stired in my work truck tool box in Colorado for a few years and now sit 9n a shelf in my hot Texas garage.. I shake those bottles now and then but have been hesitant to use.
 
I ran 10 yr old Castrol "magic green" that had been stashed in an unheated shed in Indiana. In a bunch of OPE and cars and trucks with no problems. Not a definitive experiment by any means, but should give you some confidence.
 
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