SuperTech oil call...Who's using it?

[csandste]

Cryptokid-- Remember there's Warren Distribution= Wal-Mart and Sears AND Warren Petroleum who just bought Coastal and also bottle for Advance Auto Parts.

Two different companies. I agree that Warren Distribution doesn't make any oil. They're a blending house and might be picking up stock from a variety of sources so things could vary. I think calls by others on this board indicated that all of their products were the same. Until last fall, I thought that Warren Distribution was just a bottler and the product came from Specialty Petroleum (another blending house) but Wal-Mart's MSDS sheets which matched exactly with Warren Distribution's indicated that they sourced it.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

Tonight I'm draining the SuperTech out of the car as I've noticed the oil level has noticeably dropped in the 200 miles it's been in the crankcase and the exhaust pipe now has a lip of "black". This car has never used any oil, until now. Back to the tried-and-true Chevron/Havoline for the ARx rinse cycle.

 

[Pluto5]

I use the S-T 5W-30 in two vehicles and have for years but never had to add any oil to either one. AS far as the black residue in the tailpipe you're going to have some carbon cause you're burning dino gas.

 

[JohnBrowning]

The problem with ST or Tech2000 is weak additive package! To date the few UOA we have of this oil show it being almost exhausted of TBN with in 2000-3000 miles! SO if you do 5000, 7500, 15000, or 17,000 mile OCI like some OEM's are recomending you will have a dirty engine in no time!

It would probably work fine if y ou change your oil every 1800-2000 miles and do an Auto-Rx rinse every 50,000 miles!

 

[BIGJ552000]

quote:

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Originally posted by Pluto5:
AS far as the black residue in the tailpipe you're going to have some carbon cause you're burning dino gas.

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I always thought that the black residue is from your car running too rich?!?!?

 

[Alan]

I don't buy that "weak additive package" stuff.Compare a VOA of ST 5W30 to Chevron/Havoline 5W30/10W30.Pretty equal.

Sure the TBN is lower but not dead.Chevron shows the same trend.Pretty much all of the cheap dino's would not fare well in the OEM OCI's you mentioned.

 

[OilAnal]

From a guy whose wife is a food buyer for Wal*Mart, he says that most things are just relabeled items. So I would expect WM to just ask for a spec, like GF3/SL oil. However, the vendor trying to make WM happy and to win the business might offer a cheaper item that just meets speces. It probably depends if it cost more to design, deliver and support a chepaer item or just go with the relabel. I would suspect for oil with all the testing issues it might just be best to relabel. Oil is almost a commidity anyway.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

BigJ, I don't doubt your reply, it's just that with owning Saturns I've experienced severe consumption issues--the dreaded black tailpipe. After seeing the oil go down 2 consecutive times in 2 different level surfaces it didn't make me very happy this past week. ST oil may have an average add pack, it just didn't fare all that well this time around. This car seems to like thick M1 and Chevron's products so far.

I think the daring SuperTech users are the ones using it in their Toyota V6 sludge-o-matics.

 

[garyb80]

I use SuperTech oil and have had good results comfirmed by UOA. http://theoildrop.server101.com/ubb/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=3;t=001172
It's my opinion that if a dino oil passes the minimum requirements for the API SL rating, it is just fine for anything but extreme conditions.
The differences in the various dino SL rated oils are so small, that it is unlikely your engine would notice if you were running a different brand (of the same viscosity). If you are racing, pulling a heavy trailer, or live in a very cold climate, your probably better off with a synthetic anyway.

 

[T-Keith]

quote:

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Originally posted by csandste:
I just Googled across this post on a motorboat site. I'm posting it in appreciation of the level of knowledgable response this site gets.

Many of you have criticisms of ST oil, but you don't quite go off as much as this guy. First I thought this guy worked as a service manager at a dealer, but tle might refer to a Wal-Mart. If so it's another example of a pissed-off American workforce:

"i work as a service manger at a tle
Super tech oil is trash ..work a engine hard and it breaks down super fast ..we do about 50 oil changes a day in my shop..40% of return visits of people who use super tech have no oil on there dip sticks ...in saturns or hyndi's most have no oil on stick ..super tech even has a dark look when comeing out of the bottle compared to val or cast gtx ..dont use it ..its a freaking 4$ more for max life or gtx 17.88$
if you hate your car sure load it up with super tech products ..i love how it turns to runney goo
its the same as going into a gas station and buying that white lable oil
lol"

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Yes this guy works at Wal-mart, but I wouldn't trust what he's saying. The fact is MOST people that get there oil changed at Wal-mart are very poor at maintenance. It has more to do with the fact that people who don't check or change there oil often enough are the same people that buy the cheap oil.
FACT: At least 30% of people getting an oil change at Wal-mart have no oil on there dipstick when the arrive.

I'm not saying Supertech is the best, but this reasoning is flawed.

-T

[ January 30, 2004, 10:17 AM: Message edited by: T-Keith ]

 

[edwardh1]

quality control bothers me.
Even tho its labelled API who knows?

i buy the chaeapest name brand oil.

 

[haley10]

50-50 chance either way. The best bet is to pay one dollar more for someone who is willing to put their name on the bottle and their reputation on the line or the dealer who is willing to warranty repairs that uses the bulk.

 

[csandste]

Risk w. ST oil. Blender runs a scam leaves Wal-Mart on the hook for big liability nation wide.

Risk w. bulk oil. Manager runs a scam (see comments from Wal-Mart service manager above, he might be working somewhere else by now) gets shiftless brother-in-law to drop SA non-detergent oil into tank. Wal-Mart on the hook for big liability at that store.

Who is more likely to be a crook, a blending company putting thousands of bottles into the supply system, or a nitwit assistant manager with a crooked brother-in-law?