Switching to 5w30

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Kalle.J said:
ato.de would be my supplier. Stiff competition to say the least.
Ravenol comes in at
9.5 euro/L in in multiple 5L jugs.

View attachment 213993
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I am considering going back to the Ravenol DXG (5W-30) next change (from the Molygen 5W-20 currently in the sump now).
But our sole U.S. distributor (Blauparts) seems to be incapable of keeping this oil in stock, in ANY size container. :(
 
Fa24wrx said:
I have a wrx. I think hpl is expensive and overkill for me since I'm not doing long intervals
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So, here’s a couple questions for you. Why are you not doing long(er) intervals? Because the oil you’re using isn’t good enough to do so?

How much does the Motul run? I know it’s not cheap, and Motul has been known to fudge their advertising in the past. PUP, you’re north of $30-35 unless on sale, and 5 quarts of HPL will run you about $50 plus shipping.

Figure your PUP at $30 plus a $14 filter, plus $3 tax and maybe some shipping. Then toss in $25 for labor, since my time is worth at least $50/hr, and you’re “all-in” for roughly $75… and I get that if you DIY you’re technically not spending $25 in labor, but time isn’t free. Repeat that every 3-5k since that’s your emotional preference, and at the industry standard of 12k miles/year, you’re somewhere between $150-300 for oil & filters, with a hair more for Motul depending on the specific product line you choose.

Now with the HPL, we’ll call it $70 for oil (delivered) and the same $14 filter, and $25 for labor. That gives us $110 for a single OCI, a not insignificant 47% premium over PUP. However, even at a 5k interval on PUP, this means the break-even point for HPL is a mere 7,350 mile OCI. While I wouldn’t blindly go from 5k to the 15-20k OCI, the HPL is driven over 2 billion miles per year in a 3.5EB fleet in quite severe service conditions without issue. The two changes needed for 12k annual would bring you to ~$220/year, but there’s a very good possibility after a couple UOAs you’d likely find 12k is still fine. Two changes per year on HPL puts you about dead even with a 4k OCI regimen on PUP. The Motul comparison is even worse on the money front when its cost is closer to $70 than $30.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you can certainly buy & use whatever you want, but if you let the data guide your decisions rather than emotions, it’s hard to call HPL “expensive”… you can certainly say the upfront cost is higher, but when all factors are weighed and considered, it’s actually still a bargain compared to shelf-stock oils. Toss in the proven cleaning power of HPL and their great customer service, and to me it’s a no-brainer. Since you’re likely mail ordering your oil anyways, why not give it a try? You could possibly end up saving yourself a couple trips under the car per year and your engine won’t ever know the difference. 👍🏻
 
SubieRubyRoo said:
So, here’s a couple questions for you. Why are you not doing long(er) intervals? Because the oil you’re using isn’t good enough to do so?

How much does the Motul run? I know it’s not cheap, and Motul has been known to fudge their advertising in the past. PUP, you’re north of $30-35 unless on sale, and 5 quarts of HPL will run you about $50 plus shipping.

Figure your PUP at $30 plus a $14 filter, plus $3 tax and maybe some shipping. Then toss in $25 for labor, since my time is worth at least $50/hr, and you’re “all-in” for roughly $75… and I get that if you DIY you’re technically not spending $25 in labor, but time isn’t free. Repeat that every 3-5k since that’s your emotional preference, and at the industry standard of 12k miles/year, you’re somewhere between $150-300 for oil & filters, with a hair more for Motul depending on the specific product line you choose.

Now with the HPL, we’ll call it $70 for oil (delivered) and the same $14 filter, and $25 for labor. That gives us $110 for a single OCI, a not insignificant 47% premium over PUP. However, even at a 5k interval on PUP, this means the break-even point for HPL is a mere 7,350 mile OCI. While I wouldn’t blindly go from 5k to the 15-20k OCI, the HPL is driven over 2 billion miles per year in a 3.5EB fleet in quite severe service conditions without issue. The two changes needed for 12k annual would bring you to ~$220/year, but there’s a very good possibility after a couple UOAs you’d likely find 12k is still fine. Two changes per year on HPL puts you about dead even with a 4k OCI regimen on PUP. The Motul comparison is even worse on the money front when its cost is closer to $70 than $30.

Now, don’t get me wrong, you can certainly buy & use whatever you want, but if you let the data guide your decisions rather than emotions, it’s hard to call HPL “expensive”… you can certainly say the upfront cost is higher, but when all factors are weighed and considered, it’s actually still a bargain compared to shelf-stock oils. Toss in the proven cleaning power of HPL and their great customer service, and to me it’s a no-brainer. Since you’re likely mail ordering your oil anyways, why not give it a try? You could possibly end up saving yourself a couple trips under the car per year and your engine won’t ever know the difference. 👍🏻
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I appreciate you taking the time.

There are a few things wrong in your assumptions. I only used motul like once and PUP once. The motul was like $44 when I got it. And PUP was like $29 at Walmart. Regardless, I ended up going with Valvoline R&P 5w30 at $29 and the oem filter costs me $10 picked up (Cheaper when i get 3 or more together). So $39. It takes me all of 10 minutes to get on the ramp, turn my fumoto valve, change the filter, close valve and refill.

I plan on doing a UOA on the Valvoline. I'm sure that oil can get me to 5k oci. But time will tell.

The bigger thing is, I'm still under warranty. So, even though HPL is a great oil (I keep reading), I would like some OEM certs to stand on IF anything were to come up and I needed proof of oil changes. I'm not sure the HPL has oem certs.

And finally, I enjoy working on my car. I prefer doing a couple more changes, instead of less. It's ME time and also gives me a chance to inspect the car and look at things while the oil drains. Every other change, I do tire rotations and do a more thorough inspection. Could I easily afford HPL? Yes. My point was: I don't think it is worth it for my use case considering I want to do 3-4k mile OCI. Will I consider it in the future? Of course. But another part of why I love my car and do these things is because I enjoy it. Call it "emotions" if you want. It isn't all about maximizing every OCI to 7-12k miles.
 
The Valvoline Extended Protection has a very very solid additive package, probably the best I’ve seen and yet at a reasonable price with frequent sales. (PS - regular Valvoline Advanced is almost as solid an add pack as the extended protection, and the restore & protect is almost the same as the Extended Protection as well. I play the middle ground with the EP but I also have a few 12qt garage boxes of the 5W30 Advanced for summer use. Living by the Canadian border, I do use 0W20/0W30 in the winters as I need the cold start protection.

I would suggest if you live in Georgia, stay with 5W30 year round. In that state you won’t ever come even close to availing yourself of the low temp starting advantage that 0W offers. 5W30 will offer great protection for your car and keep it/you happy for many miles to come.
 
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