Valvoline Restore & Protect 5w-30 (Gonna Take a Chance)

[cheesepuffs2]

Valvoline does have a chain of Stores performing oil changes , and other services. ( 1715 stores)
I wouldn't consider them a nobody or small player.

Not anymore they don't. Valvoline Instant Oil Change has been separated from the Valvoline lubricants business.

 

[cheesepuffs2]

.Know this graph is a little old, but Valvoline bulk goes into Speedee oil change places, some Jiffy Lubes (most use SOPUS, some do use Valvoline), Grease Monkeys, and over 1700 Valvoline branded quickie lubes. I'd say they are 'Majors" - Valvoline is probably only beaten out due to Jiffy Lube using Shell.

To the bolded statement: Jiffy Lube doesn't "use" Shell. Jiffy Lube is wholly owned by Shell USA.

 

[michaelluscher]

Yeah, marketing works. Another full bottle at the ranch.View attachment 196645

Clear bottle QS and MAG1 was a fever dream

 

[4WD]

R&P isn't at Walmart yet. The price is almost $40 per jug at AutoZone, but that's par for the course at the parts stores always sell jugs of motor oil about $10 higher than Walmart. When this product hits Walmart shelves it'll be about $29 dollars.

The $38 was with an XL filter … So indeed you might have an average price at Walmart …

 

[cheesepuffs2]

Yup, and if we choose to run with the seemingly obvious:
- There's been considerable chatter on BITOG about cleaning up the ring lands since HPL appeared on the scene
- Valvoline comes out with an oil that they *specifically* target at the folks looking for this function

This follows:
- knowing that a large portion of the member base won't pony up the money for HPL
- knowing that the membership posts are not representative of the amount of traffic this forum sees
- knowing that they can just have Afton tweak an additive package or they (Valvoline) can tweak the base oil blend in order to make this claim

It's probably a very low investment that has the potential to garner some decent sales. Certainly the potential to be a much more successful product than Nexgen was.

Marketing. Know your audience.

Valvoline does not care one bit about what's trending in the BITOG community. Like Foxtrot said, this (and many other products) are aimed at the service industry to be able to up-sell customers.

For an example, here's a CRC video that outlines their newer GDI Intake Cleaner. Go to 13:38 to where they specifically pitch it as an up-sell for shops. This product is also sold in autoparts stores (I've used it, I like it) but the DIY community, while large, pales in comparison to the amount of car owners having their car serviced for them. The real money/volume is in service, and products like Valvoline R&P give service writers a new pitch.

Valvoline's marketing team most likely determined that customers respond more to the idea of "restoring and protecting" their engine, rather than getting "extended protection". Extended protection implied that the regular product was already protecting to begin with. Mind you that in this economy and with new car prices being so high, more car owners are inclined to keep the car that they have, and spend money to maintain it versus just trading it in. So the "restore and protect" naming/pitch also lends itself toward that mindset. That is almost certainly not a coincidence.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

The $38 was with an XL filter … So indeed you might have an average price at Walmart …

Average price means average formulation. Nobody’s giving away anything for free, especially the Saudis…

 

[cheesepuffs2]

Average price means average formulation. Nobody’s giving away anything for free, especially the Saudis…

This is why I don't understand too, how people here think they're getting something revolutionary for nothing. HPL quality for instance comes with the price to match, but it's justified. You're not getting an HPL type oil for basic consumer-level prices at a big-box store.

 

[4WD]

This is why I don't understand too, how people here think they're getting something revolutionary for nothing. HPL quality for instance comes with the price to match, but it's justified. You're not getting an HPL type oil for basic consumer-level prices at a big-box store.

Time will tell … right now this thread rambles on with assumptions

 

[michael007]

R&P isn't at Walmart yet. The price is almost $40 per jug at AutoZone, but that's par for the course as the parts stores always sell jugs of motor oil about $10 higher than Walmart. When this product hits Walmart shelves it'll be about $29 dollars.

I think it's an AutoZone exclusive, at least for now

 

[cheesepuffs2]

@michael007 they received it first, but somebody already emailed Valvoline and they said it's rolling out to the rest of the stores in the next couple weeks.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

This is why I don't understand too, how people here think they're getting something revolutionary for nothing. HPL quality for instance comes with the price to match, but it's justified. You're not getting an HPL type oil for basic consumer-level prices at a big-box store.

The other thing, for sure at the $27-29 range at the shelves at WalMart, is while R&P may actually clean (if it’s formulated properly; I forget which test @Tom NJ said was needed to detect esters and ANs- FTIR?) there’s no way in Hades you’re getting the TBN retention, oxidation, and nitration control results to go 30k+ miles like @wwillson and @Direct_Rejection are.

I saw a “funny” but true comment in wwillson’s thread, where HPL was asked how long their oil will remain serviceable, and the answer was “longer than you’ll be comfortable”. How true. If you buy into the 3.5 EcoBoost hysteria (I don’t), if you don’t change the oil every 3-5k miles, you’re going to be broke down roadside with bad phasers, chain guides, and almost everything else. I went 15k on the PCMO which is the same as the fleet protocol; I will sample the No VII at 15k and go from there. I doubt I will be as bold as Wayne; even stopping at 20k makes it a once-per-year OCI which is plenty of ROI for me.

The biggest thing I see that nobody’s really mentioned, that could be a HUGE nail in the coffin for the Valvoline, is: how much, and what type of VII is used? If it’s not shear stable, and put in a TGDI with fuel dilution, this may just be another $30, 5k OCI oil. In that case, the $70, 15-20k oil wins every time on cost and downtime. Time will tell.

 

[4WD]

The other thing, for sure at the $27-29 range at the shelves at WalMart, is while R&P may actually clean (if it’s formulated properly; I forget which test @Tom NJ said was needed to detect esters and ANs- FTIR?) there’s no way in Hades you’re getting the TBN retention, oxidation, and nitration control results to go 30k+ miles like @wwillson and @Direct_Rejection are.

I saw a “funny” but true comment in wwillson’s thread, where HPL was asked how long their oil will remain serviceable, and the answer was “longer than you’ll be comfortable”. How true. If you buy into the 3.5 EcoBoost hysteria (I don’t), if you don’t change the oil every 3-5k miles, you’re going to be broke down roadside with bad phasers, chain guides, and almost everything else. I went 15k on the PCMO which is the same as the fleet protocol; I will sample the No VII at 15k and go from there. I doubt I will be as bold as Wayne; even stopping at 20k makes it a once-per-year OCI which is plenty of ROI for me.

The biggest thing I see that nobody’s really mentioned, that could be a HUGE nail in the coffin for the Valvoline, is: how much, and what type of VII is used? If it’s not shear stable, and put in a TGDI with fuel dilution, this may just be another $30, 5k OCI oil. In that case, the $70, 15-20k oil wins every time on cost and downtime. Time will tell.

This starts with a nonsensical paragraph - you need to get a grip on your HPL obsession - it’s bad …

 

[Tom NJ]

The other thing, for sure at the $27-29 range at the shelves at WalMart, is while R&P may actually clean (if it’s formulated properly; I forget which test @Tom NJ said was needed to detect esters and ANs- FTIR?)

Gas chromatography is the test that best qualifies and quantifies the base oil type.

 

[SubieRubyRoo]

This starts with a nonsensical paragraph - you need to get a grip on your HPL obsession - it’s bad …

The other thing, for sure at the $27-29 range at the shelves at WalMart, is while R&P may actually clean, there’s no way in Hades you’re getting the TBN retention, oxidation, and nitration control results to go 30k+ miles like @wwillson and @Direct_Rejection are.

What in my statement is nonsensical- “doesn’t have meaning or is ill-advised”? I also don’t have an obsession- “a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling” re: HPL, but thanks for your concern.

 

[4WD]

What in my statement is nonsensical- “doesn’t have meaning or is ill-advised”? I also don’t have an obsession- “a persistent disturbing preoccupation with an often unreasonable idea or feeling” re: HPL, but thanks for your concern.

Because you treat Valvoline like it’s in the same market as HPL - an industrial lubricant specialty company. Some of the rest is also misleading - sure they make shear stable lubes - but Wayne has a PI engine whereas an engine with fuel dilution is not going where he got to …
Extended TDI runs will be very engine specific and need UOA’s
(I can change oil for one UOA cost)

Then there are user/vehicle specifics - I have engines under warranty - not playing games with that - and are GDI. My Jeep is PI but super easy to change - and it goes off-road etc = need to go under it.
We even have people recommend HPL for brand new $100k+ vehicles ? Not everyone wants to do UOA’s over and over either …
Anyway, good as HPL is - I don’t understand the oblique comments over motor oils that most of the country won’t hear about …
If VRP is just a 5k oil (bet it makes OLM run) so what ?

 

[Davejam]

This is why I don't understand too, how people here think they're getting something revolutionary for nothing. HPL quality for instance comes with the price to match, but it's justified. You're not getting an HPL type oil for basic consumer-level prices at a big-box store.

I don't think anyone would claim this rises to the level of HPL. But if it was a step in that direction for a more reasonable price point and available more widely that would be great for the average consumer and for most members of the forum.
I think this is all anyone would really expect.

 

[ATex7239]

Maybe the “Restore & Protect” name refers to what VL is trying to do with their image after selling an American icon to Aramco….

*cricket chirps* I’ll see myself out now.

 

[EllieMae94]

I’ll piggy-back off 4WD and DaveJam comments with my vehicle use applications. My 2001 4Runner is used to deliver mail on a rural route for USPS. It takes me approximately 9 hours to drive 100 miles. That’s a lot of idle and slow speed driving time. Also I encounter extreme dusty conditions from all the gravel roads I drive on. I change my oil every 3,000 miles. The engine in it was a replacement a couple years ago, I had it apart (oil pan and valve covers) and it was heavily varnished, but thankfully no sludge.

I’m a big fan of HPL but do not want to do extended OCI’s. I’m excited to be using Valvolines Restore and Protect with the hopes it’s cleaning the varnish and ring deposits out but at a much lower price than HPL. Also, I don’t care Valvoline has been sold to the Saudis, many American companies have been sold to foreigners over the last few decades…

 

[buster]

It's an apples/oranges comparison. VRP is an oil designed for normal OCI. HPL is designed for extreme severe service. If you're looking for something for moderate drain intervals that will clean, go with VRP. If you want something more robust that will clean and last over a much longer drain interval go with HPL.

 

[Vitamin Yoda]

I doubt it.

Look, the Spectrometer tells you the elements present. That’s it. Elements.

But your question can only be answered by knowing the compounds, and the effectiveness of the compounds. The spectrometer won’t tell you that.

Because the spectrometer reduces the complexity of what you’re examining to the very basic elements, and from that, you can tell, well, very little.

It’s like taking a Lego model, and smashing it to individual bricks, then looking at how many bricks you’ve got. You have no idea if the model was good, or even what the model was before you smashed it.

I'm looking for the presence of Alkylated Naphthalene, Diisotridecyl Adipate, or similar compounds. These will show up as peaks on a FTIR graph. I'm merely looking for some sort of confirmation that it's more than just a marketing claim.

For instance, when Mobil introduced their "Triple Action" and "Triple Action+" formulations, they started advertising that:
"Helps remove sludge in ONE OIL CHANGE"

We know that Mobil uses Alkylated Naphthalene in these products, and more than that, they patented this research years ago. Valvoline came out of nowhere with this product, and although I might have a sneaky suspicion where they got the idea from, I'll keep that to myself, because personal opinions and hunches aren't worth much without proof and data.

And if the FTIR doesn't reveal anything of interest, then only testing can. If I could find somewhere to buy this product, I would try it, for sure. However, it's still hard to find. I guess it remains to be seen if it will become widely available. My personal opinion is that for now, at least, Valvoline is testing the waters so to speak, making and selling a little at a time. I'm sure the don't want to run into another "Modern Engine" situation where they had stock for sale years after they cancelled the product.