Why Do You Choose the Oil, Filter and Parts You Use?

With the ongoing decline of aftermarket parts, I think Timmastertech pretty much nails the philosophy to follow. Brand names like Moog and Timken have variable reputations now. For us DIYers, I suppose it is o.k. to put an inferior part on a very old beater we intend to junk soon.

Oil filters? There is a good bit of information here to help sway one's choices, so OEM vs. aftermarket depends on the personal biases one develops studying the available information. Aside from defective ones (media, gaskets, valves, etc.), I question if a supposed higher efficiency one affects the vehicle ownership of "most" people. I use aftermarket filters on my cars.

Oil choice? Whew. I think that most here know that nearly any oil of the recommended grade and meets mfg./API standards (certified or not) will most likely keep the engine going longer than the rest of the car (exceptions, of course). So yes, Supertech vs. Name brand is generally a non issue. We all know this. Therefore, brand choice is probably a very complicated matter between individuals, probably based on very heavy biases and perceptions learned over the years. Heck, when I bought some Pennzoil recently at NAPA, the counterman said he could NEVER buy that brand based on their past history of paraffin sludged engines (I kid you not). My choices have changed over the decades because of the perceptions I developed. I.E., "developed for harder working 4 cylinder engines", "most used of professional mechanics", etc.. My current choice is still based on perceptions and bias, even knowing what I stated above.
 
I've been using M1 0w40 for so long in cars and trucks I own, I have no desire to change. I've been using some version of M1 since at least the early 1980s. I use OEM for ATF and coolant. Differentials and transfer cases, I find the 'best' mainstream synthetic I can find that meets the spec. Oil filters - I used to buy OEM in bulk, now I usually use M1 oil filters as part of a deal at Advance Auto. For motorcycles, I typically use the closest M1 motorcycle oil and OEM filters.

For leased cars that have included maintenance, whatever they put in them is fine. I don't pay much attention other than making sure it is as early as they will do it.

To me, it's not worth the stress of trying to find something new when I already have something that works. I know the formulations have changed over the years, but I still figure I'm not going to have bad results with M1. I am one of the few people that actually lost a motorcycle engine due to a Fram filter with bad threads, so I avoid Fram. Any other premium filter is fine, but I get the M1 filters for a minimal cost and I figure they are probably still pretty good.
 
Nearly every product I purchase I tend to find the intersection where lowest price is highest quality before price points result in diminished returns so as to not overpay for minimal improvements. I research items fairly extensively before buying, tying to find those with highest positive feedback or reviews, at the lowest price points.
 
For my Mazda CX 5, I used Mobil 1 EP at the suggestion of BITOG members and reading UOA's and stick with the OEM filter since no aftermarket filters are guaranteed to meet Mazda's specs regarding the ADB valve.

For my Jaguar F Type R, I only use the specially formulated Castrol Edge Professional EC5 oil that is brewed for Jaguar/Land Rover V8's and the OEM filter.

When I owned my Nissan 370Z is used Redline oil and either a Mobil 1 or Fram Ultra filter, both due to recommendations and UOA's found here on BITOG. The filters are so good that I would only change them every other oil change which was at 5000 miles on the oil.

If I hadn't started reading BITOG about 16 years ago I would probably still be using Castrol GTX and an orange Fram filter or whatever synthetic oil was on sale.
 
I have a 2014 Ram with the 5.7 hemi. New this truck was almost $50k. To replace the engine would cost around $7k or more. I think I'll maintain it with the cheapest fluids off the shelf that I can find. (Many apologies...just couldn't resist!)
 
I have two trains of thought regarding oil and filter choice, but both really center around cost. My first thought is the best value I can get for a 5,000 mile interval. Usually that will be anything on sale or rebate (or Super Tech). The other thought is the best priced oil I can get for an extended drain (10,000 miles). And that's usually Mobil1 EP or something similar. And then go with whatever is cheaper between the two. Right now because of the lack of rebates and raising oil prices, I just went with the Mobil1 EP. Next time it could be something different.

As for auto parts, it really depends on what part we're talking about. I'll give aftermarket brands a try, sure, but I'll read reviews and stuff like that.
 
It depends. I do some reading, then pick a path. Sometimes I change that path as new information becomes available to me.

Usually anything OEM is "best" in terms of performance... except when the aftermarket shows it's arguably better. Very often aftermarket is cheaper, sometimes aftermarket is lower quality but the cost savings is high enough that multiple replacements is still a cheaper alternative (sometimes, oftentimes! that is not true, so YMMV).

These days I tend to think oil is oil when it's going into the world's most boring cars (like mine). I know specifications matter and all, but for something that is used at 1/10th and never for a long OCI it really just doesn't matter. One can overthink these things.
 
I always try to find the highest quality first. Then I try to find it at the cheapest price. The hard thing to quantify is "highest quality."
It really is mostly subjective as far as I'm concerned. Then I tend to stay loyal, if that makes sense. Remember, this is just an opinion question.

Sorta got messed up this year when I couldn't buy the Michelin's I wanted for the IS350. Ended up with some Continentals.
I'm very ashamed to admit (and I might delete this post) but the Continentals are way better to ME on this particular car. Sorta
messed up my mind. I'm nervous thinking about what my next set of tires will be. LOL
 
I always try to find the highest quality first. Then I try to find it at the cheapest price. The hard thing to quantify is "highest quality."
It really is mostly subjective as far as I'm concerned. Then I tend to stay loyal, if that makes sense. Remember, this is just an opinion question.

Sorta got messed up this year when I couldn't buy the Michelin's I wanted for the IS350. Ended up with some Continentals.
I'm very ashamed to admit (and I might delete this post) but the Continentals are way better to ME on this particular car. Sorta
messed up my mind. I'm nervous thinking about what my next set of tires will be. LOL
I've generally always preferred Michelins - and I previously actively avoided continentals, but Continental makes some tires that work better for me in some applications. We had one specific BMW that the OEM equiv. Continental worked so much better than the OEM equiv. Michelin. On my G35, the Conti DW-06 (or whatever the ultra HP summer tire is) is truly horrible compared to the PS2, PSS, or PS4. On my Infiniti FXs, that same Conti DW-06 is much better than the equiv. Michelin - and it costs less. So... there's nothing wrong with realizing that the best brand for one application may not be the best brand for another. Neither of those brands is bottom of the barrel. Unfortunately for many MFGs, I've gotten bad tastes from a particular brand due to the tires supplied by the OEM when a car is new. I've run all the major brand's (and Vredestein's) UHP Summer tires at least once.
 
I have a 2014 Ram with the 5.7 hemi. New this truck was almost $50k. To replace the engine would cost around $7k or more. I think I'll maintain it with the cheapest fluids off the shelf that I can find. (Many apologies...just couldn't resist!)
Yeppers. Only the finest, top dollar, boutique oils for that mass produced, Mexico built V8 design from over a decade ago.
 
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