Why does motul oil have such a short shelf-life?

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Cat117

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I bought my first bike, and i recently did my first sparkplug and oil change on it.

I noticed that the motul website states that no one should run the oils after 2 years of storage from the manufacturing date stated on the bottle.

The thing is thats only a few months from now , and this stuff is expensive.

Does anyone no why this stuff has such a short shelf life?

Oil in question is motul 7100 10w-40
 
No preservatives?
smile.gif


Seriously, I have no idea. Welcome to BITOG!

What bike did you buy?
 
I'm gonna hazard a guess it's just marketing.

They want you to pickup new stuff so they put an expiration date in the literature and a date in the jugs.... If it's sealed and not stored in direct sun or a snowbank since you've hand it I'd use it and not worry a bit.
 
The only thing I can think of that would cause a short shelf life like that would be additive insolubility. If they use an additive they know is going to settle out over time (let's say 3 years), then putting a 2 year shelf life on it would make sense.

This is all speculation though as I do not know for certain that is the reason.
 
bike is a kawasaki ninja with the 300cc engine. I just got my class m liscence 2 weeks ago from an MSF course and i enjoy riding a lot.


Motul says that ALL oils they sell are only good for 2 years, and they claim that they keep a sample in a test tube or something from every batch they make and examine it at the end of those 2 years to make sure it hasnt malfunctioned.

here is the webpage

https://www.motul.com/us/en-us/community/445

i wonder what they would reply in e-mail ..
 
B_S - Motul is just trying to move stock. I have 5 year old Motul in storage and will run it in a heart beat, in a race motor that will beat on it mercilessly ...

I buy it when I can get it w/o doing a bankrupting buy. So I have quarts/liters that have to sit. And they will until I use it. Not buying the Corp Kool Aid
laugh.gif


Petro-Canada has stated that oil stored in an warehouse w/o temps low enough to cause wax crystallization is good for 5 years, minimum. That's for the brands they carry. Motul can't be that different, or we would not be able to use it ...

Disregard the B_S and use when you want. Or, if you are real concerned, just send it to me for proper disposal (in one of my bikes
laugh.gif
) ...
 
Originally Posted By: Ohle_Manezzini
If a 300V...Maybe Diester is higroscopic, but 7100, IDK
21.gif



My vote gets this?

I doubt its to sell more oil, many manufacturers of products hate for the consumer to know the actual date a product will not be up to its full potential as they dont want you picking and choosing the best date off the shelf, causing old product to sit around until really no good.
Example, Heineken Beer uses a mystery of numbers on its boxes. Sam Adams uses a date the consumer can read.
 
Originally Posted By: Cat117
I bought my first bike, and i recently did my first sparkplug and oil change on it.

I noticed that the motul website states that no one should run the oils after 2 years of storage from the manufacturing date stated on the bottle.

The thing is thats only a few months from now , and this stuff is expensive.

Does anyone no why this stuff has such a short shelf life?

Oil in question is motul 7100 10w-40


Because like some French wines, it doesn't age well in the bottle and is meant to be consumed young?
More likely because many manufacturers of all sorts of things like to give product expiration dates and two years is the commonly used default for those products for which no well defined shelf lives exist.
I don't think I'd take this date too seriously.
 
Originally Posted By: edwardh1
ask on a bike forum


Sure. Only on a bike forum will you find considered judgement, because they, like, ride bikes.

In fact this story isn't apparently restricted to motorcycle oil. I suppose I'd better post this again. Apologies if you've seen it before.

http://www.machinerylubrication.com/Read/172/lubricant-storage-life

Its titled "Lubricant Storage Life Limits - Industry Needs a Standard " but if you read it you might reasonably conclude that "industry doesn't need a standard", since they don't appear to have one, nor any basis for one.

There is absolutely no evidence reported here for on-shelf deterioration of motor oils. Instead, its served up as a ready-cooked "given" with a side order of "The sky is falling" Chicken-Little panic salad.

They survey industry recommendations. Table 4 (recommended shelf life for indoor storage at 20C) is especially instructive

Major oil company C: 10-30W Motor Oil (mineral) 1 YEAR
Major oil company C: 10-30W Motor Oil (PAO) 1 YEAR:
Major oil company D: 10-30W Motor Oil (mineral) 1 YEAR
Major oil company D: 10-30W Motor Oil (PAO) 1 YEAR:

Independant oil company B: 10-30W Motor Oil (mineral) Virtually unlimited *
Independant oil company B: 10-30W Motor Oil (PAO) : Virtually unlimited
Independant oil company C: 10-30W Motor Oil (mineral) : Infinite
Independant oil company C: 10-30W Motor Oil (PAO) : Infinite

1 year (!) isn’t very long, and 1 year to infinity is a pretty wide range.

IF the 1 year had a basis in fact, it could mean that the major oil companies massive (but of course secret) testing of their latest oils, extending over several decades, has told them that their oil is particularly fragile.

OR it could be that their general knowledge of the chemistry of their product makes them think it might be particularly fragile, though its odd that the PAO, plausibly believed to be more stable in an engine, is just as fragile on the shelf.

OR it could be that they wanted to cover their big fat corporate arse, and pulled the smallest number out of it that they thought they could get away with.

Perhaps I'm too cynical, but I've found its actually quite difficult to be TOO cynical, and often quite an effort to be cynical enough.
 
In my industry, oils have a shelf life due to the anti-toaming additives in the oil...

They degrade and foam in high speed bearings is a no no.
 
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
In my industry, oils have a shelf life due to the anti-toaming additives in the oil...

They degrade and foam in high speed bearings is a no no.


Is that going to happen in motor oil?

Assuming it was the reason for the 1 YEAR recommendation above (I know you havn't said that, but as a hypothetical example) if the stuff lasted a year on the shelf at 20C, how long would it last in an operating engine?

I'd think it'd be measured in hours rather than days.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Cat117
I bought my first bike, and i recently did my first sparkplug and oil change on it.

I noticed that the motul website states that no one should run the oils after 2 years of storage from the manufacturing date stated on the bottle.

The thing is thats only a few months from now , and this stuff is expensive.

Does anyone no why this stuff has such a short shelf life?

Oil in question is motul 7100 10w-40


ACEA sequences usually get updated every even year, so if you have 2 year old oil, it's outdated...
 
Originally Posted By: Ducked
Originally Posted By: rooflessVW
In my industry, oils have a shelf life due to the anti-toaming additives in the oil...

They degrade and foam in high speed bearings is a no no.


Is that going to happen in motor oil?

Assuming it was the reason for the 1 YEAR recommendation above (I know you havn't said that, but as a hypothetical example) if the stuff lasted a year on the shelf at 20C, how long would it last in an operating engine?

I'd think it'd be measured in hours rather than days.


It's an interesting idea, to be sure. We have to dispose of oil 3-5 years after its MFG date, but it is able to be tested and recertified for continued storage and use.

On the other hand, if a can's shelf life expires in June 2016 and I pour it into the engine in May 2016, I don't have to worry about the oil in use until the next scheduled oil service, which is anywhere from 500 to 2 years, depending on the engine. Regardless of whether it is retested after June 2016.

I know the applications are different, but certainly your typical motor oil can and does churn and foam.

I know we have a tribologist or two here, I think this would be an excellent question for one of them to chime in on.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Jetronic
Originally Posted By: Cat117
I bought my first bike, and i recently did my first sparkplug and oil change on it.

I noticed that the motul website states that no one should run the oils after 2 years of storage from the manufacturing date stated on the bottle.

The thing is thats only a few months from now , and this stuff is expensive.

Does anyone no why this stuff has such a short shelf life?

Oil in question is motul 7100 10w-40


ACEA sequences usually get updated every even year, so if you have 2 year old oil, it's outdated...


Is it outdated if your oil is ACEA-2012 and your car is a 2010?
 
Is there a shelf life on lubricants?

Motul is certified to ISO 9001. According to our quality procedure, Motul products are guaranteed for two years after their production date. To ensure the validity of this guarantee, a reference sample of each production batch is kept systematically and checked on a scheduled basis.

Their website does not say you can't use it. It says because of their procedure, they can't guarantee it. Big difference.
 
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