Ever been married to just one oil brand?

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Was just reading yet another debate on conventional vs synthetics and was reminded just how much I've learned from being around BITOG the last 10 years. I also had a thought back on the days when I was a Quaker State-and-Fram-every-oil-change guy, and then to my mid 20s when it was all Valvoline and Wix. Don't get me wrong, I love knowing all I've learned about oils here, but there is part of me that misses that loyalty to or fandom of just one brand. Or how simple that was. My Grandpa, God bless the man, didn't know what we know abut oils in the 1990s when he swore by Pennzoil - bought by the case - and AC Delco filters. But he knew what he liked, what worked in his cars, and he stuck with it. There was no chasing rebates, swinging by AutoZone to check on December clearance sales, or stashing six different brands of oils. (All of which I enjoy and am guilty of.) There's something nostalgic about that, I guess, even if the loyalty wasn't based on the science we have access to today.
 
Yes, for many years I used only Pennzoil, then Mobil 1, and now back to only Pennzoil. There was also a time where I used a few different brands.
 
My dad had a Chevron ( Halvoline being the other side of chevron) and Puro for as long as I remember. As for me, I look at specs, strengths and shortcomings of each oil and vehicle, and that match them to each other. HTHS for Harley, shear stability for R1, NOACK for the IS etc etc etc... Brands themselves mean nothing, unless you get into company achievements ie Deep Water Horizon, Valdez, Shell spill of 2016, Chevron in Campos Basin so many reasons to be loyal to a brand. Not.
 
Grandpa was a Kendall fan and running in high RPM sprint cars which he wrenched on - the Kendall wouldn't foam.
Cases of the stuff, filters usually Ac/ Delco, or Napa.

Since the late 80's to about 2014 its been mobil 1 exclusively.
Ive been cheating on Mobil 1 alternating with PP a few years now.
Filters- I date around a bit. FU/ Microgreen have been staple for a while Wix/Napa/ and dense as occasional flings
 
So aquariuscsm you are like Abraham out of the good book before the Law was handed down to Moses on Mt. Sinai??
 
Not really, but that actually has a lot of appeal that I've been considering lately. We keep our vehicles a long time and put HIGH miles on them (recently sold one of our Camry's at 346,000 miles). That car saw mainly M1 HM. Another has seen primarily PUP then PPHM. However, I also really like the Valvoline Full Syn with Maxlife (dexos) that I've been using lately and considering stocking nothing but it for our three vehicles.
We do zero short trips, drive cars that are easy on oil, and I enjoy changing oil...so, any of the tops would work. Even then, I wouldn't be completely loyal because I'll be sticking with Amsoil for our commercial mowing equipment.
 
Before BITOG, I was pretty much a devoted M1 user in my Tacoma. I tended to gravitate towards Valvoline conventional for everything else I had previously. For years, it was burned into my mind to avoid Pennzoil at all costs because of the infamous sludge myth. But, after doing some investigating and reading various threads here, I caved and tried Pennzoil Platinum in my Tacoma one spring about 2 years ago and fell in love. I liked the way the engine ran on it, sounded better, and oil consumption dropped. I've stayed pretty loyal to it ever since, although, I gave Amsoil a try about this time last year and noticed no big differences so switched back to Pennzoil and plan to stay there until something else comes along that works better for the same or better price.
I've always used Rotella products in my diesel, for several changes it was just the standard T 15W-40, but decided to give the T6 a try for better cold weather performance and love how much easier the engine turns over and starts now, even on a warm day you can tell it's not straining as hard to start like it did on the 15W. Rotella is cheap and easily found everywhere, I like using oil based on availability, especially considering my old 7.3 Powerstroke burns and leaks a little and needs makeup added throughout the OCI.
I started using Rotella T6 in my ATV as well and it seems to love the stuff. Although, due to concerns over shearing because having a shared crankcase and transmission, I'm going to give standard T 15W-40 a try in the quad this summer and see if it holds up better to shearing like many people here claim. The less gap in viscosities, the more shear stable as I understand it.

I'm really liking what SOPUS is doing, so I plan to stick with them until something else comes along that proves to suit my needs better. While other oils are really good, I'm one of those old school guys who doesn't like mixing different oils through the engine every OCI, even though it's not harming anything. Some habits just die hard! If I'm going to switch to something, I will either stick to it or dump it at my earliest convenience and go back to what I'm used to.
 
On my previous Ford (97 Escort) I swore by mobil 1 5w30. Once a year or every 15 k miles I'd swap it out with filter changes every 7.5k miles.

Then on a whim I tried Pennzoil synthetic for fun. Thought it would perform similar to the M1 under my extended OCI regimen. Boy was I shocked to see it CONSUMING the stuff (no leaks or drops to be noticed). I immediately dumped that OIC early and went back to M1. I thought the engine was ruined, but it wasn't. It ran the full 15 k mile OCI's with no consumption.

After that I vowed to NEVER oil swap if I want accurate results for extended OCI's.

I've since given up on syn engine oil in general since I now live in a warmer climate with warmer winters and cooler summers. Conventional on 8k mile OCI's is good enough for me and my Focus. No consumption or leaks to be noted with a spotless valve train and head.

Live and learn I guess.
 
In the 70's everyone around here ran Castrol 20w-50 or Rotella 15w-40.

We purchased the Rotella in 5 gallon buckets from maintenance guys working on tractors at night at construction sites or the freeway's.
 
Warmer climate in Canada??? Are you in Vancouver?? Or Nova Scotia??

Nothing wrong with what you are doing at all. You know what is working best for you. I think that what you stated makes a whole lot of sense. It is just when I think of Canada... I don't necessarily think of warmer weather all too much. Except for areas near Vancouver or Nova Scotia. Of course... The Canadian plains get rather warm in spring and summer. But when the snowpack is in place north and west of those areas in the Canadian plains and real Arctic air comes from the northwest... It gets very, very cold in those areas.
 
I used conventional Pennzoil for years in my Honda. Not too long ago I switched to synthetic. Even though I ran conventional, I always changed it on time. Now the car runs well and doesn't burn any oil. From experience, you can run conventional all your life and your car will still be fine.
 
Originally Posted By: wemay
From age 16 - 31 Castrol GTX.
Since then, I've used various brands. 46 now.


^^^^ That ^^^^ I have a very similar story on GTX.
 
When I started driving in the late 60s all I used was the Amalie Pro that Dad got free for his drag car.He drai ex the oil every week and saved it.So used 40 wt was what my 383 Mopar got.
Since then I have used everything under the sun.
Now I use what is on sale or free as long as it is an approved oil.
Right now I have a 100 qt stash of many brands, mainly Smittys since we make their boxes.
As far as filters I get tired of looking at the same color filter everytime so I change it each time.
My quirks
 
Back when I had my E36 M3, I Used Motul exclusively when I had a supply for free. When that dried up, I switched to RLI to try to keep oil consumption and fuel dilution in check. Later, when it became clear that my engine was developing a problem that would merit a tear-down, I switched to Mobil 1 0w-40 (when it still carried LL-01) because it was good and cheap.

Now that I have the RX-8, I use Castrol GTX 5w-20 exclusively because that seems to be Mazda's preferred fill -- this engine has weird oil needs, and I don't feel like second-guessing Mazda, especially within the engine warranty period. For the diff and trans, I stick with Motorcraft fluids because they are good easily-available synthetics that have the right ratings, and because Ford was associated with Mazda when my car was developed. For the brakes, I've been sticking with Mazda DOT 3, mainly because I don't need anything better and want to make it look like I'm trying my best to stay within the lines in case I have a warranty claim.

No idea what I'll do if I still have the RX-8 when the warranty is up...
 
Nope. In the 2000's probably used more MC SynBlend 5w20, because it was a great value compared other equivalents. Now, generally use best value synthetic I can find on sale. Some PP, some M1 and some QSUD. Whatever best value at the time.

Before 2000's Havoline Conventional was a good value, used lots of it. But never dedicated to one oil brand only.
 
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