IS walmarts oil different then Autozone, Advanced?

[1 SX]

Good evening!, Just a general question i was thinking about while i was picking up my 5QT M SHM 10W30 from walmart... Is the oil in the container different then say the oil in the jug at other auto stores? They have a custom label, saying return this oil to walmart tire and lube, so whats stopping them from putting in a "watered down" or cheaper version of say Mobil super high mileage 10W30 that meets specs, but is blended differently/cheaper to maybe meet price point?. Walmart has to have some power to have WALMART placed on every jug.. Not every store has a personalized label placed on the oil container..


WhatCha Think?

 

[chubbs1]

Been discussed. We have seen a lot of UOA's with lubes bought at walmart. No difference.


I don't think it is a stupid question, it has crossed my mind but I have put that to rest.

 

[digitalSniperX1]

Absolutely not different. No company would invest in their brand only to dilute it at wal mart. Not to mention the fact these oils carry standards certifications that don't deviate on Walmart bottles.

 

[dave123]

NO

 

[45ACP]

Motor Oil? NO!

If you are shopping for a laptop/desktop computer there and it has the letters "WM" in the model #, however, then yu are buying the "Walmart special" and thats why it has "WM" in it and is likely at a good price. Laptop computers are not motor oil, however.

Closest to "made just for Walmart" is Supertech, and most of that is XOM, so its good. The WPP isnt bad either.

As to normal brands: NO!

HOWEVER... Older SM Royal Purple, grades 5W-30 and 10W-30 (that whole debate..) IS still there at Walmart, and Royal Purple website states that "They are being sold there without Royal Purple's knowledge.." Just an oddity.

 

[Hermann]

No, just price.

 

[Donald]

Walmart could if they wanted to, but they don't. They have done some stupid things in the past few years, lets hope they don't force suppliers to supply different oil to Walmart. I am however hoping for 6 QT jugs for my Jeep 4.0L.

And then there is the lack of PU.

 

[mechtech2]

Large stores can and do mandate different specs for name brand products.
Like Lemon Pledge polish from Home Depot - things like that. It IS a different composition.
Motor oil? I don't think that has been modified.

 

[NHGUY]

The ones I would worry about are the home brand oils.....Super tech,NAPA,Parts Plus....etc Thats where they could demand a different quality to get the price down.

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: 45ACP

HOWEVER... Older SM Royal Purple, grades 5W-30 and 10W-30 (that whole debate..) IS still there at Walmart, and Royal Purple website states that "They are being sold there without Royal Purple's knowledge.." Just an oddity.


Just FYI. The older RP 30 weight oils being sold at WalMart( or any where for that matter - lots of the old oil still out there )would be API SL. They were never certified to SM. The new 30 weights are API SN.

As to the other comment. RP never sold their oils directly to WalMart nor authorized them to be a retailer. WalMart gets that RP oil from someone else without RP's permission. At one time RP was asking if you saw their oil at a local WalMart to tell them where. These days they don't seem to care.

 

[GMBoy]

In addition to some consumer electronics I do know the tires you buy from WalMart, Costco etc are a lesser grade than the same make/model you would buy at a tire retailer. But for oil, it's the same.

 

[Nickdfresh]

Originally Posted By: Hermann
No, just price.


And the price really isn't any different when one factors in the sales at major national auto chains...

 

[aquariuscsm]

Weird,I was just thinking this very same thing today. It makes you wonder because of the outrageous and asenine price difference (parts stores` synths $10 a quart vs WM`s $4.50 a quart). But what`s even more strange,is that I`d done an oci with quarts of M1 15W50 (from Oreilly) and then the next with the same oil from WM`s 5 quart jug,and my car really seemed to run smoother on the Oreilly stuff. Same experience with the M1 10W40HM. I`m sure it was all in my head,but it does make you wonder,seeing just how powerful big retailers like WM are.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: aquariuscsm
Weird,I was just thinking this very same thing today. It makes you wonder because of the outrageous and asenine price difference (parts stores` synths $10 a quart vs WM`s $4.50 a quart).


Walmart sells a lot of their oil as loss leaders. If you look at their regular prices, at least up here, they're not spectacular by any stretch of the imagination. The Real Canadian Wholesale Club spanks Walmart on Mobil 1 and Mobil Super regular prices. Some oil distributors routinely beat Walmart on HDEO pails (though not always, seems to depend on the distributor). PYB is substantially cheaper at Saskatoon's Flying J truck stop than it is at Walmart's regular price.

My suppliers, who are generally parts stores, mark up their oil by only around 10%, not the customary 70% to 150% markup that is seen on a lot of other retail products. Walmart has the advantage of buying truckloads of stuff, and also has the option of taking a bit of a loss on things like oil if it gets you to buy some of their other items that are marked up substantially.

 

[Dakota1820]

If It means anything my car (Saturn sl2 loves super tech I've tried almost every oil and it does great with super tech ill keep using it.

 

[crazyoildude]

no it is the same and the price is not so great there anymore either

 

[teddyboy]

Originally Posted By: crazyoildude
no it is the same and the price is not so great there anymore either


I don't know about where you live, but in my area, Wally World sells M1 for $6.65 per quart while Auto Zone's price is $8.79. That's a nearly 33% price difference. Wally World's 5 qt jugs are an even better deal. I can't speak to other brands because I always buy M1, but the difference is huge for M1.

 

[sirgerman]

Originally Posted By: chevyboy14
If It means anything my car (Saturn sl2 loves super tech I've tried almost every oil and it does great with super tech ill keep using it.


Have you try the SuperTech 15/40 diesel oil in your Saturn yet ? if you do what do you think so far ?

 

[NHHEMI]

Originally Posted By: GMBoy
In addition to some consumer electronics I do know the tires you buy from WalMart, Costco etc are a lesser grade than the same make/model you would buy at a tire retailer. But for oil, it's the same.


I will disagree with you on that unless you are talking a tire model made specifically/only for those stores( there are a few ). If you go to WM, Sam's, Costco, whatever and buy a regular tire like you can get anywhere else however like a Michelin LTX M+S, BF Goodrich All Terrain TA/KO, a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, etc... it is the same tire as it would be if you bought it at a tire retailer.

 

[GMBoy]

Originally Posted By: NHHEMI
Originally Posted By: GMBoy
In addition to some consumer electronics I do know the tires you buy from WalMart, Costco etc are a lesser grade than the same make/model you would buy at a tire retailer. But for oil, it's the same.


I will disagree with you on that unless you are talking a tire model made specifically/only for those stores( there are a few ). If you go to WM, Sam's, Costco, whatever and buy a regular tire like you can get anywhere else however like a Michelin LTX M+S, BF Goodrich All Terrain TA/KO, a Goodyear Wrangler Silent Armor, etc... it is the same tire as it would be if you bought it at a tire retailer.




I have spoken firsthand with tire reps at my plant - they guys that make the tires. I was told by Contentental, Michelin and Bridgestone that Walmart, Costco and other such places DO NOT get the best tires. They get the 'same" tire but they are 2nd or 3rd rate quality wise. The automakers get the best of the batch, followed by tire retailers than what's at the lower end of the spec goes to the discount stores. Not that the tires are "bad", just that they are on the lower end of the spec - but still acceptable.

My brother in law had told me this when he worked at Costco as well, but I didn't really believe him so I asked the tire folks I deal with and trust.

You know there has to be a way to offer the tires cheaper.