Boutique (Amsoil etc) vs premium normal (Mobil1 etc)?

[VTECOverRated]

I dug way too deep into the boutique oil's to see if there was any value in it. In the end, kept on using what I have always used (valvoline). I don't even remember why I started using it, but with rebates I get them for 20$ for 5qt.

I'd say the only "premium" product in Mobil1's line up is the ESP line, which is about 10$ more than the EP/HM products at about 39$ for 5qt and that is about as premium as I would be willing to spend.

Spending 60-80$ for oil would have to justify me changing my oil every 8-10k miles instead of 4-5k and that won't be happening because no matter how good the oil it won't prevent fuel dilution.

 

[celicaxx]

Toyota is one of those car manufactures that dedicates a larger part of their design development and testing to longevity and durability through design than most car manufactures. There's nothing weird about seeing a 300K mile Corolla run on basic maintenance with a few more laps around the block still left in it. We all expect to see ~250-350K out of a Toyotas on the basic maintenance plan, where 150-250K is more likely for many other makes if they see nothing but basic oils at manufacture recommended intervals. The same "rule" applies, but you have to shift the needle for obvious differences in starting longevity. None of the cars in my garage are going to see 300K on the manufacture recommended oils and intervals.

I have an ancient but still running great Toyota, a 98 Camry.

What strikes me about Toyota most over other companies is I think relatively speaking, an *engine* can last a long time. However, the rest of the car needs to also last. Of course this means actual running gear like the transmission, then the body rusting out, but I think this applies also to things like the seats, the interior, the door hinges, random electrical bits in the car. As dumb as this is, my mom's 2005 Ford Five Hundred has gone through 3-4 plastic seat levers.

I think when people decide to junk a car, it's those factors that come up more than the engine itself, the totality of the car. How janky is the suspension, how trashed is the interior, etc, etc. I think Toyota's gift is holding up better in those categories. Even Nissan of 20-30 years ago before the Renault merger I think arguably had as reliable or more reliable running gear than Toyota did as far as engines, but the car's interiors would get messed up more easily, door hinges would sag, and they would rust out a lot faster than Toyota.

 

[mdocod]

I have an ancient but still running great Toyota, a 98 Camry.

What strikes me about Toyota most over other companies is I think relatively speaking, an *engine* can last a long time. However, the rest of the car needs to also last. Of course this means actual running gear like the transmission, then the body rusting out, but I think this applies also to things like the seats, the interior, the door hinges, random electrical bits in the car. As dumb as this is, my mom's 2005 Ford Five Hundred has gone through 3-4 plastic seat levers.

I think when people decide to junk a car, it's those factors that come up more than the engine itself, the totality of the car. How janky is the suspension, how trashed is the interior, etc, etc. I think Toyota's gift is holding up better in those categories. Even Nissan of 20-30 years ago before the Renault merger I think arguably had as reliable or more reliable running gear than Toyota did as far as engines, but the car's interiors would get messed up more easily, door hinges would sag, and they would rust out a lot faster than Toyota.

I used to travel a lot for work and had the opportunity to rent a lot of cars. The Toyotas, even the basic corollas, had an interior that felt tough. Every knob and button and handle felt like it had millions of actuations left it. Can't say that for most brands.

Too bad they are boring...

 

[hrv]

I got over 386000 with mobil 1 on my 07 Accord...Thats good enough for me...and it was still running great too...

 

[pbm]

In my family's non-GDI vehicles I have no issue running longer drain intervals although I wouldn't exceed a 10K OCI (that's just me). In our soot producing GDI vehicles I keep the OCI's shorter (6K max except when it goes a bit above that when the kids are too busy to come by for an oil change). I can't see running boutique oils in a GDI engine because of soot....I'd rather run off the shelf synthetics which are cheaper and change them more often.

 

[Heywood_6078]

Hi: I have done some reading here but I'm still not really clear.

A 5-quart jug of a premium brand like Mobil1 full synthetic is about $30 out the door with tax. Maybe from time to time you can get lucky/cheaper, but that's typically the best you can expect.

It looks like the lowest price for a really fancy brand like AMSOIL SCHAEFFER'S REDLINE is going to be more than double that.

Then there is ROYAL PURPLE, which as far as I can tell has no known or proven difference/superiority vs MOBIL1 etc other than fancy marketing and purple coloring added. A 5-qt jug of purple is about $10 more than MOBIL1 etc.

So does anyone want to tell me why the really fancy oils listed above (AMSOIL etc) are worth more than double the cost? Does anyone dispute that using MOBIL1 full synthetic with oil changes at reasonable intervals, like 5,000 mi, would cause virtually any modern engine to last 250k mi and maybe more?

If that's true, then why would I pay more than double for AMSOIL etc?

And am I wrong about ROYAL PURPLE?

Thanks!

I've never used Mobil 1 but from what I read here, many seem to like it a lot.
Started running Havoline Pro DS 5w30 in my 2003 Ford F-150, 4.2 V6 with only
95,000 original miles and the motor seems to love it.
Runs very quiet, doesn't use any oil between 5,000 mile oil changes and, stays fairly clean
after doing a complete motor flush. (It was my Dads truck that I got after he passed
away and all he ever ran was conventional Castrol 5w30.) Which seem to do ok although I got a lot of very black contaminants and some slushy chunks after the flush.
Anyway, the Havoline Pro DS 5w30 is running and performing extremely well in
this old gal, (Truck). Will keep feeding her a steady diet of it at every oil change.

 

[Speedy3861]

I've been running Mobil1 in various flavors in my Hondas since the mid 1980's with normal (5K) OCI's using the Champion-made Mobil1 filters as well with never a lubrication related issue. Since 2016, with the introduction of the 1.5t engines, was aware early about the OD issues. My 2019 Civic Touring Coupe ran Mobil1 0w20 AFE with 5k OCI's, literally perfect UOA's until I traded it on a 2020 CRV. UOA's on the CRV were showing high dilution (largely because of short-tripping) as it usually is under 3k/ usage/year. After more research here and consulting with my Honda dealer's Service Advisor and my servicing technician, decided to go to a 30 based oil, specifically Mobil1 5W-30 EP and do changes every 6 months. The new 2023 Civic Touring Sedan, technician advised an initial change at 3k, then consider 3-5k thereafter, if no/minimal rise on the stick possibly 5k. The recent shake-up in the filter market with who knows who or where they're made and that seems to change almost monthly I've gone to using the Honda factory filters. Honda warranties their cars with it so not worth obsessing over. There are no magic oils or filters, so just standardized on Mobil1 EP in either 0w20 or 5W-30. More frequent OCI's are better than frequent UOA's, both our Hondas have extended Hondacare coverage, so that combined with proactive service is easier than obsessing over minute differences in oils and filters. IMHO, I think the introduction of direct Injection was a major spoiler. Honda has (still) a port-injected engine that delivers decent power, excellent mpg and low emissions, so it can be done.

 

[tig1]

My 2007 Ford Fusion 2.3 has 311K all on M1 oils at 10K OCIs. Oil consumption runs about 6-8oz per OCI. Engine still remains very clean.

 

[Nesterenko]

Much more critical is frequent oil changes using a quality product

Even frequent oil changes in a lot of cases can be over rated.

 

[unkillsam]

Toyota is one of those car manufactures that dedicates a larger part of their design development and testing to longevity and durability through design than most car manufactures. There's nothing weird about seeing a 300K mile Corolla run on basic maintenance with a few more laps around the block still left in it. We all expect to see ~250-350K out of a Toyotas on the basic maintenance plan, where 150-250K is more likely for many other makes if they see nothing but basic oils at manufacture recommended intervals. The same "rule" applies, but you have to shift the needle for obvious differences in starting longevity. None of the cars in my garage are going to see 300K on the manufacture recommended oils and intervals.

Not true. I have ran 2 Chevy L20 4.8 V8 to 400,000 miles with basic oil changes and 1 Chevy LV1 4.3 V6 to 315,000 again on basic oil changes.

I think that actually following the recommendations instead of just saying that you do makes a difference. Toyota makes great motors and cars, but they are not infallible. Even the Car Care Nut says don't follow Toyota OCI recommendation or you will get sludge and premature failure.

 

[Foreman04]

Hi: I have done some reading here but I'm still not really clear.

A 5-quart jug of a premium brand like Mobil1 full synthetic is about $30 out the door with tax. Maybe from time to time you can get lucky/cheaper, but that's typically the best you can expect.

It looks like the lowest price for a really fancy brand like AMSOIL SCHAEFFER'S REDLINE is going to be more than double that.

Then there is ROYAL PURPLE, which as far as I can tell has no known or proven difference/superiority vs MOBIL1 etc other than fancy marketing and purple coloring added. A 5-qt jug of purple is about $10 more than MOBIL1 etc.

So does anyone want to tell me why the really fancy oils listed above (AMSOIL etc) are worth more than double the cost? Does anyone dispute that using MOBIL1 full synthetic with oil changes at reasonable intervals, like 5,000 mi, would cause virtually any modern engine to last 250k mi and maybe more?

If that's true, then why would I pay more than double for AMSOIL etc?

And am I wrong about ROYAL PURPLE?

Thanks!

OK, here is the secret that nobody will ever share with you. Are you ready? ……A product like Amsoil versus standard commercial product like Mobil 1 is the same as drinking top shelf liquor versus that which is not top shelf. They both get the job done. One just does it a little “nicer”.

 

[Method]

Pennzoil Ultra Platinum is my go to whenever someone asks me what 'a really good oil' is without breaking the bank.

 

[nomas]

OK, here is the secret that nobody will ever share with you. Are you ready? ……A product like Amsoil versus standard commercial product like Mobil 1 is the same as drinking top shelf liquor versus that which is not top shelf. They both get the job done. One just does it a little “nicer”.

I can see why it's a secret .

 

[Rogueman2016s]

Hi: I have done some reading here but I'm still not really clear.

A 5-quart jug of a premium brand like Mobil1 full synthetic is about $30 out the door with tax. Maybe from time to time you can get lucky/cheaper, but that's typically the best you can expect.

It looks like the lowest price for a really fancy brand like AMSOIL SCHAEFFER'S REDLINE is going to be more than double that.

Then there is ROYAL PURPLE, which as far as I can tell has no known or proven difference/superiority vs MOBIL1 etc other than fancy marketing and purple coloring added. A 5-qt jug of purple is about $10 more than MOBIL1 etc.

So does anyone want to tell me why the really fancy oils listed above (AMSOIL etc) are worth more than double the cost? Does anyone dispute that using MOBIL1 full synthetic with oil changes at reasonable intervals, like 5,000 mi, would cause virtually any modern engine to last 250k mi and maybe more?

If that's true, then why would I pay more than double for AMSOIL etc?

And am I wrong about ROYAL PURPLE?

Thanks!

There’s vehicles with 250+ on their clock that never seen amsoil, royal purple or even Mobil 1 and I’d bet you lunch never had an oil analysis done.

 

[redhat]

eBay has 12-qt boxes of Mobil1 5w30 full synthetic for $58ish to my door, so probably I'll just be ordering those things and using them in both vehicles. The Chevy tends to leak with synthetic, so if that gets too annoying I'll just go back to dino oil for it.

FWIW, Mobil 1 0W-40 usually sells at Walmart for around $59 a 12qt box shipped to your home. So I’d expect to be able to find a 5W-30 maybe even cheaper.

Only reason I mention that is eBay is a great place for counterfeit products. While probably unlikely, I’d trust Walmart.com a little more.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

Hi: I have done some reading here but I'm still not really clear.

A 5-quart jug of a premium brand like Mobil1 full synthetic is about $30 out the door with tax. Maybe from time to time you can get lucky/cheaper, but that's typically the best you can expect.

It looks like the lowest price for a really fancy brand like AMSOIL SCHAEFFER'S REDLINE is going to be more than double that.

Then there is ROYAL PURPLE, which as far as I can tell has no known or proven difference/superiority vs MOBIL1 etc other than fancy marketing and purple coloring added. A 5-qt jug of purple is about $10 more than MOBIL1 etc.

So does anyone want to tell me why the really fancy oils listed above (AMSOIL etc) are worth more than double the cost? Does anyone dispute that using MOBIL1 full synthetic with oil changes at reasonable intervals, like 5,000 mi, would cause virtually any modern engine to last 250k mi and maybe more?

If that's true, then why would I pay more than double for AMSOIL etc?

And am I wrong about ROYAL PURPLE?

Thanks!

Trust me RP isn't purple after two hundred miles. Only reason I bought it I got two jugs at Walmart $20 each. I would never paid the regular price.