EZ Lube (quick lube) and their "wax based" oils

[D189379]

Originally Posted By: nfs480
I work in a quick lube place and if he's anything like my manager he honestly believes what he's saying is true. He just doesn't understand all of the technical details.


Outside of this forum, he probably already has a better knowledge of oil than 95% of motorists out there.

 

[nfs480]

Originally Posted By: D189379
Originally Posted By: nfs480
I work in a quick lube place and if he's anything like my manager he honestly believes what he's saying is true. He just doesn't understand all of the technical details.


Outside of this forum, he probably already has a better knowledge of oil than 95% of motorists out there.


Which doesn't say much. In my experience with the quick-lube industry, the workers are underpaid (no commission even) and under educated and don't really care about their jobs. But yet the corporation does pressure them to sell additional services while at the same time threatening techs with termination for selling unneeded services. Basically there's no way to win, the chains are very poorly run.

 

[toddmog]

Lets see...
Mobil 1 5qt jug at Walmart:$22
Mobil 1 Oil Filter at local parts store $13
Total cost: $35 or half of what the EZ Lube place charges after tax.

You should just watch the rebate forum like I did. My last oil change on my Honda Passport was with Q Horse Power and a Purolator PureOne filter. I also had to replace my drain plug/gasket...total cost ~$17

My next oil change in my Saturn will be with Maxlife Full Synthetic and a PureOne filter. Total cost ~$14

I consider these to be just okay deals compared to what some of the BITOG'ers find!

 

[Tempest]

Quote:
The pour point of a lubricant is the lowest temperature that fluid will flow under standard conditions. A pour point depressant lowers that temperature. Pour point depressants (also known as PPDs) are polymers that are designed to control wax crystal formation in lubricants resulting in lower pour point and improved low temperature flow performance.

http://chevron.com/products/oronite/products/oil-pour-point.html

 

[Tempest]

http://www.infineum.com/products/engine-oil/pour-point.html
Quote:
At reduced ambient temperatures, paraffinic compounds in lubricants form wax crystals that eventually agglomerate or mass together, locking the lubricant into a gel-like structure. Compatible with all of today's base stocks, the Infineum V Series of pour point depressants offers a solution to cold engine performance. By interfering with wax crystal growth patterns, these products boost the operability range of engine oil so it remains fluid at much lower temperatures. The result: better capability for easier starting, less engine wear and longer engine life.

 

[bmwtechguy]

Wax based does not mean as in candle wax. Wax-based is a misnomer for paraffin-based, which really just refers to the fully saturated carbon chain molecules comprising modern conventional base oils that are group II, II+, and III. Fully saturated refers to the lack of reactive double bonds that are sites that could be more easily oxidized and cause the base oil to degrade faster. This type of degradation took place much faster with group I base oils than the oils we have today.


A fully saturated molecule has hydrogen in place of the unstable double bonds and this hydrogen is added through reactive chemical processes as part of the refining process to create more chemically stable oil molecules.

 

[deven]

So MB did you call the EZLube for [censored] and giggles or were you really contemplating about going there and having them change your oil???? Sorry I didn't thoroughly read the whole thread since I am playing catch-up right now.

 

[MBCLK]

Originally Posted By: deven
So MB did you call the EZLube for [censored] and giggles or were you really contemplating about going there and having them change your oil???? Sorry I didn't thoroughly read the whole thread since I am playing catch-up right now.


Well, i wanted to see what their price for a Mobil 1 oil change would be with the coupon. There have been at least 3 EZLubes that have closed in my area...maybe id get a good deal on a Mobil 1 oil change. $68+ is way too much

 

[deven]

Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: deven
So MB did you call the EZLube for [censored] and giggles or were you really contemplating about going there and having them change your oil???? Sorry I didn't thoroughly read the whole thread since I am playing catch-up right now.


Well, i wanted to see what their price for a Mobil 1 oil change would be with the coupon. There have been at least 3 EZLubes that have closed in my area...maybe id get a good deal on a Mobil 1 oil change. $68+ is way too much


The only way they would touch my cars is if they would let me observe the oil change AND do it for free. Even then i might have a hard time sleeping because there is nothing like changing your own oil and the satisfaction that comes after it.

 

[MBCLK]

Originally Posted By: deven
The only way they would touch my cars is if they would let me observe the oil change AND do it for free. Even then i might have a hard time sleeping because there is nothing like changing your own oil and the satisfaction that comes after it.


that's exactly how i feel too...when they perform oil changes im right there in front. and i have to see them pour the oil from a brand new bottle.

 

[Peted]

I wouldn't be surprise if some quick lubes just recycled the old oil back into the vehicles.

 

[StevieC]

Before BITOG when I was lazy I used to go to Mr.Lube (Slogan: Doing it right, before your eyes)

They always would show you the oil bottle or repeat back to you the bulk oil type going in. They would also have you run the car at 2K RPM for 20 seconds to fill the filter up and check for leaks. Then after the car would be shut down they would check other stuff to allow the fluid to drain back down. Then they would do a proper dipstick reading and show you the results at the driver window.

They never tried to sell me any flush products but would recommend things like the coolant is "getting due, but not ready yet" etc...

They were really good, and I would always do things like change my air filter before I went to see if they were BSing me.

I can without a doubt recommend Mr. Lube. Jiffy Boob (as another BITOG-er put it) Is another story and I learned first hand to stay far away!

 

[paulo57509]

I like waxy oil a lot. I've been using Pennzoil dino for over 30 years in all my vehicles.

I like waxy oil so much that when Pennzoil PZL (synthetic) came out in the '70's I started this synthetic waxy oil.

Now I use Pennzoil Platinum waxy oil in all my vehicles (except for my long distance commuter, it gets asphalt Delo).

 

[labman]

Originally Posted By: tig1
Originally Posted By: labman
Originally Posted By: MBCLK
Originally Posted By: The Critic
In all fairness, there is some truth to what he said.


Well, the EZ Lube guy is telling me that since the conventional oil is "wax based" it isnt a good oil to use compared to synthetic. Is there truth in this statement?


A PAO is just as ''wax based'' as a conventional. Paraffin is a class of compounds without any functional groups. The name comes from the Greek for without affinity. Whatever other problems they have, they are inherently stable. Given oxygen and a source of ignition, they do burn. They are the main components of natural gas, LPG, gasoline, diesel, motor oils, wax, polyethylene, etc. They follow the formula H(CH2)nH. In methane n = 1, propane n=3, octane n = 8, and in polyetheylene n can be thousands. It is all the same stuff. The only base stock not wax based are the esters.



According to the M1 cold temp video that doesn't seem to be the case about wax.


The M1 video has nothing to do with the point I was making. While a PAO is still a paraffin, it does have a more branched structure than a conventional. That affects viscosity and viscosity index as does the additives as others already pointed out.

Every crude has a certain amount of paraffins in the range suitable for use as a PCMO, but very little PAO's or esters. The crudes available now don't have enough of the right paraffins to meet the demand for PCMO. Much of our basestocks now come from breaking down higher molecular weight compounds such as wax and converting them to lower paraffins or olefins to be reacted into base stock. So more wax could actually have been used to make M1 than Pennzoil YB.