HM oils in newer cars - any problems?

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SilverC6

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Considering using Pennzoil High Mileage oil in a relatively new car that has no engine problems.

I find the extra protection from the relatively higher viscosity and the stronger additive package in the HM oil attractive.

Is there any downside?

Will the seals swell and then leak when I return to regular YBP?
 
Lots of people use HM oil on low mileage cars. Don't think it's ever been a big issue.... I'd have no problem using it except my newest is a Honda and I'll probably stick to PP or M1 20 weight...
 
I have often wondered this myself, but I always picture the valve stem seals turning into gooey, play-dough if putting something for HM on a car with brand new seals...Probably fine since many have done it, but that would be my only scare.
 
If Pennzoil HM oil was best for new cars, then it would be recommended by the car manufacturer and/or Pennzoil, neither of which is the case. That should be hint.
 
Uh, yeah, because car manufacturers make it a point to list every brand of oil they recommend in the owner's manual.

Oh, and Valvoline quote:
Quote:
What if your vehicle has less than 75,000 miles? Are there any advantages to using this oil in a car with fewer miles on it? Actually, you could start earlier with these oils to prevent aging effects and to help further preserve the life of your vehicle's engine.
 
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Uh, yeah, because car manufacturers make it a point to list every brand of oil they recommend in the owner's manual.

What viscosity does the manufacturer recommend? I doubt it would be anywhere near the viscosity of the Pennzoil HM oil.
 
If you look at Mobil1 10w30 HM, it seems actually better then the regular M1 10w30. It has the A3/B3 spec and 20% more phosphorous per Mobil FAQ area.
 
Originally Posted By: Mark888
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
Uh, yeah, because car manufacturers make it a point to list every brand of oil they recommend in the owner's manual.

What viscosity does the manufacturer recommend? I doubt it would be anywhere near the viscosity of the Pennzoil HM oil.


5W30 is an uncommon grade these days????
 
I love HM oil, and would never bother using it in a newer car not suffering from leaks or extended OCI abuse...

Even in my 'older car,' I'm leery about using it every OCI as HM oil might be overkill on the seals...
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: BrianWC
5W30 is an uncommon grade these days????

My mistake. I did not know that HM oil was offered in that viscosity. However, I personally would not put it in my new car. Based on my experience, if you use a good synthetic from the first or second oil change, you are not likely to ever need high mileage oil. HM oil may have some good stuff in it, but it has other stuff that is designed to fix problems that have already occurred.

My philosophy is if it ain't broke, don't fix it (because of lot of times you will end up breaking something trying to do that).
 
Here is what Valvoline said when I asked them ....
35.gif


"Thank you for you question. Valvoline MaxLife Engine Oil was designed for vehicles with 120,000km or more, but certainly can be used in new vehicles. This product will not void manufacturers warranty."


From: XXXXXXXXXXX
Sent: Thursday, January 22, 2009 10:22:55 AM
To: [email protected]
CC:
Subject: Feedback From Valvoline: Which oil should I use for my vehicle?

The following person submitted a question or comment via the Contact us form of type: Which oil should I use for my vehicle?

First Name: Xxxxxx
Last Name: Xxxx
Address: XXXX Xxxxxxxxxxx Xx
City: Xxxxxxxxx
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Phone: 555 555 5555

Email Address: xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Comments:

I have a 2007 Chev Uplander 3.9 with approx. 22,000 Km on it. Can I use your MAXlife full synthetic 5w30 SM, SL/CF in this vehicle and still maintain my warranty ?? I live in Canada
Thank you in advance for your time.
 
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
Here is what Valvoline said when I asked them ....
35.gif


"Thank you for you question. Valvoline MaxLife Engine Oil was designed for vehicles with 120,000km or more, but certainly can be used in new vehicles. This product will not void manufacturers warranty."

Doesn't change my answer a bit. If it ain't broke, don't fix it.

Since you claim to have been around awhile, I am sure you have experienced situations where you broke something trying to fix something that was not already broken when you started (a disease that probably affects most of us on this forum more than the average person)?
 
Look, the point is there is nothing spectacularly special in Maxlife. A lot of the chemistry already is present in many oils. Valvoline is widely hailed by the industry for pulling off a marketing coup in creating "high mileage oil."
 
I have always figured the HM stuff to be a gimmick. Why would a motor need to switch oils at the magic mileage of 75,000 miles?

Other gimmicks
4X4 oil
SUV oil
New car oil
Sludge protection oil
Motorcycle oil

There are so many oils of the week I can't keep track of them.
 
Now, I believe Doug or one of the more knowledgeable folk has stated in the past that some synth motorcycle oils have more polar esters to compensate for longer time between each engine use. But the rest of that stuff....

Speaking of new car oil, I was at the Honda dealer yesterday fixing an old recall on the CR-V and overheard the service advisor explain to a woman that she didn't need to change her first factory fill until the normal interval was up "because it had special additives to break in the o rings"
smirk2.gif
 
Originally Posted By: KW
I have always figured the HM stuff to be a gimmick. Why would a motor need to switch oils at the magic mileage of 75,000 miles?

No, it is not a gimmick. It does improve problems (worn valves, leaky seals, etc) that can affect engines with high mileage. There are chemical additives in HM oil to address these problems, additives that you probably don't want if you don't have these problems (even though you may see some other additives in there that you like).

The 75,000 mile number is for "dummies." The average person doesn't even know what a valve or seal is (or if they do know, they may not be able to trace a specific symptom back to problems with these items).

Most members of this forum should never (unless the engine miles were very high) need a HM oil if they bought their vehicle new and did frequent oil changes with a high quality oil (especially if it were a full synthetic).
 
Originally Posted By: Mark888

No, it is not a gimmick. It does improve problems (worn valves, leaky seals, etc) that can affect engines with high mileage. There are chemical additives in HM oil to address these problems, additives that you probably don't want if you don't have these problems (even though you may see some other additives in there that you like).

The 75,000 mile number is for "dummies." The average person doesn't even know what a valve or seal is (or if they do know, they may not be able to trace a specific symptom back to problems with these items).


If you're depending on Maxlife or other HM oils to fix those problems, more often than not you'll be disappointed. Maxlife's addy pack is not much different than most motor oil addy packs from about 10 years ago.

Quote:
Most members of this forum should never (unless the engine miles were very high) need a HM oil if they bought their vehicle new and did frequent oil changes with a high quality oil (especially if it were a full synthetic).


Maxlife is better thought of as a good synth blend. There used to be a lot of Durablend vs. Maxlife topics on here.
 
Originally Posted By: Papa Bear
The reason that I will be using the Maxlife HM full synthetic is that I have quite a few 4.4L jugs of it....

A W-M in a nearby town had them mistakenly priced the same as Valvoline dino ($14.24) so I pick up a couple of cases.
cool.gif



That's how I've gotten ALL my Maxlife Synth!
LOL.gif
 
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