Vehicle reliability and motor oil -- Different Q's

[Tros]

First and foremost, I would like to say I've enjoyed browsing through this message forum for the better part of a year. Recently I decided to join the forum since I have had a burning question, and haven't felt that I have found the answer just yet... So here I am

I have no doubts that premium motor oils are just that, but I also feel the "standard" oils are of a great quality. The typical logic behind using the premium motor oils is that, simply put, it just works better.

Now, with that said. Companies who design vehicles are constantly competing for customers. One of the most common ways to pull customers in is by touting amazing reliability...

My question is simply. If premium oils are better, why are they not recommended by the company? Companies are quick to outline motor oils by recommending oil weights and the ratings, but never mention that using premium motor oils will yield additional benefits.

Thoughts?

 

[Steve S]

Premium as in syn oils?

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: Tros
Companies are quick to outline motor oils by recommending oil weights and the ratings, but never mention that using premium motor oils will yield additional benefits.

Thoughts?


Don't forget they also state some type of duration that the oil can stay in use.

That's because if you follow what the manufacturer recommends, say SM/GF-4 5w-30 oil every 3,750 miles (or six months), they know you will not have any oil related problems.

SM rated oil is able to protect a engine very well compared the oils of yesterday. The oil recommendations will easily protect the normal engine for the life of the vehicle if followed as suggested by the manufacture.

Also, don't forget car manufacturer's first concern is making sure the vehicle does not develop any problems while under warranty. After that they just care about their image, but the cost of repairs is no longer on them.

The above two paragraphs explain why many people will follow the manufacturer's recommendations while the vehicle is under warranty, so they don't void the warranty. Then switch to extended oil change intervals after the warranty is done.

Ask yourself this, when was the last time you heard of a vehicle having an oil related problem while the vehicle was under warranty, and while the user was following the manufacturer's oil change recommendations?

If using synthetic helps your car go for 20 years, but using conventional oil your vehicle would only last 16, why would the manufacturer care? Repairs don't come out of their pocket, 16 years on a vehicle people still walk away saying reliability was great, etc.

Anyways, I'm jet lagged and am rambling, those are my thoughts on the matter, they might make sense, I might be totally wrong, they're just my thoughts and opinions at this moment

 

[sicko]

Originally Posted By: sicko

If using synthetic helps your car go for 20 years, but using conventional oil your vehicle would only last 16, why would the manufacturer care? Repairs don't come out of their pocket, 16 years on a vehicle people still walk away saying reliability was great, etc.


I forgot to mention these numbers are made up. Under normal conditions and an appropriate OCI/maintenance cycle, there's nothing that indicates a synthetic oil will have your vehicle last longer than a conventional oil.

Synthetic oils show their strengths in the extremes, extreme hot or cold, extended OCIs, heavy towing, turbos, engines with known problems (known sludgers, bad oil circulation, engines that are naturally more rough on oil, etc). But in the "normal" range, there hasn't been much to show that synthetics are protecting better then a good conventional

 

[HARTZSKY]

Many vehicles come factory filled with "Premium Oils", so they are essentially saying, yes we like this "premium" oil for this application. Now try to shove "premium" oils down a consumers throat, now the consumer is going to have to pay $60 - $90 for a simple oil change at the dealer and or Jiffy Lube. That will go over like a [censored] in church to the vast majority of people.

 

[lonestar]

Marketing, typically marketing. Also, auto manufactures are looking to save every penny they can to be competitive and naturally make, or make more, profit.

If you are making and selling a grocery getter for the masses you do not want to tell the potential buying public that the car will require an “expensive” oil. I mean if Ford said their new Taurus (not the SHO version) required synthetic then GM would have Chevy jump on that saying the Impala is less expensive to operate than a Taurus (just using that as an example). Both Ford and GM wishes you would use synthetic but they are not going to recommended or require it in anything except the recognized premium name plates or specific engines that require the “expensive” stuff.

If you consider how many cars a major auto manufacture puts out in a day, week, month, or year you will see that using “expensive” oil as the factory fill costs a lot of money over using a conventional product. Some engines and some situations require or warrant it but unless that is the case the factory fills are going to be least expensive stuff they can use that meets their specifications. Just like drains on radiators – only about a $1.00 part but when is the last time you saw one on many different cars? That $1.00 times N = big buck savings.

 

[tomcat27]

my Volvo calls for synthetic oil in the manual and on the oil filler cap. some of the German cars have previously spec'd oil change intervals and programmed their oil life monitors assuming synthetic oils. ( VW and Mercedes come to mind - on certain models in the past)

 

[BeanCounter]

Originally Posted By: Tros
If premium oils are better, why are they not recommended by the company? Companies are quick to outline motor oils by recommending oil weights and the ratings, but never mention that using premium motor oils will yield additional benefits.


Steve's question is a good one, but I'll respond assuming I don't know until we hear a reply there.

#1 - $$$. Want to get on a "recommended" list from a manufacturer? Dish out the green to have your product meet their standard, and they will publish it if you do. This is, in my opinion, probably the biggest factor. If you want to see a full list of oils that technically meet the standard outside of the "recommended" list, look at the SAE standard required.

#2 - Depending on what "premium" oils mean, a lot of model vehicles have begun coming off the line with a synthetic fill...very different from the past (nearly) 100 years. So we see changes here, but I don't suspect to see much more, as the commercial brands make deals with manufacturers and so on. Typical business to partner-up to boost both's sales. Not saying there is anything wrong with it, either.

 

[exranger06]

The automakers know what demographics are going to buy their vehicle, and they know people are not willing to pay a premium for synthetic oil. Take economy cars for example: Economy cars are, by definition, cars that are cheap to own and operate. So why would an automaker require expensive oil for them? It wouldn't make any sense. Especially when cheap conventional oil will take the car to 250k+ miles no problem. It's the same reason most vehicles are designed to run on 87 octane instead of 91.

 

[Tros]

I thank you all for your replies. The "cost to own" factor is an important aspect that I over-looked. It certainly makes sense. I believe you are correct on this fact.

As far as what I meant by premium motor oils. I wasn't referring to synthetic oils specifically. I simply mean the well-designed motor oils with additional additive packs; whether that be conventional or synthetic.

Once again, thank you all.