What's a BAD oil?

[heavyhitter]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
I had awful luck with the Advance auto oil. I used it for a oil change and My car used oil, a qt between changes(3000 mile OC) it never used oil and it didnt when I went back to the ussually brand. Ive tried other brands and none used oil. So that brand I stay away from.


The Petroleum Quality Institute of America did some test on some of the generic brands and the Advanced Auto 5w30 was one of the best looking ones.

 

[deeter16317]

What I've seen/heard is that most of the generic oils (like that sold with no name in grocery stores) is recycled.

I bought some generic oil for general lubricating purposes one time...part of it had congealed at the bottom, looking more like a clear jelly snot. I have also seen the generic stuff with loads of sediment in the bottom of the bottle (that might have been my 40wt API "SA" Pitt-Penn oil?).

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: deeter16317
What I've seen/heard is that most of the generic oils (like that sold with no name in grocery stores) is recycled.

Somehow I doubt that.

 

[Jason_M]

If it costs less than a $1 a quart, something is wrong. If it sounds to be good true, then it probably is. Bad oil is the wrong spec oil you put in your car and it makes the car die. Any quality name brand oil today meeting your manufacturer requirements and changed at the correct interval should be fine. Stay away from no names, because even if they claim to meet specs, maybe the cheap additives will break down faster and cause problems. Is it really worth losing an engine to save a few pennies over a brand name? I call it insurance and peace of mind, especially driving long distance or harsh conditions.

 

[CourierDriver]

The 3000 oci came from along time ago when engines and oils were not so good. an old neighbor of mine who was a young man in the 30s and 40s said a car engine was usually in bad shape by 50,000 miles. His dad drove Packards he said. Maybe some of u have friends in their late 70s or 80s that can add to this mystery.

 

[CBR.worm]

I know that my mother in law uses 'oil' that has no name brand and on the bottle it says for pre-2001 cars. She gets white spin on filters with only a number - i dont know from where. Her OCI is typically about every 6k miles. Her 4 cylinder '97 Nissan truck still runs great and looks clean through the oil fill hole. It only has 120k on it, but...

A couple of times I have changed her oil for her. She doesn't know it but I put the stuff she gives me in the corner and use a pure one filter and good dino oil. I figure the good stuff every so often has to be better than never.

But still it has lived most of it's life on the cheapest oil and filters she can find. Most of it's miles are around town. It might not last as long as it would with PP, but it appears that even with the worst oil it does ok.

 

[Doug Hillary]

Hi,
The 1000 mile OCIs (or close variations) were founded on the lubricants and engine technologies of the era. It was also related to use - many vehicles only covered about 3k miles annually in the 1930s etc. 500 mile OCIs were VERY common!!!

After WW2 things changed - largely as a result!

By the 1950s OCIs on most US & English cars remained at or around the 1000 miles point. Mobiloil Super 10w30, Castrol's Castrolite, XL, were popular then

As vehicle utilisation increased and the lessons from WW2 were applied in the Oil and Auto Industry OCIs gradually increased. The API's rationalised quality standards helped this process a lot

IMO we still have the short OCI mentality around us - and we waste untold millions of gallons of oil annually because of it!

 

[Colt45ws]

Originally Posted By: Panzerman
Originally Posted By: JHZR2
the accel brand oils from wal mart
I wouldnt say the Accel brand in general is bad, they do make SM oil. Walmart doesnt sell it becuase it competes with its SuperTech line.The stuff at Walmart is bad, but if read the back, they tell you this stuff is bad and not for modern autos. I seriously dont know what they even sell this stuff for.

They sell it because people buy it.
Ive seen quick lubes come in an order a pallet of the stuff.
Scary.

 

[porcupine73]

I'd avoid the dollar store oils. There was an article in Lubes&Greases a few months back where they ran analysis on many dollar store oils and many of them came back out of grade.

Also some research has indicated to me that some of these cheaper oils may actually be line wash, which is used by oil blenders to flush their pipes when changing to mixing a different blend. This line wash is often sold of and rerefined, but some places might just be using it as is to make pcmo oils.

 

[Spyder7]

For me its not really so much about finding the objectively best oil (or conversely, avoiding `bad oils`), I`m just skeptical, with so many (however minor) differences in formulation, that there`s such a thing as all oils (that meet the relevant spec and grade) being equally good; or more accurately, equally good for all cars, driving styles, climates, terrain, etc.

Cars are pretty sophisticated machines, and engine oil makers are tasked with developing an oil that meets a given spec applied to hundreds of car models, made by dozens of different manufacturers, spanning decades of development, and driven by millions of different people in all varieties of climate and driving conditions.

So for me its more of a game of finding the right oil - one that my car likes (many have reported subtle things like a quieter engine when switching from brand y to brand x), and that performs well within the climate and geography the cars driven in and matches my driving style. Also it should meet my goals in terms of engine protection and cleaning, and within moderately extended oil drains with minimal loss of viscosity, sheer strength, and additive package. And it should do it at the optimal price point to attain those goals. Is that asking a lot from an oil. I think it is, and I don`t think there`s a one size fits all that will achieve this - regardless of what`s stamped on the bottle.

So the challenge (and the fun) for me is in trying to find the optimal product that will do this at the best price. Its a bit of a game, but I enjoy it.

So while there may not be that many `bad` oils out there to avoid, there`s a nice selection of good oils to to research and test in order to find the one that does what I want it to at the best possible price.

-Spyder

 

[river_rat]

Originally Posted By: xxch4osxx
Who wants to be the guinee pig and actually put that unknown manufacturer dollar store SAE 30 in their vehicle?

I volunteer. Not SAE 30 though. I have 8 qts of STP 10W-40 from Dollar General in my stash.
Gonna run it in the old VW. That's my guinea pig for weird oils.

 

[mechanicx]

I wonder if some of the majors sometimes have lots of motor oil that tested as not belended right and sell it off. Then these off brands label it for sell. I don't know if this happens since I don't work in the industry, but I wonder. I also wonder where a lot of store brand food products and other products come from that you often see. It's funny how they sometimes will say, "Product not supplied by (insert major brand that it conspicously resembles)."

 

[EchoThat]

A "bad" oil would be one that is not the right weight, according to the manufacturer's specs. If your Toyota needs 5w30 and you're using 20w50, even if the 20w50 was made by the angels, this would be a bad oil for you.

I just use the right weight and change it when the manufacturer says to. My Toyota is about 7k between changes and my Sentra is at 3750 miles between changes. Each car is in the neighborhood of 170k miles and runs like a top.

I don't make the study of oils a PhD program. I use the right weight, change it when it should be changed, and look for leaks. I'm 45 and have been driving since I was 15. I've kept the same philosophy and practice for about 30 years. Seems to be going fine.

 

[WMSmotorhead]

LOL.. Anyone see the PQI warnings?? I saw the dreaded "Bullseye" oil in one, 1.25 a quart. I would use it in an oil can on a sqeaky door, but not in my motor.

Advance auto's oil switched vendors... It was once in a black bottle and said by the shop keep to be a Havoline product. Later the white bottle came out and was said to be Shell...

Since, I've started using Federated's brand, which is Amalie. It's been just peachy, and the price is always fair.

For conventional oils, PQI's site is a fun read. You can see what they put in "Your Oil" versus the other guys.

Essentially I run Amalie/WolfsHead in all my cars because the price is good, and it repeatedly hits the standards. The cars are happy.

Good filters, and API spec oil is usually a safe bet. House brands can be touchy.. since they are shooting for a bargain price. When the maker's name is on the bottle, usually there's no corner cutting.

 

[d00df00d]

Originally Posted By: EchoThat
A "bad" oil would be one that is not the right weight, according to the manufacturer's specs. If your Toyota needs 5w30 and you're using 20w50, even if the 20w50 was made by the angels, this would be a bad oil for you.

I just use the right weight and change it when the manufacturer says to. My Toyota is about 7k between changes and my Sentra is at 3750 miles between changes. Each car is in the neighborhood of 170k miles and runs like a top.

I don't make the study of oils a PhD program. I use the right weight, change it when it should be changed, and look for leaks. I'm 45 and have been driving since I was 15. I've kept the same philosophy and practice for about 30 years. Seems to be going fine.

Good thing you're driving a Toyota. Not all cars let you keep it that simple.

 

[Jeff_in_VABch]

Originally Posted By: mechanicx
I wonder if some of the majors sometimes have lots of motor oil that tested as not belended right and sell it off. Then these off brands label it for sell. I don't know if this happens since I don't work in the industry, but I wonder. I also wonder where a lot of store brand food products and other products come from that you often see. It's funny how they sometimes will say, "Product not supplied by (insert major brand that it conspicously resembles)."


Most of the "majors" dont blend or bottle/package oil products in a facility owned or operated by them. So, in almost all cases, they dont know what is going on.

I have visited many blending operations, anything can happen in them. The high quality neutrals used today allow them to get away with a lot.

The generic oils wouldnt probably wouldnt be purposefully off-spec, but it is a good place to get rid of the tank bottoms and waxes.

 

[Gene K]

Im willing to use any name brand or anything with WPP or WNE (Warren Petroleum Products of Nebraska) on the bottle. If the bottle is within Spec anything SM or SN should be good.

For most engines motor oil is a commodity. Now for some specialty situations like GM DI or VW PD it might require a very specific oil to "crutch" its inherit issues.

 

[VR1]

Hmm the Arnold Palmer special and the old Burt. Other than that they are all pretty decent but I think Valvoline is number one and Castrol would be a second.

 

[VR1]

Just kidding no I think if you change it every 3 to 4k you will be fine.

 

[hbw127]

What can people tell me about Wolfshead products in terms of their quality. I know the history of the brand, ex Pennzoil now Amalie owned. But it's being sold for very cheap here in Canada and I'd like to know more about its quality(ies). Example: They have this 'universal' synthetic 75w90 that claims it meets just about every transmission spec out there. But I see no other oil companies make this product or claim. Is it too good to be true?

Help me out, please.