Shelf life

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Mannol here in europe has printed 5 years shelf life on its containers another oil Company which is named KUTTENKEULER prints 15 years on its containers! I have just made an oil Change at my hyundai getz with a jug of elf 5w40 which I have purchused in 2013 and it ran out of the jug as clear as it does from the new drums in our Company. So I guess 10 years stored dry and clean should be okay!

Just take care to match the API Ratings for your car!

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05 Hyundai GEtz Elf 5w40
08 Hyundai Accent Mannol 0w40
17 Nissan Micra Mannol 5w0
 
We had a recent thread about this ... What was the consensus? Can't recall!
Imo, if you haven't used it in 3-5 years, you are hoarding. So use it before it gets there!
Having said that, I found a case of 10W-30 chevron supreme buried in the garage some where which was ~5 years old and used it in my older cars... The cars are still running very fine! I think oil should be fine i am not sure what additives may do after a long period ... I am not familiar with their chemistry!
 
Shelf life questions come up a lot and should be made a sticky I think. Oil in a sealed container lasts a very long time. Shake it up and pour it in. As long as it meets or exceeds the specs for the vehicle you plan on using it in the oil will be fine.
 
I have a few quarts of VWB 5w30 API SL in the garage that I intend to use. That Spec has been superseded for a while now. My best guess on decoding the bottle date code puts it around the 2002 timeframe. I've also used John Deere oil from cardboard cans in my daily driver's. No issues to report. I think the "shelf life" game is a joke.
 
Longer than 20 years.

I have lots of oil from the 90's... lot of engines going back to the 1940's, also though

Originally Posted By: Franz

Just take care to match the API Ratings for your car!


Yep. I wouldn't use 20 year old oil in a new car, but it works just fine in the older stuff.

My old 1943 Farmall H and my 1970's tree branch chipper haven't had the oil changed in well over 15 years.
 
The cardboard cans degrade after a few decades and become oil-logged. I carefully decanted some 48 yr old Amalie 50w carefully and use it for bar oil. If I had an old Norton,my brother does, I'd use it in that. More mkt'ing hoo hah
 
There is no one correct answer. The base "oil" part can surely remain good for a very, very long time (doubt anyone will put a number on it) but the additives can have different shelf lives.
 
Hi! If you have some oil bottles from the 90s I am interested in them empty or full I would pay a good Price for them if you are interested to ship them to Pennsylvania!
 
Seen recent threads on this topic and it seems that if it has been subject to extreme high or low temperatures and is thick and sticky, and has solid or gel-like particles, do not use it. Or go by what ExxonMobil says.

Shelf life of unopened Mobil 1™ quarts

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“Does Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil (in an unopened quart) have any sort of shelf life, like conventional motor oil?”

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ExxonMobil recommends a five-year maximum shelf life for engine oils, including Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil.
 
I have 5 quarts of NAPA synthetic 5w20 SM . I used the rest of the case in a Jeep I sold in 2010. I am not to stressed if I ever use it or not. Since formulations have changed so much I can’t find a matching quart and a half to make an actual oil change so it will probably remain unused. The fact that it sat in a work truck toolbox for 5 or so years getting shaken, and exposed to heat and cold makes me less likely to pour it into a newer engine.
 
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Depending on the manufacturer, anywhere from 3 years to indefinite.

So long as it is stored unopened, in a semi conditioned space (ie never below freezing and never above 120°F), and the oil meets spec for the vehicle it is going in, then I have no issues using it.
I have used oil that has been sitting on my shelf for 10 years, and was 2-3 years old when I got it. While I don't have a UOA to show "everything is fine", as far as I am concerned, everything is fine.
Just give the bottle a good shake and pour it in.
 
Originally Posted By: bubbatime
5 years


Wrong. Stored properly, it lasts much much longer than that. I'm running 45 year old oil with no issues.
 
I got my hands of 10 qt of Amzoil 5-20 XL dating to 2006 according to the delivery sticker.
That would put that oil right in spec for my 02 TL

I was hesitant at first, wondering the same... i emailed Amzoil .. they said - 5 years.. But they have invested interest to sell me new oil.. i reminded myself.

I posted a similar question and the general consensus was that this oil will fine.. in the TL.. maybe not so much in my newer Acura.

This oil has been in the sump since late March.. yes, ive had to top-up a few times..
last week-end, fuel economy to the cottage and back, was one of the best on record.

j.
 
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Originally Posted By: Marco620
Sealed and inside? Long time


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Yes, a very long time.
 
The only word you need to know is "long."
Practically speaking, the oil will remain perfectly functional for longer than you or I will be alive.
 
If no moisture/condensation finds its way in, then I would guess forever.


NOW, depending on how it is kept and stored would/could determine its 'state of tune' and how well it will hold up and perform.

Like, no big temperature swings, not sitting on the floor or ground, and the bottle stays clean and in good shape.
 
Sometimes items just have an expiry date for the sake of it. This would be one of those scenarios. Plus, someone in marketing thought, "hey we can make more money from the hoarders if we say there's an expiry date!"
 
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