How has BITOG influenced your oil selection?

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Originally Posted by Shannow
Things I've changed in the last 30 years (and BITOG has been a big part of that).

...

* I'm probably never going to have a 15W anything in the shed ever again.



Shannow, if you had an old car (90"s) that manual says to use 15W40 or 20W50, what would you use? Would a 10W40 even be a better option? Consider you want to keep it for a long time and drive it hard on a tropical weather.

Selling the car and buying a new one will not be accepted as an answer.
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Using more Super Tech oils; using more Fram Ultra oil filters.
Continuing to learn from others experience; extra credit for mistakes.
 
more confused

* Mobil1 fanboy since it came out in the '70's (though I used Mystic semi-synthetic when money was tight)
* After all these years thinking of trying ST synthetic in 2 vehicles (what's come over me?)
* Learned more about API and ILSAC (which required off-post investigation)
* Learned about ACEA (which required off-post investigation - boy was that an eye opener!)
* Learned about VOA and UOA and what it all means and doesn't mean (and with off-post investigation learned what all those additives do)
* Learned that the Castrol vs Mobil legal dispute was not significant to the term synthetic (it was inevitable due to advanced refining)
* Still trying to learn if LSPI is a rampant or isolated issue
 
I've learned a bit about oils and filters along with a few other things but as far as oil selection goes I still buy the brands I know and trust.
 
BITOG has certainly lowered the amount of money I spend PER QUART & PER OCI, but I've made up for it with a large stash. Otherwise, since BITOG allowed me to find them as cheap or cheaper than conventional, I run synthetic in most things that won't leak it out or burn it.
 
From BITOG I've learned that there are as many opinions as oils to choose from. Stay within owners manual specs and all will be fine. As others have said, the oil filter education has been very good.
 
Originally Posted by billt460
It hasn't. I'm not saying there isn't good information on this site, because there is. But I have not seen or read anything that would make me deviate from manufacturer spec oils and viscosities in any of my vehicles.


Did it ever occur to you that the manufacturers want to deviate, but can't due to government regulations? Sometimes what appears in owners manuals and things like document sheets, aren't what the manufacturer would normally recommend, had they not be handcuffed in regulations.
 
Originally Posted by KevinP
I've learned nothing about oil but much about OCD behavior.


Which of the OCDs are you referring to? Or are some here afflicted with all of them?
Checking.
Contamination / Mental Contamination.
Symmetry and ordering.
Ruminations / Intrusive Thoughts.
Hoarding.
 
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en
Originally Posted by KevinP
I've learned nothing about oil but much about OCD behavior.


Which of the OCDs are you referring to? Or are some here afflicted with all of them?
Checking.
Contamination / Mental Contamination.
Symmetry and ordering.
Ruminations / Intrusive Thoughts.
Hoarding.


Hoarding, ruminations/intrusive thoughts, voices in your head etc...etc...

LOL... I guess what I've learned is to follow the owners manual and buy oil with the right certifications, change it on time and do it myself because Quick-lube places screw it up.
 
It is a site for obsessive people like me. Most likely costs me more money to get a good base oil like a group 4 PAO and a nice additive package when Supertech from Wallymart would do just fine.
 
"I guess what I've learned is to follow the owners manual and buy oil with the right certifications, change it on time and do it myself because Quick-lube places screw it up."




Give this man a gold star. That says it all right there.
 
If it meets the spec, regardless of the name on the bottle, it's good enough.
Conventional oils often perform as well as their synthetic counterparts, depending on application, and in some cases, outperform.
I don't get offended any more when someone cries out that I should not perform a 10.00 oil change on my 2016 PowerStroke. In fact, I kind of chuckle now when the UOA shows all is well, and my lovely spouse and I had a nice dinner with the other 90.00 .
 
BITOG didn't influence my oil selection — or filter — except in relatively minor ways.

I'd run Mobil 1 5w30 and Wix filters since I bought my car in 2010, and I joined BITOG late in 2017. (I ran a Mobil 1 filter once.)

Everything I read here reinforced those decisions with these two minor exceptions: I learned that Napa Gold filters are Wixes (I get 10 per-cent off at Napa with my CAA card), and last year that my concerns about Mobil 1 0W30 were groundless. It's in the car now. I'll hit my stash of 5W30 again in March — I hope.

If I lived where the temperature doesn't swing 140 Fahrenheit degrees during oil-change intervals I'd be more amenable to experiment. But I don't, and it ain't broke so I won't fix it.
 
It's affected my oil choices HUGELY.

For decades I knew nothing but the API ratings (ie SN). Now I know the WHYs and WHATs about making my own oil and filter selections. Before I knew about 10% of what I should have about oils and overall car maintenance.

Bitog is what you make of it. I asked questions....and dug and dug and found the answers I was looking for. Now I can give out factual information to friends and family members who have the same misconceptions I had prior to joining Bitog several years ago. No more just reading lables and accepting the Koolaid of advertising on oil bottles. I know what's in it and why. In short, almost like getting a degree in automotive tribology....that rivals 75-90% of the mechanics out there.

And best of oil, I found out ways to buy free, high quality oils. Instead of $25 for a jug of synthetic oil....I now routinely buy them for $10-$12....and sometimes free.

And this is a great source for fixing almost anything around the home...not just your vehicles. Due to Bitog help I've fixed multi-ganged lighting switches, furnace, lawn mower washing machine, and other items....saving money in the process.
 
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BITOG has not influenced what oil I use as much as how long I use oils. Modern oils are excellent and can go much longer than I previously believed, especially in my vehicles which are known to be easy on oil, and especially the way I drive them. BITOG has added a buffer of comfort, and I trust synthetic oils and premium filters to go 7500-8000 miles between services.
 
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