For the last 30 years I have been using Mobil 1 synthetic oil in all the vehicles I have owned.

Recently I have been looking to cut some costs here and there (job is shaky, maybe hard times coming soon in general), so I have looked at alternate synthetic brands that were cheaper or on sale.

Here is what I have found at the local Wally World:

Walmart brand (Super-Tech?) full synthetic 5qt for $20.30
Quaker State full synthetic 5qt for $20.80
Mobil 1 full synthetic 5qt for $24.97
Castrol full synthetic 5qt for around $31

Why in the world would Quaker State be almost the same price as WM brand? When I was growing up QS was a premium brand of oil. What happened to the QS name?

How did Castrol get to command a $6 premium over Mobil 1 (for a 5qt jug)? Is it really that much better than Mobil 1?

Years ago, the only synthetics that cost more than Mobil 1 were AMSOIL and Royal Purple (did I get the name right?).

Thanks
Steve

 

I'll just say this, opinions are like @$$holes, everyone has one. People have a preferance and they will stick with that and proclaim it's the greatest thing since white bread......

With that, pick the brand you like and just change the oil like you should and you'll be fine.

I've used Supertech tranny fluid in the wifes and had no problem with dextron/mercon 6. For oil, I'll stick with M1. Couple bucks either way isn't a bid deal for me.

 

Fwiw. A higher price doesn't mean it's necessarily a better oil. Marketing and advertising play a roll in the consumer price.

 

I used the SuperTech in our van (Venture) regularly, and it was fine mechanically at 125K when we sold it last summer. I stick with Mobil-1 in the SS, though. Again, just my opinion.

With my last car, I discovered that Subaru Flat-4s spit Mobil-1 out the PCV so much that you have to add oil regularly. So, I used either Pennzoil Platinum or Super-Tech in it. 140K, and no issues. Changing it regularly and keeping it topped-off are the keys.

 

Conversely, a cheaper price doesn't necessarily mean its inferior either. So long as the oil meets the manufacturer's standards, it'll work fine in your engine. Everything else is marketing hype to separate you from your hard earned dollar. Yea, there are some additives that can add some benefits but they are negligible at best. I have been using dino oil for as long as I have been driving (nearly 35 years), and often buy what ever is on sale (READ: the cheapest stuff I could get!), and I have yet to have an issue related to oil. Keep in mind that I change oil roughly every 5k (or when the DIC says it needs changing) and I run my vehicles to anywhere between 160k and 200k before I get rid of them. Every one has been sold or passed on to another family member in perfect running condition.

 

Very true Doc. In my case I run Mobil 1 in the SS for warranty reasons. Change it every 5k miles. Oil Life Monitor, no thanks. $30 every 5k miles is a small price for my peace of mind.
My Dodge truck gets dino oil and filter every 3k miles. 160k since bought new. Still going strong.

 

My 2 cents,Oil sold in the US and Canada has to meet certain standards so as long as the lable states if meet factory specs you should be good to go, I use Mobile 1 in my cars and motorcycles because it makes me feel better, and if your spending 15,25k$ on a car or MC a extra 30$ is worth it.. As mentioned buy what makes you feel good, just change the oil on time :) I ll give up a extra few cups of coffee to buy the best I can afford,

 

Need to check store brands as these oils are usually good oil rebranded with the stores name...at a much cheaper price..but you have to ask what they are currently buying as it changes with the market and contract deals...As for Wally world, the SuperTech oil was Valvoline. At one point Pep Boys was selling MB1 at 2-3$ cheaper then anybody else.They all do this..just ask.

 

just like woody said, some of the cheap oil is good oil. most of the time you just dont know. a few years back i went to charleston s.c. to install some labeling equipment on a quart oil packaging line. after getting the machines set up on the line they started running some off brand oil and putting labels on the front and back. after running around 2 hours of product, the foreman came to me and said they were going to run quakerstate for a while. after changing the labels on the machines to quakerstate they started to run product. i asked the foreman when did they change the oil to quakerstate because i never saw anybody change any lines or switches, he said it was the same oil as the cheap oil out of the same tanker out back, just different label and container. i have seen this happen many times during my 20 years of installing labeling equipment. you never know.
thanks.

 

I know when I worked at Advance, the "store" brand was Havoline.