Oil brands
More Turbo
Joined: Jul 2020
Posts: 709
Likes: 188
Indeed, it is. Blended by Warren Distribution, not to be confused with Warren Oil, which is the house brand. They have come a long way from the “corner store oil” they used to be known for. They used to say that NAPA was made by Valvoline, but it could be different now. I’d be tempted to use Amazon oil at some point once warranty is out. Even the fact of doing your own changes is risky to some regarding warranty claims. I’ll take my chances on that one. Every maintenance item is documented on my vehicles, whether they have warranty or not.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 197
Likes: 20
If you want an opinionfest, ask random people on the innerwebs.
If you want the proper oil for your application, use any oil that meets or exceeds the specs in the Owner's Manual.
If you want the proper oil for your application, use any oil that meets or exceeds the specs in the Owner's Manual.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 197
Likes: 20
Hotshot
Joined: Mar 2017
Posts: 10,163
Likes: 1,373
From: Chaz
I worked at a shop in highschool changing oil and the regulars that drove a lot and went to other places using different brands would have leaks and always be a little low on the initial check. If they stuck with us that wouldnt be the case. That was back when it was normal to change every 3,000 miles.
So I would try to stick with the same brand and weight. Weight needed can change as you get higher miles though.
To keep it simple I would suggest the typical factory fill for the first couple oil changes then change it up and stick with it.
For Ford they have their IOLM and dummy light turn on and Motorcraft semi-synthetic is what Ford uses. So I would change it up to only a full synthetic.
So I would try to stick with the same brand and weight. Weight needed can change as you get higher miles though.
To keep it simple I would suggest the typical factory fill for the first couple oil changes then change it up and stick with it.
For Ford they have their IOLM and dummy light turn on and Motorcraft semi-synthetic is what Ford uses. So I would change it up to only a full synthetic.
Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 197
Likes: 20
Oil threads...they go on for decades with little to no conclusion.
Brand is marketing, plain and simple. But, just like politics or religion, many will fight to the absolute death to defend their favorite brand.
Weights can change, and most manufacturers suggest weight changes based on climate conditions for the season. Being from Texas, I just use one weight, but that is happenstance, not a strategy. I would have zero concerns changing oil weights based on climate changes during the year if I lived where that mattered.
https://www.thedrive.com/article/127...d-a-decade-ago
I trust outfits like BlackStoneLabs as I believe they are brand agnostic. YMMV. That, and they have data from a broad spectrum of vehicle operators, vehicle manufacturers, geographic locations, and a large array of brands as real world samples. IMO, this is where reality occurs, vs opinion, belief, or advertising verbiage.
Attached is the full report, for the morbid details.
Brand is marketing, plain and simple. But, just like politics or religion, many will fight to the absolute death to defend their favorite brand.
Weights can change, and most manufacturers suggest weight changes based on climate conditions for the season. Being from Texas, I just use one weight, but that is happenstance, not a strategy. I would have zero concerns changing oil weights based on climate changes during the year if I lived where that mattered.
https://www.thedrive.com/article/127...d-a-decade-ago
I trust outfits like BlackStoneLabs as I believe they are brand agnostic. YMMV. That, and they have data from a broad spectrum of vehicle operators, vehicle manufacturers, geographic locations, and a large array of brands as real world samples. IMO, this is where reality occurs, vs opinion, belief, or advertising verbiage.
Attached is the full report, for the morbid details.
Cargo Master
Joined: Jan 2016
Posts: 2,672
Likes: 373
As for Valvoline putting out info on "myths". There's technical info from engineers and chemists, there's marketing spin, there's legal advice, etc. It's up to us to sort through the info for the actual truth.
Like I said earlier, probably never notice a problem by mixing but why do it?
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Mountain Pass
Joined: Sep 2019
Posts: 197
Likes: 20
Kinda tough to be more factual then hearing it from the chemists who make the oil formulas and then test them in engine labs. If your engine or anyone else's engine failed due to mixing oil brands, how would you know? Can you or most other people test it in a way that traces the root cause to the oil instead of a mechanical flaw? These guys do it for a living.
As for Valvoline putting out info on "myths". There's technical info from engineers and chemists, there's marketing spin, there's legal advice, etc. It's up to us to sort through the info for the actual truth.
Like I said earlier, probably never notice a problem by mixing but why do it?
As for Valvoline putting out info on "myths". There's technical info from engineers and chemists, there's marketing spin, there's legal advice, etc. It's up to us to sort through the info for the actual truth.
Like I said earlier, probably never notice a problem by mixing but why do it?
Perhaps the chemists have a reason, but in the real world, this would be catastrophic for the automotive industry if anything significant arose from it. Reason I use different brands is because I've never known of any failure or premature demise due to using various oil brands in the same engine.
Most additives are trace amounts. The residual additive amount from the residual oil after a drain cannot amount to any negative result.
IMO, all we need to care about was in the BlackStoneLabs report...and that is, it really doesn't matter.
If only we rode our politicians like we ride oil brands, lol....
