Mobil 1 Paves the Way for Million-Mile Saab Achievement

FAIRFAX, Va.--Further exemplifying the exceptional performance of its flagship Mobil 1 synthetic motor oil, ExxonMobil is proud to announce that Peter Gilbert of Glendale, Wisconsin, completed an ambitious goal of driving one million miles in his 1989 Saab SPG, with the help of Mobil 1 motor oil.

Gilbert, an important salesman who drives approximately five hours a day, clocking in approximately 300 miles, hung up his hat on October 28, 2006, when his Saab arrived at the Wisconsin Auto Museum in Hartford, Wisconsin. His now legendary car will be immortalized for years to come for the enjoyment of auto enthusiasts worldwide.

"Nearly 17 years ago when I got my Saab, I set forth a goal to reach the one-million mile benchmark. I knew that using Mobil 1 synthetic engine oil would give me the best chance to do it," said Gilbert when reflecting upon his accomplishment

 

Wow, I’m surprised, but mostly because it was a Saab that did it. That must really say something for the oil.

 

Mobil 1 is a great synthetic, and my dad uses it in my mom's car, and loves it. Her car has 143K miles and it's an 02, and the way my dad keeps cars he wants it to last till 350K like the last one.

 

I'm sure he has a nice endorsement contract after this accomplishment.

 

Not to burst Mobil's bubble, but anyone who drives 300miles a day (all freeway driving no doubt) better be able to break a million miles.

I'll bet the same car that sees 300miles a day of stop-and-go New York city driving will die far sooner.

OTOH, when does one consider the end-of-life for a car? The thing can be burning oil as fast as you can pour it in, but it'll still work, right?

I still drive an 84 4-banger Toyota-- 208K original miles on it today. It has seen mostly mixed city/freeway driving most of its life, and I've fed it nothing but non-synthetic Castrol GTX every 3K miles. I'm burning less than 1/2 qt oil between changes and compression is still good too! Would it have done me any better to have spent 2-3x on synthetic? I strongly doubt it.

The only real advantage of using synthetics is extended oil change intervals. Think of it... if the million mile dude had to change his oil every 3K miles, he'd be going in for an oil change every 2 weeks. That becomes a nuiscance!

At age 23, the rest of my car has started to fall apart though. I'm losing pieces of car everytime I'm flying down the freeway. But hey, my engine will still be going strong by the time everything has fallen off or rusted to the ground.

 

my old truck was an 87 f150 5.0 that had a bad speedo/odometer since 1-2 years before i bought it when it got stuck at 229k miles (or 329k for all I know, it was at least 229 b/c the previous title was at 167...). the thing ran just fine with 2 oil changes per year, with oil taken out of my mustang.

it didnt eat a drop of oil... the way it was running/passed emissions, that thing would have seen another 100k in my hands, even with the pisspoor maintenance i was giving it (1300 dollar truck not exactly worth 30 dollar oil changes ). oh, and this was in arizona heat, all stop and go traffic...

some cars are just meant to be reliable and run forever... i doubt i could pull off what i did in that truck with a DSM or RX7, or god forbid, a chebby (my old man was always pissed his camaro (bought new) broke down more often than my rusty jalopy)

 

Screwy wrote: "Wow, I’m surprised, but mostly because it was a Saab that did it. That must really say something for the oil."

Apparently you know nothing about Saabs. It is not unusual for the old style 900s to run 300k miles +(I've seen many 400k examples on the road). Yeah, the turbos usually need replacement at around 225 - 275k miles, but other than that, they are usually quite bulletproof mechanically. And rust isn't an issue if you keep the road salt from building up. I don't even consider a Saab broken in until 100k. Stick to commenting on Ford trucks and leave the bashing to others.

 

Snowdog79....Check out april 2007 consumer reports magazine.....Saabs are known to not be the most reliable cars on the road. Not saying they are junk. Maybe the older models were better, but Saabs are not bullet proof. PS: GM owns them now.

 

Yes, I'm talking about pre-GM Saabs, '93 and older. They require maintenance, which most Americans seem to avoid like the plague, but that's why Saabs and Volvos run so long. They (european mfg's) never expected 100k tune-ups. All my latest Saab has needed beyond regular maintenance is CV joints and an alternator trip wire. The CV joint replacement was because the boots were ripped and the P.O. never had them fixed. 129k, '92 (just broken in). My '90 was totaled at 190k, always ran perfect. Not that little things don't go wrong, but the drivetrains in the pre-GM Saabs were extremely durable. Wouldn't touch a '94 and up one. Nothing but a disguised Opel (and now Pontiac and Chevy), and the worst crash tests in Saab's history. If you want to kill a good car company, let GM run it. It really makes you wonder when my '92 had a $45k sticker (turbo covertible) and a new one is about the same money. Where do you think GM saved all that money?
Back on topic, I had great luck with Mobil1 with the turbo motors, and am going to be using it in the Ranger we just bought for my wife. Better MPGs and longer change intervals.

 

Huh, well then I guess the first hand knowledge of working on three of them constantly for my friends is just a fluke? So you’ve had good luck with them, that’s great. But next time stick with your experiences and leave the feeble attempts to belittle someone you don’t know to others or, better yet, no one at all.

 

I consider Saabs extremely ugly.

 

Hey Screwy,
I grew up in an area where they were as common as Toyotas, in fact our high school had them as driver's ed cars, so I think I have a lot of first hand knowledge. Personally know people who have 400k miles on them, and two Saab only repair shops that routinely service and maintain many cars with 300k+. Wasn't trying to belittle you, just objected to your comment belittling Saabs (and therefore, Saab enthusiasts). There is a reason Saab owners are known for being almost fanatical about their cars. Car and Driver has called it the "cult of Saab". If you don't understand it, fine. But don't talk trash.
And if you "constantly" work on them, you must be one great mechanic as they are one of the most difficult cars to work on in existence (pre '93).

 

Sorry for the rant. We're all here because we love (I hope) our Ford trucks. I just don't like it when people dump on other brands. Let's leave the bashing to others who don't share our good taste in trucks and need to feel better by taking shots at other products ( you know who you are you Chevy and Dodge guys! ) LOL!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Al Bundy did it with his Dodge Dart with non-synthetic oil!

 

100% agree, we’ll just forget it ever happened. Your right about the challenge of working on them, it’s been about five years since I last touched one, but I can remember a few frustrating moments. I’d be lying if I said they didn’t challenge me. I had a heck of a time just getting the hood open the first time.