My 2007 Impala had 178K miles on it and I always used Valvoline high mileage synthetic. Never leaked.

 

I use Shell Rotella synthetic or Mobil 1 10w30.10W-30 oil is a very good choice for me, I advise you to choose oil for your car here https://davesoilchange.com/10w-30-oil/. I use a quality product at an acceptable cost. Using this substance, the car engine will last a long time. This type of fluid works well with the temperature conditions in my region. Also, this oil has a high viscosity it protects against leaks and is good for old cars.

 

Amazon runs some very good deals on Pennzoil and I grab them when they do. I have no issue with using Pennzoil or Valvoline. Filtration is also VERY important, and you should always use the more expensive filter when they offer the good, better, best deals.

I read a white paper on the best oils on the market, and Amsoil was the winner. But at $45 a gallon I am not doing that. On that chart, just a hair below Amsoil, was Valvoline. Much cheaper for basically the same protection.

 

IMO people way over think this topic. I can't think of any modern street car engine I've seen that had a failure positively traced back to an oil caused issue (that had regular maintenance done to it - I don't mean those people that don't change it for 100k and if turns into black jello).

I'm not saying one brand isn't a slightly bit better than another, but take a look at any junkyard and you'll likely find numerous 3800 cars with 200k+ miles still running (especially looking at Buicks - stuff teenagers aren't buying and wrecking like GPs and such). Theres no way all of these cars ran only the best of the best oil (and I'd be willing to bet some didn't even change it as regularly as they should), yet they still last just fine.

Maybe if we were pushing engine life to the limits, it would be different but with everything else falling apart by 200k, these engines will usually outlast the owners patience for spending increasing repair money on a quickly nearing worthless car. Virtually no one is making it to 300k, 400k, etc etc and still hanging on to their car.

IMO regular OCI and good filtration are more important to worry about than trying to figure out exactly what oil brand eeks out a slightly higher score in whatever aftermarket test is all the rage this year.

 

I agree with you on this. After I bought my Monte and it was still under warranty, I had the dealership change it for me. They pump it out of a 55 gallon drum - for every oil change they do. "Goodwrench" oil is whatever is in the drum. I have torn down a 350 (Sorry - 5.7L) from a Suburban with a bent valve, it was clean as a whistle inside. I have also torn down engines from the 60's and early 70's that were just caked with paraffin sludge buildup. That being said, time for me to change my oil!

 

Fuel injection has cured a ton of problems regarding oil performance. It gets much less saturated than before. That said, most oils all cost about the same, so why not used the ones that are rated much higher than others?

 

I guess my reasoning would be just to save the time of doing the digging/ research to keep up with the latest tests/data for something that likely will never have an impact on an individual - especially since virtually no one on here races or takes their car up to insane mileage.

I suppose Im biased a bit as I've got a few family members, including my dad, that absolutely drive cars into the ground (probably 8-10 good examples between them). Stuff thats hauled off to the junkyard for either a wreck or major rust degradation at 200k++ with the engine still running just fine, despite using whatever cheap oil had a good sale / rebate that day its whole life.

I'd probably feel different if I'd seen real world examples of engines failing due specifically to the oil brand used, but I honestly haven't in my personal life yet - even with those people that go in for the Jiffy Lube mystery oil special, lol. The only issues I've seen first hand are from gross negligence of OCIs.

I get there's people out there that enjoy data analysis and diving into details on every single thing (I've got a couple friends that are regulars on bobistheoilguy that go through and do regular sample analysis, etc), but I don't see a benefit here for the average driver to spend any of their time worrying about it. JMO of course.

 

True with Monte Carlos from up north. The rust will eat them alive long before the engine lets go. Sad for GM they can't do a better job. This is really pathetic.

 

I support what you are saying and loved this example.
I did watch a video of a guy who got an old can of motor oil (it was still sealed when he did his video) and compared it with a modern bottle of oil. The refining process and in some cases beneficial additives in oil you can buy from your local parts store today is so much superior than it was in say the pre-1970's (maybe even pre-1980's). I have never heard of a brand of oil resulting in shortened engine life, nor engine failure. If you want to spend your effort on research, look at the oil filters. Lots of youtube videos of filter comparisons and there is a difference there.

Key is maintenance. When dealing with my cars, I change oil after 3k miles but before 5k miles. You can tell by the oil coming out, it's ready for some fresh stuff. This process has never let me or my family down. I know many friends/family that had cars go well past 200K miles and the engine still running great (or if the car is dead before 200k, it was severe body rot or a wreck). I had a 1994 Grand Am with a 3100 v6, bought when it was 10 years old and had 86k on it. Sold it when it was 19 years old with 215k miles on it and that engine and trans with regular care ran GREAT. I sold it because the body was rotting in ways I did not want to rely on the car any more for getting to and from work. If it wasn't for the body rot, I bet I would have ran that car to 300k!

Lack of changing your oil is more damaging than which brand you choose to use.

 

I agree with that, but you left out a very important part - filtration. In this thread you will see I posted results on the best filters out there, and it's usually pretty simple.. Most offer a good, better and best. Buy the best. You can have $50 a gallon oil in your car but if you are not filtering out particles it does no good. I also run magnetic oil plugs on all my cars. They are only about $5. Good investment.