0W Mobil 1 - Engine oil

[jaykay]

yes I thought it was sealed too...

[JFP in PA]

The problem with 0W-40 Mobil 1 is the product’s inability to hold up under high temperature/high shear environments and “stay in grade” as demonstrated by used oil analysis. While the IMS from the factory is a sealed unit and its problems are not directly related to the oil’s performance (other than to the fact that the low viscosity of the 0W Mobil oil could hasten the oil intrusion into an already failing IMS bearing once the seals start to crap out), a lot of other engine components are directly affected by the product’s poor performance and limited ability to “go the distance”. In light of the fact that there are better oil selections available, the continued use of clearly inferior oil seems questionable……

[Paul]

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

The problem with 0W-40 Mobil 1 is the product’s inability to hold up under high temperature/high shear environments and “stay in grade” as demonstrated by used oil analysis. While the IMS from the factory is a sealed unit and its problems are not directly related to the oil’s performance (other than to the fact that the low viscosity of the 0W Mobil oil could hasten the oil intrusion into an already failing IMS bearing once the seals start to crap out), a lot of other engine components are directly affected by the product’s poor performance and limited ability to “go the distance”. In light of the fact that there are better oil selections available, the continued use of clearly inferior oil seems questionable……

Tired of red but I appreciate your input on this board.

[Blue-S]

My 2000 Boxster S owner's manual lists 10w40 synthetic and 15w40 conventional oils among the recommended types & viscosities. If it was OK then, why is it not OK now? Answer: 0w40 skews toward reduced fuel consumption. Since I am not focused on attaining the absolute minimum fuel consumption on my Boxster, it will most likely receive 10w40 syn on the next oil change...unless I go with 15w40 Swepco.

[flintworks]

2 out of the 3 dealerships I've worked at used Mobil 1 0w-40. We're talking about thousands of oil changes a year just from one dealership. If there was a problem with that oil Porsche would remove it from the approved oil list and we would have seen more internal engine problems. The third dealership used Valvoline 0w-40 simply because it was cheaper than Mobil 1 and I believe Porsche approved it for use this year. In my opinion it's more important to keep the oil clean than debate which synthetic has the greatest protection.

[JFP in PA]

Originally Posted by flintworks

2 out of the 3 dealerships I've worked at used Mobil 1 0w-40. We're talking about thousands of oil changes a year just from one dealership. If there was a problem with that oil Porsche would remove it from the approved oil list and we would have seen more internal engine problems. The third dealership used Valvoline 0w-40 simply because it was cheaper than Mobil 1 and I believe Porsche approved it for use this year. In my opinion it's more important to keep the oil clean than debate which synthetic has the greatest protection.

We probably average 12-15 oil changes a day, six days a week, and have done so for more years than I’d care to admit. Along the way, we have regularly taken samples of oil for analysis; recording literally hundreds of results for several brands and many grades of oil; both synthetic and “dino”.

What did we learn? Mobil 1 used to be a great oil; but it no longer is. Amongst the poorest performing grades under even minor exposure to heat or shear: 0W-40. Mobil’s 15W-50 continued to be a good performer, but that also changed about 3-4 years back, about the same time it lost all of ACEA ratings it once held. Now it is a shadow of what it once was, particularly in its performance in used oil analysis.

Considering that the degradation of the Mobil 1 line did not happen over night, and has been the “topic of discussion de jour” on multiple web sites, I find it hard to believe that anyone remotely knowledgeable on the subject continues to believe it is a first rate product. Based upon what we have seen, we made a conscious decision to no longer use it in customer’s cars. Based upon our on-going data collection, that has proven to have been a wise choice……………..

[tnoice]

SO what brand and weight of oil do you use instead of mobil 1?

Originally Posted by JFP in PA

We probably average 12-15 oil changes a day, six days a week, and have done so for more years than I’d care to admit. Along the way, we have regularly taken samples of oil for analysis; recording literally hundreds of results for several brands and many grades of oil; both synthetic and “dino”.

What did we learn? Mobil 1 used to be a great oil; but it no longer is. Amongst the poorest performing grades under even minor exposure to heat or shear: 0W-40. Mobil’s 15W-50 continued to be a good performer, but that also changed about 3-4 years back, about the same time it lost all of ACEA ratings it once held. Now it is a shadow of what it once was, particularly in its performance in used oil analysis.

Considering that the degradation of the Mobil 1 line did not happen over night, and has been the “topic of discussion de jour” on multiple web sites, I find it hard to believe that anyone remotely knowledgeable on the subject continues to believe it is a first rate product. Based upon what we have seen, we made a conscious decision to no longer use it in customer’s cars. Based upon our on-going data collection, that has proven to have been a wise choice……………..