Recommended oil ?

[rspi]

LOL, that and the occasional random smoking tail pipe. Would have loved to see the smoke cloud.

[volvo v70 Chris]

I have a 98 v70 and just changed oil for first time and used Mobil 1 full synthetic. I didn't use the high mileage, it has 162,000 on it. Should I change it to the high mileage, I have no leaks at the moment. Thanks

[bguzz]

I wouldn't use high mileage unless you have any leaks or significant burning oil issues. Mobil1 synth or Pennzoil Platinum are great oils. My favorite in this vehicle is M1 0W40, it is an excellent oil that shears down to a heavier 30wt fairly quickly...but that is fine, all oils shear. 0W40 is their European formula and generally a higher quality than most of their other oils (which are also good oils). I like Pennzoil too though.

[cn90]

I have been using Napa synthetic 5W30 (winter) or 10W30 (summer) for a few years because:
- It is synthetic
- Twice a year, Napa has this on sales for $3.50/qt
- Made by Valvoline, whatever that means...

[QuirkySwede]

Saw Advance Auto Parts has a sale on synthetic (forget brand): 2 quarts for $6.99, thru Jan 29th if I remember right.

[RigsPGT]

I have been using Napa synthetic 5W30 (winter) or 10W30 (summer) for a few years because:
- It is synthetic
- Twice a year, Napa has this on sales for $3.50/qt
- Made by Valvoline, whatever that means...

I know a handful of Napa employees from drivers to regional managers and have heard the same thing about their oil being made by Valvoline. Heck i was thinking of stopping there and asking about the next oil sales and buy a few cases as their synthetic oil becomes cheaper than dino.
As for Walmart oil,
Walmart oil is water! Had my turbocharged 94 Probe GT stall and idle rough right after an oil change and come back to normal 5 minutes later when replacing it with same brand bought at an auto parts store!
Same issue happened to my fathers Corolla. I had no idea he had bought the oil there and after starting the car, it felt as if it was running on 3 cylinders.
Another case i heard about the car starting to smoke right after Walmart oil change came from my father's friend who drives a Camry. His problem went away right after draining it and filling it with different oil.
I used Valvoline, my father had bought Castrol and his friend had Mobil 1 all from Walmart, coincidence? I'dsay NO! Never again!

[jblackburn]

I wouldn't use high mileage unless you have any leaks or significant burning oil issues. Mobil1 synth or Pennzoil Platinum are great oils. My favorite in this vehicle is M1 0W40, it is an excellent oil that shears down to a heavier 30wt fairly quickly...but that is fine, all oils shear. 0W40 is their European formula and generally a higher quality than most of their other oils (which are also good oils). I like Pennzoil too though.

M1 0W-40 is a great oil.

In 5w-30 varieties, I'd go for Pennzoil Platinum or Pennzoil Ultra over Mobil.

[ThommyKent]

For most cars built before 2000, The high mileage labeling should be used, only because those oils still have the formula before Energy Conserving oils came about. They have much higher levels of ZDDP (zinc ) which is essential to preventing premature tappet and cam wear in engines built before 2000.

[jblackburn]

^Excellent point.

[instarx]

I know a handful of Napa employees from drivers to regional managers and have heard the same thing about their oil being made by Valvoline. Heck i was thinking of stopping there and asking about the next oil sales and buy a few cases as their synthetic oil becomes cheaper than dino.

I have two comments - one I know for a fact and the other I suspect:

What I Know: I used to work for Shell and once when walking though a refinery I noticed oil bottles with some unknown (to me) brand labels on them being filled by a filling machine. It was explained to me that various suppliers contracted with refineries to fill their bottles. Although the base stock was Shell refined petroleum and the additives were added by Shell, the additive mixtures were different as specified by the customer. So just because an oil is "made" by Shell or Valvoline, that does not mean that it is the same as Shell or Valvoline oil. Also a house brand oil may be bottled by Shell one month and by [fill in the blank] the next.

What I Suspect: As for Walmart oil, I read a bobstheoilguy technical article a few years ago that Walmart specified oils had very low additive levels, presumably to save money. Based on the way I know oil is packaged I find that quite believable. I would never buy any Walmart brand oil, and would not even buy a major brand of oil at Walmart unless the label was EXACTLY the same as that brand/type of oil sold elsewhere. One way Walmart saves pennies on everything is to have suppliers make special low-cost versions of some items while leaving their brand name on them. So if you see Shell Super-Dooper 10w-40 oil at Walmart, make sure you can also buy Shell Super-Dooper oil somewhere else or it is probably oil made specifically for Walmart to their specifications. I'm only using Shell as an example, it could be any oil name.