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Car Forum / Honda Cars / May 2007Dealer Switched from Castrol to Mobil Oil - Downgrade?
My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer indicate the grade or weight (should be API service SJ "energy conserving" oil, SAE 5-30 viscosity, for my particular year and model). I had an impression from years ago that Castrol was considered a superior brand. Is that still true, and if so, why? The service manager at Mel Rapton Honda in Sacramento, CA, says one reason he switched is price. Mobil is cheaper. And he assures me it meets all the factory specs, although I can't verify that because I can't see the label for what they put in my car. He also says that all Hondas come with Mobil oil in the crankcase from the factory, whether in the US or Japan. Is that true? OK, so Mobil is cheaper. Assuming the product is marked as meeting the factory specs for my car, is it good enough? I am not asking here about synthetic oil; please limit responses to conventional oil products only. And please, I hope to hear informed and expert knowledge here, not speculation and guesses. Thank you. - Don > And please, I hope to hear informed and expert knowledge here, not > speculation and guesses. Thank you. speculation and guesses are what you will get. you are not paying for this advice directly. of course, it can be argued that you are paying for electricity to power the computer, the purchase price of the computer, the internet connection, etc... there is nothing wrong with mobil. you are silly if you think otherwise. clean, fresh oil of the proper (as per the particular vehicle manual) viscosity is all you need and all you need to worry about. bob z. OK, zee, thank you. If my dealer is using "Mobil Clean" then according to the Mobil web site it does meet the owner's manual specs for my car. Not only as to viscosity, but also as to API service rating SJ and "energy conserving" in my case. - Don >> And please, I hope to hear informed and expert knowledge here, not >> speculation and guesses. Thank you. [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > bob z. > OK, zee, thank you. If my dealer is using "Mobil Clean" then according to > the Mobil web site it does meet the owner's manual specs for my car. Not > only as to viscosity, but also as to API service rating SJ and "energy > conserving" in my case. > > - Don i was having a bad day so please forgive my abrasiveness. bob z. Ah, I see we have yet another multi-posting newbie! Identical message posted independently to at least two groups. I have already supplied a sublime and penetrating response in the other group you posted to. Go find it. You know where it is (but nobody else does!). Oh, and you may wish to educate youself as to certain Usenet etiquette conventions, here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossposting  SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ Thanks, Tegger, I went to the Wikipedia link, which led to another link, and the resulting consensus seems to be: 1) Where possible, post to only one group, but 2) If there is a reason, it's OK to post to two and not more than three groups, and 3) If I post to more than one group, I should take care to NOT "double post" (what I did) but rather to "crosspost" such that the resulting messages will show both groups in the header, and such that replies from either group will go to both groups.. I understand the traffic problems that result from posting in more than one group, especially if replies then go to more than one group. But there is a special problem here: There are two Honda groups, not one. And both get a lot of traffic. If I only post to one, 1/3 or more of the Honda community won't see my post. Tegger, are you suggesting I should pick just one group (maybe the one with the most traffic, or the one with the least spam, or the one with the fewest unpleasant people) and limit my posts to that one? I do wish the two groups would combine into one, but as there is no administrative mechanism to accomplish that, posting to two (in whatever is the least objectionable way) seems the next best solution. - Don > Ah, I see we have yet another multi-posting newbie! > [quoted text clipped - 7 lines] > conventions, here: > http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Crossposting > Thanks, Tegger, I went to the Wikipedia link, which led to another > link, and the resulting consensus seems to be: [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > 2) If there is a reason, it's OK to post to two and not more than > three groups, and You can post to more than three if there are more groups possibly relevant to your post (some computer groups are like that). > 3) If I post to more than one group, I should take care to NOT "double > post" (what I did) but rather to "crosspost" such that the resulting > messages will show both groups in the header, and such that replies > from either group will go to both groups. That's right. > I understand the traffic problems that result from posting in more > than one group, especially if replies then go to more than one group. > > But there is a special problem here: There are two Honda groups, not > one. Three, if you count alt.autos.acura. > And both get a lot of traffic. If I only post to one, 1/3 or > more of the Honda community won't see my post. Tegger, are you > suggesting I should pick just one group (maybe the one with the most > traffic, or the one with the least spam, or the one with the fewest > unpleasant people) and limit my posts to that one? If I'm unfamiliar with the group category I wish to post to, I scan the relevant groups briefly to see 1) which has the most traffic, and 2) which appears to have knowledgeable posters. I then (cross)post as necessary. Occasionally people will remove the crossposting, so I have to manually check each group I post to, just in case. It's a bit of a hassle. > I do wish the two groups would combine into one, but as there is no > administrative mechanism to accomplish that, posting to two (in > whatever is the least objectionable way) seems the next best solution. This is a puzzle, yes. And I too wish the two groups would consolidate. There appears to be no reason both should exist. The presence of the two just splits the messages and prevents complete communication. I tend to stick with rec.autos.makers.honda just because it has the most traffic, but I scan this one as well. And if I have something I think is important, such as an update to the Unofficial FAQ, I'll crosspost to the three Honda groups. One other problem is that not all providers carry all groups, so posting to both Honda ones catches everybody. Finally, in re-reading my original post to you, I see I was kind of snarky, Apologies for that. SignatureTegger The Unofficial Honda/Acura FAQ www.tegger.com/hondafaq/ In article <Mi42i.150733$VU4.123282@bgtnsc05-news.ops.worldnet.att.net>, > 3) If I post to more than one group, I should take care to NOT "double post" > (what I did) but rather to "crosspost" such that the resulting messages will [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > least spam, or the one with the fewest unpleasant people) and limit my posts > to that one? No. He's saying to cross post, just like what you outlined in 3) above. Here in the southeast Mobil is the distributor for Honda motor oil. I'm not sure about the rest of the country. The Honda branded oil is formulated by Mobil to Honda specs. There's not much better for your car. As for Castrol, it's a fine motor oil. Probably no better or worse than any other major motor oil manufacturer, except for some of the premium and/or racing oils or synthetics. What Castrol is best for is marketing. There is no oil company that spends more time and money on marketing and promoting its product than Castrol. They spend millions on promoting and the result is what many people including yourself think that it is better and consequently it pays them back in sales. Maybe it is, maybe it isn't better. But there is not much difference between equivalent spec Mobil or Castrol or most other major brands for that matter. If you want superior, use Amsoil or Royal Purple, but be prepared to pay a handsome price for something that will make little or no difference in a well maintained properly oil changed vehicle. Howard > My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol > to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer [quoted text clipped - 22 lines] > > - Don In my forty plus years of fiddlin' with cars, I have found Castrol to cut consumption by as much as 50% regardless of the type of car involved in ever case. Just like in politics, it's a case of, "Follow the money." It's just that simple... JT > Here in the southeast Mobil is the distributor for Honda motor oil. I'm not > sure about the rest of the country. The Honda branded oil is formulated by [quoted text clipped - 40 lines] >> >>- Don On May 11, 9:45 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Gru...@ExtraGrumpyville.com> wrote: > In my forty plus years of fiddlin' with cars, I have found Castrol to > cut consumption by as much as 50% regardless of the type of car involved [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > It's just that simple... cut consumption by 50%? maybe /you/ need to cut the consumption before posting on the internet. bob z. > On May 11, 9:45 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Gru...@ExtraGrumpyville.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > > bob z. J.T. is a good source of info on a wide range of cars (not just Hondas.) How is it not possible he is right about this? I haven't had cars that consume significant oil for quite a while so I couldn't say myself, but I have to credit his observation as "could be." Mike On May 12, 12:03 am, "Michael Pardee" <michaeltn...@cybertrails.com> wrote: > "bob zee" <bobz...@gmail.com> wrote in message > > maybe /you/ need to cut the consumption [quoted text clipped - 8 lines] > > Mike I thought my reply was funny! "No, it wasn't." "Sure, it was. Its funny." "No." "damn..." :~)> > On May 12, 12:03 am, "Michael Pardee" <michaeltn...@cybertrails.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 24 lines] > > :~)> I guess we have to get to know you better. >>On May 11, 9:45 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Gru...@ExtraGrumpyville.com> >>wrote: [quoted text clipped - 18 lines] > > Mike In my varied experience, I've found Castrol to be the best and Quaker State/Penzoil to be the worst. Of course, seal condition etc. plays a greater role when it comes to leakage. OTOH, if one of my vintage Studebakers were to suddenly stop leaking, i.e., no drip marks on the pavement... I would become very concerned that it might be empty.. JT <snip> > OTOH, if one of my vintage Studebakers were to suddenly stop leaking, > i.e., no drip marks on the pavement... I would become very concerned > that it might be empty.. lol! > In my varied experience, I've found Castrol to be the best and Quaker > State/Penzoil to be the worst. My motorhead brother tells me to stay away from Havoline, that he's seen too many engines with carbon deposits in its wake.... Mike >>In my varied experience, I've found Castrol to be the best and Quaker >>State/Penzoil to be the worst. [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > > Mike Generally, I've found that most major oil company brands to be mediocre. Castrol and probably the less promoted Valvoline are pretty near equal on the high end with Penzoil and Quacker (pun intended) State rounding out the bottom. As for synthetics, I'm strictly RedLine which I use in trannies and differentials... JT On May 11, 9:45 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Gru...@ExtraGrumpyville.com> wrote: > In my forty plus years of fiddlin' with cars, I have found Castrol to > cut consumption by as much as 50% regardless of the type of car involved [quoted text clipped - 52 lines] > > - Show quoted text - In the most recent oil test, Consumer Reports famously/infamously didn't see any differences. But..... in the test before that, decades ago, Castrol came out on top, followed by Valvoline Turbo (the top Valvoline at the time). This ranking matched what most of the serious car guys I knew ranked them as. I was kind of surprised at the time, i assumed the big names like Quaker State must be the best. Har har har, I was young then. > On May 11, 9:45 am, Grumpy AuContraire <Gru...@ExtraGrumpyville.com> > wrote: [quoted text clipped - 63 lines] > assumed the big names like Quaker State must be the best. Har har har, > I was young then. I think that you have to take Consumer Reports test results with a grain of salt as they have been exposed with regards to some questionable testing/rating processes. Often, it's best to go with your experienced gut... JT (Add to the crap list Bosch and Champion sparkplugs) > My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol > to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer [quoted text clipped - 3 lines] > I had an impression from years ago that Castrol was considered a superior > brand. Is that still true, and if so, why? If you follow an average oil change interval, any API spec oil is just fine. All modern oils are essentially good and better than they used to be. >> My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol >> to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer [quoted text clipped - 5 lines] > > If you follow an average oil change interval, any API spec oil is just fine. not "any" oil. motorcraft api spec "semi-synthetic" makes the seals on my 89 civic leak like sieves. subsequently running castrol or mobil oil, i've had no leakage problems from the same seals whatsoever. first line oil analysis is spark spectrometry. [quick and cheap.] that's good for inorganic components like zinc, but useless for organic component analysis. on spark analysis, motorcraft oil appears to have an inorganic additive package just as good as other oils. but if it's causing leakage, clearly it's missing organic components like seal conditioners - and this would never show on spectrometry. guess that's why it's cheap. > All modern oils are essentially good and better than they used to be. >>> My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol >>> to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer [quoted text clipped - 10 lines] > 89 civic leak like sieves. subsequently running castrol or mobil oil, > i've had no leakage problems from the same seals whatsoever. May be the problem is with the Honda OEM seals not the oil. ///snipped/// DaveD > My local Honda dealer, where I get my oil changed, switched from Castrol > to Mobil oil. Also, the paperwork and windshield sticker no longer > indicate the grade or weight (should be API service SJ "energy conserving" > oil, SAE 5-30 viscosity, for my particular year and model). I don't know about the Service Specs, etc, but I have been using Castrol for over 25 years and have 3 High Mileage cars. Also, I picked up a Supra a couple years ago, and the vale stem seals need replacing. Big cloud of blue smoke on startup. Started using Castrol High Mileage..no more blue smoke. After the next oil change I'll switch back to regular Castrol. If you can do your own changes, do it. They're easy. They don't cost a lot less, but you'll get what you want for oil and filters. Hey Don here's some info on your topic . Hope this helps. http://www.nordicgroup.us/oil.htm |
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