# Mobil 1 Synthetic Motor Oil



## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

I've done mega research on this, but never found the definitive answer, but maybe there's a tribologist out there who can settle it for me finally?

I bought my car 9 years ago when it had 13,000 miles on the clock. It's has a VW 1.7 SDI diesel. After checking the VW specs, the first thing I did was change the oil for Mobil 1, which I believe is 100% synthetic (and the most expensive). It's what they put in Formula 1 racing engines so I figured it must be the best oil on the market.

I'm a low mileage driver these last 10 years (I only do ~4,500 miles p.a.), and at first I changed it annually. Then some people said there was no need, so I've been leaving it in the engine for at least 18 months. Currently the clock reads only 52,000 and it still runs like a Swiss watch.

The manufacuturers recommended 20,000 mile service interval would translate to about 4 years motoring for me, but that's for semi-synthetic oil. They never state what percentage is mineral/synthetic on the tin.

Bearing in mind that gearbox oil never needs changing because the oil doesn't deteriorate, my question is this - obviously Mobil 1 oil in the engine must deteriorate over time, but how long is that for a low mileage user like me?

I'd really like to know.


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## tall_tim (Jul 29, 2009)

I can't really help your query, but I also did a lot of research and found that for my car (Nissan X Trail), they recommend a very specific type of oil - in my case Comma 5-30 fully synthetic at 9000miles, and I stick to this religiously. The best place to find this out was the X Trail forum - so maybe worth seeing if there is a forum for your car.

After changing the oil, the engine always sounds a little sweeter straight after too!


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## Barryboy (Mar 21, 2006)

Mobil 1 is also recommended for my car (Mercedes C200 diesel, 102K miles) and I do use it at oil change time but I cringe when i see the price. I have to wonder if Halfords (or whatever...) fully synthetic would do the job just as well... Opinion on the Mercedes forum is split on this... some say "why not.... what's the harm?... I've been doing it for years", others say "No" and yet others say "Good God, NO!!!"

I'm afraid it's down to your personal choice... as Tall Tim says, find the VW diesel forum and ask.

Rob


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## tall_tim (Jul 29, 2009)

Barryboy said:


> Mobil 1 is also recommended for my car (Mercedes C200 diesel, 102K miles) and I do use it at oil change time but I cringe when i see the price. I have to wonder if Halfords (or whatever...) fully synthetic would do the job just as well... Opinion on the Mercedes forum is split on this... some say "why not.... what's the harm?... I've been doing it for years", others say "No" and yet others say "Good God, NO!!!"
> 
> I'm afraid it's down to your personal choice... as Tall Tim says, find the VW diesel forum and ask.
> 
> Rob


With the price of the oil and the filter, an oil change on mine is around Â£90-100. If you google the type of oil you're after there are usually some deals with free delivery and a litre bottle free.

With the X Trail forum, there are a few Nissan mechanics who post, so very often you get good information that the dealer would rather you didn't - a cheaper alternative to an issue! I'm most car forums are the same.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

tall_tim said:


> Barryboy said:
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> > Mobil 1 is also recommended for my car (Mercedes C200 diesel, 102K miles) and I do use it at oil change time but I cringe when i see the price. I have to wonder if Halfords (or whatever...) fully synthetic would do the job just as well... Opinion on the Mercedes forum is split on this... some say "why not.... what's the harm?... I've been doing it for years", others say "No" and yet others say "Good God, NO!!!"
> ...


I've only used Kwik-Fit for oil changes. They do Mobil 1+filter for about Â£50 - it's only a 4.5 litre oil capacity.

I'll have to have a look at VW forums..

cheers

Brian


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## Philz (Oct 20, 2009)

Roamer Man said:


> tall_tim said:
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Same here my Merc always went to KFfor an oil change. I would not reccomend them for anything else except air con top up. The car loved it's Mobil 1 I suppose you can put it in the context of watches. If you want a Rolex it will cost but there are plenty of other watches that tell the time!


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## tall_tim (Jul 29, 2009)

Roamer Man said:


> tall_tim said:
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That doesn't sound too bad. I do mine myself, but the problem is that the capacity is 5.4 litres and the oil comes in 5 litre bottles - which is why the free one litre bottle is a good deal! I have just done a search on my stuff and it's a lot cheaper than I remember- must get some in while I think about it.

And in case anyone has an X Trail on here I meant 5-40 fully synth, not 5-30.


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

Philz said:


> Roamer Man said:
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Talking of watches in this context...those really expensive Moebus oils are 100% synthetic, right? So that being the case, would they ever really need servicing again after that?


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

tall_tim said:


> Roamer Man said:
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That's why the Kwik-Fit deal makes sense - no waste. I did check out the Halfords etc. price for Mobil 1, and I couldn't even buy a can for less than Â£35. Add to that another fiver for the filter and you're crawling under the car getting messy, wet and cold just to save a tenner? I'm too old and arthritic for all that...Doh

Luckily my engine uses no oil between services, so the free litre deal wouldn't be any use anyway.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

I first started with Mobil 1 in the late 80's. Engine internals remain much cleaner and reduced friction means less particle build up. Increasing the length of service intervals is not a problem. Though, I would temper this advicce with the fact that over time some contaminants will still accumulate within the system and even synthetic oils do break down over time.

Later,

William


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

William_Wilson said:


> '..over time some contaminants will still accumulate within the system and even synthetic oils do break down over time'.


Agreed William, but I have to repeat the question...can anyone QUANTIFY that length of time for me because the oil companies won't - even approximately? It's not in their commercial interest to reveal too much?


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Roamer Man said:


> William_Wilson said:
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> > '..over time some contaminants will still accumulate within the system and even synthetic oils do break down over time'.
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Every car and driver is different. Operating a vehicle in extreme cold or hot conditions reduce the lenght of service intervals. Making short runs without the engine getting hot enough for long enough tends to contaminate the oil. Long term idling doesn't help either. Going by the average yearly milage, if it were my vehicle and I cared about it, I would do an oil change every two years.

Other things that are part of a typical oil change need to be remembered as well. Chassis and suspension lubrication along with air filter check should be considered also. Sometimes other enviromental issues apart from driving degrade the life of these things.

Later,

William


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## Roamer Man (May 25, 2011)

William_Wilson said:


> Roamer Man said:
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Luckily, the UK doesn't get the extremes you have in Ontario, William. I used to know a guy who spent 16 years in Ontario and the winter motoring tales he related left me agog. Over here we just used to get terrible rust problems.

Anyway, I do about 1000 motorway miles p.a. to see my daughter in Lincoln (I do so enjoy giving it the gun to blow away the cobwebs), but the rest is mostly urban. In fact, I tend not to do short trips on very cold days - for reasons of engine welfare and personal fitness. So, we are thinking along the same lines - 2 years max. for me it is then!

cheers


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## tixntox (Jul 17, 2009)

What we need to remember is that oil is not a lubricant! It just has lubricative properties. Crude oil comes out of the ground and is just that - crude. It has loads of additives put in to do its job as a car engine lubricant. Synthetic lubricants are purpose made for the job. That's why they are dearer. (But worth it!)


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

Smoke, Mirrors, Marketing & Snake Oil :lol: :lol:

Mercedes recommend Mobil 1 - Mobil 1 sponsors Mercedes race cars and various motorsport ventures.

Call me an old cynic if you like but 

I throw any old stuff in, so long as it's thinnish and slippy it'll work :lol: :lol: I've had well over a 100 cars over the years and only ever blown the engine in two of them, one threw a rod and the other dropped a valve. On both occasions it was nothing to do with the oil and more to do with excess RPM, about 7000 of them :lol: :lol:

I've had my truck for six or so years now, throw any old oil in and its still going just fine.


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

BondandBigM said:


> Smoke, Mirrors, Marketing & Snake Oil :lol: :lol:
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> Mercedes recommend Mobil 1 - Mobil 1 sponsors Mercedes race cars and various motorsport ventures.
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> ...


That worked in the "old days", when change intervals were 5000 miles. :lol:

I found synthetic made a big difference in the cold weather (-30) and hot weather (+30), and vehicles that I always forgot to change the oil in.

Later,

William


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## BondandBigM (Apr 4, 2007)

William_Wilson said:


> BondandBigM said:
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> > Smoke, Mirrors, Marketing & Snake Oil :lol: :lol:
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Don't you guy have engine heaters as standard ??? I have had a couple of American cars that have user them fitted, presumably they came from cold States originally.

If you have a read of some of the auto forums there are some hilarious comments when it comes to oils and additives.



> if you have faith, like religion, no amount of scientific evidence will shake you from your beliefs. I believe it's called "autosuggestion"! LOL....woah, this comment make my engine feel sooooo smooth! (it's still just thick oil!)





> I use Castrol 10w-60 before and oil is pretty thick but not good response, maybe too thick..





> My mechanic have this old SM4 Honda and the engine was having a clicking sound. He tried using Mobil 1 5w-50 in this old engine but the sound is still there. Hearing that diesel engine oil is also good for petrol engine he tried 4L of this Delvac 1 and the sound disappeared...... and yup, more expensive then Mobil 1...


:lol: :lol:


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## William_Wilson (May 21, 2007)

Block heaters use a load of electricity, tend to short out and electrify the chassis of the car and people have a habit of forgetting to unplug them, though in the Arctic block heaters are essential. Every parking spot has an outlet.

My Tracker 4WD used to start with the synthetic when it was so cold the transmission was solid and you couldn't change gears. :lol:

Anyway, every standard over the counter oil has been semi-synthetic for decades. :wink2:

Later,

William


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