Mobil 1 0w40 has always been one of the premier products from Mobil 1. Mobil 1 0w40 is not "just," a another viscosity. Mobil 1 0w40 European Car Formula is actually different from other viscosities of Mobil 1 in more ways than just its weight.
I often will run oil analysis on oil that comes from my cars, or even on a new bottle of oil, just to see its composition.
Mobil 1 0w40 has more additives in it than say one of the more common viscosities like 5w30.
The reason being is that this 0w40 product is recommended or approved by many European manufacturers who have stringent standards. Indeed, some of these manufacturers do not only require specific performance requirements for this oil, but will actually specify where the additives packages must be purchased from. Mercedes-Benz, Porsche, and BMW are just some of the manufacturers who have approvals on this oil.
Furthermore, all AMG vehicles and Porsches come from the factory with this very 0w40 Mobil 1. It is even used in some racing vehicles around the world.
Mobil 1 does not just meet specifications, but tends to exceed those specs.
Some might argue that Mobil 1 has changed its formula a lot over the years. However, one thing is clear. Mobil 1 0w40 is a quality product, approved by some of the most stringent manufacturer specifications, and it is the same formula found around the world.
Amazon has great opportunities to have this oil delivered to your door. There are often rebates available on the product.
It's a proven product. Recommended. Mobil 1 96989 Synthetic 0W-40 Motor Oil - 1 Quart, Pack of 6
This and a specific German made variant of Castrol are the only oils I use in my VW, due to strict requirements listed by the manufacturer.
Unfortunately, due to where I live, I often have a hard time finding oils that meet the VW 502 requirements locally. The auto stores nearby price out six quarts of Mobil 1 for a few pennies cheaper, but it is always hit or miss as to whether they actually have any available or on order.
Amazon delivers this rather fast. Great for those months when it could be weeks before I could see the product locally.
My last two cars have been a VW Jetta 1.8T and an Audi A4 1.8T. These engines get amazing gas mileage when paired up with a manual transmission. My Jetta Wagon got 36 MPG Highway and 30 MPG combined. My A4Q Avant gets 29MPG combined and even gets 28+ highway with two bikes on the roof (these mileage figures are calculated and not from the computer). You gotta have the right 0W oil to get the most gas mileage. My friend has been a service manager at several dealerships and he uses Castol in his 1.8T. I have been a Castrol fan for years, but when I checked last they still did not have anything that meets the VW 502.00 rating that this engine requires. I do not want to take any chances with the turbo, so I am sticking with Mobil 1. I have been using this oil since 2006 and change it every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. It is difficult to find in Spokane and I have to drive to Hayden, Idaho to buy it. I find it on sale at O'Reilly sometimes for $4.99 per quart (limit 24). It's good to see that Amazon has it. It will save me the trip.
The previous reviewer is right about oil change intervals. The "recommended" intervals have gotten longer because of consumer reviews that rate maintenance costs. The easiest way to improve your score is to reduce the number of oil changes. If you ask any good service manager or mechanic they will tell you to change it every 3,000 miles.
I use the Mahle Oil Filter from Amazon (Item number: W0133-1638280-MAH) Mahle Oil Filter. The Amazon ad says that Audi recommends this filter. I trust Amazon and the filter is German made and much larger than the filter my dealership sells me.
I picked this oil for my car because it's a true synthetic oil (PAO-based) not the fake synthetics like other 0W-40 oils. In the US, the definition of synthetic is more lax and cheaper quality oils are allowed to be labeled synthetic even though they wouldn't qualify as such in Europe (hence the need to differentiate it as European car formula). If you have a high performance engine (Audi, BMW, etc...) then this is what you want. If you don't have one (e.g. Camry) then you don't necessarily need this.
The two numbers in the rating, 0W-40, are the viscosity at low and high temps. You basically want low viscosity at low temps when you start the engine to get lubrication flowing quickly and high viscosity at normal engine operating temperature to reduce engine wear. Standard petroleum-based oil does not have such a dynamic viscosity range, so oil manufacturers have created synthetic oils to do this. But many of them have been using petroleum-based oil combined with lots of additives to achieve this dynamic range and labeling it synthetic (because it is cheaper than a pure synthetic). These are known as Group III based oils. The problem is that there is the risk of the additives breaking down under high stress, leaving you with oil that only performs at the lower rating (i.e. 0 in this case!). This can lead to sludging. So what you want is a Group IV based oil, a.k.a. PAO-based (Poly-Alpha-Olefin), which means it is truly synthetic and does not need additives, and has no risk of breaking down. And it lasts longer, from 3000-15000 miles according to their website but I change mine every 5K-7.5K (check with your car manufacturer for what they recommend).
I must say that this was the fastest 'standard' delivery of a product I have ever experienced. It was at my door in two days after ordering. Thanks Amazon. I have used Mobil 1 synthetic in my cars and motorcycles for years and it has always performed well. It took some getting used to not changing my oil every 3k miles as in the 'old days' with the dino oil. Being assured I can run it longer in my vehicles AND wanting the extra value due to the high cost of Mobil 1 I started changing it out about every 7-10k miles. That has worked for me over the years and I never noticed any additional wear or oil burning. I use 15W-50 in my Valkyrie MC, just started using 0W-30 (was using 5W-30) in the Mitsubishi Lancer, and 0W-40 European grade in the Mercedes SLK 320. I just hope Mobil 1 stays with a fully synthetic base unlike some others that use a mixture of mineral oil and synthetic and legally call it 'fully synthetic' as I'm learning more about this practice.... - Bmw - Lubricants - Full Synthetic - Oil'
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