PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum - View Single Post

odie · #10 10-28-2004, 10:13 AM

Oil is oil....for any given weight

look at the API classification seal on the back of the bottle. This is the ONLY piece of information that truly matters.

Order of importance
1. Select the API rating you desire/require
2. Select the weight you desire/require
3. Select the type you desire/require, synthetic, blend, dino
4. Select the price you desire
5. Select the brand &/or store you desire

Oil is like gas...corporations, suppliers, refineries, wholesalers, distributors all buy and sell to each other as supply as production ebbs and flows. There is no guarantee the "brand" on the label is the true source.

Oil is made to specific API classification levels. Production facilities will not "over-refine" motor oil unless they can classify the product at the next higher API level. Why spend extra money & time if you can't label it as such to the consumer?

All brands with the same API rating & weight are identical.

Just like Budweiser & Busch beer. Exact same production line. Exact same product. They just change the labels and keep going. Why? Market share. Not everyone will pay Bud prices. So they make budget beer and expand market share.

Just look at all those fancy new oils on the shelf..."high mileage formula", "4X4 formula", "towing formula", blah blah blah. What happened before? Did all these special needs vehicles blow up and die before these oils were on the market?

A fool and their money......