I have used Mobil 1 full synthetic in my cars for a number of years now. I just recently got a BJs membership and was excited to see if I could save some money by buying in bulk.

Mobil 1 at BJs is cheaper than Autozone ($5.30 per quart vs $6.50). However, next to the Mobil 1 was several cases of Shell Full Synthetic for $3.33 per quart! I checked the container and its labeled as SM certified by the API.

Can anyone see a reason to continue buying the Mobil 1? From what I've read on sites like carbibles.com, as long as it says SM its good.

Price usually indicates the amount of engineering that goes into the product. Does that mean a better oil? Not always. Mobil 1 is a good oil and I personally wouldnt downgrade. I take the Versa to get serviced at the dealer but I always use full synthetic in my 240.

Marketing also adds a pretty penny to the price of products also. Imagine how cheap Mobil would be if the sponsored nothing.

Quote »Can anyone see a reason to continue buying the Mobil 1? From what I've read on sites like carbibles.com, as long as it says SM its good.[/quote]Not really. As long as you change oil and oil filter religiously at regular intervals 3k-5k, all oils are pretty much equal. Where the brands and blends (fossil vs. synth, vs mix of the two) differ is how much use they can endure before breaking down chemically and fail to neutralize acid and sludge precursors.

Quote »Price usually indicates the amount of engineering that goes into the product.[/quote]That's what marketing would have you believe. I've worked in advertising since '95.

Quote »Marketing also adds a pretty penny to the price of products[/quote]Absolutely. For example, 3 years ago Pennzoil's advertising budget wasn't even close to 25% of what Mobil 1 spent that year. It's a lot like prescription drugs; how a lot of money is spent to sell them and how those costs are passed on to the consumers. Is the high cost of prescription drugs any indication of their effectiveness or safety? Not at all; some have caused deaths!
Modified by feloniousmonk at 1:18 AM 6/10/2008