March, 2005
Motor oil technology has gradually progressed
since the days of the earliest automobiles. In those days, standard
motor oil drain intervals were between 500 and 1000 miles, and motorists
had to switch viscosity grades with the changing of the seasons. The
development of oil filtration and additive technology in the 1930s allowed
drain intervals to increase to 2000 and later 3000 miles, while the
development of viscosity modifiers in the 1940s allowed the formulation
of multi-grade oils that could be used in both hot and cold temperatures.
According to AMSOIL Vice President Alan
Amatuzio, the introduction of ExxonMobil extended drain oil is long
overdue. "While AMSOIL INC. has certainly proven that extended
drain intervals provide valuable benefits," said Amatuzio, "the
fact that ExxonMobil is finally saying the same thing brings the message
to even more people. ExxonMobil's move is significant in that more consumers
will now recognize AMSOIL as the pioneer in extended drain oils and
will benefit from the advanced technology we introduced 33 years ago."
ExxonMobil recently announced a new
line of motor oils recommended for extended drain intervals.
It was only a matter of time before another company followed the path
forged by AMSOIL over 30 years ago. Some motorists may recall that Mobil
also followed AMSOIL into the synthetic motor oil business, introducing
its synthetic motor oil several years after AMSOIL. The technology for
extended oil drains is obviously available, but until now, the major
oil companies have had other agendas. Marc Graham, who is president
of Pennzoil-Quaker State-owned Jiffy Lube International, was quoted
in a 2001 Lubricants World interview as saying, “At [PQS] we use
a number internally that if we [shortened the drain interval] by 100
miles [for each car serviced], it would mean an additional $20 million
in revenue for the company.” He also explained that “if we
could move our customers to get one more oil change per year, it’s
worth $294 million for the oil change alone and $441 million in revenue,
when you include the ancillary products and services customers typically
buy along with the oil change.”
Mobil backed off 25,000 mile oil change
intervals in 1974.
Mobil briefly recommended 25,000 mile oil drains in the 1970’s.
It’s not difficult to figure out who they were trying to compete
with. AMSOIL was the only other company offering synthetic motor oils
and recommended 25,000 mile drain intervals. However, it may be that
because vehicle manufacturers weren’t yet comfortable with extended
drain intervals, Mobil retracted its extended drain recommendations
and simply recommended motorists follow the intervals specified in their
vehicle’s owners manual. Of course, traditional oil change recommendations
also allow Mobil and other motor oil companies to sell a lot more oil.
Everyone wins but the customer.
AMSOIL stands apart from the competition.
AMSOIL has always formulated its products to be the absolute best, continually
researching ways to make its already outstanding products even better.
Other oil companies, however, are beholden to shareholders, and one
could speculate that their incentive is to maximize profit. They formulate
oils down to a price, rather than formulating them to be the best they
can be. Then, they price their products to maximize profits. In addition,
AMSOIL has 33 years of experience blending premium extended drain synthetic
oils. That’s 33 years worth of proven performance in the field.
A close look at ExxonMobil’s new long
drain motor oil line reveals that two are petroleum based, one is a
synthetic blend and only one, Mobil 1 Extended Performance, is a full
synthetic. The petroleum based products are recommended for 5000 mile
drains, the synthetic blend for 7500 mile drains and Extended Performance
for 15,000 mile drains. However, a look at the fine print reveals that
ExxonMobil is still recommending drivers follow the oil drain recommendations
listed in their owners manuals during the warranty period. AMSOIL synthetic
motor oils are recommended for 25,000 mile or one year drain intervals
in both new and older vehicles. The AMSOIL warranty stands behind this
recommendation.
AMSOIL has recommended 25,000 mile/one
year drain intervals since 1972.
AMSOIL delivers the highest quality lubricants on the market. It’s
the AMSOIL identity, and it’s what customers expect. Al Amatuzio
coined the phrase “extended drain interval,” and from the
beginning, AMSOIL synthetic motor oils have been formulated for extended
drain intervals.
Vehicle manufacturers are pushing for
extended oil drain intervals.
Vehicle manufacturers in Europe have been recommending extended oil
drains for years. In fact, the average drain interval in Europe is 10,000
miles. Vehicle manufacturers in the United States are definitely coming
around to extended oil drains as well. Most owners manuals from recent
model vehicles recommend 5000 to 7500 mile oil drain intervals. In addition,
oil life monitors have become increasingly common on today’s vehicles,
allowing and encouraging motorists to increase drain intervals up to
12,000 miles, even when using conventional oil. Vehicles equipped with
an oil life monitor no longer recommend oil changes based solely on
mileage. The system measures engine operational data such as temperature,
revolutions and speed to determine when the oil is nearing the end of
its life.
The motor oil industry is faced with
the extended oil drain interval issue.
The success of oil life monitors has posed a threat to motor oil companies
who insist oil must be changed every 3000 miles. It becomes increasingly
difficult to maintain this position when vehicle manufacturers are recommending
significantly longer intervals with the use of their oil monitoring
systems. This is no doubt one of the reasons ExxonMobil finally introduced
a line of long drain motor oils.
AMSOIL products are available for less.
The suggested retail price of the top oil in ExxonMobil’s new line,
Mobil 1 Extended Performance, is $5.79 to $5.99 a quart. That’s
right in line with AMSOIL 5W-30 and 10W-30, which retail for $5.95 a
quart. By registering as an AMSOIL Preferred Customer, customers pay
only $4.85 a quart, and even less when purchasing by the case.
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