Chevron vs. Valvoline oil

If that's the grade oil your truck needs, get the one that has the best looking bottle to you!! ;-)

Tom J who thinks there would be no measurable difference

All answers lie within. Enter. You have only your ignorance to lose.

Rex in Fort Worth

I posted this here before...

A friend of mine from Arkansas got a job working in an oil bottling plant in east Texas, his favorite brand was Haveline and swore by it, my dad too. :)

Then he saw Haveline bottles going down the same line as store brands he never heard of before all getting the same oil.

The viscosities on the bottles were carefully placed to get the right one in the right bottle, but the brand name didn't mean anything.

There were no "Pennsyvania crude oil" brand bottles in the bunch but pretty much covered everything else.

He was bummed and so was my dad when he heard about it! :/ At one time Haveline might have been special?

Since my '75 360 no longer uses or drips oil, I use mobil-1 in it.

Alvin in AZ

Ford folks; After the past few months looking at these posts I find oil brand and weights to be a hot topic. After 20 plus years in the automotive world I will say this about oils and weights take it or leave it.

Weights: Unless you live in Alaska 5W-anything is to thin for the lower

1. Virtually every car owners manual despite recommending 5W30 will also tell you that it should not be used for extended high speed driving under high heat conditions. So summer in the United States is NOT 5W30 territory. Go with 10W30 at minimum. IF you have a older vehicle despite recommendations I am very fond of 20W50 in the warmer climates. I live in Florida so I can use it year round. Straight 30W is good also.

Brands: All oils sold in the US must meet certain standards set by the American Petroleum Institute. Every can or bottle or jug of oil will have the little circle with the weight on it as well as a API rating of from SA to SK I believe is the latest. Your auto maker will recommend a specific weight and rating for your car or truck and if you will follow those ratings despite how much you pay for the oil it will do the job.

You can pay big for Castrol or Valveline or you can go to Wally World and get Super Tech for allot less as long as the oil meets the weight and rating no car maker will bust you on warrantee claims and you will get the protection your engine needs.

Last, Never and I mean NEVER use anything but high detergent motor oil in any engine built since 1960 unless specifically stated in the owners manual, to do so invites Mr. Murphy in a hurry.

Good day.

I buy what ever I find under a dollar a quart. I only used Havoline for years, then they neglected to send me my rebate. Then I changed to Pennzoil. Used it for quite a while. When they raised the price .20 a quart, I stopped buying it. I seen NAPA bottles with Valvoline caps on them in the store. Same goes for 'GI Joe's" brand of oil. That was when I realized the brand didn't matter. It just has to have the proper rating. I did use a lot of additives in the past, STP was one of my favorites. When they didn't send me my rebate I stopped using their stuff. Over time all the additive companies didn't send me my rebate. So I don't use their stuff now either. Now I just use oil of the right viscosity and nothing else. The only rule is it has to be under a dollar a quart. I just picked up

2 cases of oil for $.88 a quart last Monday. I really need to thank all those oil additive companies. By not sending me my rebate, they helped me to realize I didn't actually need their product. They have saved me lots of money now over the last 20 years, by not buying their product. I should say I also don't buy Chevron gas any more. Remember the gas lines in 1974. I used only their gas in my cars until then. I had moved across town back then and the shortage hit. The Chevron station told me he wouldn't sell me any gas because I wasn't a regular customer. Even though I had their credit card in my pocket and the gas line to the station blocked my drive way. So there I sat with a brand new car and nothing to put in the tank. So I should really thank them too. I discovered I really didn't need their high priced gas either. That's why almost 30 years later I still don't buy their product.

Richard W.

Voting with our dollars is the only meaningful vote we have. Excellent story. Thanks,

Richard- Thanks for the story. Loved it! I use the same philosophy on oil, I use whatever's under $1. I have a very high opinion of Havoline, and if they bottle it under cheaper "house" brands, then I like that even better. My Dad used Pennzoil but I haven't seen it under $1 anywhere in over 10 years.

|Richard- Thanks for the story. Loved it! I use the same philosophy on oil, I |use whatever's under $1. I have a very high opinion of Havoline, and if they |bottle it under cheaper "house" brands, then I like that even better. My Dad |used Pennzoil but I haven't seen it under $1 anywhere in over 10 years.

Parts Plus Oil is packaged by Pennzoil/Quaker State and by Valvoline (Ashland Oil). We order whicher happens to be a penny cheaper at the time we need to order. Right now that is Pennzoil. PartsMaster Oil from the Auto Value stores is the same (both).

The bottle is the same no matter which one ships it, and it typically runs on sale for under a dollar. Right now there is a $3/case mail-in rebate if you are of that pursuasion.

Rex in Fort Worth