Any motor oil meeting GM standard 4718M is acceptable and will fully maintain your GM warranty. I don't think anything but synthetic meets that standard. I use whatever is on sale meeting the GM4718M standard. Make sure whatever you use meets that standard (not sure if the extended Mobil 1 does or not). Been using Valvoline SynPower lately based on price. Now brace yourself for a million different opinions on what oil is best...

 

M1 EP last longer. That's all, But if you follow OLM it does not matter.

Personally I am using Pennzoil Platinum and change it every 6,000 miles which in my case corresponds to approximately 50% on OLM.

 

I second the PP, it's a great oil and has gotten good results and reviews on BITOG.

 

Yep, Mobil 1 5W-30 and Mobil 1 Extended Performance 5W-30 are both GM dexos1-licensed and approved: http://www.gmdexos.com/licensedbrands.html. My local Cadillac dealer recommends and uses Pennzoil Platinum 5W-30, so that's what I add as needed between oil changes too.

 

Mobil1 EP uses a better base and additives. There is much debate as to what is in either formulation as Mobil 1 won't say and claim the info is proprietary. Whether or not EP will benefit your car depends on your engine and how you drive it. The only way to tell for sure is to run engine oil analysis a few times, but if GM says you are safe with regular Mobil 1, I'm sure you won't have a failure related to lubrication. I use EP.

 

If you're looking for a very high quality oil, look to Redline products. I have never been impressed with M1, after my built STi burned it up like water but wouldn't burn a drop on a quality oil such as Amsoil or Redline.

 

Sorry, I made a mistake. I run Pennzoil Platinuk in my wife's car, in CTS I use Pennzoil Ultra, which supposedly is a better oil.

 

Mobil 1 Extended Performance is much better than regular Mobil 1. Some will settle for good and some will settle for best, EP is best the Mobil 1 has to offer. Its akin to Mobil 1 of the old days before they dumbed it down to compete with the Quaker State, Pennzoil, Valvoline, Castrol, etc. Back then (70's-80's) they claimed it would last 25,000 miles or 1 yr.


BITOG is just bunch of people like on this forum and many are experts in their own minds. Fact is, pick any synthetic oil that you can find on the shelves of your favorite discount store and they are all pretty much all the same, different color bottle, different propaganda, same commodity product designed to a price point. Sort of like how GMC and Chevrolet trucks are different to look at yet the same under the sheet metal, most oil company synthetics are just like that.

Mobil 1 EP is not, nor is AMSOIL, Red Line or Royal Purple, they all use better base stocks and additives, if you want the best, use one of these oils.

 

Stick with Mobil 1 5W-30. Its DEXOS1 certified and perfectly fine to use. The EP version is simply another choice for those who desire something different along with the other Mobil 1 varieties. Just remember to get 6 quarts(with filter change) if you are doing oil change or providing dealer with the oil.
One thing GM does also recommend at oil changes is GM Fuel System Treatment Plus as a gasoline additive. Its the only one they recommend for normal use.

 

I have used Mobil 1 for 35 years in about 12 different cars. I've changed the oil/filter once a year regardless of service. I have had NO engine problems since making the change in the early 1970's. It stopped noise and wear issues common to long-use GM, Honda, Toyota, Briggs&Stratton engines. It's a great product.

 

:stirpot:

I'll switch to Amsoil, Red Line, or Royal Purple when hell freezes over or those brands become dexos1™ licensed, whichever occurs first. It's hard for me to believe that they do not sell enough product to afford testing and licensing. Perhaps they're just afraid that common dexos licensing would destroy their unique marketing mystique.

GM says, "Only licensed dexos™ products have been certified by GM to meet the dexos™ specification. Unlicensed products have not gone through GM's rigorous testing process, are not monitored for quality, and are not approved or recommended for use in GM vehicles. Unlicensed product quality and suitability for GM vehicles cannot be guaranteed and, therefore, use of unlicensed products may result in lower levels of performance and engine damage not covered under warranty.

There are many authentic licensed dexos™ products readily available at retail outlets, service repair shops, quick lube operations, and GM service centers. dexos™ licensed products are easy to identify. Simply look for the dexos™ icon on the front label and the 11 digit alphanumeric dexos™ license number on the back label. Unless an oil package displays these two markings, the engine oil is not an authentic, licensed dexos™ product and is not recommended for use in GM vehicles."

 

ok thanks guys!! also i have another oil related question... on my car's dash it says I have 20% oil life remaining, should I go ahead and add a quart of m1 syntethic or just wait until the car tells me to change the oil? I am very uninformed on the subject of oil because this is my first car. Cause if I were to change it my understanding is that I would have to drain the old oil and replace it, but I was also told to add a quart or two for now... I'm so lost!!! what do I do RIGHT NOW ??? Dunno if any of you need to know but i bought the car with 6,700 miles and now I'm sitting at 8,000

 

I would change it once you hit 20% you have reached the change window.

Amos

 

I would absolutely change the oil and filter. No doubt! Any of the mentioned oils will do just fine.......

 

It's hard for me to believe that they do not sell enough product to afford testing and licensing.

It a little more cost than that, GM wants a piece of their profits as well, like a flat annual fee based on an oil company’s market share. Also, once an oil is certified it cannot be changed, so that means no improvements unless the company is willing to go thru the testing and licensing process again. So most oils will remain the same for years, never improving unless mandated. I will never use any big name oil who kowtows to GM and pays them $$ to be on a list so GM can make more money off the consumer. Read the article in a recent oil industry publication, GM motives are $$. Those companies that get GM certified just pass on the cost to the customer, so in effect you are giving GM more of your money every time you buy a dexos1 product.

Valvoline won't license dexos1 either.

I will continue to use products like AMSOIL, been just fine for me for the last 36 yrs. I would rather support a small specialty oil company (compared to big oil) in Wisconsin rather then big oil companies whose have been ripping off the consumer for years making oil only good for 3,000 miles and laughing at us all the while stashing their profits overseas.

 

Excellent post with excellent comments. Well done.

 

As an aside:
The CTS V6 and the Camaro V6 are the same engines. The CTS made in Mexico and the Camaro made in Canada. The Camaro's are probaly driven harder and more abused since they are purchased by a younger profile. The CTS is filled with Synthetic oil and the Camaro with regular fossil oil. Both of these engines are warranted for the same length of time and/or mileage. Therfore, I would assume that most of the hype regarding engine oils is just BS. Since internally, GM must think there isn't any additonal value above the advertising value that makes Syn oil better in normal circumstances.

 

Like GM, independent lubricant mfrs and distributors are promoting and protecting their own self-interests. Both sides of the proprietary specification debate want to maximize their own profitability at the expense of others.

As a CTS owner with standard 5-yr drivetrain warranty, and, in my case, a cumulative total of 10 years warranty with GMPP Major Guard, I’ll protect my own interest by using GM dexos1™ licensed and approved for my vehicle.

 

I will continue to use products like AMSOIL, been just fine for me for the last 36 yrs. I would rather support a small specialty oil company (compared to big oil) in Wisconsin rather then big oil companies whose have been ripping off the consumer for years making oil only good for 3,000 miles and laughing at us all the while stashing their profits overseas.

Clearly.. OLM's in modern cars that run conventional fluid to 10K+ would disagree with this statment.

I would also like for you to point to any top or secondary tier oil that has a TBN base of 1.0 after 3,000 miles which is made within the last 20 years-- and back it up with a UOA.

 

That post above pretty much summed it up. There is a lot of money and marketing that goes into having an oil "tag" like that. The fact is, AMSOIL and Redline are far superior oils to M1 synthetic in almost every way.

Someone also said it well above, you probably won't notice the difference until you get past the 100k mark in most engines, but using a quality oil will definitely impact longevity. Car manufacturers know that most people don't hold onto their cars for more than a couple of years anyway. Good oil is cheap insurance and helps you maximize fuel efficiency and power.

 

Oil arguments are never worth it to me anymore, but I will say this; I've never seen an acutal engine failure due to oil where the quality of oil was the problem, and there are millions of cars with 200-300K+ which have run $16.99 jiffy lub conventional on irregular OCI's and the cheapest filter.

 

In case anyone is interested in real 3rd party test results you might want to give this a read....

Penzoil is really good. Royal Purple is over the top. Fixed up my notchy shifts in my manual '08 CTS and you can tell it lowers resistance as the car turns over much faster on startup.

(edit - attachments not working - sorry!)

anyway here is the link - http://www.animegame.com/cars/Oil Tests.pdf


Ken

 

I remember reading through that a few years back, and I seem to remember reading something about how that test was essentially meaningless in a real world application (ie the oil being used in a motor).

RP is decent stuff and I used it for a while but when I was active in the Lexus community, I had a Master Lexus service tech contact me directly on the forums when I posted about using RP ATF in my IS300. He said he personally had been responsible for 3 tear downs of broken transmissions as a result of using RP...their additives are not good for many ATs. There was also speculation that RP motor oil was too "slippery" for many engines and had caused a couple of failures in some torn down race engines.

Again, some of this was proven, some is speculation and it was all generally in motors that were driven hard, but it's just something to keep in mind. If you do the research and learn about oils with a superior base and longevity under stress, then that's what you should buy and stick with it. For example, Redline Type F Racing ATF (combined with pressure sensor switch replacement) was essentially discovered to be the key to preventing the notorious failure of Acura TL AT transmissions (OEM fluid was TOO slippery and allowing too much premature wear on the clutch packs). I had an 07 TL Type S AT before my CTS so I did a ton of research on it because I was worried my transmission would suffer the same fate as the previous years.

 

when i change out the oil should i put 6 quarts or 5 ?

 

6 qts. It should bring the oil level to "full" mark.

 

Sorry, but "Too Slippery" ??? Doesn't pass the common sense test. If its too slippery then you know the metal is not riding on metal (the number one job of oil) and if the objective wear test shows significantly less wear then... it's great oil. I guess "too slippery" might get you if you are more prone to over rev the engine, because you're used to less slippery oil dragging on the engine. I don't buy that argument. Sounds like grasping at straws. (I say oil should be slippery and prevent metal parts from wearing)

But I'm only talking about engine oil and manual transmission oil. Perhaps the ATF Fluid is bad. Not sure.

In the end M5Eater is correct that you're not likely to have engine failure due to low quality oil.

Ken

 

I used cheapo convential oil in my Maxima right up until I sold it a 185k miles. And that engine was as strong at 185k as it was brand new. Stronger actually.