ExxonMobil Follows AMSOIL into Extended Drain Market
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.