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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.
