Back in the Dark Ages, when I first got into the oil industry, the mantra for lubricants was sales promotions in the spring and in the fall to encourage vehicle owners to change their engine oil. In the spring it was to drain out the junk and sludge which was created by short-trip driving in cold, wet weather. In the fall, it was to get the dirty, oxidized oil out and to add a lighter viscosity (or multi-viscosity) oil for easier startups in the coming winter months.
This seemed to work pretty well, since sales were always big in March-April and September-October when the promotions ran. It probably helped some (maybe a lot) that there were special pricing deals, coupons and rebates.
Well, its that time again since I am writing this at the end of March. For the folks in the U.S. Northeast, the snow has mostly stopped and the temperatures are beginning to rise but so are the rivers! For us in the West, the temperatures are already getting pretty springlike. For everyone throughout the country, the planning for vacations has already started; and one of the important tasks is getting the automobile serviced and ready to hit the road.
So what constitutes getting your auto serviced, and what messages does that act send to us oil people?
Obviously, changing the engine oil is number one on my list. However, that has evolved markedly over the years. Back in the day, drain intervals ran about 2,000 miles, followed for decades by the famous 3,000-miles-or-three-months motto. Until the late 1990s, that was what most automakers recommended for cars driving in so-called severe conditions: short trips, dusty, towing or stop-and-go traffic. Cars seeing normal highway driving could wait 5,000 to 7,500 miles between drains, but most drivers felt secure with a 3,000-mile interval, and that sold a lot of oil.
Computerized algorithms such as General Motors Oil Life Monitor, which calculates how much life remains in your oil, changed all of that. Better engine oils did, too. Now if a vehicle doesnt have an oil life system on board, the owners manual probably recommends about 7,500 miles between changes.
Why did all these changes occur? Take a bow OEMs. Engine design changes over the last 50 years have resulted in more horsepower per cubic inch, better fuel economy and improved durability. Oh and theres the small matter of the onboard computer which manages the engines operation. It monitors emissions, controls fuel-to-air ratios, adjusts timing to maximize burn efficiency, and has quite a few other functions.
The oil we use has also changed. No longer is it a major name-brand SAE 10W-40 grade. That came and went in the 70s. SAE 10W-30 next had its day in the sun followed by the current reigning grade of SAE 5W-30. About 52 percent of U.S. passenger car engine oils are 5W-30, and another 23 percent is SAE 5W-20. The newest kid on the block is SAE 0W-20 which is starting to make some inroads into sales volumes – roughly 4 percent so far. And there are even lower grades waiting in the wings, like SAE 0W-16, which have yet to be seen here commercially.
Not only SAE grades have changed; there is also the matter of performance categories. Back in the 1960s, the American Petroleum Institute defined service conditions such as MS for spark-ignition engines, and left it to oil companies to supplement that with OEM tests and military performance specs such as MIL-L-46152. The API category system we use today, using the prefix S (for service) plus a letter that changes with each upgrade, came about in the next decade. API stuck names on obsolete categories such as API SA and SB, but its first real category was API SE in 1972, followed by SF (1980), SG (1989), etc. Were at SN now with SP waiting in the wings.
In the tumult of the late 80s and early 90s we saw the introduction of the ILSAC GF specification series, which was a direct result of OEM dissatisfaction with the slow-paced API system. The ILSAC system is evergreen, meaning the oil purchaser cant tell which level of performance it meets, only that it will work. Quality is assured because marketers are licensed to sell only the current performance level, which is always backward-compatible with its predecessor; the older products file out of the market as their licenses expire. If you need information about the oils level of performance, the API system still tells the story.
So now its Spring 2015, and there are lots of decisions to make. What oil should you use? Should it be synthetic or conventional? When selecting an API licensed oil, the choice is ultimately an economic one since conventional oils are less pricy than synthetics. However, synthetics offer some advantages in temperature extremes. Unfortunately, oil life monitoring systems on North American cars cannot discern which kind of oil is being used, so that pricy synthetic wont alter your drain interval. Maybe the OEMs can come up with a switch that will allow you to set the monitor for conventional or synthetic. (Should it be a three way switch so semi-synthetics can be covered as well?)
Advocates say that if you use a synthetic, your engine will last longer. They put forward the argument that synthetics are superior in most performance categories so the engine will stay cleaner longer, have less wear and maximize fuel economy. On the other hand, a well-formulated conventional oil can do just about the same thing while costing about one-third as much.
It comes down to how much you want to spend and where you get your oil changed. Forty years ago, do-it-yourselfers performed about two-thirds of U.S. aftermarket oil changes. At this point in time, DIYers have been surpassed by do-it-for-me installers, who handle close to 70 percent of the oil changes. This trend will continue.
DIFM outlets include auto dealers, fast oil change outlets, independent garages, mass merchandisers and tire stores, repair specialists and the rapidly disappearing service station (as opposed to the fueling stations we usually see).
Transmission fluids are another case of big change. In the mid-1960s we used Type A Suffix A or Type F. That was easy. In our April 2013 issue, Afton Chemicals Brad Onofrio said he can now count 70 different specifications and types. You have to rely on your vehicle owners manual and oil change provider to make sure the right fluid is used. Incidentally, youll hear the same synthetic-vs.-conventional arguments surrounding aftermarket transmission fluids, too.
Theres one other oil used in your vehicle and that is power steering fluid. There werent many applications in the 60s and where there were, ATF was used. Today, there are several specified oils for this important application. Again, its one of those make sure its the right one situations – check the owners manual.
The final issue to address is how often to change all these oils. The proper engine oil change interval has been the source of much discussion and even the subject of lawsuits, as well as a lot of gnashing of teeth by both OEMs and fast-lube operators. There are horror stories of vehicles coming in for oil change after really extended drain intervals (>10,000 miles) only to find that the only way to get the oil out of the pan is with a putty knife!
The issue is one of cost and convenience vs. good maintenance practices. The OEMs have developed oil-life systems to alert the driver that its time to change the oil. However, the driver may not be in a place where he or she can make that change. In fact, many people either dont know what that light on the dash means, or if it winks off after a few moments they arent concerned.
Ive written about the convenience factor before. In todays busy world, its tough to carve out time to take care of simple maintenance for your vehicle. Adding a convenience store or car wash to a fast oil change location could offer drivers an additional reason to stop by. Get your oil changed and fluids checked, and then get a free or discounted car wash. Maybe you can get a quick bite to eat and use the free wireless while you wait. What does it take to get people in for the service needed to prolong the life of their car or light truck? Thats what installers need to figure out.
Oil change intervals are pretty well established, and there are those who advocate changing transmission fluid on a regular basis as well. But what should that interval be? When I looked at the owners manuals for my 2001 GMC pickup with automatic transmission, no definitive mileage was recommended. Same for my 2008 Nissan Quest.
On the internet, I can find advice such as change ATF every 35,000 miles, but OEMs insist that their factory-fill ATF is meant to last the life of the component in normal service. (Theres that word again.) From my days at Pennzoil, I recall an ATF expert explaining that changing transmission fluid isnt as simple as pulling a drain plug. There is a good deal of fluid trapped in the transmissions torque converter which doesnt drain. If it becomes necessary, as during a transmission repair, the best practice is to use a circulating system which basically flushes and replaces ATF in one continuous process. Best to let a dealer or qualified service outlet do this job – and for heavens sake make sure the right ATF product is used!
Power steering and brake fluid need to be checked every 20,000 miles or so but not changed unless there has been leakage and/or the fluid looks dirty and contains lots of junk. Same goes for antifreeze /coolant and even windshield washer solution, or blue water as we used to call it – amazing how frustrating it can be to get something stuck on the windshield and not be able to easily wash it off.
After all this, what message do oil marketers and installers need to focus on? As American consumers think about getting their cars ready for summer, engine oil marketers need to say, Take good care of your car or light truck and it will take good care of you. Follow your owners manual and use the right oil. If you do, you can reasonably expect to get 200,000 to 300,000 miles of life from your ride. And given the cost of vehicles, the second-biggest expenditure after your home, you can be a happy camper for some time to come.
Industry consultant Steve Swedberg has over 40 years experience in lubricants, most notably with Pennzoil and Chevron Oronite. He is a longtime member of the American Chemical Society and SAE International, where he was chairman of Technical Committee 1 on automotive engine oils. He can be reached at steveswedberg
@cox.net.