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Mobil 1 0W-30????

9589 Views 12 Replies 6 Participants Last post by  GARYD
I have been using Mobil 1 Ow-30 in the 4 cyl Terrain and coming up on the second oil change soon. Is this oil OK as the owners manual say 5W-30 but on the back of the bottle is says it is a good replacement for it with better fuel economy. I just don't want to hurt the motor and I can take the 5 quart bottle back and get the 5W-30 before its next change. HELP
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Re: Mobil 1 0W-20????

Chickenhawk said:
I have been using Mobil 1 Ow-20 in the 4 cyl Terrain and coming up on the second oil change soon. Is this oil OK as the owners manual say 5W-20 but on the back of the bottle is says it is a good replacement for it with better fuel economy. I just don't want to hurt the motor and I can take the 5 quart bottle back and get the 5W-20 before its next change. HELP
Do you mean 0W-30?

If its 0W-20...Sorry you have issues! The engine is not designed for 20weight

If its 0W-30...30 weight is the oil GM specifies, and typically 0W is made from better base stocks (opinion). If you live in the cold climates. I know alot of people that run 0W year around because of the feeling and oil anaylsis coming back of better base stock. I usually run 5W because slightly cheaper and I live in FL

The first number is just the "cold flow sae rate"...At operating temp both the 0W, 5W, 10W have the same "thickness"...its just different @ cold temperatures
Yep, just checked in the garage and I made a goof up. it is 0W-30. Thanks for clarifing that. So no problems huh?
Chickenhawk said:
Yep, just checked in the garage and I made a goof up. it is 0W-30. Thanks for clarifing that. So no problems huh?
No issues whatsoever
I use 0W-30 on all of our cars, perfectly safe .
Chickenhawk said:
Yep, just checked in the garage and I made a goof up. it is 0W-30. Thanks for clarifing that. So no problems huh?
I agree that 0W30 is a superb grade of oil but playing devil's advocate I bet if you check your GM owner's manual that it will say that this viscosity is *only* permitted when your vehicle experiences temperatures lower than -20F (I think that is the cut off). So by the letter of the law (i.e in regards to warranty) there would be very few of us that would qualify to use this viscosity even in the winter...and for sure not in spring, summer or most of fall.
Itll work fine. GM just doesnt specify its use because its hard to find in some southern locations. Id love to get my hands on some 0W so I can protect the engine on those cold starts.
bballr4567 said:
Itll work fine.
I agree that it does the job but it is not warranty approved.
21rouge said:
I agree that it does the job but it is not warranty approved.
Wrong. As long as it meets GM specification GM6094M you are good. Says so right on page 9-11. Now, it says to not use viscosity of 20W50 but that is pretty obvious.


http://content.gmownercenter.yahoo.com/docs/manuals/gmc/2010_gmc_terrain_owners.pdf
bballr4567 said:
Wrong. As long as it meets GM specification GM6094M you are good. Says so right on page 9-11. Now, it says to not use viscosity of 20W50 but that is pretty obvious.
Wrong.

It isnt good enough that the oil meet 6094M but it must also be the correct grade. A similar example is for M1 0W20. This particular oil satisfies the more strict 4718 GM designation. A Corvette requires its oil be 4718 rated BUT one cannot use this 0W20 in this application as a corvette oil must also be a 5W30.

9-11 states quite clearly (in the second bullet) that the oil must be 5W30 UNLESS one is driving in a climate which experiences -20F or lower. (If GM considered a starburst 0W30 to be on equal footing with 5W30 at anytime in the year it could have put "or" after the SAE 5W30 or added another bullet.
It mentions 0W30 is safe to use. That is all that needs to be stated. There is no way to know what your vehicle will be subjected too during winter especially if you travel.

Use only engine oil
identified as meeting GM
Standard GM6094M and showing
the American Petroleum Institute
Certified For Gasoline Engines
starburst symbol. Failure to use
the recommended oil can result
in engine damage not covered by
the vehicle warranty.
If in an area of extreme cold, where
the temperature falls below −29°C
(−20°F), use either an SAE 5W-30
synthetic oil
or an SAE 0W-30
engine oil. Both provide easier cold
starting for the engine at extremely
low temperatures. Always use
an oil that meets the required
specification, GM6094M.
As long as the oil meets the GM standard it will be fine and you wont get your warranty rejected.


Look at the bold part also. The manual says for 5W30 but it doesnt say syn or regular. However, in cold weather operation GM recommends a syn 5W30 or a 0W30. So does that mean if you use a syn 5W30 and dont reach -20 then your warranty will be voided because you didnt use regular oil? No.
bballr4567 said:
As long as the oil meets the GM standard it will be fine and you wont get your warranty rejected.
x2
Just about every modern day dino oil meets GM specs and all syn oils meet the spec. So use what ever correct API rated oil you want.......but not "Bubba's magical oil". LOL
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