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Exxon Mobil 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 Exxon Mobil extended drain oil is long overdue. "While
AMSOIL INC. has certainly proven that extended drain intervals provide valuable
benefits," said Amatuzio, "the fact that Exxon Mobil is finally saying
the same thing brings the message to even more people. Exxon Mobil'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."
Exxon Mobil 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 Exxon Mobil’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 Exxon Mobil 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 Exxon Mobil finally introduced a line of
long drain motor oils.
AMSOIL products are available for less.
The suggested retail price of the top oil in Exxon Mobil’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.
For More Information Contact:
Rick Fleming
16410 S. 12th Street, #230
Tel: 480-283-1317
FAX: 480-283-1319
Internet:
rick@gosyntheticoil.com
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