Can I rationalize Mobil1?

[Wade Lippman]

I sent my wife to the store with a coupon to buy Mobil Super for $9 a case. I figured that would keep my lawnmowers and snowblower in oil for a few years.
She came back with a $37 case of Mobil1. "It was all they had."
I have a small yard (there are stairs between two parts, so I have two lawnmowers), but I change my oil yearly because my understanding is that age alone will degrade opened oil.

So my question... will Mobil1 let me use the same oil for a few years, or will it degrade the same as regular oil? If it lasts longer, the nuisance of oil changes will justify the 4X price. If not, then it is just $26 shot to hell. She says she is willing to return it, but still...

[Bill Jobe]

Just my opinion, but all types of oil need to be changed regularly in a lawn mower.
And I think manufactuers recomend 30w non detergent.
So, yes the Mobile 1 will do a great job but still needs to be changed at least yearly. A mower has no filter so if you don't change it the wear is there with any oil.
Although, I'm not so sure full synthetic is a good idea until the rings have a chance to seat. If it was me and I bought a new mower I think I'd use petroleum-based oil the first season.

[Bill Jobe]

Just googled it. I was wrong about use of non-detergent oil. Anyway, way back before synthetics non-detergent was recomended.

[Bruce Wrenn]

I run Walmart's full synthetic in everything. 5W-30 in car, truck, and van. Work truck, and small engines get the 10W-30 in them. Still do regular oil changes on small engines. Vehicles go 7500 between changes, or twice a year depending upon which comes first.

[Rich Riddle]

Factor in your opportunity cost before returning the oil. NOT having to visit a Wal-Mart would have some value. Some people will do things I wouldn't even consider for $25.

[Rick Moyer]

If you really want to spend some time reading stuff, start investigating oil change intervals and dino vs. synthetic motor oils. Let me know what you decide. By the time you get thru enough information it will be time to change your oil. For me, I feel synthetic oil is so much better than the "old dinosaur" oil that I have used it mostly in anything that takes oil. Most OEM's will show extended oil change intervals when they recommend synthetic. My last motorcycle "Honda" recommended , I think, 10,000 mile oil changes with their recommended synthetic. BMW is similar. IMPHU, the 3000 oil change intervals are for "old" vehicles still using dinosaur oils. I don't think the synthetic degrade any where near as much as the older oils. Of course you will have to decide for yourself. Personally, I haven't noticed any problems extending mileage/usage with the synthetics. I'm sure others may disagree. Enjoy your research!

[Matt Meiser]

I use it in my generator and my mom's generator, but only because they crank a lot better in the bitter cold. And they only take 58oz. Ford specs a semi-synthetic for our cars so I buy the Motorcraft brand for those and its actually comparable to the other brands if I buy it at a one of the big boxes. Everything else I'm not too picky if it meets spec.

[Scott T Smith]

I sent my wife to the store with a coupon to buy Mobil Super for $9 a case. I figured that would keep my lawnmowers and snowblower in oil for a few years.
She came back with a $37 case of Mobil1. "It was all they had."
I have a small yard (there are stairs between two parts, so I have two lawnmowers), but I change my oil yearly because my understanding is that age alone will degrade opened oil.

So my question... will Mobil1 let me use the same oil for a few years, or will it degrade the same as regular oil? If it lasts longer, the nuisance of oil changes will justify the 4X price. If not, then it is just $26 shot to hell. She says she is willing to return it, but still...

Oil should not degrade, but if it is exposed to ambient air for an extended period moisture will condense into it. The reason that you should change it in small equipment at least annually is because of contaminants that can get into the oil (gas blow by, humidity, etc), not because the oil is "old".

[Mark Blatter]

I guess this is my lazy side coming out, but I seldom change the oil in my lawnmowers. I bought a John Deere in 1990 and it is still running like, well, a Deer. I had it for about 18 years, than passed it down to a son-in-law, who just this year gave it to a friend. I changed the oil perhaps twice in the 18 years I had it. My current mower, which is now about 12 years old, has had the oil changed once and runs great.

I hate working on cars and all things greasy so keep putting it off. For that change the oil every year, how old are the mowers? Intellectually I know it makes a difference, but if my mowers are lasting this long, should I really worry that much about changing the oil that often?

[Brian Elfert]

I hate working on cars and all things greasy so keep putting it off. For that change the oil every year, how old are the mowers? Intellectually I know it makes a difference, but if my mowers are lasting this long, should I really worry that much about changing the oil that often?

I had a high end Honda mower that I only changed the oil once or twice. After 10 or 11 years it started to burn so much oil that I had to add oil every time I ran it or the oil alert wouldn't allow it to start. My negligence ended up costing me $600 for a new Honda mower. (Replacement engine was around $300 and I didn't want to risk that transmission might go for another $200 or so.)

[Jerome Stanek]

I had a high end Honda mower that I only changed the oil once or twice. After 10 or 11 years it started to burn so much oil that I had to add oil every time I ran it or the oil alert wouldn't allow it to start. My negligence ended up costing me $600 for a new Honda mower. (Replacement engine was around $300 and I didn't want to risk that transmission might go for another $200 or so.)

What makes you think that changing the oil would have resulted any different.

[Brian Elfert]

What makes you think that changing the oil would have resulted any different.

I don't know that changing the oil would have made any difference for sure. I do know that most engines last a longer than mine did, but those engines get regular oil changes.

[Larry Frank]

For small engines, changing oil yearly is a good idea. I check the oil on my small engines and change it when it is dirty. I doubt that the oil has worn out but the dirt causes wear. Air filters on small engines is not very good and when it is dusty, the engines suck in dirt.

In addition the oil breaks down and not as good a lubricant.

Bottom line, do whatever you feel like with YOUR engine. For me, I change the oil. My Deere GT235 is 20 years old and does not burn oil.

[Mark Blatter]

For small engines, changing oil yearly is a good idea. I check the oil on my small engines and change it when it is dirty. I doubt that the oil has worn out but the dirt causes wear. Air filters on small engines is not very good and when it is dusty, the engines suck in dirt.

In addition the oil breaks down and not as good a lubricant.

Bottom line, do whatever you feel like with YOUR engine. For me, I change the oil. My Deere GT235 is 20 years old and does not burn oil.

I readily admit that I would likely be better off changing the oil in my lawnmowers. I simply get busy and don't get it done, then the fall is upon us and I think, 'next spring I will get it done' than the spring rolls around, I am busy, my lawn needs mowing, and the entire cycle repeats itself.

I will also say that neither my Deere nor my current Toro which is 12 years old, burns any oil. It starts and runs great. I do plan on getting the oil changed and the thing tuned up this year. The cable that actuates the drive on it broke a week ago so it is not essentially a push mower, and what a work out it gives. Off to the shop to fix that, and change the oil.

As you said Larry, to each their own. I don't see changing the oil yearly is a cost effective way to do it. Certainly it makes sense on some schedule, but to me, yearly is a waste of money, and time, mostly time.

[Tom M King]

Amount of time spent running makes a difference too. Our latest riding mower has an hour meter on it. I furnish the equipment, but have one guy who spends two days a week cutting grass here. I was a little surprised to find that the new mower ran up three hundred hours its first season. The last mower lasted about six years, and we changed the oil once a year. With this new one, we've started changing it every 100 hours.

I do run the Stihl synthetic 2 stroke mix in all the small equipment, and a lot of it was new in 1999, but the older stuff doesn't get run that much. The string trimmer is 7 years old, and runs averaging a full day once a week. It, FS110, still runs like a new one, but I wouldn't be disappointed or surprised if it died tomorrow.

I run Mobil 1 in all the full sized vehicles, and change the oil every 10,000 miles. We've been on this schedule since the late '80s, and typically put several hundred thousand miles on one before we get rid of it. The last pickup I sold had 230,000 on it and was within a few pounds of compression of a new one on the Chevy 350. The guy I sold it to 15 years ago is still driving it, and hasn't been in the motor yet. The diesel I've been driving those 15 years is just broken in good.