There is no question that Ford is in a much better financial position than either GM or Stellantis, but I think it’s a bit of hyperbole to state that she may cause the demise of GM.
Okay, thought it might be the Mary that has all the statues.
Back to Stellantis, I guess that this was predictable… “Two of the three new Chrysler vehicles will be rebadged Fiats”
More complete details here: Stellantis shows new Chryslers, Dodges, Hellcats and more to reporters
My wild prediction is many/most of these future vehicles will turn out to be unreliable and uncompetitive
Somehow, I don’t think that this is a very… wild… prediction.
Yes, a lot is and THAT IS THE PROBLEM. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shells-pearl-gtl-facility-qatar-stops-production-after-attacks-2026-03-19/
I have been buying a couple big jugs each time I go to Wal-Mart or a parts store. My goal is to have two complete oil changes for each car I own plus some for the mowers and generators. I will be getting a 2018 F150 in a few short days (long story) and it takes almost 9 quarts. So with the cars I own or will own soon, I will need to have a total of about 11.5 gallons on hand to have two complete oil changes.
I don’t want to go too crazy though as oil does have a shelf life. They say you should plan for about a year if you stock up as oil can start to noticeably degrade after about a year, synthetics included. They say this shortage should last about a year from now with the current problems.
Also, much of the synthetic oil is made from natural gas and that is part of the problem as explained here. https://www.reuters.com/business/energy/shells-pearl-gtl-facility-qatar-stops-production-after-attacks-2026-03-19/
They say you should store oil at room temp and in the dark for maximum shelf-life.
I hope this doesn’t go the way of toilet paper where the media started talking about it, then price controls were put on it, then people started buying extra out of speculation of a shortage and let it sit for months unused, without any price increase to disincentivize the purchases.
That’s olive oil, and I don’t mean Popeye’s girlfriend.
I guess motor oil is an organic compound just like olive oil but much more stable of course. I have ready many studies that say oil can stratify and additives can drop out or degrade over time. I was once working at a mechanic shop on their systems and they had almost empty bags of oil that they removed from the box to save space. You could clearly see solid sediment in the lower corners of the bag.
I found it strange that an oil that is meant to withstand the conditions inside of an engine can degrade over a human lifetime. I was always under the impression that the biggest worry about using old oil was that the engine it goes in might require a more modern standard that the old oil doesn’t meet but I guess not. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=E1T4XFPgBeo
Basically only buy what you think you might need over the next year, not like toilet paper during the pandemic.
I did my first oil change on my 2018 F150 w/5.0L.
I chose to do it early because I really didn’t trust the used truck dealer had done it, or used full synthetic. The characteristic ticking was getting much worse so I also decided to go with the full synthetic 5W30 versus 5W20. What a huge difference, the ticking is barely noticeable with fresh oil and the slightly “thicker” oil. I had read a lot of people recommending the 5W30 in summer. Something to consider especially if you’re investing in a few oil changes worth of oil…
The better idea Ford had with the drain plug is interesting with the exception of the large bar directly behind where the substantial stream of used oil comes out. I made a cardboard deflector to direct the stream down into my drain pan and avoid the mess of it hitting the bar.
Why not 10W30 if it is summer? The industry seems to push people toward thinner oil. They must want cars to wear out sooner. An oil change place put 5W30 in a car that specifies 10W30, and that was 18 years ago. The oil change reminder sticker that shows 5W30 still hasn’t been taken off since way back then. It has been at home oil changes since then.
Maybe buy jugs so they can be shaken, or small enough containers so that the entire amount including what settled in the bottom can be put in.
People say don’t store gasoline, but if it is in a sealed container it is good for years.
A large part of the reason is actually C.A.F.E. afaik
The local oil change place isn’t affected by C.A.F.E. though, and they are still willing to use thinner oil than specified by the vehicle, but I don’t think they would ever use thinker oil, even in the south.
Nothing done to the car after it leaves the factory has an effect on CAFE. The car manufacturer uses the lower viscosity oil to meet CAFE and recommends it for ensuing oil changes. You don’t have to follow their recommendations though. IMO the factory would not recommend the lower viscosity oil if it had a substantial negative effect on the engine when used properly.
I’d not use a shop that used the wrong oil. I haven’t heard of shops using thinner than spec oils.
How do you get thinner than zero? Kenny read a bulliten sent to AZ stores. Who would use them I don’t know? At any rate said to expect a 40% reduction and said they would help with substitute oils. So maybe going from 0 to 5 or 10, or 15 to 20 or 30. I dunno don’t think I want auto zone making that decision for me.
Has NOTHING to do with wearing out sooner. Has EVERYTHING to do with meeting Cafe’ numbers.
VVT functionality is another reason to use the recommended oil grade and viscosity.
Because engine design has changed significantly over that time span. It’s not just lubricating oil anymore, it’s also a hydraulic fluid for certain parts of the engine. So viscosity matters. And 5W30 is still a 5 weight oil, it just doesn’t thin as much as the 5W20 at temperature.