All this oil change talk has me thinking, I buy mobil one synthetic at walmart most of the time. Is the mobil 1 you buy at walmart the same mobil one you buy elsewhere? I think it is, but now I am wondering…
Is it the same anywhere else? Buy a can from each and compare the labels.
When Walmart does this with electronics, ordering products with their specs so they can be priced lower, the model number is subtly changed. So it would be on the label for motor oils from name brand manufacturers.
I’d bet it’s identical.
I have never paid attention, but I will look at the skus and labels and whatnot,
Yup. It’s the same.
Walmart is way too big with way too sophisticated procurement and distribution systems to be messing with anything improperly branded and their account is worth way too much to Mobile for them to ship anything not legit. It the bottle says “Mobile 1”, it IS Mobile 1. And I should add that Walmart has a substatial auditing orgamization to maje sure they get what they’re paying for.
It’s EXACTLY the same…That’s where I buy my oil at. The 5quart jug is almost $10 cheaper then the same 5quart jug at Pepboys.
It’s the same. Walmart is a giant in the retail game and they don’t need Mobil 1 to be made cheaper. They get the oil cheaper because they buy in very large volume.
Ok, I feel better now. It alarmed me that it was much cheaper than autozone, I started to wonder if there was a quality difference.
I can sleep better now 
I’ve found that AutoZone almost never has the cheapest prices for a given product
Walmart has a reputation for getting inferior products to match a price point, but I doubt they do that with motor oil.
A friend of mine stopped at a Walmart to buy some cleaning product. I think it might have been a Swiffer duster or something like it, He discovered it wasn’t as good as the one he could buy at his local grocery store.
Check the 5 qt jugs of Valvoline (Pennzoil) that Wal-Mart sells…Around the bottom of the jug is a band that reads “especially packaged for Wal-Mart” or something like that…GoodYear makes a line of cheap tires that only Wal-Mart sells…Mobile1 comes in MANY different flavors, I wouldn’t doubt that Wally-World has their own special blend…
Im going to get to the bottom of it. I emailed Mobil-1. I know home depot is great for selling items built to their specs to meet a price point… See I slept good last night, now Im worried again. Thanks Caddyman
As long as it has the API emblem and is rated SN or whatever, your engine is safe.
I agree with circuitsmith. Those “packaged for Walmart” products might sometimes be for quantity reasons instead of quality. They might package a four gallon jug instead of a five gallon jug to meet a price point.
I’m betting they’re marked that way for tax reasons. Just as Toyota used to import their trucks without beds to avoid the 25% import duties, and bolt the beds on here, I suspect that marking places that oil into a different category in the supply chain and reduces the taxes that Mobile pays on them.
I don;t know the complexitieso f this situation, but that’s my WAG.
You should read the labels on the jug. Exxon-Mobil puts different levels of additives into their oil. Unless it says “Extended Performance”, it has the same life expectancy as mineral oil with the same level of fancy wiffle dust.
Walmart Mobil 1 may not be identical to Mobil 1 sold at napa? Sounds like a 20-20 show topic. If anyone cares.
That’s not a new topic. Walmart has a long-standing practice in which it “helps” suppliers make their manufacturing processes more “efficient” and “cost-effective” thereby allowing them to make goods at a lower cost and then marketing them solely through Walmart. I know Goodyear and Levis does this, I think Rubbermaid does too.
I would bet that ‘regular’ Mobil 1 at Walmart is 100% identical to the same grade Mobil 1 anywhere else. They are all synthetics. The “Extended Performance” version of Mobil 1 has additional additives to extend oil change intervals. Completely different issue.