I have heard from a couple of people (one was a mechanic) that Penzoil sludges up your engine,but many shops use it.What is your opinion of it?
Thank you, Jeff
I think any oil will sludge up your engine if it isn’t changed regularly. I’m not a big fan of Pennzoil, but on the ‘bobistheoilguy’ site, a lot of people swear by it. I’d personally use Mobil-1 synthetic or Valvoline.
My only (admittedly subjective) bias against it is when I had a '92 Caprice and had to have the oil pan replaced. I didn’t specify what kind of oil to use and the shop used Pennzoil. The car didn’t perform any different, but the engine was nowhere near as quiet and smooth as it was on the Valvoline I was using at the time.
I heard that someone once put razor blades into Halloween candy.
Guess what it turned out to be urban legend and there are people who keep buying the story.
Some years back, Consumer Reports tested motor oils and found the same brand with the same vixcosity to be different in different regions of the country. I would bet that a refinery in one region may turn out several brands of oil.
I have used whatever brand of oil I could get at the best price in the 1978 Oldsmobile that I have owned since it was new. All oils I have used (Pennzoil, Valvoline, Quaker State, Shell, Citgo, Havoline, Wolf’s Head) worked satisfactorily. I only wish that there had been a brand of oil that would prevent body rust out.
Years ago, a mechanic convinced my dad that MacMillan motor oil was the best available. The car was a 1954 Buick. When the car had 80,000 miles,the mechanic closed his shop. Nobody else in the area handled MacMillan oil, so the car was switched to Quaker State. At 160,000 miles the car was still running well and had never had the heads or pan off the engine. As long as the oil meets the specifications for the car, I doubt that the brand makes a difference.
I have heard stories about different brands of motor oil. I have tried brands that are supposedly bad for engines in my lawn mower. I have used the same mower since 1988 and unfortunately, it hasn’t given up and I still am having to mow my yard. My only hope to get out of mowing is that the mower has a Tecumseh engine and Tecumseh went out of business.
As long as an oil meets the current specifications - API, etc. the brand shouldn’t matter.
I bought a brand new 1972 Volkswagen Super Beetle and used only Pennzoil in it until I finally donated it to charity in July 2006.
The engine was running great when I gave it to charity and it had never needed any engine work other than regular adjustment of valves for all those years.
I don’t credit my VW engine’s long life solely to Pennzoil, but I certainly have nothing negative to say about that brand of motor oil.
As most people here will tell you, changing your oil - not matter which brand - at recommended mileage and/or time is the cheapest & easiest thing you can do help maintain your car’s engine.
Yeah, and Fram filters are junk, too.
There are so many of these BOGUS stories out there it isn’t even funny. They are all worthless.
Oil is oil. If it meets the API specs it’s good, regardless of brand.
I buy and use store-brand oil. Whatever is cheapest. I’ve been doing this for many years and I’ve never had an oil-related problem with any of my cars.
I just changed the oil in my Subaru yesterday. I removed a Fram filter and installed a Purolator. Then I poured 4.2 quarts of Advance Auto Parts oil into the engine. If Pennzoil had been less expensive I’d have used it.
The people who told you this are misinformed. Don’t become one of them.
This pennzoil sludge myth has been around for decades and for some reason it will just not go away. It does not cause sludge unless you leave it in the motor far too long (in which case any oil will sludge up).
It is my motor oil of choice. If you have an engine that is prone to sludging a synthetic may be a better choice.
A particular brand of oil doesn’t cause sludging, poor engine design does. Some engines sludge up even when changed every 3000 miles.
I’ve worked for 5 dealers over the years and my memory is a bit fuzzy but I remember at least two of them used Penzoil only. We were not deluged with complaints of oil sludging.
Sludging is generally caused by not changing the oil often enough. Factors contributing to that are environmental conditions, engine state of tune, engine crankcase ventilation system operation, driving habits, etc.
The Penzoil sludge story has been around since the early 70s when I first heard it.
I have used Castol forever, then switched to Mob 1, now I used Penzoil Pure Plat., change your oil on a regular basis and it wont happen. To help you with your posting you might want to include the Make and Model vehicle and engine size. There is a lot of information to be had. If you have a Toyota/Lexus v-6 oil gelling/sludging is common, just change it regularly.
This rumor got started in the 1950s and (alas) it refuses to die. The folks who made this claim --lemmee guess – they are both old-timers, right?
Today’s formulations of Pennzoil are essentially the same as any other brand of oil.
“I only wish that there had been a brand of oil that would prevent body rust out.”
–Almost any oil will do that, but you have to liberally coat the entire car with it. Not for the faint of heart or those that like to drive wearing nice clothes.
Maybe I should hope for a rear main bearing seal leak.
After 32 years of driving in the midwest under winter salt conditions, I think I got all I could expect in 32 years of service.
This is bogus. All modern name brand oils (and generics too) will be fine if they are changed on time. The only exception I can think of is any conventional oil used in a sludge-prone engine (like certain V6 Toyota Camrys and Siennas). If you have one of these sludge-prone engines, I suggest you use a full synthetic oil (brand doesn’t matter) and change it every 5,000 miles.
Those people you heard this from should not be relied upon for good information (including the mechanic). Next time they say something so foolish, just nod your head and block them out.