The owner’s manula for my son’s Jeep Liberty diesel specifies Mobil-1 synthetic oil, which is close to $6 a quart. Is there a cheaper option ?
If the car is still under warranty he had better use Mobil 1 to avoid the possibility of a denied warranty claim.
I don’t see the problem considering how infrequent oil changes on this car are. Normal oil tends to be around $3 a quart and synthetic $6 where I live. Let’s say you need 5 quarts of oil when you change it-well that’s an extra $15 per oil change. What the heck is $15 once or twice a year in the scheme of things? I spent that on lunch yesterday.
NOT true. Unless Jeep is offering the oil changes for FREE then any synthetic oil that meets or exceeds Mobil-1 is fine.
If it specifies synthetic then I’d use synthetic. But they’re all pretty much around the same price.
In complete agreement.
I continue to be surprised by the number of posts that question the small cost of changing the oil/filter periodically relative the the cost of the vehicle. Routine maintenance, following the recommendations in the owner’s manual, saves in the long run.
As noted, you would risk warranty problems if you don’t use synthetic. Are you sure it specifies Mobil? How old is this Jeep? It should specify synthetic and a SAE code. It will say something like SF-4 and it will also say something like 10W40. You likely need any synthetic that is the S number or higher (SH-5 is higher than SF-4) and has the same set of other numbers.
BTW I would consider synthetic oil today’s NORMAL oil and non-synthetic old technology from by gone days.
I stand by my response. Legally you may be correct but the dealer and Chrysler could fight tooth and nail to avoid paying a warranty claim without proper documentation of Mobil 1 use; in my opinion, even if the OP wins in court it will not have been worth it. Use the oil specified in the manual. As Dave G. says, what is $15 once or twice a year? Don’t cheap out.
In the past this Syntheic vs conventional oil topic usually brings out alot of opinions and high emotion. But this has been very reasonable. If your son is on a tight budget he can often find specials at Autozone or other chain autoparts stores where the cost of Mobil 1 is less than 5 bucks a quart. When the warrantee expires you can substitute with even cheaper Synthetics oils (assuming the same SAE grade) such as The Pennsoil or Castrol Syntech. I think the SuperTech at Wal-Mart is around 4 bucks or less per quart.
Cheapest I have ever seen for Sythetic.
Pep Boys has recently had Mobil-1 on sale. If it is no longer on sale, check out the price at Wal Mart. You may find it slightly cheaper.
I stand by my response.
Would you show me the ONE dealer or ONE person this happened to. The writing in the manual says Mobil-1 PREFERRED. Or equivalent. Chryco has NOT ever put in any of their manuals that you MUST use a specific oil …EVER.
So you’re saying that car dealers/manufacturers NEVER fight warranty claims due to lack of or incorrect maintenance?
The key is the oil must specifically meet their engineered spec. Giving a widely available known name brand makes it easy for the consumer to pick the correct one. I have a feeling there are only a select few oils that have been tested to meet their (EURO) spec and likely not easily available as Mobil 1.
So you’re saying that car dealers/manufacturers NEVER fight warranty claims due to lack of or incorrect maintenance?
Where did I say that??? Try re-reading my posts again.
Dealers/manufacturers fight claims all the time…But NOT for using a oil that WASN’T recommended…I guarantee it.
I’m quite sure the manual says Mobil-1 is the RECOMMENDED synthetic oil…NOT the REQUIRED synthetic oil.
Look at buying the oil in the 5-quart jugs. Usually $.50/quart cheaper then individual quarts.