Knowing a Vehicle's Factory-Fill Motor Oil Is More Important Than You Might Think

By Tom Segletes

Even for those of us who work in the lubricants industry, the question of synthetic motor oils versus conventional products can spark lively discussion. We know the differences between the products, but the question of when to recommend which kind of product is one that I hear almost on a daily basis.

The simple answer, of course, is that there’s no simple answer. Whether you’re making a recommendation for a customer at your shop or deciding what to put in your own car, it’s important to take a number of factors into consideration — the conditions in which the car is driven, the frequency with which the driver wants to change the oil and, of course, the make and model of the car.

This last element — the make and model — has historically been less of a consideration when deciding whether to choose synthetics or conventional motor oils. It’s likely that many service techs today only consider the oil viscosity recommended by the original equipment manufacturer (OEM). It’s increasingly important, however, to also take a look at other factors, such as the type of oil manufacturers put into their engines before they even leave the factory. It may surprise you to know that many vehicles leave their factories, and are driven off the car lot by new owners, with synthetic motor oil in the engines.

This trend is not as new as you might think. As far back as 1987, the Callaway Corvette became the first limited-production vehicle to use a synthetic, Mobil 1, as its factory-fill product. Five years later, in 1992, the 1993 model year Chevrolet Corvette followed suit as the first mass-produced vehicle factory-filled with a synthetic. The reason Corvette became a pioneer in the application of synthetics? Performance. Corvette engineers believed, based on rigorous laboratory testing, that synthetic motor oil extracted heat from the engine better than conventional oils and performed better than conventional products under high compression.

Since then, other manufacturers have followed suit. In 1995, Porsche began filling all of its engines at the factory with synthetic motor oil. Having seen the benefits it experienced with its Corvette line, GM has since migrated its entire Cadillac line and all of its high-performance SS vehicles over to synthetic motor oil. Other manufacturers that use a synthetic as a factory-fill product and/or service fill recommendation include Mercedes AMG, Mitsubishi, Saab, Acura and Nissan. While most lube shops don’t see too many of them, Bentley and Aston Martin vehicles use synthetics, as well. And that’s just a few — take a look at the table for a complete listing of all the makes and models that are factory-filled with synthetic motor oil.

Manufacturers have been making this switch for a variety of reasons. Synthetic motor oils can help protect against sludge accumulation and work to keep your engine clean and free of deposits. Synthetics also provide additional protection and durability for engines, flow well and maintain proper viscosities in extreme temperatures and over the duration of the oil drain interval, and can help to maintain fuel economy and protect your emission system.

Speaking of fuel economy, that’s one of the reasons that Toyota and Honda have been shipping vehicles with synthetic oils in the engines of many of their vehicle platforms in the 2010 model year — they’ve begun using 0W-20 synthetics. It’s part of their plan to aggressively comply with the recent U.S. government mandate that all OEMs’ Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) averages reach 35 mpg by 2016. While results may vary dependent upon vehicle/engine type, outside temperature, driving conditions and current engine oil viscosity, in general the Honda and Toyota fleets should realize a fuel-economy benefit by making this switch.

Why is all of this important for lube shop managers and service techs to know? Because if an OEM is shipping its vehicles with a certain product, it stands to reason that consumers are going to pay attention to that and show up at your door asking for it. Or they’re going to hear from a friend that their vehicle is supposed to have a certain type of synthetic in it, and they’ll come to you and ask if you know what they should use. In the interest of good customer service — and to make sure you don’t lose the sale — it’s important to be knowledgeable.

There can be a lot to know about OEM-recommended motor oils, too. There are a variety of recommended viscosities and differing specifications to be met within the synthetic category. There are certain European ACEA specs and individual European, Japanese and United States automobile manufacturer specs for synthetic oils that are mutually exclusive. In other words, unlike some “multi-vehicle” transmission fluids, quick lube operators will need to maintain several different types of synthetic oils and viscosities meeting specific specifications in their shop. The synthetic category specification requirements may become even more diverse as we learn more about GM’s proposed dexos-1 motor oil specifications and in-market timing.

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