[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by ember1205

Percentages should be about the same, though. That's roughly 25% less which would mean it's still 3x the cost of the Costco oil.

At those prices, id run 5w30 if i didnt track her.
Dont know why, but the prices for Dexos2 seemed to have gone thru the roof!

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by xqwisit23

Where in Canada are you sourcing the oil from?

I believe my mechanic either sources it from Bensons, or Napa.

[turbo2ltr]

Still don't know if I got the right thing. But it's 0W-40 and dexos2. I spent enough on it so it'd going to be the right thing whether it is or not. lol.

[2SS Capt]

Originally Posted by turbo2ltr

Still don't know if I got the right thing. But it's 0W-40 and dexos2. I spent enough on it so it'd going to be the right thing whether it is or not. lol.

That is exactly what you want!

[wjones14]

My 2018 is due for oil change #3 at 6200 miles. The first two changes were Valvoline 5W-40 MST Synpower dexos2, since I tracked the car once per year. The manual did not say to return to 5W-30 dexos1 after the track event, so my assumption was that either 0W-40 or 5W-40 dexos2 were okay for everyday use.

Now with Valvoline no longer dexos2, I'm going with the Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP as the everyday oil. The Speedway Motors deal seems to be the best option at a little over $9/quart with free shipping, so I ordered 2 cases and UPS delivered them today. The Valvoline dexos2 in my engine now only has 2000 miles on it, but it's been in there since last August and the oil minder is now showing 9% life remaining.

Question: if a 2016-2018 SS owner brought their car to a Chevrolet dealership for an oil change and didn't specify a particular oil, would the service department use 5W-30 or 0W-40?

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by wjones14

Question: if a 2016-2018 SS owner brought their car to a Chevrolet dealership for an oil change and didn't specify a particular oil, would the service department use 5W-30 or 0W-40?

I wonder the same thing, especially since my local dealership (whom does their fair share of Corvette sales and service) couldn't agree among the Service Manager, Parts Clerk, and Service Tech which oil was the right one for the car. The Service Tech asked "what does it say on the cap?" (0W-40 DEXOS is the answer), implying that it had to be that oil (which it doesn't). The Parts Clerk was happy to show off the cases of super-pricey 0W-40 dexos2 without any actual research, and the Service Manager look confused when I stated that the manual calls for 5W-30 dexos1 as a suitable "second choice".

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by wjones14

My 2018 is due for oil change #3 at 6200 miles. The first two changes were Valvoline 5W-40 MST Synpower dexos2, since I tracked the car once per year. The manual did not say to return to 5W-30 dexos1 after the track event, so my assumption was that either 0W-40 or 5W-40 dexos2 were okay for everyday use.

Now with Valvoline no longer dexos2, I'm going with the Mobil 1 0W-40 ESP as the everyday oil. The Speedway Motors deal seems to be the best option at a little over $9/quart with free shipping, so I ordered 2 cases and UPS delivered them today. The Valvoline dexos2 in my engine now only has 2000 miles on it, but it's been in there since last August and the oil minder is now showing 9% life remaining.

Question: if a 2016-2018 SS owner brought their car to a Chevrolet dealership for an oil change and didn't specify a particular oil, would the service department use 5W-30 or 0W-40?

Likely either one depending on their experience and/or based on what shows on an oil cap. I think responsibility rests with the owner to specify which one, given it depends on intended use (and preference).

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

Likely either one depending on their experience and/or based on what shows on an oil cap. I think responsibility rests with the owner to specify which one, given it depends on intended use (and preference).

I thought about this a little more after my response above...

2016-2018 models specified the dexos1 oil. Unless the dealer is 'brain dead', there seems little chance they would automatically go with the dexos2 oil without ALSO charging a premium rate for that oil change. Yes, you can always ask for the dexos2, but it will almost certainly be on your own dime.

[turbo2ltr]

I think you guys give the dealer too much credit. I wouldn't be surprised if they put in whatever was in the closest 55 gallon drum. lol.

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by turbo2ltr

I think you guys give the dealer too much credit. I wouldn't be surprised if they put in whatever was in the closest 55 gallon drum. lol.

Can that happen? Sure. Does it happen? I would imagine so.

If your dealership sells any sort of quantity of Camaro's and Corvettes, they will have properly trained techs to do this correctly. Additionally, I suspect that few owners of these kinds of cars (with the V8 motors, specifically) WON'T check their service orders and make a fuss right away if they see something awry. Once a dealer sells a $150 oil change for $50 because of THEIR mistake, they won't do it again.

[wjones14]

Originally Posted by TrackClub

Likely either one depending on their experience and/or based on what shows on an oil cap. I think responsibility rests with the owner to specify which one, given it depends on intended use (and preference).

So 2016-18 owners should buy a new cap like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...sc_act_title_1



This is what I'm still not clear on:

1. Why did Chevrolet change the recommended oil from 5W-30 dexos1 to 0W-40 dexos2 when it's still the same engine?
2. If the reason is that they feel the 0W-40 dexos2 is better for the engine, then did they also change the recommendation for the 2016-2018 engines?
3. If not, why not?

How does a service technician determine which oil to use when any vehicle comes in for an oil change? What oil does a Cruze use? How about an Equinox with the 1.5L turbo 4 versus the 2.0L turbo 4? Even in the Camaro line, the recommendations are different depending on the engine option. Does the technician look in some manual, look at the oil cap, or go by experience and gut feel? Is which oil to use just as confusing for service techs as it is for owners?

[TrackClub]

Originally Posted by wjones14

So 2016-18 owners should buy a new cap like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...sc_act_title_1



This is what I'm still not clear on:

1. Why did Chevrolet change the recommended oil from 5W-30 dexos1 to 0W-40 dexos2 when it's still the same engine?
2. If the reason is that they feel the 0W-40 dexos2 is better for the engine, then did they also change the recommendation for the 2016-2018 engines?
3. If not, why not?

How does a service technician determine which oil to use when any vehicle comes in for an oil change? What oil does a Cruze use? How about an Equinox with the 1.5L turbo 4 versus the 2.0L turbo 4? Even in the Camaro line, the recommendations are different depending on the engine option. Does the technician look in some manual, look at the oil cap, or go by experience and gut feel? Is which oil to use just as confusing for service techs as it is for owners?

I think we are in a proverbial loop here

GM has not changed recommended oil. It is still 0w40 Dexos2 (or 5w40 Dexos2) or 5w30 dexos1 gen2 depending on intended use.

What GM had changed is factory fill from 5w30 to 0w40.
They've also made the latter available to the dealers, who didnt carry it until then (so they couldnt service track going cars unless ower brought his own oil).

Ive tried to explain it all in my OP on page 1

[ember1205]

Originally Posted by wjones14

So 2016-18 owners should buy a new cap like this one:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B0...sc_act_title_1



This is what I'm still not clear on:

1. Why did Chevrolet change the recommended oil from 5W-30 dexos1 to 0W-40 dexos2 when it's still the same engine?
2. If the reason is that they feel the 0W-40 dexos2 is better for the engine, then did they also change the recommendation for the 2016-2018 engines?
3. If not, why not?

How does a service technician determine which oil to use when any vehicle comes in for an oil change? What oil does a Cruze use? How about an Equinox with the 1.5L turbo 4 versus the 2.0L turbo 4? Even in the Camaro line, the recommendations are different depending on the engine option. Does the technician look in some manual, look at the oil cap, or go by experience and gut feel? Is which oil to use just as confusing for service techs as it is for owners?

The most likely reason for GM having changed the recommendation on oil comes down to them wanting to replace fewer engines due to issues. This can be seen two ways:

1) Provide a tighter set of requirements that a customer has to meet in order to maintain warranty coverage, resulting in fewer warrantied repairs.

2) Actually elevate the overall reliability of the engine.

IMHO, I honestly don't see #1 having a lot of bite because GM is still saying that the original oil recommendation is still valid "for street use" only (which is most owners).

#2 likely has more viability in general because of people that will simply follow the base recommendation, but it may also help by ensuring that folks understand that for track use, the base oil just doesn't hold up. This really could just be more of an issue of ensuring that they can continue to honor their warranty for track use, too.

As far as how techs know what oil to use in what cars... I would -expect- that the VIN would pull up the details of what oil to use on the service order. As for non-GM dealerships, I don't know how easily that same thing might hold true...

[wjones14]

Personally, I'm glad to be going back to Mobil 1. I've been using it since the 1980s and have never had an oil-related engine issue. My personality resists change in general, so once I started using Mobil 1, I had a loyalty to it. I even use it in my lawn mowers and snow blower.

I'm not thrilled about the scarcity and ridiculous price of the ESP formula however. For years I had been buying Mobil 1 in 5-quart containers for around $25. Now it's around $14/quart at the dealership, not available in most local stores, and not available in 5-quart containers?

Makes me wonder if the whole dexos2 thing is more marketing BS than anything else? The Mobil 1 0W-40 European Car Formula is available at Walmart in a 5-quart container for $22... Is that oil going to hurt the LT1? My personal feeling is that the European Formula would be fine, and there is some kind of game going on regarding the dexos1/2 certification between GM and the oil manufacturers.