Synthetic Oil W/ Filte at Napa and Advance for $19.99 BUT!!!

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Alright folks! I call on the power of you to help me out

BLUF:

NAPA
Has 5 Quarts FULLY Synthetic House Brand Oil and a Napa Silver Oil filter for 19.99. However "*Offer good on many popular NAPA Silver Oil Filters regularly priced at $3.99. Sale price will be higher for some filters. General states pricing. Sale prices on oil do not include applicable state/local taxes or recycling fees. Not available in some states. Check your NAPA store for availability. Offer expires 11/17/13."

So the Silver Filter costs about $4.14 in my area, not that much more than the $3.99 regularly priced ones they note

ADVANCE AUTO
Has 5 Quarts Quaker State FULLY Synthetic and a Drive Works Oil filter for 19.99.
"Limit 2 oil change specials
per customer. While supplies
last. Not applicable to motor
cycle oils. Other exclusions
apply. See store for details."

I assume the exclusion is similar to the NAPA one, the Driveworks filter is about $6.59 regularly priced so I might have to kick in some extra cash

SO HERE IS THE QUESTION:
Are the filters (Napa Silver and Driveworks) suitable for 5000 miles? Being a Mechanical Engineer in the Automotive World in the past and Currently in a Mechanical Engineer for the Military (also the Vehicle focused) I know that there are only so many Oil Filter Manufacturers (Mann + Hummel, Rank Group (they bought the FRAM filter business from Honeywell), Wix (Affinia) and probably some others. The quality may be greater or lesser here and there but which will do the best job? Are they suitable for 5000 miles? I plan on buying 10 Quarts which will come with the two filters, seeing that I drive about 12,000 miles a year this should suffice for 12 months of driving.

AS ALWAYS THANK YOU!

P.S. FREE CAMO HAT AT NAPA WITH PURCHASE OVER $25! BECAUSE....... AMERICA!

NAPA REFERENCE (Page 4): http://specials.napaecatalog.com/WebPro ... e=oct13flx#" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
Advance Auto Reference (Page 11): http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/wcssto ... -flexi.pdf" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

[kumquat]

The NAPA silver is an entirely decent filter. Should be 100% fine for 5000 miles. I'd use it and not think twice.

These cartridge filters have no anti-drainback valves, which besides the quality of the filter media is the big differentiator between oil filters.

I understand the Silver filters are manufactured by Wix, and indeed the 37604 looks exactly like the Wix filter I just put in my Vibe.

As for the Advanced Auto deal, none of the AAs in my area carry QS Synthetic in 5W-20 or 0W-20.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Oddly enough the top of the Napa filter looks very similar to the OEM Toyota Filter 04152-YZZA6. Though the Driveworks filter assembly has a better top and bottom cap/ring.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Thanks Kumquat! My feelings are the same. When I compared pictures of the OEM Toyota filter to the Napa filter they looked pretty much the same!

I mean for $19.99 this is a REALLY good deal! Heck I would get 4 complete oil change sets (even if I need to add 15 cents per filter to make up the price difference) but... that would take up room in the garage. Something to think about none the less.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Oh and don't forget the Camo hat..... just because

[kumquat]

If you ever want to see people discussing products at length based on pretty much zero information, head to the Bob Is The Oil Guy forums. These guys debate oils all day long but ultimately know very little to nothing about any of them. It's kinda funny. These are smart people, and a lot of them know a lot about lubrication, but they know virtually nothing about the actual formulation or relative effectiveness of the stuff they talk about all day.

Anyway, their apparent conesnsus is that Napa synthetic is Valvoline SynPower with "a weaker add pack." This means it won't clean as well and won't last quite as long. But considering that SynPower is good and strong enough to last 10k using Napa synthetic for 5k shouldn't be a problem.

[kumquat]

Also, for anyone else listening, Motorcraft Synthetic Blend is perhaps the best value on the market for an all-year quality 5k oil. $17 for a 5-quart bottle at Walmart and consistently produces excellent UOA (used oil analysis) results.

This NAPA deal is good though. I might stop at my local store to see how it looks.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

When I owned my Aztek I would buy conventional oil that was on sale and ran that guy to 206K. I plan on keeping this guy for a while, but I have decided to stick with synthetic and just run this guy as long as I can! As long as the filters don't explode then I should be ok

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Is the blend recommended for use for in the 1.8L? I might give it a shot some time

[kumquat]

Is the blend recommended for use for in the 1.8L? I might give it a shot some time

I don't see why not. I did well with the 5W-30 in my Grand Am. I'll do a UOA on it when I drain it at 5k and see how it looks. Nothing to compare it to, though.

[ColonelPanic]

BITOG is fun -- not a member, but I lurk there once a day or so. The signal to noise ratio is sometimes a little wonky, but I've been able to learn a thing or two at least.

I've read the same about the NAPA syn -- "weaker add pack." Given the choice between the two deals, I would go the NAPA route. The oil is good and if the filter's a Wix, it will hold up fine. If the other deal is QSUD, that's a great oil, but I don't know much about who made the filter.

Also, since BaseWhiteVibe is in MI, it is my understanding that this week at Meijer, 5.1 qt jugs of Pennzoil Platinum synthetic are on sale for $21.49. $10 mail-in rebate prints at the register (ends at the end of the month,) so that's a good deal if you're willing to wait. Takes a couple months to get the check. I think I'll pick some more up for the Sonic.

[Derf]

P.S. FREE CAMO HAT AT NAPA WITH PURCHASE OVER $25! BECAUSE....... AMERICA!

Instantly thought of the Team America theme song.

That aside, Napa ran this promo earlier this year. Bought the oil and filter, discount showed at the register, walked out the door with two sets. Used two quarts of Napa Synthetic and the balance Amsoil (to get the effect of different additive packages). In the process of converting Vibe from dino oil to full synthetic, so I anticipated making some frequent filter/oil changes to ensure nothing built up in the filter or oil. A value priced filter with synthetic oil worked for this purpose. As for running 5000 miles, so long as the media in the filter is up to the challenge, I see no issue.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

I might jump on the meijer oil the rebate sounds awesome thanks!

[beemerphile1]

I have never understood all the hoopla about oil. It seems that some people are determined to throw money away.

If you use the basic oil called for in the car's manual, and change the oil and filter according to the manufacturers instruction, you are good. The is no benefit to spending more or buying more expensive oil than the manufacturer calls for.

There are severe duty applications where more frequent changes are called for. However even under severe duty the standard oil is usually sufficient. It appears that there is an advantage to synthetic in extreme cold, but really, how many of us regularly start our car at 40 below zero?

I imagine either of those oil deals is fine for our cars. My personal choice though is to use the genuine Toyota filters.

[BaseWhiteVibe]

Given the deal that ColonelPanic mentioned (GREATLY APPRECIATED!), I decided to go to Meijer after work and get two jugs. In addition the Toyota dealer right next door to work sells the filters with gaskets for $5.41. So honestly I will just get the filters from them on an "as needed" basis. They have over 100 on hand so they won't be running out anytime soon. No need to buy the whole case and have it sit in my house, I did that already with the Aztek and all it did was take up space. In addition I will be using the OEM Toyota filters seeing that Toyota most likely used these same filters while running validation testing during the engine development. I should be just fine!

[BaseWhiteVibe]

On a side note, I called up a local GM dealer and they are selling the "Delco" filter for $11.89. So yeah I won't even bother my buddy at GMPARTSCHEAP, it just isn't worth the trouble. Once again $5.41 at the Toyota dealer right next door to my work!

[ColonelPanic]

Awesome.

Sign up for Mperks too, if you haven't already. They'll send out general merchandise coupons (20% off one item, $x off one item over a certain amount, etc.) That will help out when there's not a rebate going on, and sweeten the deal even more so when there is.

Meijer is my go-to place for oil these days.

[runningslow]

Awesome.

Sign up for Mperks too, if you haven't already. They'll send out general merchandise coupons (20% off one item, $x off one item over a certain amount, etc.) That will help out when there's not a rebate going on, and sweeten the deal even more so when there is.

Meijer is my go-to place for oil these days.

I miss Meijer.....

[Water boy]

I'm old so are some of my hangups.....

I say stick with the same oil over and over.
I say stick with the same filter over and over.
The best thing you can do is get a Blackstone analysis.
Make educated changes as compared to "on sale" changes.

Generally, under normal driving conditions and changing oil/filter every 5k just about anything will get the job done.

My 3 cents............

[kumquat]

I'm old so are some of my hangups.....

I say stick with the same oil over and over.
I say stick with the same filter over and over.
The best thing you can do is get a Blackstone analysis.
Make educated changes as compared to "on sale" changes.

Generally, under normal driving conditions and changing oil/filter every 5k just about anything will get the job done.

My 3 cents............

You say "make educated changes as compared to 'on sale' changes" yet then say "just about anything will get the job done."

What's an "educated change" when it comes to oil, anyway?