Running a couple of vans full time you certainly clock up the Kilometres . Clean oil means longer engine life which means a vans earning capacity is lengthened . I don’t want to make this a long post but 5 years ago we changed over to Penrite HPR5 Fully Synthetic Oil 5W -40 . Before then I had used Mobil 1 . My mechanic dropped around whilst I was under the van just about to drop the oil , noticed the Mobil 1 , and told me to give the Penrite a try . I started to use the above oil and stuck with it . Two reasons . It performed the same as the Mobil 1 and it was half the price . You can imagine the savings with three vans and a couple of hatch backs getting there oil dropped on schedule , 10,000 Kilometres 6 months on our vehicles . Was always 10,000 Kilometres with us . I know not everybody is DIY regarding oil changes but I was surprised recently at the number of drivers that do drop the oil and spin the filter to save money .I’m always lending my ramps to friends who DIY oil changes . Most new car dealers use very good oils .Up to minimum vehicle spec . Any good product that saves you money I’m into .Just a warning . Before you attempt to change your own oil visit a retailer , I always use Repco , and check that the oil is suitable for your car . They have a full data base of vehicles and will advise you on the correct oil for your vehicle . Lately Enviro oils are appearing , Penrite has them too .They are not suitable for all vehicles . None of mine require them . Mostly newer European models and some diesel motors I believe use Enviro . Check with your Repco retailer . I’m citing Repco here as I have built up a good user retailer relationship with them over the years . There prices are good too . The one I go to is at 300 Millers Rd Altona Vic for any Melbourne "Westies "out there
Thanks @vax2000! I run a van and will be changing the oil myself for the first time so it is nice to have this review. 
@natural.thought Am glad the post was of some help to you . I presume you are changing the filter as well .Plenty of YouTube footage on that . I always hand tighten filter then pinch it up just under 1/4 turn . Remember to smear some fresh oil on the sealing ring on the filter to get a good seal . After 3 or 4 days check the filter for any leaks . Should be ok . If not slightly tighten . Hope all goes well for you . All ways good to do these things yourself as you know you are using good products . If you are changing the filter use Ryco brand if they are available for your vehicle . They have served me well over the years .
MikeThanks for the tips! I’ll save these in my mechanical folder to review before I attempt the job.
I recall a report in Choice about 15-20years ago that was a longterm comparison of oil brands by the US consumer organisation. They had used a fleet of New York taxis as the yard stick and essentially followed them from cradle to grave. What was discovered if I recall correctly is the brand didn’t matter one iota, what mattered was using the correct specification oil that the manufacturer had determined was required and following the servicing intervals as laid down.
The taxi engines were disassembled after many 100,000miles and they discovered no measurable greater or less wear and tear on engines irrespective of brand as long as the engines had been service in accordance with the schedule and correct spec oil had been used.
Oil brand differentiation is in my opinion is marketing hype, buy on price selecting the correct spec for your vehicle and ensure it is serviced regularly.
Oh and my background is in vehicle maintenance, some weeks I service more than a dozen vehicles from ultra modern to classic cars, and my personal vehicles typically do between 400000 & 600,000kms before replacement.
@tndkemp I agree with your post and everything in it . My post is basically that I was using an oil Mobil 1 worth $95 -$100 for 5 litres and I changed to a brand Penrite 5 lites, that meets all the vehicles that I own specifications and it costs between $52 -$58 . That was the point I was making . Cost effectiveness .
You can buy proprietary brand oils which meet the oil requirement specs of most modern engines for a reasonable discount to those price you quote for Penrite.
Valvoline, Castrol, Shell & nulon to name a few. Even Penrite supplies a lower cost option than their HPR series (which is a hyped up oil) which meets or exceeds the current modern engine oil standards.
Thanks for the input .I might be able to use a much cheaper brand of oil that meets specifications and save even more on servicing . With 5 vehicles on the go all the time the price of servicing adds up very quickly . Thanks for your input once again .
And Penrite is an Australian company!
Using imported oil and additive ingredients to blend their ‘Australian’ oils…
Some modern diesels have different oil change intervals depending upon the oil specifications, in my opinion always use an oil that meets the most stringent requirements, brand probably isn’t that important. Have been using Penrite oils for some time in several vehicles, petrol and diesel. I am a great believer in fully synthetic oils, have seen more than one high mileage engine using synthetic oil exclusively pulled down with extremely low wear, cylinder bores, timing chains etc in excellent condition ready to go many more hundreds of thousands of Kms. Some manufacturers ask for 6 monthly services regardless of distance traveled, with modern engines, lubricants and the engine management systems used today this is not necessary, just a reason to get clients back into the service department more often.
All diesel contaminate their oil with combustion byproducts due to very high combustion pressures. Modern CRDI turbo diesels are prone to sludging of their oil and the change interval is more important on these engines than on gasoline powered engines.
Also the additives that are put in modern lubricants by the blending companies such as shell, mobil, castrol or penrite to achieve the required specification, degrade with both time and use. So the change interval of time is also as important as the vehicles milage.
Remember a new vehicle warranty is a contract between the buyer an the manufacturer that in essence obligates the buyer to ensure the services of their vehicle is done on schedule and if that can be proven to be the case then the manufacturer is obliged to make any and all repairs for the life of that warranty. If the buyer does not comply with their servicing obligations the manufacturer can use them as a valid excuse to not honour the warranty.
There are a lot of owners out there who have not met their servicing obligations and found that the manufacturer successfully denies their claims for warranty repairs as a result.
With the repair and replacement costs of CRDI engine typical running to $10K I would make sure that if I owned and operated one of these vehicles I would comply with both the time or the Km’s traveled requirement of my service schedule which ever came first.
True, but nonetheless, an Australian company adding value to imported products. The others are foreign companies adding value to imported products - and repatriating their profits overseas.
Our mechanic years ago recommended Penrite too. He said it was an advantage of having oil refineries in your own country was that you could have locally produced engine oils. That’s probably not going to last though.
