Engine Oil Good For 5 Years After Manufacturing Date?.

Question

Hi Folks,

So I bought some Mobil engine oil online that has 2020 on the bottle. The people who sold it are saying it's good for another 5 years in the unsealed bottle until 2025. Is that correct?.

https://www.motorverso.com/does-motor-oil-expire/

This site says: "Oil shouldn’t be used after a few years; the exact period varying between 2 years (according to Total) up to 5 years (Mobil)."

I really don't like the idea of betting the reliability of my car on the fact that Mobil have created such a superior oil that lasts 5 years, when every other make is 2. What do you guys think?.

Thanks,

Doc · Accepted Answer

Bunch of advertising nonsense. Mobile 1 isn't any better or worse than any other full synthetic with the same grade rating. Although for some reason, you'll get people who think that Mobile 1 is superior, it's not, it just costs more.

MountainManJoe · Answer

It’s fine just shake it up.

Justin Shepherd · Answer

The actual oil (the part that came from petroleum) should be fine for a long time, providing it's kept in a reasonably controlled area and is sealed. It's made from hydrocarbons that were in the ground for tens of millions of years, and it's primarily made from heavy hydrocarbons that remain liquid in the conditions of a garage. The bigger concern I would have is all of the additives that they put in. I would be more wary of those breaking down and the oil losing its ability to clean, etc. vs the petroleum "going bad", for lack of a better way to describe it. Those long hydrocarbon chains can eventually oxidize, but it takes a very long time. It's not like gasoline where it loses most of its volatile components to evaporation and oxidation within a matter of months if it sits unused, like in a parked car's gas tank. Old gasoline starts to turn to turpentine because of chemical reactions that attack the light hydrocarbons in the gasoline. Motor oil is made from very different hydrocarbons.