2002 Dodge Dakota 3.9L V6 oil change
#11
06-15-2011, 11:48 PM
Record Breaker
I used to run Valvoline white bottle conventional oil exclusively and I have used Maxlife in my truck. I have also used the Napa house brand 10W30 regular and Napa High Mileage. The Napa brand oil is very similar to Valvoline white bottle and Napa HM is about the same as Maxlife.
The Napa oils are all bottled by Ashland, which also produces the Valvoline branded oils. The Napa house brands have a slightly different additive pack than the Valvoline branded oil. I never had any trouble with any of them, other than my truck was a bit sluggish and I lost a little MPG when I ran the high mileage oil. That was only because Maxlife and Napa HM and any other brand of HM oil are blended at the thicker end of their given viscosity rating. I switched back to regular conventional Napa 10W30 and my gas mileage and perfomance went back to normal. I have used Carquest oil too, it is also made by Ashland and is exactly the same as the Napa oil. I used Napa Proselect and Carquest Red Label filters, both are made by Wix to Napa's specs but they are not a Wix branded filter. They are very good filters in the $3.50 price range for a normal oil change interval though.
Last year I was reading up on the composition and add packs in Napa/Carquest oil. I found out they are OK but I could probably do better. I decided to try Quaker State on just one oil change. It was on sale at Advance, $12.99 for 5 quarts and a Purolator Classic filter. I liked the way my truck ran on the QS, it was an instant and very noticeable difference in the way my truck ran. It runs a lot smoother and quieter on QS than it ever did on Napa oil and I have not taken any hits on MPG or performance either. My engine burns about 1/2 a quart of oil in about 2500 miles, which is the same as it did with the Valvoline/Napa/CQ oil.
There are a lot of opinions, preferences and facts when it comes to which oil and filter may or may not be best to use. The bottom line is just about any oil and filter will work fine for a normal oil change interval as long as it is changed on schedule. Some engines may burn more or burn less oil depending on brands, and some filters may have better flow than others, some filters may clog up and go into bypass mode early, and some filters filter smaller particles than others do. The main thing with filters is use a good one and change it on schedule too.
My own preference for oil is Quaker State. I will not use any Castrol product because Castrol is owned by BP. I would walk first before I would ever use even one drop of BP gas. I have my own personal reasons for all of that. I am sure they make a fine oil and good gas but I refuse to buy either one. Same for Mobil gas and the Mobil oil and filters. Exxon-Mobil makes plenty of money and I am sure they won't miss any of mine. I like Purolator and Wix filters because to me they are the best value for the money, they have great construction, a good balance of flow and filtration and both are made here in the USA. I try my best to support American business and American jobs whenever I can. Purolator is also the current supplier for Mopar branded oil filters too.
There are as many opinions and preferences for oil and filters as there are Dakota's on the road. And we all know what they say about opinions. Bottom line is you will be fine if you use a good name brand oil and filter, stay away from cheap Chinese-made filters and change your oil on the correct schedule based on your driving habits.
Jimmy
The Napa oils are all bottled by Ashland, which also produces the Valvoline branded oils. The Napa house brands have a slightly different additive pack than the Valvoline branded oil. I never had any trouble with any of them, other than my truck was a bit sluggish and I lost a little MPG when I ran the high mileage oil. That was only because Maxlife and Napa HM and any other brand of HM oil are blended at the thicker end of their given viscosity rating. I switched back to regular conventional Napa 10W30 and my gas mileage and perfomance went back to normal. I have used Carquest oil too, it is also made by Ashland and is exactly the same as the Napa oil. I used Napa Proselect and Carquest Red Label filters, both are made by Wix to Napa's specs but they are not a Wix branded filter. They are very good filters in the $3.50 price range for a normal oil change interval though.
Last year I was reading up on the composition and add packs in Napa/Carquest oil. I found out they are OK but I could probably do better. I decided to try Quaker State on just one oil change. It was on sale at Advance, $12.99 for 5 quarts and a Purolator Classic filter. I liked the way my truck ran on the QS, it was an instant and very noticeable difference in the way my truck ran. It runs a lot smoother and quieter on QS than it ever did on Napa oil and I have not taken any hits on MPG or performance either. My engine burns about 1/2 a quart of oil in about 2500 miles, which is the same as it did with the Valvoline/Napa/CQ oil.
There are a lot of opinions, preferences and facts when it comes to which oil and filter may or may not be best to use. The bottom line is just about any oil and filter will work fine for a normal oil change interval as long as it is changed on schedule. Some engines may burn more or burn less oil depending on brands, and some filters may have better flow than others, some filters may clog up and go into bypass mode early, and some filters filter smaller particles than others do. The main thing with filters is use a good one and change it on schedule too.
My own preference for oil is Quaker State. I will not use any Castrol product because Castrol is owned by BP. I would walk first before I would ever use even one drop of BP gas. I have my own personal reasons for all of that. I am sure they make a fine oil and good gas but I refuse to buy either one. Same for Mobil gas and the Mobil oil and filters. Exxon-Mobil makes plenty of money and I am sure they won't miss any of mine. I like Purolator and Wix filters because to me they are the best value for the money, they have great construction, a good balance of flow and filtration and both are made here in the USA. I try my best to support American business and American jobs whenever I can. Purolator is also the current supplier for Mopar branded oil filters too.
There are as many opinions and preferences for oil and filters as there are Dakota's on the road. And we all know what they say about opinions. Bottom line is you will be fine if you use a good name brand oil and filter, stay away from cheap Chinese-made filters and change your oil on the correct schedule based on your driving habits.
Jimmy
Last edited by 01SilverCC; 06-16-2011 at 12:04 AM.
#12
06-16-2011, 08:27 PM
Veteran
#13
06-16-2011, 09:01 PM
Grand Champion
I used to run Valvoline white bottle conventional oil exclusively and I have used Maxlife in my truck. I have also used the Napa house brand 10W30 regular and Napa High Mileage. The Napa brand oil is very similar to Valvoline white bottle and Napa HM is about the same as Maxlife.
The Napa oils are all bottled by Ashland, which also produces the Valvoline branded oils. The Napa house brands have a slightly different additive pack than the Valvoline branded oil. I never had any trouble with any of them, other than my truck was a bit sluggish and I lost a little MPG when I ran the high mileage oil. That was only because Maxlife and Napa HM and any other brand of HM oil are blended at the thicker end of their given viscosity rating. I switched back to regular conventional Napa 10W30 and my gas mileage and perfomance went back to normal. I have used Carquest oil too, it is also made by Ashland and is exactly the same as the Napa oil. I used Napa Proselect and Carquest Red Label filters, both are made by Wix to Napa's specs but they are not a Wix branded filter. They are very good filters in the $3.50 price range for a normal oil change interval though.
Last year I was reading up on the composition and add packs in Napa/Carquest oil. I found out they are OK but I could probably do better. I decided to try Quaker State on just one oil change. It was on sale at Advance, $12.99 for 5 quarts and a Purolator Classic filter. I liked the way my truck ran on the QS, it was an instant and very noticeable difference in the way my truck ran. It runs a lot smoother and quieter on QS than it ever did on Napa oil and I have not taken any hits on MPG or performance either. My engine burns about 1/2 a quart of oil in about 2500 miles, which is the same as it did with the Valvoline/Napa/CQ oil.
There are a lot of opinions, preferences and facts when it comes to which oil and filter may or may not be best to use. The bottom line is just about any oil and filter will work fine for a normal oil change interval as long as it is changed on schedule. Some engines may burn more or burn less oil depending on brands, and some filters may have better flow than others, some filters may clog up and go into bypass mode early, and some filters filter smaller particles than others do. The main thing with filters is use a good one and change it on schedule too.
My own preference for oil is Quaker State. I will not use any Castrol product because Castrol is owned by BP. I would walk first before I would ever use even one drop of BP gas. I have my own personal reasons for all of that. I am sure they make a fine oil and good gas but I refuse to buy either one. Same for Mobil gas and the Mobil oil and filters. Exxon-Mobil makes plenty of money and I am sure they won't miss any of mine. I like Purolator and Wix filters because to me they are the best value for the money, they have great construction, a good balance of flow and filtration and both are made here in the USA. I try my best to support American business and American jobs whenever I can. Purolator is also the current supplier for Mopar branded oil filters too.
There are as many opinions and preferences for oil and filters as there are Dakota's on the road. And we all know what they say about opinions. Bottom line is you will be fine if you use a good name brand oil and filter, stay away from cheap Chinese-made filters and change your oil on the correct schedule based on your driving habits.
Jimmy
The Napa oils are all bottled by Ashland, which also produces the Valvoline branded oils. The Napa house brands have a slightly different additive pack than the Valvoline branded oil. I never had any trouble with any of them, other than my truck was a bit sluggish and I lost a little MPG when I ran the high mileage oil. That was only because Maxlife and Napa HM and any other brand of HM oil are blended at the thicker end of their given viscosity rating. I switched back to regular conventional Napa 10W30 and my gas mileage and perfomance went back to normal. I have used Carquest oil too, it is also made by Ashland and is exactly the same as the Napa oil. I used Napa Proselect and Carquest Red Label filters, both are made by Wix to Napa's specs but they are not a Wix branded filter. They are very good filters in the $3.50 price range for a normal oil change interval though.
Last year I was reading up on the composition and add packs in Napa/Carquest oil. I found out they are OK but I could probably do better. I decided to try Quaker State on just one oil change. It was on sale at Advance, $12.99 for 5 quarts and a Purolator Classic filter. I liked the way my truck ran on the QS, it was an instant and very noticeable difference in the way my truck ran. It runs a lot smoother and quieter on QS than it ever did on Napa oil and I have not taken any hits on MPG or performance either. My engine burns about 1/2 a quart of oil in about 2500 miles, which is the same as it did with the Valvoline/Napa/CQ oil.
There are a lot of opinions, preferences and facts when it comes to which oil and filter may or may not be best to use. The bottom line is just about any oil and filter will work fine for a normal oil change interval as long as it is changed on schedule. Some engines may burn more or burn less oil depending on brands, and some filters may have better flow than others, some filters may clog up and go into bypass mode early, and some filters filter smaller particles than others do. The main thing with filters is use a good one and change it on schedule too.
My own preference for oil is Quaker State. I will not use any Castrol product because Castrol is owned by BP. I would walk first before I would ever use even one drop of BP gas. I have my own personal reasons for all of that. I am sure they make a fine oil and good gas but I refuse to buy either one. Same for Mobil gas and the Mobil oil and filters. Exxon-Mobil makes plenty of money and I am sure they won't miss any of mine. I like Purolator and Wix filters because to me they are the best value for the money, they have great construction, a good balance of flow and filtration and both are made here in the USA. I try my best to support American business and American jobs whenever I can. Purolator is also the current supplier for Mopar branded oil filters too.
There are as many opinions and preferences for oil and filters as there are Dakota's on the road. And we all know what they say about opinions. Bottom line is you will be fine if you use a good name brand oil and filter, stay away from cheap Chinese-made filters and change your oil on the correct schedule based on your driving habits.
Jimmy
#14
06-16-2011, 10:55 PM
Record Breaker
CQ Red Label filters are the exact same filter as a Napa ProSelect. The CQ Blue Label filters are the exact same filter as a Napa Gold, and both of those are re-badged Wix branded filters. They are exactly the same filter as the black Wix filter with the Wix name on the side.
Napa is doing away with the Napa Nascar Select filter with the Spin-Flow technology. I guess nobody really bought into the idea. They are going back to the old Napa Silver designation for their middle line oil filters. They are keeping the Napa Gold as their best filter, and both the Gold and Silver filters will still be made by Wix. They will still be selling Proselect oil filters but those will be their lower quality cheap line that they sell to quickie lube places and guys who just want the cheapest filter they can get. The new Proselects will probably be what Napa calls a "contract line". That means whoever gives Napa the cheapest bid will build that filter. It would not surprise me at all to see the new Proselects being made in China. You should see the changes at Napa probably before the end of the summer, maybe sooner depending on the area of the country where you live. I don't know if CarQuest is doing anything like that, they don't have a middle line filter like the Napa Nascar Select.
I like the CQ and Napa filters. Sometimes you can catch oil on sale for a good price at either CQ or Napa and sometimes they run oil and filter combo sales too. Sometimes you can find oil on sale at Advance or Autozone cheaper than Walmart. Last year I bought a few cases of Quaker State 10W30 and a bunch of Purolator Classics on the oil and filter sales they had at Advance. I picked up a few quarts of QS and some filters at Kmart too when they ran a decent sale last year. I have enough oil and filters on hand in my garage to last me about the next two years, and each quart and filter cost me about $2.16 apiece. I can't beat that price anywhere around here on a good name brand oil and filter.
Walmart has good prices on oil but it's a real hassle to go there. I use an additive in my fuel and sometimes in my oil that I buy at Walmart because they have the best price on it. When I have to go to Walmart for other reasons I always pick up a bottle or two of the additive. Whenever I do go to Walmart I always have to check out the oil aisle, to see what their prices are and what deals they have. I have seen some killer deals on the 5+ qt oil jugs they sell when they put them on close-out.
Jimmy
Napa is doing away with the Napa Nascar Select filter with the Spin-Flow technology. I guess nobody really bought into the idea. They are going back to the old Napa Silver designation for their middle line oil filters. They are keeping the Napa Gold as their best filter, and both the Gold and Silver filters will still be made by Wix. They will still be selling Proselect oil filters but those will be their lower quality cheap line that they sell to quickie lube places and guys who just want the cheapest filter they can get. The new Proselects will probably be what Napa calls a "contract line". That means whoever gives Napa the cheapest bid will build that filter. It would not surprise me at all to see the new Proselects being made in China. You should see the changes at Napa probably before the end of the summer, maybe sooner depending on the area of the country where you live. I don't know if CarQuest is doing anything like that, they don't have a middle line filter like the Napa Nascar Select.
I like the CQ and Napa filters. Sometimes you can catch oil on sale for a good price at either CQ or Napa and sometimes they run oil and filter combo sales too. Sometimes you can find oil on sale at Advance or Autozone cheaper than Walmart. Last year I bought a few cases of Quaker State 10W30 and a bunch of Purolator Classics on the oil and filter sales they had at Advance. I picked up a few quarts of QS and some filters at Kmart too when they ran a decent sale last year. I have enough oil and filters on hand in my garage to last me about the next two years, and each quart and filter cost me about $2.16 apiece. I can't beat that price anywhere around here on a good name brand oil and filter.
Walmart has good prices on oil but it's a real hassle to go there. I use an additive in my fuel and sometimes in my oil that I buy at Walmart because they have the best price on it. When I have to go to Walmart for other reasons I always pick up a bottle or two of the additive. Whenever I do go to Walmart I always have to check out the oil aisle, to see what their prices are and what deals they have. I have seen some killer deals on the 5+ qt oil jugs they sell when they put them on close-out.
Jimmy
Last edited by 01SilverCC; 06-16-2011 at 10:58 PM.
#15
06-16-2011, 11:07 PM
Grand Champion
CQ Red Label filters are the exact same filter as a Napa ProSelect. The CQ Blue Label filters are the exact same filter as a Napa Gold, and both of those are re-badged Wix branded filters. They are exactly the same filter as the black Wix filter with the Wix name on the side.
Napa is doing away with the Napa Nascar Select filter with the Spin-Flow technology. I guess nobody really bought into the idea. They are going back to the old Napa Silver designation for their middle line oil filters. They are keeping the Napa Gold as their best filter, and both the Gold and Silver filters will still be made by Wix. They will still be selling Proselect oil filters but those will be their lower quality cheap line that they sell to quickie lube places and guys who just want the cheapest filter they can get. The new Proselects will probably be what Napa calls a "contract line". That means whoever gives Napa the cheapest bid will build that filter. It would not surprise me at all to see the new Proselects being made in China. You should see the changes at Napa probably before the end of the summer, maybe sooner depending on the area of the country where you live. I don't know if CarQuest is doing anything like that, they don't have a middle line filter like the Napa Nascar Select.
I like the CQ and Napa filters. Sometimes you can catch oil on sale for a good price at either CQ or Napa and sometimes they run oil and filter combo sales too. Sometimes you can find oil on sale at Advance or Autozone cheaper than Walmart. Last year I bought a few cases of Quaker State 10W30 and a bunch of Purolator Classics on the oil and filter sales they had at Advance. I picked up a few quarts of QS and some filters at Kmart too when they ran a decent sale last year. I have enough oil and filters on hand in my garage to last me about the next two years, and each quart and filter cost me about $2.16 apiece. I can't beat that price anywhere around here on a good name brand oil and filter.
Walmart has good prices on oil but it's a real hassle to go there. I use an additive in my fuel and sometimes in my oil that I buy at Walmart because they have the best price on it. When I have to go to Walmart for other reasons I always pick up a bottle or two of the additive. Whenever I do go to Walmart I always have to check out the oil aisle, to see what their prices are and what deals they have. I have seen some killer deals on the 5+ qt oil jugs they sell when they put them on close-out.
Jimmy
Napa is doing away with the Napa Nascar Select filter with the Spin-Flow technology. I guess nobody really bought into the idea. They are going back to the old Napa Silver designation for their middle line oil filters. They are keeping the Napa Gold as their best filter, and both the Gold and Silver filters will still be made by Wix. They will still be selling Proselect oil filters but those will be their lower quality cheap line that they sell to quickie lube places and guys who just want the cheapest filter they can get. The new Proselects will probably be what Napa calls a "contract line". That means whoever gives Napa the cheapest bid will build that filter. It would not surprise me at all to see the new Proselects being made in China. You should see the changes at Napa probably before the end of the summer, maybe sooner depending on the area of the country where you live. I don't know if CarQuest is doing anything like that, they don't have a middle line filter like the Napa Nascar Select.
I like the CQ and Napa filters. Sometimes you can catch oil on sale for a good price at either CQ or Napa and sometimes they run oil and filter combo sales too. Sometimes you can find oil on sale at Advance or Autozone cheaper than Walmart. Last year I bought a few cases of Quaker State 10W30 and a bunch of Purolator Classics on the oil and filter sales they had at Advance. I picked up a few quarts of QS and some filters at Kmart too when they ran a decent sale last year. I have enough oil and filters on hand in my garage to last me about the next two years, and each quart and filter cost me about $2.16 apiece. I can't beat that price anywhere around here on a good name brand oil and filter.
Walmart has good prices on oil but it's a real hassle to go there. I use an additive in my fuel and sometimes in my oil that I buy at Walmart because they have the best price on it. When I have to go to Walmart for other reasons I always pick up a bottle or two of the additive. Whenever I do go to Walmart I always have to check out the oil aisle, to see what their prices are and what deals they have. I have seen some killer deals on the 5+ qt oil jugs they sell when they put them on close-out.
Jimmy
#17
06-18-2011, 05:01 AM
