dexos oil = marketing gimmick?

[Prospector]

Went in for an oil change today and had teh dude behind the counter make a big deal of the high cost of dexos oil and how the GM standard was raping their customers for such marginal gains that it was hardly worth talking about.

Came home and did some reading. Its hard to find anything that gives an actual comparison of the dexos standard to anything tangible without a degree in chemistry and physics. I suppose we should all believe the voodoo since our warantees depend on it - but my car is already out of warrantee and the difference on an oil change is pretty big - like nearly twice the money.

The only real difference I can see in the charts is reduced frothing and a longer oil change interval. If that is the case, the offset in the change interval may be enough to represent the savings over traditional oil. Has anyone here done any actual research into this beyond "GM says its better, so it must be better."

FWIW, the only intelligible info I can find is here: http://www.hankgraffbgc.com/Dexos1.pdf

related - is the dexos requirement valid in the Holden and other uses of this engine? I mean its built in Korea, and must be used in applications other than the Sonic/Cruze. What are they using in the assembly plant in South America (Brazil?)?

 

[JesusTheAgnostic]

Interestingly enough this longer oil change interval is bull****. My turbo failed because of this recommended oil change interval. I had the service rep tell me to change it every 3k miles or so. So now I just change it every month and a half. I use STP oil. It comes out to about $27 an oil change. Not sure if its dexos approved or not.

 

[eggsalad]

Wal-Mart sells dexos-approved oil for $17/5 quarts. I bet Canadian Tire does, too. The non-dexos oil is about $5 cheaper. It's hardly worth going on about.

 

[JesusTheAgnostic]

Actually I just looked at an old jug of oil and it's dexos approved, and full synthetic which is what I would say is the important part. Really not that expensive. Unless you splurge on the Mobil 1 stuff.

 

[$ub$onic]

it's just a minimum standard set in place by gm. Literally every manufacturer does it.

But alot of the time it leaves the end user to do there own research on what oil is best for the condition

The ac delco dexos oil is junk btw



In my 3 Sonic's I run a variety of oil

My 2012 track car runs royal purple HPS not dexos approved

My 2012 daily runs AMSOIL 5-40 diesel oil every 5k not dexos approved

And my wife's daily has SS AMSOIL every 15k

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[JBScat]

Walmart Supertech Full Synthetic is Dexos approved and around $20 or less. Good oil, good price.


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[Pitt83]

Walmart Supertech Full Synthetic is Dexos approved and around $20 or less. Good oil, good price.


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I use the Magnatec oil from Walmart-Dexos. Its a great oil at a cheap price!

 

[Kcmo83]

GM says Dexos is formulated for their engines internal materials, so say their cast iron blocks wont have as much breakdown if used with dexos because dexos compound is made for GM engines.

 

[mcanderson0]

I read a few years ago that the dexos formulation had a high amount of molybdenum. Molybdenum bonds to the metals and provides a level of lubrication that surpasses oil by itself, with the primary focus being longer oil life and better emissions (lower friction = more efficiency). I believe i was reading an article related to Corvettes and Porches requiring Mobil1 and it explaining the molybdenum and API standards.

 

[TitanBlue]

I posted this elsewhere today, since somebody recommended using Dexos 2 on a Sonic RS (which would be a 1.4T - Turbo Engine), when I think they really meant Dexos 1 Gen 2. Totally different oils. This is the best article I've read and is up to date. Use Dexos 1 or Dexos 1 Gen 2 (its replacement). Generally leave Dexos 2 for Diesels.

A major issue is Low Speed Pre Ignition in a Turbo engine. It is referred to as LSPI. GM discovered that Dexos 2 does not protect against this and has generally withdrawn its recommendation of its use in Gas Engines. Here is the complete scoop to clarify anything we ever need to know:

https://www.mrtonneau.com/dexos-1-v...rks for gasoline,used only for diesel engines.