Is the Mobil 1™ oil sold at Walmart the same?
“I have a question about the 5-quart Mobil 1™ motor oil jugs I buy at Walmart. Is the oil in the 5-quart Mobil 1™ 5W-30 jugs the exact same oil that is in the 1-quart containers sold elsewhere? I ask because I have heard that Walmart gets a cheaper formulation made to their specs in order to allow them to sell for less and you do not get the same quality of oil when you buy it. When I compared the labeling on the 1-quart containers at Advance Auto Parts to the 5-quart jug I got at Walmart, I noticed that the 1-quart container says ACEA A1/A5 B1/B5 and the 5-quart does not say ACEA at all. Both have the HTO-06 and are, I believe, both API SN and ILSAC GF-5. Frankly, I doubt that any company would risk their reputation by packaging a different product for a chain store under the same name but I thought I would ask.”
Paul Sceva, Plainfield, Illinois
Answer
You are right: The formulation and quality level of our motor oils are the same wherever the product name is the same, regardless of the package size in which it is sold. The difference in ACEA claims you are referring to sound unfamiliar to us. Was it the exact same product in both cases?
Not finding the answer to a question like yours?