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Oil Companies discuss Drain Intervals

U.S. consumers could be in the middle of a tug-of-war between two leading providers of passenger car motor oil over whether the intervals between oil changes will keep increasing to favor high-performance lubricants, according to a new study by Kline & Company. Kline`s study puts the current average oil change interval in the U.S. at nearly 5,000 miles.

OEM recommendations for oil drain intervals have increased significantly in the last few years. While 3,000 miles was the suggested change interval not that long ago, most OEMs have now gone to a tiered approach, recommending oil changes at 7,500 miles under normal driving conditions and 3,000 for severe conditions.

Shell and ExxonMobil are among the leading marketers of finished lubricants in the United States. Shell owns the Quaker State, Pennzoil, and Shell brands, as well as the Jiffy Lube chain of quick-lube service centers. ExxonMobil is the world leader in premium basestocks and the top marketer of synthetic PCMO with its Mobil 1 brand.