Wrong oil.
Racer
Joined: Mar 2020
Posts: 348
Likes: 154
From: Space Coast, Florida
I think for many, at the end of the day, they just don't want to tempt fate. And as fate could have it (and has in rare instances in the past), if you give someone an excuse to screw you - they just might. Having a non-spec'd oil could be that excuse to GM in some sort of engine failure. The stars would have to align for this shitstorm to play out... but stranger things have happened. In a risk management approach this risk would be [very] Low Probability with a High Impact and would likely be one to mitigate if you could (and you did).
Burning Brakes
Joined: Oct 2017
Posts: 1,230
Likes: 467
From: Colorado
Zinc still exists on 0W-40 ESP, just at a lower amount than European (990ppm v. 1100ppm). Certainly not enough to worry about. I use both - ESP for the Corvette, European on the Porsche. Fairly simple, but I wouldn't get upset if I accidently (unlikely) mixed them up.
https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/...formula-0w-40/
https://www.mobil.com/en/lubricants/...formula-0w-40/
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 10,472
Likes: 1,761
From: North Texas
^^^
I'm not sure what "fine" means in this case.
A catastrophic failure before the next oil change comes up would would be highly unlikely, but you might be mis-treating the engine and cats to some small degree if you left the "wrong" oil in place.
Blackstone has told me they sometimes receive oil for analysis from car manufacturers who are suspicious about what oil the customer had used or how often they change it, so that can happen.
And GM doesn't have to "prove" anything in a warranty claim, they just say "No" and know that you can buy a new engine cheaper than the cost of fighting them.
Look at the recent posts here about warranty denial for using the "approved" 0W-40 Dexos in a car produced before the official switch.
I think the OP and his friend handled it just right.
I'm not sure what "fine" means in this case.
A catastrophic failure before the next oil change comes up would would be highly unlikely, but you might be mis-treating the engine and cats to some small degree if you left the "wrong" oil in place.
Blackstone has told me they sometimes receive oil for analysis from car manufacturers who are suspicious about what oil the customer had used or how often they change it, so that can happen.
And GM doesn't have to "prove" anything in a warranty claim, they just say "No" and know that you can buy a new engine cheaper than the cost of fighting them.
Look at the recent posts here about warranty denial for using the "approved" 0W-40 Dexos in a car produced before the official switch.
I think the OP and his friend handled it just right.
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,029
Likes: 2,719
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
^^^
I ask them to use it in our 2017, and I think they do indeed use it for all C7 changes unless you ask otherwise.
But that doesn't change what happened to the member here who got denied warranty coverage.
There must be some underlying motive for GM in this case, but I can't figure it out.
I ask them to use it in our 2017, and I think they do indeed use it for all C7 changes unless you ask otherwise.
But that doesn't change what happened to the member here who got denied warranty coverage.
There must be some underlying motive for GM in this case, but I can't figure it out.
Race Director
Joined: Apr 2014
Posts: 10,472
Likes: 1,761
From: North Texas
That would be my concern. The dealership starts universally using the new oil and something happens to the engine and the warranty company comes back and dings you for using the "wrong" oil. My story would be that I'm having my oil changed at an authorized Chevy dealership and I assume that they will use whatever is called for by GM. It's not my job to specify which oil they will use.
Advanced
Joined: Apr 2016
Posts: 66
Likes: 14
From: Dayton Tennessee
Bingo..FWIW I've been racing since 1977 AMA till 1982 and SCCA since 1984, semiretired in 2011.. I've destroyed bikes, wrote off a car, wrecked and fixed a couple of others. You can't expect GM, Ford, or any other manufacturer to warranty a car you fubbed up on track. I've never had a manufacturer not cover a street driven car. Take it in, and computer says you were over 150 MPH when engine died, it's your problem.. Same with track day incident. Unless you bought specific insurance don't expect Jake to take care of you.
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4th Gear
Joined: Dec 2020
Posts: 4
Likes: 2
There may be posts about warranty denial for A tiny amount of zink to much but a Paul Harvey would say this is the rest of the story.
Having been the one that approved millions of dollars of warranty claims I always used the standard of if you can prove it in court don’t deny the claim.
I would wager there were other strong reasons to deny the claim such as not record of oil changes .
Having been the one that approved millions of dollars of warranty claims I always used the standard of if you can prove it in court don’t deny the claim.
I would wager there were other strong reasons to deny the claim such as not record of oil changes .
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2010
Posts: 32,306
Likes: 4,626
That could very well be true. Remember, however, that many Corvette owners are very obsessive when it comes to taking care of our cars. Even though the slightly different blend of oil would probably be just fine for his Corvette, it still might "bug" him every time he drove it.
About 2 years ago, I got caught in a rainstorm when I was about 15 minutes from the house. It is probably the only time my Corvette ever got the least bit dirrty. I put it away dirrty in the garage. There was obviously not any harm to the car, but it still drove me nuts until I could give it a thorough wash job two days later.
It doesn't make sense to most people, but I could definitely understand why somebody would be concerned about using the incorrect blend of motor oil......even if it would not do any harm. It is not unlike having a scratch on your Corvette that is almost invisible & most people wouldn't even notice it.......but YOU still know it is there.
About 2 years ago, I got caught in a rainstorm when I was about 15 minutes from the house. It is probably the only time my Corvette ever got the least bit dirrty. I put it away dirrty in the garage. There was obviously not any harm to the car, but it still drove me nuts until I could give it a thorough wash job two days later.
It doesn't make sense to most people, but I could definitely understand why somebody would be concerned about using the incorrect blend of motor oil......even if it would not do any harm. It is not unlike having a scratch on your Corvette that is almost invisible & most people wouldn't even notice it.......but YOU still know it is there.
A dirty Corvette as correlated to oil viscosity, does not compute. Nor does "obsessiveness" or body scratches, correlate to oil viscosity. The fact is that it wouldn't matter to the car by the Mobil 1 he used....he would have been good to go, but whatever makes you feel good..
..
Drifting
Joined: Jul 2016
Posts: 1,921
Likes: 1,171
From: Keswick, Virginia
A dirty Corvette as correlated to oil viscosity, does not compute. Nor does "obsessiveness" or body scratches, correlate to oil viscosity. The fact is that it wouldn't matter to the car by the Mobil 1 he used....he would have been good to go, but whatever makes you feel good....
I am not the one who needs to feel good. I merely mentioned that a lot of Corvette owners might obsess about something which wouldn't matter a whit to most people.
My analogy wasn't the best, but I think most people get the gist of it. In the case of the OP, it worked out well. He ended up using the oil in his other vehicles.
All is well that ends well,, I suppose.. Happy New Year!!