Is High Mileage Oil Worth It?

Is high mileage oil worth it? If cost is the only concern, then the answer is definitely, yes. Supertech Oil at Walmart costs the same  whether you buy high mileage oil or regular, making it a no-brainer if you believe the oil is actually good for your older car. Obviously, high mileage oil is only for older cars. Most brands of high mileage oil are advertised for cars with 75,000 miles or over. I’ve been running high mileage oil in two different cars – my daughter’s Acura with 196,000 miles on it and my son’s VW Jetta with 114,000 miles on it. Here’s why I think the high mileage oil is worth using on older cars:

What Does High Mileage Oil Do?

We all know that as cars get older, they develop oil leaks.  Oil pan gaskets, drain plug washers and other seals develop small, annoying leaks over time. High mileage oil is made with some additives which are designed to help seal things up and make the engine tighter, run better and hopefully prevent some of those embarrassing leaks your old car is leaving in the driveway of your friends and relatives. I’ve got two really old cars, so I have some experience with addressing numerous leaks. Even if the question is high mileage oil worth it for those leaks alone, I would be inclined to say, yes, since it really does.

Is High Mileage Oil Worth It?

High mileage oil has definitely worked for the Acura. We bought this car with 160,000 miles on it and while it had no major leaking, it did have small leaks developing in the drain plug and around the oil pan gasket. When I first changed the oil, I put in about 4.5 quarts of Supertech High Mileage Oil from Walmart, along with a FRAM, high-mileage Oil Filter. I sealed it up with a new oil drain plug and washer and for a while the leak appeared to be worse. Clean, fresh, high mileage oil was coming straight out of the drain plug – just a very slow drip. I monitored it for a few days and told my daughter to keep it out of people’s driveways before she eventually daughter drove it off to college for the winter semester. A couple of weeks later, when my daughter came for a visit, I noticed the oil leak was completely gone – and it stayed that way until the next oil change when the same process repeated it self. High Mileage oil obviously goes to work sealing leaks while you’re running it for extended periods of time. Over time, minor leaks appear to completely vanish. Both the VW Jetta and Acura are running strong today with no leaks and 1 and 2 years of running high mileage oil in them. Does brand matter?

Supertech Oil

Long before I began using high mileage oil, I’ve used regular ol, 5W30 Supertech Oil from Amazon or Walmart and have never had a problem. I wouldn’t hesitate to use Supertech Oil for the first oil change on a brand new car. A 5 Quart container of Supertech oil costs $14.63 – both for the high mileage version or regular. Expect to pay around $20.00 for a fully, synthetic version of Supertech oil.