Any good car owner knows how important it is to take your car in for regular maintenance and getting engine oil changed every so often. Every vehicle is different, but most car service shops will put a sticker on the windshield to let you know when to stop by — either based on a date or how many miles to drive before getting some routine maintenance. Still, sometimes we need to top the oil off a bit when we don’t have the time to take our car in for maintenance, and that’s when knowing whether it’s okay to mix motor oil from different brands becomes important.
Can you mix multiple brands of oil when keeping your engine lubricated? Some sources say it’s totally okay to mix engine oil from different brands. However, this shouldn’t become a habit. So, the short answer is yes. You can mix motor oil from different brands, but just because you can do something doesn’t mean you should.
Types of motor oil and viscosity
If you have to top off the oil level of your engine, check the viscosity grades of the oils you’re using. You can find out what kind of viscosity of oil your car requires by checking the car owner’s manual. It should tell you whether you should use 5W-30 oil or something thicker — or lighter. Mixing oils with different viscosity could lead to reduced engine performance and potential engine damage due to inconsistency of lubrication.
If the viscosity is the same, mixing motor oil from two different brands is okay for the most part. Combining Quaker State motor oil with Pennzoil won’t break your engine. However, there are different types of motor oil, and some come with specifically formulated additives designed to enhance an engine’s performance in extreme temperatures. Some brands also include additives to enhance certain properties of the oil, like those that make long-lifespan synthetic motor oil instead of conventional oil. Even if they have the same viscosity, mixing them might seem fine at first, but can ultimately affect the performance of the engine.
When your motor oil is running low, topping it off with a similar brand or type may be helpful to keep the engine lubricated. But this is just a short-term fix, and is in no way a replacement for an oil change. Take your car in for maintenance regularly, and you shouldn’t have any problems.
