Can I use old engine oil from an unopened bottle?

[samannan]

Just want get your thoughts/advice... I have a plastic 1ltr bottle of SAE 5W-40 (MB 229.5) engine oil with a date of March 2019... there is a reference next to it... E021902... I'm not sure if this is the bottling date or expiry date.
Would you use this on your beloved AMG?

 

[190]

The oil manufacturers generally say oil has a 5 year shelf life. In practice it will last much longer than that. People have sent 30 year old oil off to a lab for analysis and it's come back fine with the only thing inevitably wrong being it's now an outdated specification.

I tend to give an oil bottle a good shake before I use it, but that's as much a superstition that the additives might have settled outs as it is a rational necessity. I wouldn't hesitate to use 5 year old oil and have done so many times as I tend to buy it in 20L quantities.

 

[KillerHERTZ]

It should be fine, at the end of the day its millions of years old.

I have in the past used old oil with no issues whatsover

 

[johnsco]

As long as it is to the correct MB Spec ........ Use it.

 

[chic0821]

Check the sell by date
It's not a pint of milk

 

[W1ghty]

Yep use it buddy

 

[mioba]

Smell it, dip your finger in and give it a lick. If the smell and taste are oily its fine, if its a bit cheesy with fur in it, I would not be sure.

As a side, as mentioned above - oil had been sitting in the ground for how long. Cant imagine somone put a BBE date on it.

Use it.

 

[DrNick]

Saw a video on YouTube with someone testing 50 year old oil (I think-it was pretty old anyway). It was fine. Have a search for it. The guy test all kinds of things including different grades of petrol (and ‘alternative’ lubricants!)

 

[whitenemesis]

As a side, as mentioned above - oil had been sitting in the ground for how long. Cant imagine somone put a BBE date on it.

Even if the oil is semi/fully synthetic?

 

[ALFAitalia]

It should be fine, at the end of the day its millions of years old.

I have in the past used old oil with no issues whatsover

A bit older than that!!!!!
Most natural gas and oil formation dates back between 10 (Cenozoic) and 180 (Mesozoic) million years ago.

 

[noogieman]

Synthetic oil in the plastic jug would it outlast us all as long as it doesn't turn into crystalized stalactites?

 

[190]

There's nothing much synthetic about synthetic oil, it isn't made in a test tube, it's still made from the oil that comes out of the ground. The main difference is the way it's processed to produce an absence of contaminants like paraffin wax which means synthetics will last longer in storage and in use.

 

[grober]

ONLY USE IF YOUR CAR IS AS OLD AS THE OIL.

 

[noogieman]

ONLY USE IF YOUR CAR IS AS OLD AS THE OIL.

Must be a late April fools hoax?

 

[leef44]

There's nothing much synthetic about synthetic oil, it isn't made in a test tube, it's still made from the oil that comes out of the ground. The main difference is the way it's processed to produce an absence of contaminants like paraffin wax which means synthetics will last longer in storage and in use.

I was about to say. Yes an analogy would be like making genetic babies. You still use human DNA but you give it the characteristics which you want.
In this case with the synthetic oil you can select the hydrocarbon chain combination for optimum lubrication for the required viscosity and temperature range, while reducing impurities/contaminants for longevity.

 

[whitenemesis]

Synthetic Oil: Everything You Need To Know

 

[grober]

Must be a late April fools hoax?

just trying to keep things simple?

Mercedes-AMG factory fill motor oil | Mobil™

Mobil 1™ synthetic motor oil delivers outstanding performance from factory fill and throughout engine life as an oil used in Mercedes-AMG vehicles.

www.mobil.com