full synthetic oil shelf life myth or as suggested by manufacturer?

[omodos]

Hello.Ok so bought another 8 litres of mobil 1 supersn 0 40W fully synthetic, only thing is I look under the can and there is circular marking with no.s 1-12 around it and an arrow in the middle pointing to the 06 and the other end(no pointy part of arrow)is inline with the 12, so am I to guess this was filled in dec 2006?

Have I bought buggered expired oil? I know esso/mobil say it has a shelf life of 5 years but any authorities out there on this know more?surely if it can take the stresses and strains an engine puts on it then it should last and be able to manage an ambient temp of say 27C average over a few years in a container?. Anyway, look forward to input from anyone

[motordavid]

Mobil site says 5 years from pkg'ing date...my guess is that's conservative.
You still have a 2 1/4 yrs worth on your dating. I wouldn't give it a thought,
as I poured it in.
GL,mD

[omodos]

Ta, I guess you are correct, if it has got a 5 year shelf life then will having it in the car, past this 5 year total be a catastrophe? Sod it, oil looks fine containers are sealed,my x5 3.0d for needs an oil change, last change was 5000miles ago and used same oil, but I do motorway miles mostly and has been in car just over a year…..and does not consume much either anymore at 39,000miles on the clock. Ok ta again


Is that you x5 in the pic?

[motordavid]

Originally Posted by omodos

...
Is that you x5 in the pic?

Yes, an '01 3.0 5 spd manual, sport, etc.
Had it since new, almost 8 yrs old, 73,000
miles, runs like a top...well, an 8 yr old top.

Link of more boring azz pics of X, Vette, m'cycles, views, etc.:
http://www.xoutpost.com/usernote.php?u=103
BR,mD

[nra0707]

It might be reasonable to assume that the markings indicate oil fill date, but it could also represent the date in which the plastic bottle was manufactured. These days, they use this information to determine if a batch of containers was manufactured with a defect and to track them down if there was something wrong with it after distribution. Whether or not the filling date coincides with the container manufacture date may be arguable. It's probably safe to use the synth that you bought though.

[omodos]

Thanks but not sure what to do do now, checked one of the tubs and the arrow beneath points to 10 and the other end to 4 surely 10---->4 , 04 (april) 2010 ?,so it cannot have been made in 04 (april) 2010 yet, so am concerned the values are use by dates and not filling or manufacture of tub dates.i will go back and confront`they were going cheap so they may well be 'expired'?no idea, have contaced exxon/mobil but no reply yet...tried to attach pics too but no joy

either markings are 4---->10 and 12----->6 on the bottoms

[JCL]

You need to realize that just because the arrow points to a month, the tail of the arrow isn't pointing to a year. Using your logic, the stamp would only work for one month per year.

When a date code insert stamp is used to show month and year, and it is a common practice, then the year is often stamped separately. See the photo for an example. The centre piece is replaced each year, and it is rotated each month. If the year isn't important, then the centre piece only has an arrow on it.

Also, the stamp is used for lot traceability of the bottle manufacturing process, much more than for the fill date. Fill dates are often printed on, as the date stamp you are looking at is created at the time the bottle is molded.

Now, just use the oil already.

[omodos]

Originally Posted by JCL

You need to realize that just because the arrow points to a month, the tail of the arrow isn't pointing to a year. Using your logic, the stamp would only work for one month per year.

When a date code insert stamp is used to show month and year, and it is a common practice, then the year is often stamped separately. See the photo for an example. The centre piece is replaced each year, and it is rotated each month. If the year isn't important, then the centre piece only has an arrow on it.

Also, the stamp is used for lot traceability of the bottle manufacturing process, much more than for the fill date. Fill dates are often printed on, as the date stamp you are looking at is created at the time the bottle is molded.

How did you manage to get the pic of the molding stamp?wow,

Now, just use the oil already.

JCL thanks my logic is lacking recently, going to get married soon and it is driving me nuts, mad thing is there is no centre piece to show year, and no year printed elsewhere separately, and no printed dots on bottle that I have seen on other oils to indicate fill date..So to clarify the date stamps on the bottle are bottle manufacture dates that may no coincide with fill dates?why dont they just have use byu dates clearly printed on them I dont know?I have emails exxon mobil but no reply yet....not going to stick this in my X5 just yet in case it goes wrong..

Anyone else have any ideas would be much appreciated before I go and kickup a fuss at Careffour supermarket for selling me 'old' oil

[sprocket1200]

if you are getting married soon, put the oil in her car...

[omodos]