Aviation Oil - why so expensive?

nyoung

nyoung

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Cary, IL
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Nathan young
This morning, I read the local paper which had an advertisement for Farm & Fleet brand 10W30 oil @ $0.99/quart.

Later, I read a WagAero flyer that listed Aeroshell15W50 @ $6.75/quart.

I understand and appreciate that anything 'aviation' is going to be expensive. But ~7x more expensive? What is so magic about Aeroshell 15W50?

I am not advocating using Farm Fleet oil for my next oil change, but I am curious to know the differences... Does anyone on POA have experience in this subject?
 
Number of active airplanes using Aeroshell: several thousand

Number of Tractors, lawn mowers, and other small engines using .99 cent oil: One bazillion
 
So what is one bazillion in scientific notation :D :D
 
Less economy of scale in production. More product liability insurance in every quart! Thank ths sue happy plaintiffs like Carnahan's wife who deal with their grief by sueing EVERYONE, including the oil company of the oil in the plane's engine.

:mad3:
 
Anthony said:
Less economy of scale in production. More product liability insurance in every quart! Thank ths sue happy plaintiffs like Carnahan's wife who deal with their grief by sueing EVERYONE, including the oil company of the oil in the plane's engine.

:mad3:
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OTOH, sometimes the oil company does screw up, like the original Mobil AV1 synthetic that caused lead sludge build-up and ruined a bunch of engines.


Trapper John
 
dmccormack said:
And did she get anything?

No.

Just because you "sue" doesn't mean you get anything.

(see http://www.nytimes.com/2004/06/30/u...ssouri-family-of-late-governor-ends-case.html et al)
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It seems she did unfortunately. Your article indicates she was awarded $4MM in damages, just no punitive damages in addition to that.

A jury found in January that an aircraft parts manufacturer, the Parker Hannifin Corporation of Cleveland, was liable for $4 million in actual damages but rejected the family's request for punitive damages.
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dmccormack said:
From Parker Hannifin (The gyro manufacturer).

Not the Oil company.
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Parker was the vacuum pump manufacturer. IIRC, there was disagreement amongst the expert testimony whether the AH made by SigmaTek failed on its own, or the vacuum pumps failed. I'm not sure on all the nitty gritty, SigmaTek may have settled out of court...or may not have paid anything...


Trapper John
 
dmccormack said:
From Parker Hannifin (The gyro manufacturer).

Not the Oil company.
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I was being a little facetious, but my point was that just about anything that goes into an airplane is more expensive due to product liability.
 
Take a look at fully synthetic "motorcycle" oils. $10-14 per quart.
 
Trapper John said:
Parker was the vacuum pump manufacturer. IIRC, there was disagreement amongst the expert testimony whether the AH made by SigmaTek failed on its own, or the vacuum pumps failed. I'm not sure on all the nitty gritty, SigmaTek may have settled out of court...or may not have paid anything...


Trapper John
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PH paid and then got out of the vacuum / gyro business
 
dmccormack said:
PH paid and then got out of the vacuum / gyro business
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Yep, that was the last straw for them. But then some of the companies that picked up the ball didn't do so well in the reliability department either. Maybe dry pumps aren't such a great idea - I don't remember the old oil lubicated pumps having problems other than the oil stains on the belly, that is...


Trapper John
 
Trapper John said:
Yep, that was the last straw for them. But then some of the companies that picked up the ball didn't do so well in the reliability department either. Maybe dry pumps aren't such a great idea - I don't remember the old oil lubicated pumps having problems other than the oil stains on the belly, that is...


Trapper John
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And if we use more oil, maybe the price per quart will drop!

:yesnod:
 
LearDriver said:
The label says Aviation on it. Thats going to cost you more right there. And it should you elitist buggers with your fancy high flying airplanes.
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Speaking of Elite...Exxon's got our number! :D

08-00392.jpg

Comes in a gold bottle, even.


Trapper John
 
dmccormack said:
I guess we shouldn't mention it, then....

Apparently it's a Big Deal with Bo owners.
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It's a "mystery," not a secret:D

An old boss of mine believed in the stuff for reviving neglected and stored engines. Maybe Bo owners don't fly enough?
 
Well you can't think of it like that. Think of how much more $7 in oil will do for your engine compared to the price of a large popcorn at the movies (also about the same price).
 
nyoung said:
This morning, I read the local paper which had an advertisement for Farm & Fleet brand 10W30 oil @ $0.99/quart.
Later, I read a WagAero flyer that listed Aeroshell15W50 @ $6.75/quart.
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$0.99/qt is some kind of sale, not going price.

Around here:
10w40 = $3.85/qt or something close to that
15w40 = $3.35/qt
5wSomething that a friend uses in her motorhome is $6.50/qt.

You want spendy? RV genset oil = generic 15w40 oil with the words "Onan Generator Oil" written on the label and put in a onan green bottle = $9/qt. I've seen it as high as $12/qt last summer. Needless to say I'm not that big of a sucker for a cute green bottle.
 
OK, that makes good sense. Thanks.

I was having trouble with the 7x ratio for oil. Where Avgas is only about 2x expensive as 87Octane. In theory, I figured the usage ratios were about the same.


fgcason said:
$0.99/qt is some kind of sale, not going price.

Around here:
10w40 = $3.85/qt or something close to that
15w40 = $3.35/qt
5wSomething that a friend uses in her motorhome is $6.50/qt.

You want spendy? RV genset oil = generic 15w40 oil with the words "Onan Generator Oil" written on the label and put in a onan green bottle = $9/qt. I've seen it as high as $12/qt last summer. Needless to say I'm not that big of a sucker for a cute green bottle.
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