Can I Mix Two Different Oil Brands in My Car?

One of the most common questions that we find circulating around the web is whether or not you can mix car oils from different brands, categories and viscosities. Knowing this information is going to be crucial if you ever find yourself having to urgently top up the engine oil in the middle of your journey.

While mixing car oils isn’t bad from your engine, there are a few things you need to be careful about. Mixing different industrial oil formulations for hydraulic systems, compressors and gearboxes can be bad for the seals and bearings. This doesn’t apply to certified oils.

Can I mix different brands of car engine oil?

All API oils are required to be compatible and each product will consist of a base and a set of additives that form the oil base and the individual qualities of the particular engine oil.

However, the different manufacturers of oils will use different technologies and methods of production which may eventually have different physical properties, but they are interchangeable as long as the rest of the API guidelines are followed within the production process.

There are different combinations of anti-wear, anti-oxidants and detergents will be used in different formulations by different brands, there are also different viscosities that need given consideration.

So to answer the question, you want to avoid mixing and topping up car oils from different brands or manufacturers should be avoided, even if the API assures they are compatible.

What’s the conclusion?

If you mix engine oil from different brands, this is not recommended but sometimes we may find ourselves in certain situations where we have no other choice.

If you do have to mix engine oils in extreme circumstances, it is then advised to have an oil change and as soon as possible to prevent any costly damage to your engine.

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