I really liked Valvoline, good quality, reasonble price.
Valvoline Restore & Protect or Pennzoil Ultra Platinum are also great oils to run and clear up and baked on sludge.
using a heavier oil weight has been an old trick to help with oil consumption in Subarus for a long time now. I used to use Rotella 5w40 (before the reformulation) in my old 04 Baja Turbo and that particular oil was the best to keep the oil burning down.
Buy Valvoline oil, and maybe it's a good time to switch to 5w-30 in it.
My regular since i think 2014 or so has been helix ultra 5w40 running in all my vehicles currently.
I run 0w30 in my F82 M4 as that's what BMW and Shell recommend.
I only run Valvoline VR-1 40-wt in my air-cooled VWs
I tell you the stuff really works. My 2009 Matrix used to burn oil before I switched to Valvoline Restore and Protect.
My last [Blackstone-labs.com](http://Blackstone-labs.com) report came back with 1.8% fuel dilution. 2021 1.5T at 23kmiles, 6800 miles on the oil (0w20 Valvoline R&P).
I use that Valvoline, sometimes throw in random fully synthetic oils I get in bulk from an auction. I feel like it contributed to a rear main seal leak. Thinking of switching to a 5w40
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If choosing engine oil across many manufacturers, check the part ranking. If your choice is down to two brands, the PartReview part comparisons help.
We compare engine oil across these categories:
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil Shell were overall better than VALVOLINE.
In March 2026 on PartReview, engine oil Shell were overall more popular than VALVOLINE.
By vote balance, engine oil Shell surpassed VALVOLINE:
By number of reviews, engine oil Shell surpassed VALVOLINE:
In March 2026, according to PartReview, these manufacturers led the same number of car-specific ratings:
VALVOLINE are chosen by owners of cars such as: Ford Fusion, Hyundai Elantra, Kia Soul, Toyota Prius, Toyota Yaris, and others.
Shell are chosen by owners of cars such as: Honda Jazz, Subaru Outback, Subaru Impreza WRX, Subaru Legacy, Volkswagen Scirocco, and others.
If this comparison didn’t fully answer your question, there are many others on PartReview.
For example, comparisons of engine oil VALVOLINE with: Mobil, Castrol, LIQUI MOLY, MOTUL, AMSOIL, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol, RAVENOL.
Also available: comparisons of engine oil Shell with: Mobil, Castrol, LIQUI MOLY, MOTUL, AMSOIL, PENNZOIL, RED LINE, OEM Toyota, Mannol, RAVENOL.
You can also see who is better among other engine oil manufacturers: Mobil or Castrol, Mobil or LIQUI MOLY, Mobil or MOTUL, Mobil or Shell, LIQUI MOLY or Castrol.
