Lucas Oil is an American company that manufactures and sells oil and additives for vehicles. The company was founded in 1989 by an American trucker and many people believe that, unlike those oil market giants, this company won't try to trick them out of money and will obviously sell good products for a small price.
Oil-related issues highlights
- Level of urgency:high
- Average mileage:not related to mileage
- Repair cost:$0 - $1,900
- DIY repair:possible, in some cases
- Commonreasons:wrong oil, heavy oil consumption, leaks, engine problems
- Ifignored:fatal engine damage
- How to solve:use proper oil, check level regularly, solve issues withleaks
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Are Lucas Oil products of good quality?
We would say they are of average quality. Most of the products are more or less the same as other hundreds of products on the market. We've tested a couple of different additives and oils and found out that they show absolutely the same properties as other products from different price range levels.
Some of them though seem of worse quality. We didn't like how additives did. Actually, we are against any additives to oil and fuel because they will most likely do more harm than good. But here we are trying to understand the quality of the brand, so we had a look at these products, anyway.
Looking at the properties of their additives, we wouldn't add them to the engine oil or transmission fluid, or whatever.
Can Lucas Oil harm your engine?
Any oil can harm your engine if chosen and used incorrectly. You should perfectly know what type of oil you should use in your vehicle. Once you use the inappropriate oil with bad viscosity and other properties, your engine may start wearing much faster or even die prematurely.
So, yes, Lucas Oil products can harm your engine. But it's not about the poor quality of the products. It's all about your choice.
While we think that Lucas Oil engine oil is more or less OK for your vehicle and will not harm it if chosen correctly, the additives cause a big concern. If you read the official information on their website, these guys recommend using their additives in the oil, fuel, transmission, transaxle fluids, etc. Thank goodness, they don't recommend drinking it.
Looking back at our experience, any product that is claimed to be all-purpose and "magical" proves to be real crap. Not only it doesn't provide you with any of the claimed advantages, but it may also harm the vehicle really much and make its death closer.
What exactly can happen if I use Lucas Oil additives?
First of all, they will change the properties of the oil. Engine oil or transmission fluid are made for proper engine lubrication. If you buy good oil, it already has everything needed for this. By adding additives, you don't do anything good - the oil doesn't become better, it doesn't work more efficiently, and it doesn't live longer. But the oil may change its main properties and become a problem for your vehicle.
Here are some of the possible consequences:
- your oil will become less or more viscose and this will bring some problems to your engine;
- lubrication properties will change, the oil may not lubricate certain parts of the engine;
- the oil may quickly come off cylinders and you will struggle to start the vehicle after a couple of days' rest;
- if added to fuel, the additive may harm your tender injection system, clog it, and cause expensive-to-solve problems;
- if added to transmission fluid, the additive may change its properties and quickly kill the transmission.
We won't lie - we don't have any practical evidence of the harm that may be caused by Lucas Oil products to your vehicle. But the small tests that we've conducted show that these products are far from doing what they are claimed they can do.
Should I buy Lucas Oil additives or oils?
You can buy whatever you like but we are sure that OEM oils or oils from big companies like Shell, Castrol, BP, and others are much better. Lots of money is invested to make these products competitive and good for your vehicle. But we aren't sure that Lucas Oil company can clearly compete with these monsters. Also, we clearly see that Lucas Oil additives aren't worth your money and won't do anything good for your vehicle.
About the authors
The CarAraC research team is composed of seasoned auto mechanics and automotive industry professionals, including individuals with advanced degrees and certifications in their field. Our team members boast prestigious credentials, reflecting their extensive knowledge and skills. These qualifications include: IMI: Institute of the Motor Industry, ASE-Certified Master Automobile Technicians; Coventry University, Graduate of MA in Automotive Journalism; Politecnico di Torino, Italy, MS Automotive Engineering; Ss. Cyril and Methodius University in Skopje, Mechanical University in Skopje; TOC Automotive College; DHA Suffa University, Department of Mechanical Engineering
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