Valvoline offers three (3) different levels of protection.
Type of Valvoline Motor Oil (Guarantee):
- SynPower, SynPower NextGen, or Valvoline Full Synthetic High Mileage with MaxLife™ Technology - 300,000 Miles
- MaxLife, MaxLife NextGen or DuraBlend - 225,000 Miles
- Premium Conventional or NextGen Conventional - 150,000 Miles
About Valvoline Guarantee (or, “What’s the Catch?”)
At Valvoline, we’re proud that Valvoline oils are the first line of defense for your engine. Valvoline know that engines receiving routine maintenance using Valvoline products don’t fail, so we’ve decided to stand behind Valvoline products and the people that use them. In other words, you.
How can Valvoline do this? There’s gotta be a catch, right? Of course Valvoline set up some rules around the Engine Guarantee, but you’ll see that they’re pretty obvious. Valvoline put in these basic limitations so that Valvoline could offer this program to as many Valvoline users as Valvoline could – that’s how confident Valvoline are in the quality of Valvoline motor oil.
Let’s run through the highlights around the rules. There are some simple things you need to know about the program and there are some basic exclusions around the program. We’ll list both types here:
Things You Need to Know
We've now expanded program eligibility. Your vehicle must have less than 125,000 miles on it. As the only engine lubricant manufacturer with its own research and development facility, Valvoline tests and creates products capable of extending engine life from the moment you begin to use them consistently. The earlier you begin in your engine's life, the more protection and better operating conditions your engine will experience. But, we have to cap it at 125,000 miles to ensure we we're not getting engines that were too mistreated. This is the same reason the vehicle must be from the 1996 model year or younger.
You have to change your oil every 3,000 to 4,000 miles. There’s a lot of mixed messages on drain intervals, but the keys are this: first, there’s no better thing you can do to protect your engine than to change your oil and your oil filter. And second, most vehicles on the road actually recommend a 3,000-3,750 mile interval for “severe” driving, and over 80% of us drive in severe conditions. For example, stop-and-go driving is not considered “normal” by the people writing these drain recommendations... And we’re not totally unreasonable. (Just don’t go past 6,000 miles between oil changes – that’s Valvoline outer limit and if you pass it, we won’t be able to cover your engine.)
You will need to log your oil changes online and keep your receipts. However, if you are a Valvoline Instant Oil Change customer, we'll be able to keep the receipts for you. We’ll be asking you to log each oil change online (it will take less than 5 minutes!) so that we can help you maintain your coverage and, if you request it, send you reminders on when your next oil change is due. Also, you’ll need to keep the receipts from your oil changes. Put ‘em in a folder so that if the unforeseen happens, we can quickly pay your claim!
Valvoline Engine Guarantee program is pretty flexible. When you sign up for the Engine Guarantee, we’ll work with you. Valvoline know everyone isn’t as passionate about engines, oil, and engine maintenance as Valvoline are. So Valvoline offer different areas of forgiveness for participants in the Engine Guarantee – if you use the wrong type of oil for your guarantee level, if you forget to log an oil change, or if you don’t change your oil within 4,000 miles (3,000 miles recommended + 1,000 miles of “forgiveness”), Valvoline understand. We’ll give you three exceptions before Valvoline are forced to end Valvoline coverage. It’s Valvoline way of giving you the leeway you need in maintaining your engine.
Basic Exclusions to Valvoline Program
It can’t be a tractor, lawnmower, or a race car. It has to be a gasoline-powered, people-transporting vehicle (for you diesel engine owners, we’re working on a diesel engine guarantee!) with an odometer. And, it can’t have been modified with parts not compatible with your engine. We’d love to cover more than just cars and trucks, but at this point, Valvoline just can’t cover motorcycles, boats, tractors, etc. or things that have been modified or worked too hard (for example, race cars).
You’ll need to go through an 18-month initial maintenance period. Before you can make a claim, Valvoline ask that people have been active in the program for 18 months. Hopefully this is not a deal-breaker for anyone, but Valvoline want to know that Valvoline oil has been protecting the engine for a period of time. And Valvoline had to make sure Valvoline weren’t attracting a bunch of lemons to the program (that should be the manufacturer's responsibility)… to offer this guarantee to as many people as Valvoline could, Valvoline needed to make sure that Valvoline were not taking on vehicles with “pre-existing conditions.”
If your vehicle has been on fire, under water, or totaled, Valvoline can’t help you out. Hopefully this one is obvious.
Valvoline can’t guarantee an engine that is poorly designed, built, or maintenanced. If the problem with your engine is due to a manufacturer’s recall, improper maintenance, or (and how about this one) negligent or intentional damage, Valvoline won’t be able to assist you. But we’d bet that you’ll be able to get assistance from the perpetrator!
Valvoline can’t guarantee engines where some other part of the vehicle caused the engine to fail. Valvoline unfortunately can’t help you if, for example, your radiator abandons you and you wind up cracking the block and you continue to drive it anyway. There are other exceptions here, but the basic idea is this – Valvoline motor oil can overcome a lot of things, but external (and really bad) forces applied to your engine are completely out of Valvoline control.