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Today's MOMS podcast looks at changing Stellantis oil specifications, why oil and labor are becoming easier to compare separately, and why the exact approved oil matters as cold weather approaches.
Tyreese Burton
Oil Change Expert
Today's podcast episode is live: "When Stellantis Changed the Recipe" — September 27, 2026.
The roughly eight-minute episode starts with a simple question: when an automaker, dealer network or oil supplier changes what is in the bulk tank, what exactly is the customer buying?
That question matters more in 2026 because the lubricant market is moving on several fronts at once. Stellantis has been updating and harmonizing manufacturer oil specifications. Oil companies are adjusting formulations in response to supply constraints. And drivers are paying closer attention to the difference between the price of the oil itself and the labor required to perform the service.
A viscosity such as 0W-20 or 5W-30 is only part of the answer.
Stellantis and its brands use manufacturer material standards and approvals that can vary by engine, model year and market. For example, Stellantis' FPW 9.55535/03 specification was amended after its original 2023 publication, adding requirements beyond the earlier version. In 2026, additive suppliers began announcing approvals against the newer standard.
That is the important part for a vehicle owner: two oils can display the same viscosity on the front of the container and still have different manufacturer approvals.
For Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep and Ram vehicles in the U.S., Mopar service information likewise tells owners to verify the correct viscosity and manufacturer specification for the particular engine. Some applications call for MS-6395, while other Stellantis-family applications use different requirements.
MOMS does not treat viscosity alone as the specification. We verify the vehicle and engine requirements before choosing the oil.
The motor-oil supply chain has been under unusual pressure in 2026.
Shell says supply constraints led it to introduce alternate formulations for Pennzoil Platinum and Pennzoil Platinum High Mileage. According to Pennzoil, those products now use a combination of gas-to-liquid base oil and other high-quality base oils while continuing to meet the claims and approvals stated on their current labels. Pennzoil Ultra Platinum was not changed in the same way.
That distinction is important. A formulation change does not automatically mean an oil is unsuitable. It means the current approval and specification claims need to be checked instead of assuming that a product bought today is chemically identical to a previous batch.
In May 2026, Stellantis and TotalEnergies announced an expanded European lubricant partnership that includes co-branded TotalEnergies Quartz MOPAR oils built around Stellantis' newer harmonized FPW specifications.
That announcement does not mean every U.S. Chrysler, Dodge, Jeep or Ram suddenly requires the same European oil. It demonstrates the larger trend: OEM oil requirements and approved lubricant portfolios continue to evolve.
The owner's manual, current service information and exact engine remain the source of truth.
The second part of today's podcast is about price transparency.
Historically, consumers have been trained to think about an oil change as one bundled number. But when the retail price of synthetic oil moves sharply, it becomes easier to see that an oil-change invoice actually contains several components:
That does not mean every shop should price those items separately. It means customers can make better comparisons when they understand what is product cost and what is service cost.
At MOMS, our goal is to make the vehicle requirement and the service being performed clear rather than hiding behind a generic "oil change" label.
Cold starts are one of the reasons viscosity and formulation matter.
Mopar notes that synthetic oils provide better cold-start performance than conventional oil. When temperatures fall, the correct low-temperature viscosity helps oil circulate quickly after startup, when an engine has not yet reached operating temperature.
The wrong takeaway is that every driver should simply buy the thinnest oil available.
The correct takeaway is: use the viscosity and specification required for your engine. A modern engine designed around 0W-20, for example, should not be casually switched to a thicker grade because someone believes thicker oil is automatically more protective.
When you book a mobile oil change, we use the vehicle year, make, model and engine — and VIN when available — to determine the applicable service requirements.
If the data does not provide a confident oil specification, we verify it rather than guessing.
That becomes even more important when product formulations, OEM approvals and supply availability are changing at the same time.
The label on the front of the bottle is marketing. The specification on the back — matched to the correct vehicle — is engineering.
As winter approaches in Greater Philadelphia, that distinction matters.
Listen to today's MOMS podcast episode: "When Stellantis Changed the Recipe" — September 27, 2026.
Expert in mobile oil change services with years of experience helping drivers maintain their vehicles.
