One year of protection and 20,000 miles—Mobil 1 had decided late last year that the DIY guys among us were willing to pay a stiff price premium for a product that could make oil changes an annualized 'one and done' proposition.
It was a good idea, until it wasn't. When Mobil 1 Annual Protection was released, three big problems became a brutal reality for the marketers at Mobil.
1) Nobody wanted to pay $50 for a 5-quart jug of motor oil.
2) Mobil 1 Extended Performance, which offered a 15,000-mile guarantee, was already at the industry's sweet spot. Nobody wanted to pay double for an extra 5,000 miles.
3) No manufacturer was willing to endorse the product.
The third issue was probably the hardest for Mobil to overcome. Way back in 1993 Mobil had scored an endorsement with General Motors for the Chevrolet Corvette Z06. with their Mobil 1 Synthetic