Mobil 1 vs. Valvoline synthetic

Dropped off the car for an oil change and some warranty items. Dealer said they would use Mobil 1 this time, but they're soon switching to Valvoline. I checked the Valvoline web page and it says that their fully synthetic oil is approved by MB. I've always thought of Mobil 1 as the gold standard in synthetic oils. Anybody have any experience with Valvoline?

Mobil 1 is the Mercedes standard oil. I was told by a Mobil rep. that Mobil has the contract for Mercedes.<br>
Another point: I just today saw a sign at my dealer that suggested we will be getting a letter in the mail indicating synthetic oil is the new standard for ALL Mercedes cars. <br>
My experiance points at Mobil as the best oil, but things change, maybe Valvoline is an equal...

told me MB would be specifying Mobil 1 for all oil changes with no surcharge.

....the ONLY TRUE fully synthetic oil among the major brands!!! Mobil 1 uses PolyAlphaOlefin or PAO as its base stock. This fluid is a well known synthetic chemical used in cooling super-computers, avionics and radars for the military and major contractors to the US Govt!!! <br>
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Mobil 1 is a superior lubricating oil that doesn't deteriorate, loose viscosity or lubricity at higher engine temperatures sustained by turbocharged or suoercharged engines that would render Valvoline, Castrol, Pennzoil, Quaker State, or other synthetics virtually ineffective!!!<br>
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I've tried all of them since the early 80's and from an engineer's evaluation, Mobil 1 is best as they advertised!!! In a previous post, I explained about a lawsuit in the late 90's brought on by the other oil manufacturers against the American Petroleum Institute. They won which resulted in a loosened definition of "synthetic oil", even though they all use "synthesized" dino oil as stock, which is a less expensive process!!! <br>
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By winning, the other manufacturers also stood to gain more profits since their processing costs are much less expensive than Mobil 1's base PAO!!! From a commercial standpoint, of course dealers would prefer to carry products that can maximize profits! The other products can be marketed by manufacturers using a lower wholesale or dealer purchasing cost than Mobil 1, but they are all sold to the end-user market (us!!!!) at the same price!!! Do the math!!!<br>
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Technically, Mobil 1 is superior; semantically, all others are purported to be equal. To this engineer, they are NOT!!!

Is there any way (other than watching!) to insure the dealer (or any garage) used Mobil1? As an example, the last time I had my oil changed at the dealer, I specified Mobil 1. The invoice said "synthetic oil" and I asked about it and was told (without a lot of conviction) that they used Mobil 1. So, is there a "litmus test" or something like that we could use to keep these guys honest?

that it's there for your car. <br>
As I mentioned before, Mobil has the contract for Mercedes in the US, and all dealer SHOULD be using it. There are always exceptions.

I buy and bring along my own 6-pack of Mobil 1, then I inform the service advisor so that fact is noted on the service contract! <br>
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That's about as secure as it'll get at MB dealers, unless the service advisor is friendly enough to let you watch the proceedings out of curiosity!!! Of course if the advisor is the surly type, you could end up with a "are you kidding me?" stare when you ask!!! Then again, if you never ask, you'll never find out if it's OK or not!