synthetic oil

Well , that s true , it s all going back to what I said that it s not the synth oil s fault if their s a leak somehow , ( due to leaky rings & so on ) which was my point earlier . We re getting there I guess LOL .
 
I've used synthetic in both vehicles. My old 4 cylinder Frontier had some valve tick (all normal on those engines from reading) and using synthetic really quieted it down. I will note on very cold mornings above a certain RPM it would rattle a bit more until warmed up. Didn't do that with dino, but ran fine when I traded it in. Run Mobil 1 in my current trucks VQ40 and notice no difference, really. I just like the extended oil change intervals.

The Equinox is a whole different animal. Probably going to switch back to regular dino. Since switching it had a very noticeable lifter tap after switching to synthetic. Done 2 changes with synthetic and while it's not as bad as the first time I put it in there, it's odd. I suspect it wasn't taken care of by the previous owner.
 
I think with all the mumbo-jumbo, opinions of friends, neighbors, and the kid behind the cars register at the local food mart; if you're using synthetic oil and it's performing well for "you" then why change anything....


  1. If it's working stay with it
  2. If it ain't broke don't fix it
I've been using it for over 30 years and will use it for the next 30........:bigups
 
BobbyG said:
:exactly:

When I switched to full synthetic years ago I extended my oil change intervals from the traditional 3,000 to between 6,000 & 7,000 miles. Even at the this mileage the used oil is still a brownish rather than black....:bigups

Changing with less mileage is really is somewhat extravagant....
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I Agree, I run a lot of road miles and sometimes don't get my oil changed when I should. If I ran Dyno oil to 5k when I drained it it was black and thick and you could see where it was starting to build up on dipsticks and drain plugs. Now I run Mobil 1 synthetic and after 5-6k it drains out light brown and all metal parts are clean.

The old myth about leaks are not a factor today either. The old enigines used to use paper or cork gaskets. Today engines are sealed with silicone gaskets and don't breakdown or leak like old ones.

The big difference is that Dyno oil breaks down under heat and synthetic oils resist breakdown from heat much better.:rockon

IMO Synthetic oils are worth the investment.
 
Mobil 1 here! Volvo 850 Turbo 1996 267,000 miles still runs like a dear!
I change 5000 miles, wallmart is were I buy my oil!
I run ALL my cars and bikes with Mobil 1.
Amsoil is rated a bit higher! both run over 10,000 miles before breck down on oil.
others dont make but 7000 miles ! do as you feel safe! i'm going for 500,000 on the Volvo! :)
 
Ok guys, question...how about time? My car does not get more than 8k a year so if I can increase up to 7-8 k of mileage for syn, can I extend syn to a year or so? Or even longer? Moving to an apt soon, so it would help to run longer....
 
It depends on the oil your using ,but I know Toyota says with their synthetic you can go 10,000 between changes instead of the recommended 5,000.

Yours being a newer vehicle I would be surprised if you really needed to change yours at every 3,000.[/QUOTE]


IIRC, about 15 years ago most manufacturers recommended 3k oil changes. It wasn't to the idea of a LONG oil change became a marketing technique that manufacturers started extending the life of their recommended maintenance.

I believe Motor Trend had an article about this, talking about about the "new" extended" intervals and how the car companies where extending the recommendations. When they looked at the year to year recommendations they found that most companies where still using the same exact motors as the previous year and they same oils. Nothing changed but the recommendation.
 
This topic is very interesting and so are the comments.

I have a VW Jetta and according to the service manual and the shop they call for oil changes every 10,000 miles. And the first few oil changes were on the dealer so thats what we did. For me this is great as my wife drives a lot for work. I am now doing my own oil changes, and there is no way I would go down to 3 - 5,000 mile intervals.... The oil that the Manuela calls for is like $9-10 a quart!!!! It is just over $60 for me to do my own oil change with the correct oil. The dealership want $75+ for the same thing; and the quick lubes won't guarantee that they are using the specific oil because they only have their standards. The other big thing is I don't always have the time to do an oil change every other month or so.

If you are changing your oil every 3-5,000 mile then I think Std or even Syn-Blend oil is the way to go to keep cost down. But if your are trying to go 10,000 like some of the new vehicle recommendations then Full-Syn is the way to go.

But then again this is only my opinion.
 
TroyScherer said:
This topic is very interesting and so are the comments.

I have a VW Jetta and according to the service manual and the shop they call for oil changes every 10,000 miles. And the first few oil changes were on the dealer so thats what we did. For me this is great as my wife drives a lot for work. I am now doing my own oil changes, and there is no way I would go down to 3 - 5,000 mile intervals.... The oil that the Manuela calls for is like $9-10 a quart!!!! It is just over $60 for me to do my own oil change with the correct oil. The dealership want $75+ for the same thing; and the quick lubes won't guarantee that they are using the specific oil because they only have their standards. The other big thing is I don't always have the time to do an oil change every other month or so.

If you are changing your oil every 3-5,000 mile then I think Std or even Syn-Blend oil is the way to go to keep cost down. But if your are trying to go 10,000 like some of the new vehicle recommendations then Full-Syn is the way to go.

But then again this is only my opinion.
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But this brings up the question... Is VW oil REALLY better than a major brand (Mobil1, Castrol, Pennzoil).... I mean it is doubtful that Audi Group owns their own oil refinery so what you are likely paying for is rebranded oil at a huge mark up...
 
Todd Helme said:
But this brings up the question... Is VW oil REALLY better than a major brand (Mobil1, Castrol, Pennzoil).... I mean it is doubtful that Audi Group owns their own oil refinery so what you are likely paying for is rebranded oil at a huge mark up...
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Sorry to be confusing...

VW / Audi spec out a specific oil. My local Auto-zone has a Castrol Syntec 5W-40.
Link: Castrol/1 qt. SAE 10W-40 Syntec full synthetic motor oil (6246) | Engine Oil | AutoZone.com

It says it is blended and made for their specifications. I did some research and the Dealerships use the same type of oil. (Not sure of the brand)

But I was more disturbed at the price per qt. At this point I will most likely be researching this as well before I buy my next car. I already look into insurance, Fuel type, Gas millage, Overall Quality ratting.
 
Todd Helme said:
It depends on the oil your using ,but I know Toyota says with their synthetic you can go 10,000 between changes instead of the recommended 5,000.

Yours being a newer vehicle I would be surprised if you really needed to change yours at every 3,000.
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IIRC, about 15 years ago most manufacturers recommended 3k oil changes. It wasn't to the idea of a LONG oil change became a marketing technique that manufacturers started extending the life of their recommended maintenance.

I believe Motor Trend had an article about this, talking about about the "new" extended" intervals and how the car companies where extending the recommendations. When they looked at the year to year recommendations they found that most companies where still using the same exact motors as the previous year and they same oils. Nothing changed but the recommendation. [/QUOTE]
Hmmmmm.

It took me a long while to beleive I could go 5000 miles between oil changes. Now you have to mess with my brain again!:D
 
A lot has changed over the last 10 years. Engines burn a lot cleaner and oil technology with higher API standards are lot better plus engine oil capacities have increased as well. I recall when engines usually had a 4 to 5 qt max capacity (even V8's) but now my V6 has 6 qt capacity.

If someone really wants to know when to change the oil, one just needs to get used oil analysis. I believe it costs around $25 and the report will tell you the health of your engine and the oil. The data on BITOG tends to state that unless you are in temperature extremes or do high performance stuff changing the oil using the manufacturer's recommendation will not reduce the life of your engine. You do not hear about any oil related issues with engines much which I think why some oil producers offer such life time motor guarantees. If your engine sludges, it is likely either to be not changing the oil ever or bad engine design (poor ventilation, improper drain holes, etc).
 
Bunky said:
If your engine sludges, it is likely to not changing the oil ever or bad engine design (poor ventilation, improper drain holes, etc).
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The late 90's early 2000's Toyota 1MZ-FE 3 liter engines were notorious for this, we had a 2000 Avalon with that motor. We were on top of oil changes and it still sludged. Got to the point of poor performance and gas mileage; pretty much needed a rebuild at 64,000 miles. Sent that thing to auction :lol:
 
i say with high mileage car stick with what you were using before ...now i have been using conventional oil but will not switch to syn due to the oil viscocity that will sweep into small cracks and prone to damage..
 
dd1101 said:
I think its worth it, My 2001 Acura has 180k miles and I only use Amsoil oil in it. As soon as my new Acura was due for a change I filled it with Amsoil too.

CA.detailchick. Check out Amsoil and my 2001 Acura gets a change ever 12,000miles or once a year.
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I use Amsoil in my Audi and Mercedes and I wont use anything else anymore. I used to use Mobil 1 Euro but I heard and read they changed their forumla. I change my oil about 10k-12k miles and its still pretty clean. I do use the Bosch High Cap oil filters.
 
Boy DC you opened Pandoras box with this question. The debate has gone on for years on which is better.
 
=ca.detailchick;442972]IIRC, about 15 years ago most manufacturers recommended 3k oil changes. It wasn't to the idea of a LONG oil change became a marketing technique that manufacturers started extending the life of their recommended maintenance.
Click to expand...

I believe Motor Trend had an article about this, talking about about the "new" extended" intervals and how the car companies where extending the recommendations. When they looked at the year to year recommendations they found that most companies where still using the same exact motors as the previous year and they same oils. Nothing changed but the recommendation.
Click to expand...

It took me a long while to beleive I could go 5000 miles between oil changes. Now you have to mess with my brain again!:D
Click to expand...

For your information there are oil changes on Bobistheoilguy going as long as 20,000 miles! Is oil added during the interval? Yes,obviously. Has the filter been changed multiple times? For the most part, yes. A used oil analysis has shown no harm to these non commercial engines. Extended oil changes to the extreme are possible providing you know what you are doing and keep tabs on the oil along the way.
 
My neighbor has an Audi A4, I think its the same 2.0 turbo that VW uses, He buys Mobil 1 0-40W at the local Walmart, I help him change the oil sometimes, they (Germans) sure like to make things overly complicated. He goes 5k miles between changes.
In my Ford, I like Pennzoil Ultra, its about two bucks more per 5 quart jug at Walmart, and I firmly believe in changing every 5k miles too, course mine is sure easier to do.
 
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