ADMCivic

Now is it true that once you start using synthetic you can not go back to conventional oil? Ive heard both answers many times.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i would rather go 6k between changes and check the oil level every few weeks. usually i dont lose any at all even with hard driving at the end. oil and filter is expensive plus the time it takes to do it. id rather only do it 2x a year and i bet my engine will still outlast the car.

i imagine switching from dino to synth and back is fine, dont really know what problem it would cause other than the synth not lubricating as well. just stick with conventional.

edmcohen

In my `06 LX, I use Mobil 1 changed at the 5-6 k mi intervals called for by that damned mileage minder contraption. At 115,000 mi., the car runs better than it did when it was new, and consumes no oil between changes. Would it have been less good with mineral oil? I have no way of knowing. How do I think the synthetic oil helps? It gives better lubrication in that critical moment between starting and achieving oil pressure, and it suspends contaminants better.

The called-for oil change intervals seem to me too long for mineral oil, but about right for the Mobil 1. Since I can buy 5-quart jugs of Mobil 1 relatively inexpensively at WalMart, this is at least not a very expensive possible waste of money. (It does mean that I usually have a few quarts on my hands, since this car takes 4 quarts.)

seoul4korea

I don't think I would ever run my car up to 10k miles without an oil change. Oil selection really depends on the set up of the car. Theres kind of a law for Turbo charged cars and that is to ALWAYS change your oil every 3000K, NO matter what. The reasoning behind that is due to the viscosity that is required for the turbochargers to run smoothly and you don't want the oil to start breaking down and burning in your turbo(s)

The type of oil you get can not only Increase engine life but in some cases increase gains 8+ horsepower

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil

http://www.autotropolis.com/wiki/ind...._Mineral_Oils

Theres tons of information on the subject matter it just depends on how your car is set up and what you plan on doing.

lowlife9

i switched to royal purple and my car definitely runs alot smoother.and there was no increase in temperature as previously stated i love this stuff because of the cold weather here in ct so hard starts are a thing of the past.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

too bad royal purple is mostly racing oil and breaks down after 2k miles of normal driving

batman900

iTrader: (1)

Lol, I didnt know that. Was actually goana get it on my next change.... never mind goana stick with the full synthetic. Probably doesnt help much but I can part with the 20 extra dollars to do it for peace of mind.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

the best way to know how long your oil lasts with your driving style is send it for analysis to a lab. everyone will be different.

lowlife9

thats fine ill just get amsoil next time thats what i wanted in the first place but i couldn't find any. so your saying royal purple blatantly lies about the life of there oil do you have proof to back that claim up because i would like to see it.

cloud2987

lol.. I use Valvoline Synthetic blend.. but wondering if I should go full synthetic. It seems to be matter of personal preference from the comments on here.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

check out bitog (bob is the oil guy) forums for oil analysis. lying about products seems to be a common trend these days.

valvoline syth blend, you mean maxlife? thats all i would use for the life of the car. no need for full synth.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

check out bitog (bob is the oil guy) forums for oil analysis. lying about products seems to be a common trend these days.

valvoline syth blend, you mean maxlife? thats all i would use for the life of the car. no need for full synth.

lowlife9

hmmm i found nothing on that site regarding the claims you have made but i did find that royal purple is a good oil maybe i didn't dig deep enough there is alot of information on that site.

cloud2987

oh its Valvoline Durablend.. but its a synthetic blend. The reason I started using it was because I thought it was better than conventional without full synthetic price heh.. but I'll check out that forum.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

just use valvoline maxlife. durablend isnt so great

pjb3

If you can find Durablend for the same price as Maxlife I would say fine but I would not pay extra. The last I heard, and I doubt that it has changed, most syn blends were only 20% syn and some off brands were even less.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

its true, mostly false advertising to make the product look good.

pjb3

I would call it more "marketing" than "false advertising". If you look at the bottle, phrases such as "synthetic blend" and "extra engine protection" are true but in my opinion overstated. People read blend and probably think 50% syn not 20%. Extra protection is probably true but not enough to make a difference. I don't know but I would guess the only reason Valvoline makes a blend is because some other company did it first and created a product line that other companies felt they had to compete in.
I'm making kind of a sleazy distinction, I just don't want to put Valvoline in the same catagory as a company like Dura Lube.

em2_jdmboy

so what would be the best combination of synthetic oil and oil filter?...

lowlife9

apparently amsoil is one of the best for oil and K&N or amsoil filter.

em2_jdmboy

koo...thanks...

pjb3

If you want the absolute best, take your pick from Amsoil, Red Line, Royal Purple, German Castrol, etc. Each one has a following that will swear it is the best. In some cases "experts" will recommend different brands of oil for different cars.

If you would like my suggestion, go for value. Mobil 1 at WalMart is $22 for a 5 qt jug and find a Purolator PureOne oil filter which should be $6 to $7. One other option is check AutoZone, they as well as some others had a special of 5 qts Mobil 1 and a Mobil 1 oil filter for $29.99 but this may no longer be available. If you feel the need to spend more money try Mobil 1 Extended Performance.

lowlife9

amsoil will protect better then mobil 1.

tinnguyen123

well the 2nd time i went to an oil changing place was at Firestone.. I ask the worker there.. what was the difference in the oil price..? the gave me an honest answer..

"Just get the regular" .. I ask why.. he answer.. "It's the same thing.. There's very little difference.. not worth the extra money on the synthetic oil.." He was the manager..

Oh.. the 1st time was at Sears.. and i got my oil change with the BEST oil there was... Then they try to change all the oil in my car for $200... -_- i'm like next time..

From then on I always go to Wal-mart have them change my oil with the cheapest price after Firestone >.<

lowlife9

you know whats evan cheaper DIY it has to be one of the easiest things to do.there was a quick oil change place in my town that got in trouble for sabotaging peoples cars like not tightening the drain bolt properly.

gearbox

iTrader: (95)

i dont trust anybody to change my oil. it takes extreme attention to detail not to mess up something. and you can get your own oil and filter instead of letting them use a $1 garbage filter and generic bulk oil. not worth the problems later. i used to work auto parts so i know all sorts of secrets and how 99% of shops that get parts from us demand the cheapest and worst parts possible so they can crank up the price and make a good profit. we could not even sell them parts off the shelf like fram, that was too good for them. instead we got a special stock of "powerflo" filters that cost $1.25 each and you could crush it with your hand. and im talking major auto shops too like sears, jiffy lube, midas, etc. they are all crooks and scammers.

pjb3

What do you base this on?

pjb3

Another good reason to do it yourself is it gives you a opportunity to check things such as CV boots and look for oil or transmission leaks that someone else may not bother with. For me it's also faster, it takes about 15 minutes and there is no way I can take it anywhere in that amount of time.
The few times I have had it done somewhere else I used WalMart. I am not recommending them but I used them for a couple of reasons. Their synthetic oil change was only slightly more than dino, they pull the oil from the shelf in the store so you know what you are getting and they have an oil change package where they just change the oil and do not top off the other fluids. I do not want someone putting the incorrect ATF or antifreeze in my car.

ronaldo9

iTrader: (6)

Never knew walmart does oil changes.

ottotheclown

This time you can get $15.00 back from Pennzoil rebate. So if you go to Walmart and buy the $20 5 quart jug, it works out to $1.00 a quart. Think about that. Not changing the filter with each oil change is really asking for trouble. Why Honda suggests that is beyond me. Check out Pep Boys ad on Kendall full syn. it is about $20 too with a junk filter thrown in.Even if you do not change your own oil you can get the dealer to do so for about $20 or better.