Anyone use synthetic motor oil instead of regular? (1 Viewer)

[Todd Hochard]

I've used synthetic in all my engines that occasionally see some "action"- my 1980 Z28 (drag strip), the Vette I used to own (factory required), and my 2002 Acura TL-S. For the TL-S, I use it because this car sees mostly city driving, and occasional blasts to 7000rpm.

These all get/got Mobil One.
For my '95 Accord (currently at 107K trouble-free miles), our daily driver, I use Pennzoil dino juice. No particular reason, other than that's what I've always used.
I change the oil at about 4000 mile intervals. I could probably go longer, but there's a psychological barrier that I can't get past.
If you plan on keeping your car for a LONG time (10 years+, 200K+ miles), then I'd use synthetic. Otherwise, why bother? That Accord will most certainly outlast your desire to own it.
Todd
P.S. I fully intend on getting at least 250K miles out of both the Honda and the Acura, regardless of the oil used.
[Edited last by Todd Hochard on October 18, 2001 at 03:28 PM]

 

[Jim__B]

Only thing I have ever put in my 94 Camaro V6 is Mobil 1, never had any problems. My dad is a mechanic and his choice is mobil 1.

 

[Philip_G]

an old boss of mine was showing me his brand new 911, when ya pop the hood (trunk?) there's a nice sticker saying to use ONLY mobil 1.... if it's good enough for porsche engineers....

 

[Scott Merryfield]

I have used Valvoline's synthetic when I've had a rebate coupon, but usually just go for regular oil in my 1993 Camry V6. However, I'm very particular about getting the oil changed about every 4,000 miles. The car has 110,000 miles and still runs like the day I took it home from the dealership.
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[Clinton McClure]

All I've ever used is Pennzoil 5w30. Never had a problem with leaks or burning.
I've had 4 vehicles. The first was a '72 Chevy pickup (pos) with a big block 350. I put about 20k miles on it, and it leaked like a sieve...but it did that the day I bought it and I never replaced the engine. (This was a pre-existing condition, so it does not qualify.) The second was a '93 Chevrolet Cavalier. I bought it new and sold it with over 130k miles on it...leaked no oil. The third was a '97 Pontiac Sunfire SE. I bought it new and sold it with over 115k miles on it. No leaks. My most recent is a '00 Toyota Celica GT-S. 47k so far and no problems.
In my opinion, it's not your oil, and it's not the mileage; it's how much you abuse the car. If you take care of it and perform regular PM on it, it'll last a very long time. If you burn off the tires every time you take off and drive like a bat-outta-hell, it's gonna have a short lifespan with a large mechanic bill.
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[Karl_Luph]

I'm surprised no one has mention the first synthetic motor oil to get the A.P.I. approval seal Amsoil, first in synthetics.

 

[DaveHo]

Amsoil is a good oil, probably better than Mobil 1, but it's a PITA to get. Can't go to Wally World and just grab some off the shelf, ya know. Same goes for Redline & Royal Purple.
Anyway, I'm currently running Mobil 1 in my 97 Camaro SS. The Camaro is driven hard and gets autoX'd every once and a while. I feel the extra benefits of synthetic are worth the added cost. I'm currently using Valvoline Maxlife in my other 3 vehicles, which have 90K, 122K, and 157K on the clock. I'm not much of a believer in snake oils(Slick50, Lucas, Duralube, etc), but I have to say that I'm very impressed with the Valvoline Maxlife. The car with 157K is my beater 86 Olds Cutless. When I switched to Maxlife at 153K, it used to leak about 1/2 - 2/3 qt every 3K using plain old Pennzoil. Now with Maxlife the leaking has all but stopped. Really shocked the hell out of me.
In all probability any good oil as long as it's changed regularly will serve you well. More important is the filter. Delco, Wix, Nap Gold(made by Wix), Purolater Pure One, Mobil 1, and K&N are all good filters. Though the ones with the synthetic media filter can be pretty expensive. Stay away from Fram & rebadged Frams such as the Pennzoil. They are constructed very poorly and are really junk. Here's a link to some good reading on oil filters Oil Filter Study
-Dave

 

[Garrett Lundy]

I only use synthetic oils in my car/bike (Pennzoil syn. for the car, Kawachem syn. in the bike).
Sometime last year Car Craft did a series of dyno tests and showed that their car actually made more horsepower at any given RPM and ran cooler with synthetic oil, transmission fluid, and gear oil (in the rear differential). Granted it was only a difference of a few horsepower (less than 5 in an engine that produced nearly 400) but I was more impressed with the nearly 20 degree differnce in running temperature.
But also, I read about a person who restored a triumph bonneville and used synthetic oil. Supposedly it worked so well that the engine wasn't able to break-in until he switched to a regular oil (Piston rings wouldn't set properly and such).
Will these more expensive oils make my c xar and bike last longer? Maybe, but it's a rather small expense for the peace of mind

 

[Brian Kleinke]

I own an Audi A4 3.0 that's only got 6300 miles on it, I'm not supposed to change the oil till 10k or 1 year... so that's my plan (then every 10k after that)

Most of the people I know with Audi's put Mobile 1 or Amsoil in their engines. What is funny is how Audi seems to recommend synthetic but the dealer puts regular oil in unless you ask and pay more. (Oil changes are covered as part of the warranty)

So I figure this fall when I show up for my first oil change I'll be there with a bunch of bottles of Mobile 1 or Amsoil.

Brian

 

[Lee L]

I had a Dihatsu Charade 3 cyl car right after I got out of high school. The thing had the catalytic converter literally attached to the exhaust manifold so I figured it would run hot. I used Mobil one after the first couple of changes and kept the car for about 5 years and put 115,000 miles on it before I sold it. I did have a valve cover gasket leak at about 89k, when I took the valve cover gasket off, you could see the camshaft and the rocker arms. This car did not have roller rockers and the end of the rocker just rode directly on the cam lobe. When looking at the lobes, you could not tell which part of the lobe contacted the rocker arm and which did not. Pretty good for a car that cost me about 7 grand in 1989.

 

[Tim Markley]

Both of my cars (Corvette and BMW 323ci) require synthetic. The Corvette gets Mobil 1 every 5000 miles and the BMW gets an oil change every 12000 miles through BMW dealership.

 

[LDfan]

Changing the oil every 12,000 miles? That seems pretty extreme but if that's what the car manufacturer requires then i'd be ok with it.

Jeff

 

[Todd Hochard]

Wow, Old topic!
12,000 may seem extreme, but it's not really. BMWs have enormous oil capacity compared to most cars (6-7 quarts, vs. the normal 4-5), so the oil leads an easier life. Combine that with long term analysis that shows oil breakdown (particularly of synthetics) not happening until way after 12k miles, and it's not as bad as it'd seem. It really is time to get the "Jiffy Lube" 3000 mile mantra out of our heads. Nearly any car can run 5000 on regular oil now without issue. I've used oil analysis on my Acura, and the last time I sent it in, the guy told me that my change (which I had done after 10 months and 8000 miles of hot, city Orlando driving) was too soon. The oil had virtually no contaminants in it, and TBN was still quite high. I'm going 12 months/10K this round (I'll hit 10K for certain first this time- two 2500 mile road trips). Mobil 1, BTW.
As you can see, I've gotten over my 4K mile psychological barrier. Note that oil analyses and extended changes don't make it any cheaper than no analyses and more frequent changes, but it does give an anal-retentive engineer type like myself more info.
Todd

 

[Karl_Luph]

Todd, you're right about the old topic but I found it to be always educational. Oil analysis is an excellent way to keep up with problems that might occur to your investment and to save in the long run. Another great thing about doing oil anlaysis is, that like big trucking companies, it's excellent for maintenance records.

 

[Peter_A]

I use Mobil 1 in my car and have never had any problems with it. Great stuff but stay away from oils like Castrol Syntec. It's not a true synthetic like Mobil 1, Redline or Royal Purple.

I've never really understood that you have to wait for the engine to "break in" before switching to synthetic. Porches and Corvettes etc come from the factory with Mobil 1...

 

[David Preston]

I also use Mobil 1. Kinda pricy but sometimes I find it on sale.

 

[Matt Stryker]

I'm split. I use Castrol GTX/whatevers on sale in my 98 4-cyl Tacoma, but my wifes VW Jetta TDI requires a special synthetic. I use only Rotella T Syn (since its CH-4 approved), runs $12/gallon at Wally World.

 

[Mathew Shelby]

I use Mobile 1 in my 1999 Chevy Blazer and I change the oil myself. For what its worth, the cheapest place I have seen it is at Walmart. It is $18.88 for 5 quarts. (It is normally $4.99/quart elsewhere).

 

[Philip_G]

I buy mobil 1 at walmart too 3.88 a qt or as mentioned for 5 quarts. I buy it by the quart for easier measuring.
I buy my fram filters there too, they suck, but they're cheap.

 

[Scott L]

Do you have to dispose of synthetics the same way you do oil? I take my used oil to the local Autozone and they have a big container for you to pour it in.