those who do their own car work

[weiss27md]

I use synthetic in all my cars, Mobil 1 and I think that's the best way to go. The cheapest place for oil is to just go to WalMart and get the 5 quart jugs and they also have Super Tech filters which is their brand but they are made in the USA, unlike ACDelco. I'm also about to install transmission coolers on both my cars. This is a good upgrade if you have an automatic. I couple this with a manual over ride switch for the cooling fan.

 

[tenfeathers]

I'm also a big fan of Mobil 1. I use it in all my cars,truck,& motorcycle for years extends my change interval out twice normal.

the super Tech filters are good also use them on my bike as well. Not sure on the coolers because they have improved the cooling so much in recent years. let us know.

 

[Rum Runner]

Can't really argue against Mobile 1 except value. There are a lot of "gotchas" with transmission coolers. Unless you are hauling regularly or do a lot of uphill driving, I don't see the need and you can easily do more harm than good if your plan is not well thought out.

 

[San Antone RR]

Full synthetic here as well. I have used Royal Purple in my cars and motorcycles for about 10 years.

 

[jocat54]

mobil 1 is good, but I just tried Walmarts Super Tech synthetic oil. Read a few reviews and they weren't bad so I'm giving it a shot.

 

[Texan2]

I am a synthetic guy as well. I hve used Amsoil Severe Duty Oil for the last 10 years or so. Coupled with an Amsoil filter I only change oil every 20k miles. Works well and saves me lots of money.

 

[winchster]

Amsoil here. Change the oil twice a year and keep on rolling. My dads been a distributor for 30 years give or take.

 

[Stumpy]

Quaker State 10 W 30

 

[Texasjack]

Most oils are pretty good these days. I don't know that a particular one will really make much difference.

I got to talk with a mechanic who took apart the engine from a truck that went 1 million miles. The guy had a newspaper delivery route and got his oil and filter changed regularly at the same place. The oil company bought the truck for advertising. Anyway, the mechanic told me that every part in the engine was still in within specs. The key to the long survival of that engine was that any carbon or metal filings in the oil were removed in a reasonable amount of time. If you allow anything to build up that restricts oil flow, you risk excessive wear. (According to the mechanic.)

So a great lubricant that doesn't get changed often enough won't do you a bit of good.

 

[Mikewood]

I think the key here is time interval for the specific oil. You can spend money on plain old oil and drive 5000 miles on a good filter or go for full synthetic and drive 10,000 miles. Some folks change their filters every 5000 and just use the same oil for even longer. Oil can be tested for about $20.00 and replaced when needed.

 

[Texan2]

Most oils are pretty good these days. I don't know that a particular one will really make much difference.

So a great lubricant that doesn't get changed often enough won't do you a bit of good.

I am afraid that I could not disagree more with you. A great lubricant can make all of the difference. The problem with mechanics is that if you ask 10 mechanics a question, you get 10 different answers.

How well an oil resists breaking down has an enourmous amount to do with how long an engine will last. You mention metal filings? Good oil will reduce the amount of debris in your engine. Furthermore, one of your oil's big job is to keep dirt suspended within the oil. The better the oil, the better it can trap and isolate dirt. (i use the term dirt loosly). High end synthetics (Amsoil, RP, Mobil 1) also can resist heat and have much better "cleaning" properties than conventional oils.

An example is that you often hear that "if you put synthetic oil in an old motor it will start leaking". In reality old motors have old gaskets and over the years sludge fills in tiny cracks and gaps as they form. If you switch to a good synthetic, it begins to clean out all that sludge and once the engine is clean, there is no more sludge to plug the holes. this is why in my old beater suburban I stuck with conventional oil.

Stats are crystal clear on motor oil. (and i have no doubt that big oil has worked hard to keep syn oil out of the picture for a long time) It IS a better product. It may not be a better choice for every application, but there is no argument that it is a better product.

One example is this. Texas DPS switched to Amsoil several years ago and now do 20k oil changes on patrol cars (my deparment does the same). The last year DPS used conventional tranny fluid, they replaced over 100 transmissions due to failure. The first year that all of the patrol cars had amsoil transmission fluid, they had ZERO failures. That is impressive considering how long those cars idle and how hard they are driven.

So while you can change your oil every 3000 miles and if you take care of your ride it may go 200,000 miles....you will have done 66-67 oil changes. I can get a vehicle to do the same on 10 oil changes. The difference is I spent FAR less time doing oil changes and saved a lot more money than the dino oil guy did.

M. Sage is a wrench turner I believe...maybe he can give an opinion.

 

[TexMex247]

Texmex here has also been turnin' wrenches for over 12 years. First of all, checking your oil religiously is key. Almost no matter what kind you use, people will always stretch it beyond the normal service interval. I completely agree that synthetic oil is far superior to conventional BUT....there are many instances where it will get you in trouble. First scenario, you have an old car that already consumes(not leaks) oil(every engine does to some degree). The synthetic oil is less likely to burn off of your plugs and will foul them out faster. Second scenario, your engine does leak. I have never experienced synthetic leaking faster, the flow rate of oil is a product of viscosity. So, 5w30 will leak out faster than 20w50, period. However, most people using synthetic are also more comfortable extending the service interval which is ok in theory but makes you more likely to run your engine low on oil because instead of checking or replacing it at 3 mo. or 3K miles, you keep on rollin' down the road. Which leads to the 3rd scenario. By the time you service it, you have already damaged your motor from oil depravation. You would be amazed how many Lexus, Mercedes and other high-end vehicles I have seen run into the ground because they were using synthetic. On the other hand the worst quality lubricants I have ever used were by Pennzoil. I managed a lube center in my early years and have seen the same vehicles many miles down the road as a mechanic. The sludge build up in a pennzoil motor was far worse than others run with something like amsoil. I also burned up a transmission in personal vehicle shortly after I flushed it with pennzoil bulk ATF. So when using conventional oil it becomes even more important to service it on-time. In my vehicles, dodge pick-up(gas engine) and an accord, I use mobil 1, Royal purple, or Amsoil in the viscosity recommended on the oil cap,check it every 2k and replace it every 5k. A properly set up polyfiltration system by amsoil, can and will allow you to go 20k between oil changes but you still gotta' make sure there is oil in the motor every once and a while. Also, any engine with a check engine light on will most likely be running out-of-tune and adding more fuel than needed which eventually dilutes the motor oil. Transmission coolers are typically only useful on vehicles used frequently for towing/hauling or racing. Modern coolers integrated into radiators work well in newer vehicles. That about does it but if anyones got any other maintenance or repair related questions, post away and I'll get to them when I can.

 

[IXLR8]

Consumer Report did a story on a test in New York City Cabs that lasted for 5 million miles. The result was any good oil changed at a regular interval provided more than adequate protection. The length between oil changes far outweighed any benefits from synthetic oils.

I agree that synthetics are better oils, no question about it. Regular premium oils provide more than adequate protection if changed regularly. Cabs do not experience a lot of cold starts, where most wear occurs. but they do have a lot of hot driving, standing conditions.

Link to a reprint of the story

Unless you have a highly stressed engine, don't waste your money. Your Camry will run great with normal oil.

 

[robertc1216]

I use mobile 1 in everything I have. I bought a used truck a few years back which was a company truck that I drove, the owner insisted upon mobile 1. I didn't really get why at the time. The truck which is 98 f150 with a 5.4.that we did alot of towing with. It now has over 250,000 miles on the motor and nothing has ever been removed from the motor. No oil leaks, no oil usage and still good power. And all of the maintance was done per the owners manual, and also kept bone stock no mods what so ever. With the excretion of a hydraulic winch behind the front bumper. Since I got the truck I have always used mobile 1, its proven to work pretty well in my fords.

 

[Texan2]

For me it boils down to time and money. Oil change every 20k or so save me lots of both. And my vehicles are not babied and have gone way into the 6th digit on the odometer.

My department also uses Amsoil and does 20k (give or take) oil changes and for 10 years we have yet to lose a motor and we are hard on them and typically keep them to 120k miles or so.

 

[zembonez]

I run Amsoil full synthetic in my vehicles and change every 5000 - 7500 miles (depending on which vehicle). I used to run Mobil 1 and had good luck with it as well. Got rid of my Explorer with 218K on it and it was still running smooth and getting 20 mpg - plus not using any oil between changes.

There are those who will argue against it, but I believe synthetics are the way to go.

 

[Texan2]

i know on your truck forum, this is a violently debated topic.

with amsoil there are several different grades with different change intervals....i use the ridiculously expensive stuff.

 

[zembonez]

Oil is a hotly debated subject on any vehicle forum. There are still a few who believe that you stop on the side of the road and change it as soon as the odometer rolls another 3000 miles... even though that was actually just marketing hooey created in the old days by none other than Andy Granatelli to get people coming to his fast lube joints.

I feel good running synthetics in my vehicles...

 

[Burt Gummer]

I like synthetics- I have used Mobil 1, RP, and Amsoil.

There have been arguments for each particular brand but I made a choice and I have not had any problems with, Mobil 1.

 

[Texas1911]

5000 miles on hard use to 8,000 miles on normal use ... use a quality synthetic like Amsoil, Mobil 1, and most importantly, stick to the lowest viscosity that the engine will support. Generally speaking 5w20 will work just fine in the cooler months, and 5w30 or 10w30 will do well in the summer months. Some engines have larger tolerances and will require a higher viscosity oil.

Lower viscosity equates to better fuel economy, faster oil circulation, more power, better cooling, and less stress on the oil pump. The downside is if you don't have sufficient cooling of the oil the pressure will drop too low to protect the bearings and flow. A good 10w30 won't do this, but a higher viscosity index doesn't hurt much in the summer months.

Not all 5w30s are the same either ... some are on the higher end of the index (Amsoil) and others on the lower end of the index (Mobil 1) within certain numbers.

In the end, a good oil is a good oil. Plenty of engines run long on dinosaur juice, but I still hold that synthetics are far, far superior in the realm of oils.