Synthetic or not ?

[Bigpineguy Retired]

It's about that time for our oil changes ...Should I go with regular oil or synthetic oil , and why?


BPG~

[Bigpineguy Retired]

to add....we have a 2000 chevy blazer (123,000 miles) and a 1996 Mercury Mystic (76,000)


BPG~

[JCO]

to add....we have a 2000 chevy blazer (123,000 miles) and a 1996 Mercury Mystic (76,000)


BPG~

Details bud details... What kind of driving.. Highway or city.. Time and distance intervals between oil changes.. Brands of Oils you are thinking of using, there are lots of different qualities out there.. A lot of cold temp startups?? I mean Cold like -15F or colder... CAnada cold...LOL

[Terryl]

I've been using Mobil 1 synthetic oil for years, I love it, I have a 1985 full sized Chevy blazer and it has 260,000 miles on it with out a major problem, the synthetic oil seems to run cleaner and you can go further between oil changes.

I also have a 2005 Chevy Impala it has 56,000 on it, and it goes about 3 month past the normal oil change period, it has an on-board sensor system that tells me when its time to change the oil, I tried the normal oils in that one but every 3 months or so I was changing oil, I went to the Mobil 1 and now get about 5 months between changes.

[Bigpineguy Retired]

sorry.....She drives about 30 each way everyday to her internship and school ( highway mostly) there will be cold starts here in Detroit ....lol.... but not as cold as you guys/girls up there.....lol....
Blazer was done almost 2,000 miles ago
we just got her the Mystic ...they did one at the dealership ( so they said )

But I would like to get the both ready for Winter....

BPG~

[kenkell1]

to add....we have a 2000 chevy blazer (123,000 miles) and a 1996 Mercury Mystic (76,000)


BPG~

I wouldn't run it in vehicles that already have that kind of mileage on it.
There is also theory that synthetic oils may break down sludge and varnish which is sealing what would otherwise be leaks. So switching to a synthetic may cause a car that has no leaks to start leaking and I have seen this happen on 2 occasions.
Synthetic is great for turbo engines because of the heat they create and is great for cold weather as JCO said.

[Bigpineguy Retired]

Thanks for the input gang......I will probably just go with the regular good oil....thinking of going with Mobil1


BPG~

[Terryl]

Mobil 1 has a brand just for that, it's for high mileage cars and trucks. (and no I'm not trying to push Mobil 1)

[burnsy]

Not sure where you live but I have been in the car biz for 35 years and you can't go wrong using a good brand (moble, Castrol, Penzoil) and do them every 3 months as the seasons change or 5000km oil changes are cheap and you can tell alot about your engine by watching the old oil if like me you live with cold temp 30 to -20 six months of the year I always change to a lighter grade 0W30 come late fall and then in spring 5W30 for my cars and 10W30 form my trucks

[Bigpineguy Retired]

Shouldn't I use the recommended weight of oil for what my car takes?


BPG~

[burnsy]

Yes you should

[zoogor]

always use the recommended weight. my experience with synthetic oil tells me that you should use it if you plan on keeping you vehicle(s) any amount of time. as stated above, the oil is cleaner and i mean almost like new after 5000kms (3000 miles). the only thing is, from what i hear, once you go synthetic you shouldn't go back to regular.
i recommend it but it's your call.

[Terryl]

I even put the 10W/30 Mobil 1 in my lawn tractor and got 3 extra acres to one tank of 5 gallons of fuel.

[satchick]

I use synthetic in the Lincoln, and the Ranger. I've tried Royal Purple, and while it's excellent oil it's overkill for a street driven car... Mobil 1 is what's recommended by most car manufacturers, and 9 times out of 10 when you get synthetic from the factory it's going to be Mobil 1.

Synthetic is much cleaner; after the first drain at 10,000KM I sent a sample to Blackstone and it still had a bit of life left, and actually had less metal content than a previous sample of dino oil that I had sent in.

[BHill]

I use Mobil 1 extended life in my blazer since it was new in 2005. It gets an oil change every 12months and has passed the emissions test in Ontario last yr.
Starts good even in the cold (-30F). Even after a year of both highway and city driving the oil looks good. I have 102,000 mile on the vehicle now and no oil leaks. Runs quiet as well. I also tow a 3000 lb boat all summer with it.
I also have it in my wife's 2003 Honda SiR and it has 200,000 miles on it. Also no oil leaks.
Do I know what I'm talking about, well I have been a class A mechanic since 1975.

[Pollypurabred]

I agree that Mobil 1 is probably one of the best for personal vehicle although, to be honest, I have never tried another brand.

Be interesting to hear if anyone else has tried another brand.

[bluepenguin]

I use Valvoline Synpower full synthetic and prefer it over Mobile 1
I've also used Napa's own brand of full synthetic and get the same life out of it as Mobile 1
I'm an auto Mechanic and have used them all at some point