Synthetic motor oil

xwesx

The only concern for older filters is the condition of the seal, which will degrade (harden) over time depending on the storage conditions. If it is not showing signs of cracking or flaking, it should be fine.

jeffyscott

I meant the comments I had found by searching were old, not the filters.

jeffyscott

One difference I did notice is the listed weight of the filters. Autozone has the following for my car:

Fram 0.15 lbs
STP 0.2 lbs
Mobil 0.256 lbs
K&N 0.15 lbs

If pictures are accurate, there are some differences in the ends, the ones with black plastic pieces look more durable to me.

ruking1

Either could be the exact one for your particular vehicle. Mine most looks like the second or lower picture. Each filter come with one LARGE O ring and one much smaller o ring. As you probably are aware, there is a TOP and bottom designation. It should be heeded.

ruking1

The oil filter called for for my vehicle (or the ones I have been using for 153,000 miles) is the MANN HU 726/2X.

Mr_Shiftright

There are however, a few types of cars that are sensitive to filter brands. It's rare but it happens.

ruking1

Yes and absolutely. Why? I really haven't a clue.
My take is IF that happens to be true in one's case : FLOW or roll with it, aka don't use the filter that doesn't seem to work.

That is true for oil also. I know for example Mobil One (synthetic oil) tends to run well in Toyota Landcruisers, Honda Civic's and Corvette Z06's. It certainly has been the utter trooper in Jetta TDI's.

jeffyscott

Now that our Jetta that requires synthetic is out of warranty, I am thinking I can maybe ignore the time interval and change oil just based on mileage?

We have been changing oil every 12 months per the VW schedule. This was typically about 7000 miles. The mileage is not low due to very short trips, my wife's commute is about 12 miles and 20 minutes each way.

I don't want to do oil analyses, but I am wondering if I can feel pretty safe in going to an OCI of 10,000 miles with full synthetic even if that means going 18 months between oil changes?

ruking1

I would feel more than safe doing that (10,000 miles interval driven). As you probably heard me say (but might not agree with) even 10,000 miles OCI is over kill, given the correct oils.

Having said that, the (gasser) VW 1.8 T engine might be an interesting exception. VW just settled a CAS saying (I have read in passing and this is by far NOT the gospel) they would bear all expenses on documented OCI's and 50% for more sketchy paperwork, in sludge case issues. After repair, they agreed to another warranty, 10 years /100,000. They also will issue new OCI's. So some would see this as vindication to probably a long and frustrating scenario. That is indeed the good news. The bad news is the 1.8 t engine, whether repaired or NOT, STILL cooks oil.

krzyss

Short trips only are very hard on engine oil but 20 minutes is not that short.
I would still probably stick to once a year oil change.

Krzys

xwesx

Without doing an oil analysis, it is really hard to say whether an extra six months would be fine or not, because while the oil is likely fine in terms of contaminants, it is the total base number (TBN) that can be low at that twelve-month mark. Once the oil gets down to about 1.0 TBN, its ability to neutralize combustion acids in the engine deteriorates. And, if the oil becomes acidic, the engine internals will corrode.

Personally, I would do a 12-month UOA with TBN, but not change the oil at the same time, to see how the oil looks at that interval. The analysis only requres three ounces of oil, so an oil change is not necessary. If your TBN is around 4 and there are no other contaminants, I would run it to 18 months and feel confident about it.

Yes, the analysis will cost you about the same as an oil change, but two 18-month intervals will make up for it, and after that it's all savings.

Sandman6472

Now that I'm basically retired & don't plan to look for a part time gig for awhile, my mileage has gone down by 2/3. Seems logical for me to just do the oil & filter change once a year. Can I still use the dino oil that I've used all this time or is it best to just switch to synthetic? Most of my driving is short term...not even maybe 8 miles total. The car is an '06 Civic with 30.4k on the odo.

Not sure which will be better for the engine at this point since I'll be keeping this car for another 5 years at least. T I A for all your help with this matter! Right now, my guy uses Kendall synthetic blend and the oil minder gets to 15% around 7600 miles or so.

The Sandman :sick: :shades:

xwesx

How many miles in twelve months are you talking about? If you're down to 3 or 4 thousand, I would go for it.

ruking1

Stay with your conventional oil. It is 5w20 I take it?

ruking1

Let me be the first to say this is an apples to oranges comparison and might be totally off topic.

I just recently took a 94 TLC (I-6) with 187,000 miles on the clock (needing an oil change @ app 20,000 miles OCI (yes I did change it @ app 22,000 miles) to a CA state smog only station" for its smog test. The last major "tune up" is inxs of 30,000 miles ago. The vehicle is 17 years old. Essentially the MEASURED/detected mitigated emissions were all ZERO's !!!!!!! Needless to say.... all PASS !!!!! Good for another 2 years when it will again face the smog [non-permissible content removed]'s who will probably want dearly to EXECUTE this vehicle.

More on topic, the 7 or so quarts (Mobil One 5w30 )and FRAM PH8A oil filter (13 years old) were changed. If anybody wants a sample for a UOA, let me know I can arrange to keep the next sample for you. Indeed just send me the kit and I will send the sample to a lab of one's choice. :shades:

jeffyscott

So TBN may potentially decline to a questionable level based just on time?

I had always thought the time based OCI was based on an assumption that if you did not hit the mileage figure, you were probably doing a lot of short trips.

shipo

TBN can decline, that said, all oils that are certified to meet the VW 502.00 oil specification are good for at least a couple of years without a measurable decline in TBN.

Sandman6472

5W20 is the recommended oil & at this point, I'll be lucky to see 2k miles this year alone, so figured the once/year dino swap should cover all the bases...synthetic might be overkill as I'd never go past the 12 month change interval no matter what...so I'd be wasting $ actually I guess. Right now have 50% on the oil minder so I've a bit to go till I hit 15%.

The Sandman :confuse: :sick: :shades:

jeffyscott

I found some more information, in Europe VW offers what they call "long life service regime". This would be with oil monitoring, but does allow up to a maximum of 2 years. However this requires a long life oil and their guidance also says:

To obtain the most benefit from the LongLife service regime, the car should to be generally driven in a style/condition of use listed below:
• Mainly longer distance journeys
• Limited number of cold starts, engine is kept at operating temperature over a longer period of time.
• Daily mileage above approx. 25 miles.
• Constant speed.
• Vehicle used regularly.

Our usage does not really seem to fit what they suggest there...so for us, without going to the trouble of doing oil analysis, it would probably best to just stick with 12 months.

ruking1

5w20 has been proven to be a VERY robust specification. This has been proven both over many years, miles and UOA's. I think that almost all vendors (blenders, refiners, etc) offer a 5w20 product. If you want to carry it to the TMI level, a UOA competition will show pathways. 5w20 really has BEEN, to becoming the new (ubiquituous) "5w30", as it took over from 10w30, which took over from 10w40. I even hear tell Toyota has respecified 5w20 (to 0w20- for products specifying 5w20 you CAN use 0w20) for some to most of its' offerings.

Now there has been comparisons between different viscosities as to which viscosity yields BETTER wear metals (aka LOWER). But for a general audience, this discussion can be labeled; arcane.

ruking1

Right and you also have to remember that autbahn travel can dictate much higher speeds and in effect much more "demanding" conditions for the same specifications' oils.

On the other hand, even people who follow and do UOA's really have a hard time believing (at times) the stuff written in black and white (color too in this day and age) laying right in front of them.

ruking1

Actually there is a reason for the offer in the last paragraph of this post #8916. First off, NONE of the doubters have (EVER) taken me up on this. Most I think are afraid their fears will be proven wrong. I also think it would literally GAUL them to submit the (my) sample to a lab of their choice and have to say in print they were.... WRONG. Another reason might be that the results of the sample will not be sent to me. It would be hard for me to lie about a document and sample that I didn't have control of????? In effect, they can really say what they want about a document that I do not have and that THEY have paid for.

tamu2002

For those who're still interested, here's an update on my Honda Accord presumably burning oil. I monitored the level until its recent oil change and saw no dropping in the oil level. I don't know why I saw what I saw initially, but am just happy that my Accord does NOT appear to burn ANY oil

I use Castrol 5W-20, OEM oil filter. OCI is ~7K miles, 7 months.

ruking1

Honda recommends 10,000 miles OCI's (conventional oil) for the 04 Civic. What does Honda recommend for yours? 7,000 miles seems way too early to consume even a little bit, which is normal. Mine uses 1/4 to 1/2 qt (8 to 16 oz.) of oil in a 20,000 miles OCI. The consumption does not SEEM to start until 15,000 miles.

tamu2002

I go by the minder and change it at 15%. I pay less than $15 per change.

jpf

Just purchased a 1994 Pontiac Grand Prix with 125k miles. The car is located at our second home in Mississippi. The car will sit 3 to 4 months at a time without being driven. I was planning to use Mobil 1 Advanced synthetic oil for high mileage (75k miles) vehicles. The engine is GM's 3100 V6 and runs strong. Any suggestions would be appreciated. Thank you.

Mr_Shiftright

For only 3-4 months not much you have to do here except deal with battery issues---either disconnect the battery (and remember any radio codes, etc!!!) or put a battery tender on the vehicle; however, if the vehicle will remain untended with no one looking in on it, then I wouldn't hook up anything electrical directly to the car. If you are storing the car in a very damp/humid place (garage in humid climate with concrete walls) then I'll take that back and tell you to put a small fan under the car, crack the windows ever so slightly, and cover it with a very light dust cloth that is breathable. Gas/oil should be fine sitting for 3-4 months but if it extends to 6 months, consider using a fuel stabilizer.

kellysiak

I welcome any suggestions or comments on my car issue - I have a 2000 Toyota Camry 4 cyl which has 97K and I have been experiencing problems with losing oil at a rate of 1 1/2 qts per 1200 miles since about 70K miles. Toyota dealerships service department state it is a normal occurence to lose this much oil with no signs of usage??? This sounds completely Odd since I have always owned Toyota's and never had a problem with oil usage until this vehicle (which was purchased new and only serviced at Toyota). Please advise your thoughts .. Trade it ... Keep it and keep adding oil .. or pitch a fit with Toyota?

Mr_Shiftright

Well you're either leaking it or burning it, so that would be the first step--to determine cause of the loss.

For spotting a leak, you'd have to lift the car and look for what I would suspect would be a considerable "oil wash" underneath the car. That's not as big a leak as it sounds (those little drops add up) but it's serious.

For oil burning, you can perform, or have the dealer perform, a cylinder leakdown test, in which compressed air is injected into each cylinder and the rate of escaping pressure is measured over time. This test is also good because it can possibly tell you not only that you have internal engine wear, but perhaps the cause of it. For instance, a clever technician might notice air escaping out the tail pipe, through the crankcase breather, or through the air filter---each one telling him something different as to the cause of the internal engine wear.

Given the age and mileage on the car, I would not get my hopes up about Toyota doing anything about it. If it is any consolation, since the oil burning rate has stabilized, your car will probably run like that for a long long time, as long as you keep the oil topped up.

Oh, one last thing. Have the PCV (positive crankcase ventilation) system checked for blockage. A non-breathing crankcase will push out oil anywhere it can.

eladoj

I was on the scene as a Mobil Oil management employee in 1975 and ran an award winning Auto service center in 1979 for Sales and Profit.-Mobil 1 at that time was a 50,000 mile oil with filter removal at 25,000 and changed plus add 1 quart.My dad bought a brand new Corvette and after breakin was done Mobil 1 was put in and at 25,000 the filter was changed and at 50,000 it was total changed.The drained oil was clean and looked almost brand new.I have 221,000 on a 1997 Ford Truck V-8 that uses Mobil 1.--A 1967 Chevrolet Caprice Classic with 54,000 and was changed over to Mobil 1--.A 2007 Ford Taurus with 80,000 uses Vavoline synthetic.--Have not been able to find out why Mobil 1 was downgraded to 15,000 miles.--Any answers?

xwesx

Have you run oil analyses on the oil at change to determine whether wear metals and TBN were within tolerable limits? Those are primary factors in determining the suitability of oil.

I suspect that the 15,000 interval for M1-Extended is a safe bet by the manufacturer in lieu of analysis. In other words, one could use the oil at that interval in most vehicles and expect that were it to be analysed after 15K, it would be readily protecting the engine. Beyond that and the specific application, quality of filtering, etc., would play roles in how long it would last before protection diminished.

hpmctorque

The car: My daughter's '02 Jetta 2.0 with ~81,000 miles.

The issue: Two types of oil approved by VW for this engine are Mobil 1 5W40 and Castrol synthetic 5W40. My daughter took her car to a local gas station for an oil change and asked for synthetic. No other instructions. The old Castrol oil was replaced with Duralene 5W30 full synthetic. I'm not familiar with this brand so I don't know the quality of this product.

After having been driven about 1,400 miles since this oil change the level is down about 1/3 quart. That's normal for this car.

Question: I have a supply of Castrol 5W40 synthetic. Would it be okay to use the Castrol to bring the level to the "full" line sometime before the level gets to the "add" mark? In other words, would mixing oil brands damage the engine or cause adverse effects? It would be convenient, since I already have the oil, but I don't want to cause any harm. Please advise.

shagnat

Not a problem to use those two oils together. However, being down 1/3 qt. is not a concern. You're fine just as it is.

hpmctorque

Thanks. I'm just planning ahead on what to do when the dipstick reading is close to the "add" line.

hpmctorque

What do you think about topping off the Duralene 5W30 full synthetic that's in the crankcase with fresh Castrol 5W40 full synthetic that's approved by VW for use in the 2002 2.0 engine?

I already have cans of the Castrol, so it would be convenient and economical to use it if mixing the Duralene with Castrol doesn't harm the engine.

xwesx

I'm a little concerned that the car is supposed to have 5W40 and the shop put 5W30 in it. 30-weight oil is quite a bit lighter than 40-weight.

vipasynthetics

The weight or Viscosity is not as important as the specification requirements that the engine oil must meet. different viscosities can be used depending on temperature conditions you live and drive in...and the manual usually states what the recommended or the all temperature viscosity should be...
First thing to do... verify in your owners manual as to the spec needed for your vehicle.......depending on what car it is , will make a difference as to the spec....it may be a API, or MB or V W.....I dont know what make and model you have....but the maunal will state the spec requirements
next check the spec of the 5w-30 oil the shop used....you can ask them, if you dont know......did the oil the shop used meet the spec ? If so, I wouldnt worry about it. But if not, the shop needs to know, and should change out the incorrect oil to a correct spec oil..........
Recently a new law or requirement has been adopted in many states. the new requirement calls for the shop, quick lube, dealer or other to state on the receipt, the brand, the viscosity and the spec of the oil they installed.....
I know for a fact that many, many, many shops use 1 oil for all cars..which is harmful if the oil does not meet the spec required....
With the variety of auto manufacturers it is difficult but necessary for installers to have a variety of oils on hand, due to the variety of specs needed today....seems like every manufacturer is requiring their own spec....
there is GM's Dexos spec and other specs by GM....Mercedes ben,z MB specs......VW specs.....diesel specs....Ford specs.....and etc....your owners manual states the spec...the oil used must have the spec on the back of the bottle...
So, next time you get an oil change, know what spec your car needs and tell the shop....to get your piece of mind.....The spec can also be met in a varitey of viscosities. Thats why the Viscosity whether a 5-40 or 5-30 is not nearly as important as the spec requirement............Hope this will help

hpmctorque

Thanks, xwesx.

hpmctorque

Thanks, vipasyn.

roadburner

I thought I'd take a shot at reviving this thread this thread- I've owned the car since new and I've run Mobil 1 5W-30 since the first oil change at 5,000 miles. I switched from a 5,000 mile to a 7,500 mile change interval at 69,000 miles and I switched to Mobil 1 5W-30 Extended performance at 114,700 miles. The only mods are a Mazdaspeed Cold Air Intake and a Hypertech tune:

wyrtwister

When we purchased our little red 2015 Chevy Sonic , new , I discovered Chevy specified Dexos spec oil . After a little research , I discovered the bottom tier Dexos oil is a synthetic blend .

I have always put Dexos spec synthetic oil in the Sonic , Purchase oil & filters on sale & change it myself .

Runs fime with a little over 45,000 miles on the clock .

Wyr
God bless

Sandman6472

Thinking that using synthetic oil on any vehicle isn't always overkill. With all the excess heat that these small 4 cylinder turbos give off, pure synthetic oil can possibly keep the engine running so much better. A lot of folks do severe driving condition miles so to me, paying the little extra for synthetic oil is worth it. Nothing wrong with some extra maintenance so the engine will last that much longer. And run much better with as little turbo lag as possible. I know I want my vehicles to have high mpg's without doing any damage to the engine. It's just like insurance, and it's an amount I am willing to pay for longer engine life.

The Sandman

Mr_Shiftright

Using the correct oil specified by your manufacturer is critically important in modern engines. So if you go to those quick-change places you'd better be darn sure they are using the exact specification you require.