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I started learning about oils about 7 or 8 years ago when I had an engine in my 60s Mercedes eat itself within six months of the EPA mandating lower levels of additives in oils. And it's gotten worse since then. This is all due to rules concerning catalytic converters and warranties on them. The additives protect your engines very very well, but they also are death to a catalytic converter. When oils were at the older 1600ppm standard, almost nobody's CAT would last close to 100K miles. So they lowered it to 1200ppm and more of them are making it to 100K. Soon it will be 800ppm or lower as they are aiming for mandating lifetime durability.
So your CAT lasts for the life of the car. Too bad your engine won't.
Note - oils sold in other countries don't follow this idiocy. It's why you rarely hear of engines dying from oil related issues overseas. a CAT is cheap to replace compared to the entire block.
Most people don't pay attention to what oil goes into their engines yet it seems more cars are making it to 200k than ever. My MIL has almost 190k on her '05 Camry without any special care regarding oil. Like most, when the oil change light comes on, she takes it in for an oil change.
I know what you mean regarding the cats. We purchased a new boat last year that has catalytic converters (thanks EPA) and it states in the manual that a specified synthetic oil must be used in order to protect cats.
I also know that the VW 2.0T is underrated. One magazine ventured to say that " it is the strongest 200 HP we have ever seen". Still... It tells me that the Germans are still more reputable than the Koreans. A 50 HP deficit is substantial. If it came in at 170 I would be fine with that. Cadillac also took a hit when it's 2.0T(270HP) was accused of being 40 HP short by C/D in a recent comparo against it's nemesis ; the BMW 528.I guess it is legal to advertise 270HP ; even if it's only between 5700 to 5701rpm. The next car I buy is going to be a step up to luxury sport sedans; and I will make sure it's numbers are vetted.
I see by your post that you have engine repair experience, so I consider your advice to be accurate/expert. Still, I read that the K&N was even better at filtering fine particulates, even when new. So, I will check into it further. The good news is I am not married to it. I can always just pop in a OEM type unit.
That or very good at getting most of the power to the ground. Regardless, I've sampled a few and they do indeed feel strong for their power rating. Probably has to do with having a broad powerband.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vV0Wq23Y9_M
It's not loud enough that it sounds like a boy-racer Civic Del-Sol with primer ground effects,neon lights underneath, formula one sized wing, stuffed with sub-woofers, and a trash can sized exhaust pipe. LOL.
See funny commercial here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JXhZqW-4vV8
1200ppm seems to be the lower limit for those engines, but you don't know how your older engine will run on the newer 800ppm oils until you see it blow up (or not).
"High mileage" oil is regular 800ppm oil that is allowed to be at the older 1200ppm standard by the EPA. Any sane person, IMO, would want to run with higher levels of anti-wear additives in their engine and ignore whether the cat will live an extra few years. My car has 120K on it and it's already worn out enough without playing Roulette with the oil.
Note - about synthetic. Synthetics are superior to conventional oils in every way except for one:
- They have a specific issue in that while they fail at vastly greater intervals than conventional oil, when they do fail, minus the anti-wear additives, they provide almost no protection. That is, the base stock that they use for conventional oil provides some innate protection. You can even clean it and recycle it for another use. You cannot do this with synthetic. Once it's used, it's done with.
So as long as you change your synthetic oil often enough, that is, before it fails, you're good to go. But since every synthetic is formulated differently and every manufacturer's interval is different, well, it's kind of a big single issue in my mind. Can you go 10K? 15k? 20k? Who knows?
IMO, the smart compromise is a synthetic blend as if the synthetic part fails for whatever reason, there's still something to fall back on. Maybe not a lot, but probably just enough to keep your bottom bearings from eating themselves. And, it's a lot cheaper as well.
Never heard this before. I wonder why they let you recycle synthetic in the same vat with regular oil if they are a ticking bomb about to fail. :confuse:
Valvoline mixes 50% processed but used oil with 50% new oil in their formulation. Others may vary.
(from their site/advert)
"When you buy a new bottle of motor oil, what you're actually getting is a liquid that contains 85 percent motor oil and 15 percent additives. When that motor oil runs through your engine for a few thousand miles and gets "used," all that really happens is that additives get contaminated and useless, while the 85 percent motor oil is still there, still okay. This 85 percent is called base oil, and it can be reclaimed and turned into new motor oil."
They can get away with this trick because in most cars, they can actually go 5-6K or more between changes now, and since a lot of people still change conventional oils at 3-4K, there's a decent enough safety margin.
$24,375 with the "convenience" group. (comparable to EX trim on Honda and Kia)
$26,755 with the leather group
$29,000. Leather/convenience/Turbo
These prices and specs fall right in line with all of our cars.
The engine specs totally meet all the mid size sedan specs: 180 HP 2.4, 250 HP Turbo 4.
6 speed automatic or, astonishingly for a Buick, a 6 speed manual is available with the Turbo.
I found the specs on Buick's site: http://www.buick.com/verano-luxury-sedan/features-specs/trims-equipment-groups.h- tml
I'll explain, we bought a 2006 Civic new in Oct 2005, it was my first Honda of any type. I routinely checked on TSB's for the then new Civic just to keep an eye on things. In the summer of 2006 a TSB showed up with the picture of a Civic block (front and rear) and outlined in RED were the paths two potential cracks in the block one in front and one in back. I began to see reports soon after of owners having cracking blocks which immediately dumped the coolant destroying the engines. These people were complaining that these cracks were showing up without any negative input from them i.e. running low on coolant/oil etc. Honda was denying claims left and right fixing them with new short blocks and charging the customer whatever the freight would bear ...the more they complained the more Honda would pony-up. Some paid the entire thing (around $5000), some paid different amounts depending on the level of customer complaint or Honda loyalty meaning they owned several Honda's previously. Honda actually required receipts of ALL Honda services done only at a Honda service center before even considering compensation. Thing is, this was a metalurgy or engineering issue and it continued from the 2006 through 2008 model years. No, it never happened to me BUT in January of 2011 I (and all Current Civic owners) received an "extended engine warranty" covering the cracked block problem. This after "only" 6 years of ownership. Honda finally fessed up to having a problem. Countless owners paid varying amounts to have this fixed over the years leading up to this. So, the idea of quickly addressing this particular problem on Honda's part is a joke. Kicking and screaming maybe!!
http://www.vtec.net/articles/view-article?article_id=1136687&page_number=2
Ford has some very good offerings in the last few years. Also of note, Ford did not have to take a government, we taxpayer, bailout as did GM and Chrysler which is now owned by a foreign company. Kind of again. Didn't Mercedes Benz buy Chrysler over 10 years ago?
The Buick weighs more because it has a lot more sound deadening and laminated glass. The reason the drivetrain is diffierent is to differentiate it from the Cruze and make it more of a premium car or Buick. If it was the same drivetrain everybody would just buy a loaded Cruze and that GM is badge engineering again. In fact, a lot of people that don't know any better still say that the Verano is just a fancy Cruze. I don't agree at all as I really like the Verano. But just because something is priced similarly doesn't put it automatically in the same class of car. The Ford Focus is priced very similar to many midsize cars but nobody is comparing it to a Camry.
Granted the Cruze and the Verano are both on the large side of the compact like the Sentra but they are all compact, not midsize entries.
I agree that the Verano is an interesting car as it seems to provide a lot of room inside, quiet and seemingly luxurious with a compact outside and good power with the turbo. I like it and would consider it but I would realize that I was stepping into a compact premium sedan and not a mainstream midsize sedan as we discuss here
I just don't know if I'm ready to try GM again after having so many over the years that just needed too many dealer visits during warranty and too many costly repairs after the warranty. I was almost exclusively GM for about 20 years and finally got fed up. Switched to 3 Japanese vehicles about 12 years ago and have been astounded by the difference in quality and ownership experience. Just let go of my 10 year old Infiniti which cost virtually nothing in repairs and warranty adjustments were a grand total of 1 minor issue.
But the Verano is a compact semi-luxury or premium car that could be an alternative for some people. It's just not a mainstream midsize car.
The Sport C/D tested the with the 6 speed manual got to 60 in 6.6 secs. Strong 2.4 Earth Dreams engine! The Sport with the 18's fooled me into thinking it was a V6. Priced right too.
http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2013/04/top-picks-2013/index.htm
Midsized sedan
Honda Accord
The Accord was redesigned for 2013, and Honda nailed it, sending this sedan to the top of its class. This new model is roomy, nice to drive, well equipped, and very fuel efficient. With its four-cylinder engine, the Accord squeezes out 30 mpg overall and 40 on the highway, which is as good as the tiny Honda Fit. Higher-trim models have safety features seldom found in this category. And the Accord’s price is very reasonable: $23,270 to $30,860.
There's a TSB # available in the 9th generation forums in a sticky thread at:
www.driveaccord.net
gotta run and so can't look it up right now, but I'll try to later.
GE makes jet engines AND toasters so what is your point? Consumer reports has a lot of experts from a lot of fields. If their staff of experts says something someone doesn't agree with do you just trash them? They go to great lengths to be honest and accurate. They tell you up front what they tested and how they tested it.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFTuxYMVY2I
CR certainly has their reputation for un-biased testing. Personally I just give more credence to automotive reports from testers who are more involved with the automotive industry. Trashing them? Hardly.
Cheers.
TD
I too was a GM guy from the beginning, every vehicle. The last two cars (and current) have been Ford Taurus's with almost 200,000 miles on both. What a difference in low maintenance and lack of issues. Though they still have their quirks. I am purchasing a new car this spring and it will be Japanese.
Furthermore, most luxury sedans and many crossovers share their underpinnings with the mid-size sedans their company produces. Take the Camry. The Venza, Solara, Rav-4, Lexus RX-350 and 4 Lexus sedan models are all based on the Camry. With Toyota at least, the Camry IS the franchise. There has to be a robust platform with top notch power-trains and advanced electronic systems so the various companies do not have to re-invent the wheel on their more profitable vehicles. Of course this platform sharing has been done for ages. So, the consumer really does win when 75% of their mid-size sedan is designed to pass mustard in luxury vehicles costing far more.
Your point is still true though, it the midsized car has to be all things.
"With Toyota at least, the Camry IS the franchise. There has to be a robust platform...."
Not sure I'd call the Camry platform robust. As the president of IIHS said, "Toyota engineers have a lot of work to do to catch up with the competition," including your Optima!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LNG7Nm9XDko
As I posted I have owned all domestic vehicles, (and almost all Japanese Motorcycles). . After some researching it seems customer support from the import manufacturers and dealers is consistently better. The term "they all do that" is not the correct answer for someone having issues with their vehicle. To each his own indeed but personally I'm buying an import this time.
Yeah, I agree about the improved interiors.
My 2008 Accord EXL is a very nice car, but when I test drove a 2013 Accord EXL it seemed very close to an Acura or Lexus to me....
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Correction on the ES..... It is based on the new Avalon for 2013 All data in my statement was based on major automotive magazines.
The point was about platform sharing. It gets a better vehicle to the consumer that otherwise would not be possible unless the platform is shared with more profitable models. Also, selling 300,000 Camryoptmaltmafusionassat's helps a lot!!