The one Mazda we have calls for 5W-20 even though the same FoMoCo engine used in Europe calls for 5W-30, as such, I've been running 0W-30 since the first oil change.
Tommy, I have no experience with diesel engines in particular, but I switched two "high mileage" gasoline engines to a lightweight synthetic (0W-30) and have, so far, experienced no issues with leaks or burning oil. The first engine was a 3.8L Chrysler engine with 173,000 miles and the second was a 2.0L Ford engine with 108,000 miles. Respectively, I have put 42,000 miles and 20,000 miles on them since the change over.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Shifty - have you pinpointed the source of the consumption? I'm wondering because my '96 drank about a quart per thousand miles at the end (220,000 miles). I did not see any blue smoke or external leaks, though, so I never got serious about correcting it.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Thanks for sharing this! That looks like excellent feedback from Blackstone. I was considering using them for a UOA on my new Forester since I plan to run extended drain intervals. Given the expense, I was hoping for good value. Do you recommend their service?
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Ugh. To heck with catching up on the 80+ posts over the last week or so.
Well, it's just what 2.5L Subaru engines do
Hahah; okay, fair enough! I check my oil far more often than that out of habit from driving old vehicles, but just wondered if there was a specific issue yours was having (rings, valve guides, etc) that was causing excessive consumption.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Yes I do. As a matter of fact, I just sent a sample off today. I also have them test the TBN, which tells how much of the active additives are left in the oil. As I noted earlier, I run a 5000 mile OCI in my Mazda. My wife's 2004 X3 goes @8500 miles between changes and at 88000 miles its UOAs also look very good- I'm currently using Mobil 1 5W-40.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Thanks; I appreciate the response. I feel a bit like I am jumping off the deep end of a pool blindfolded, as I know no one locally who has their oil tested and there are no local vendors for this service.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
We must be very lucky. My first boxer engine was in a VW squareback, and it used a little oil, so I was prepared for some oil use by our subarus - but none have burned or leaked oil. That includes a 91 legacy wagon sold at 188K about 5 years ago, my son's 94 legacy sedan with 167K, my wife's 07 Forester and my 09 Outback (the latter 2 get Castrol Edge and the 94 gets Castrol hi mileage). It has been downright boring checking the oil in the 5 vehicles in the garages & barn. Our only "oil burner" is my 2000 Ford F150 with 202K miles - it uses a whopping 1/2 qt about every 1000 miles (also gets Castrol hi mileage).
160K on 2001 legacy GT driven hard over the years it doesn't burn enough oil to measure up - been running synthetic since 15,000 miles engine runs like a charm.
1993 Toyota Landcruiser 2nd owner 130,000 miles on it- 1st owner was religious pensoil dude - it burns about a quart of oil every 3500 miles.
2001 Jetta 1.8T - burns about a quart of oil every 3800 miles and it has 56,000 miles on it - running normal dino oil since day one and wife driven - ie babied.
Keep in mind that VW absolutely requires the use of synthetic oil for the 1.8T engine, in addition, you must use synthetic oil that meets the VW 502.00 oil specification (of which there are only a few on the market). If you opt to stay with conventional oil the chances of your engine, babied though it may be, of seeing 100,000 miles are somewhere between slim and none.
Sorry to say it, but at this late stage in the game it may already be too late for your motor as there is a very high likelihood that it is heavily sludged inside. The typical failure mode for this engine is for it to run perfectly well one day and fail the next with absolutely no warning.
Wow! Only 2.5K after 9 months...... and I thought I didn't drive much @ 6K/12 mos. I just changed oil in a used '08 Azera I recently purchased, and decided to use all Synthetic, Pennzoil I believe is what Sears used. I hope this is a good thing, yes? no? Opinions, please.
Pennzoil Platinum is an excellent synthetic oil. Just make sur your shop uses the correct viscosity. Speaking of which, if your local dealer is incompetent and/or too expensive, I'd strongly recommend that you find a good independent shop to use for service/repairs. I've never been all that impressed with the quality of service that I've received from national chain shops.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Not too worried - the 1.8T was a piece of junk from day one - trust me dino vs synthetic it doesn't matter with that engine running sub 45mph speeds and not being wound up by a 16yr old - what does matter is changing the oil when it needs to be changed vs the early VW recommended 8,000 miles which was later changed - we have never done more than 4-5,000 miles pending the oil status. No sludge build up - which is caused by oil getting dirty and run after its no longer very tolerant of heat. Something turbo engines generate more so than non turbo.
At our current rate the car will be 20yrs old by the time it ever hit 100K trust me we aren't going to own it that long - its paid for gets the wife to the train station thats all we expect from it.
>No sludge build up - which is caused by oil getting dirty and run after its no longer very tolerant of heat.
I don't think the sludging paradigm is quite that simple. Spots that are extra hot in a motor deteriorate the oil bit-by-bit as it flows through that region, even when the oil is fresh. Over a long period of time, that hot spot has deteriorated all of the oil and the oil is much more prone to sludging.
That minivan with 2500 mi in 9 mo. is an extra vehicle. It gets driven about once a week just to keep it from deteriorating too much and also when one of the other 4 vehicles in our household are not working.
However, in my regular car I only have about 22,000 miles after 3 years. My commute to work is less than 10 miles. Your 1000 miles per month is about the average for US, IIRC.
I've queried a number of Subaru specialists about this oil burning problem and got the same answer about the 2.5L. Aside from the rather bad head gasket problem, most of 'em apparently will start consuming oil as they age. This seems logical, as Porsche and air-cooled VWs do the same thing more or less. I dunno, these guys see them all the time. Maybe they are like ER doctors and get a skewed view of the spectrum.
Nothing wrong with using synthetic in an oil-burning car, however.
By the way, nothing wrong with oil-burning either, if it's not excessive. Throwing some oil into the combustion chambers and upper valve stem area is a good thing.
I personally don't find the declaration of "doesn't burn a drop of oil" as reassuring when it comes to engine health. I like to see a quart burned up every 3,000 miles or so.
Oh, well, that's far better than my car's ~quart per 1000. I didn't worry about it given the miles (200K+), but I sure wasn't going to put synthetic in it because it was just too expensive to buy it and run a quart or two through the engine every single month. I don't mind adding a 1/2 gallon or so between annual oil changes (depending on miles driven) on my cars in which I use synthetic, but that car would have drank upwards of 4 gallons of the stuff annually; that would eat up any cost effectiveness extended OCI's provide.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
Ditto for me. I'd use 3 quarts of synthetic between oil changes....so 9 quarts a year. It's a marginal expense, maybe worth it anyway. Oil changes on a Subaru are very easy to do--it just takes 15 minutes, tops.
Yes; they are very easy on all my vehicles (though the oil filter on my minivan is kind of a PITA to access), but I sure like not having to do them in the middle of winter on the icepack in my driveway.
The weekend of July 4 is my annual oil change for all my vehicles... assembly-line fashion!
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I have an 02 F350 7.3 turbo diesel. I do not want to use synthetic. People have told me that I should use 15W40 diesel oil (14 qts) and one qt of Lucas Synthetic Oil Stabilizer. Has anyone done this? What results? Any other rec? Thanks
For good low temperature operation, I would look for an oil that meets your application's API specification, has an SAE rating of 5w-40, and a pour point of -35F or lower. One shouldn't be hard to come by. A 15w-40 engine oil is not going to have as low of a pour point as its 5w-40 counterpart. I think that if you want to stick with 15w-40 and get decent cold-flow properties, you will have to go with synthetic, but then I have not researched every oil on the market.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
i just did an oil change on all my vehicles (3 of them) and my brother in-law's van.... quite the adventure, although my bro-in-law sprang for the ramps this time. (I had been doing it either by just crawling under and dealing with low clearance, but that was impossible on the Impala and so I had to use a jack and jack stands. That really was a pain...
All though all 3 vehicles are a snap to do. An Astro van, and S-10, an Impala and a Caravan.
We recently took in what appeared to be a very nice Audi A6. It checked out fine in our shop but the person who bought it came back a week later. A check engine light had come on and the Audi Dealer told her the engine was badly sludged and needed to be replaced to the tune of almost 10,000.
VW and Audi engines are fairly high specific output engines, similar to pretty much any other German engine you care to mention, all of which require the use of high-end synthetic oil.
I have a beloved old 1992 Ddoge AWD mini van that used to rattle like a typewriter at start up. When Valvoline Max Life came on the market (@ $9.oo for a 5 quart jug at WalMart) I bought enough for the next change...I use 10-30.
At the first cold morning start it fired up in a second and sat there running, quiet as a mouse. I have gone over to Max Life in just about everything we own now and Love the stuff. There has been some price creep on it and I now see that it comes in some sort of Synthetic formula as well, but for the old
3.3 V6 in the 1992 Dodge Van, 3.5 V6 in the 1994 Maxima, 5 ltr V8 in the 1992 Ford F 150 3.8 ltr V6 1997 Buick Park AVE Ultra It's all they get now and they all run like a top.
I use Penzoil Platinum 5-30 in the 2007 Nissan Versa and our 2003 Honda Odyssey.(this stuff is a little pricy, but AMAZING)
and am still looking for the one 'Great Oil' for the 2006 VW Jetta TDI that has a reputation for eating Cams and Followers for 3 meals a day.
I agree regarding national chains not doing a very good job on a day-in day-out basis. However, in this case I was at Sears looking for tires and needed an oil change and since it was ~6pm and not many place from which to choose, I decided to have it done there. I doubt I will use Sears exclusively, but, at least they're a good backup IMO. I was able to watch the guy do the work and even went out and talked with him a bit as he was doing it. Thanks for your opinion on the Pennzoil. It's my first oil change for the Azera and made the decision to go with synthetic oil since I only drive ~6K/yr and will probably do 2 oil changes per year using the synthetic. Does that sound logical?
I'm sure this is no longer the case but we used to call sludged up engines "Pennzoil Engines".. You could always tell if someone used Pennzoil or Quaker State becaue the engines were gunked up.
Just that long ago memory would stop me from using it now.
My Toyota dealer uses Pennzoil full synthetic.. So were the sludged engines only due to Pennzoil? And each dealer uses a different company. Very few dealers here in Texas use Quaker state.It is mostly Pennzoil and occasionally Valvoline and most certainly not Amsoil :P .. So do you have any sludged engine stories?? And I dont think customers can ask the dealer for a specific company`s oil to be used?? they use the oil with which they have an affiliation or agreement.. :shades:
Yes, I have a sludge story that I've told here before.
Back in the late sixties when I was in high school, I worked part time in a gas station that did a lot of business.
I was lucky to have worked with an old timer mechanic who really knew his stuff. You'll notice I didn't call him a "technician". He was a mechanic who knew how to fix (rather than just replace) things.
He told me how he had worked as a line mechanic at a Cadillac Dealer.
When customers would bring their Cadillacs in for their first service, they would be asked if they perferred Pennzoil or Havoline and their records would reflect this and that is what would be used.
In those days, he said, at 50,000 miles they would pull and clean the oil pans.
The Havoline cars were so clean that they would wipe the pans out with a rag. After awhile, they quit doing the 50K pan cleaning jon on the Havoline cars.
The Pennzoil cars were a different story! They would have to scrape the gunk out with a putty knife. when they pulled valve covers, the rockers would be covered in goo. The Pennzoil Cadillacs needed engine jobs early in their lives.
So every time we would pull off a valve cover and we saw a gooey mess we would ask the customer what kind of oil he used...you guessed it!
HAVING SAID ALL OF THIS....
There is little doubt in my mind that this doesn't happen anymore. still, I won't use the stuff.
If you take a car in for an oil change and do not bring your own oil, you get the brand they use. However, most (maybe all?) quick lube places will install customer oil and/or filters, at least around here. At the local Wal-Mart, they charge a set price for whatever oil change service the customer wants and lets that customer choose from any oil they sell on the shelf. So, if the customer wants the basic oil change, they get to choose from the basic oil set. If they want full synthetic then they pay more, but they get to choose from any synthetic on the shelf. I am not sure of all they have, but I know I saw Mobil 1 and a Pennzoil synthetic the last time I walked through that area.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
>now I saw Mobil 1 and a Pennzoil synthetic the last time I walked through that area.
The local store has a lot of different brands of synthetic including Tech----- the Walmart house labeled synthetic which I would be willing to use since it's probably a major brand in their plastic jug.
Yeah, I think ours does as well, given the size of the section. I do not buy any oil or related parts there, so I only see it in passing. But, there is a wide variety from which to choose and service customers can have their pick.
2018 Subaru Crosstrek, 2014 Audi Q7 TDI, 2013 Subaru Forester, 2013 Ford F250 Lariat D, 1976 Ford F250, 1969 Chevrolet C20, 1969 Ford Econoline 100
I do my own oil changes at home. But I'm glad to know you pick any oil and they'll put it in for you. Some time I might want to take advantage of having them change oil in one of the cars...
Yup,agree that Quick lube places use your oil if you provide them...But as I had said ,I always go to the Toyota dealer and I dont think we have a choice at dealership...The dealership prices for oil change are the same as the quick lube places...I personally would never ever go to any place other than the dealer..And walmart--they have many oil fiasco stories.. :P Also Very unusual for a dealer to accept the customer`s oil..Any info on whether they would agree to use the customer`s oil?? Just curious !! :shades:
I had a 1986 Chrysler Laser with the Chrysler 2.5 4 cylinder engine. I had a rebuilt engine put in. A few months after the engine job, the car needed some tires, so I had a local tire outfit replace the tires. The car was almost due for an oil change, so the mechanic asked if they could change the oil. I had the oil change done. On the way home, I notice the oil pressure was low. The Laser had a full set of gauges (oil pressure, temperature, volt meter, etc). I bring the car to the place where I had the motor done and they do some tests and confirm the low oil pressure. They change the oil again using Castrol and the oil pressure was OK. I call up the tire place and ask them what brand of oil they used and they said, you guessed it - Pennzoil. Any way I gave the car to my brother back in 2003 and it's still going strong with over 100k on the rebuilt engine.
I have read the above comments on Penzoil Lube and can't help but wonder just how many years back all this 'Penzoil causes Sludge' B.S. goes...25,35, 50 years ago?.
The reason I use only Penzoil Platinum in my 2 newer vehicles is becasue it won the 'no sludge, no cuttings, no tar, no grime, no black gunk' test on my magnetic oil drain plugs.
Don't believe all the Mobile 1 PR hype you hear about their synthetics, in between my regular PP changes, I ran a Mobile 1 change through the 07 Nissan Versa and after 4,000 miles, to my horror, the magnetic drain plug was covered in a build up of black sludge that was so sticky I had to clean it off with steel wool and solvent.
On the PP changes the plug comes out with just a very fine smudge of grey powder that cleans off instantly with a paper towel.
Even if you are playing the Oil Analyis game at $20.00 a change, buy a good magnetic drain plug and you might be suprised by what your favorite brand of oil is really doing in there.
Ancedotal story (just like all the others) but I have used QS and Pennzoil in the 1970's through the 2000's on various cars - never, not once, did I have any engine sludging or other problems with these lubricants. These oils were used in engines ranging from a Ford 351 to an Olds 455 down to a VW 1.6 and a Chrysler 2.2. I followed all OEM oil change schedules.
(I just re-read my post and I sound like that Amz guy!).
It's my first oil change for the Azera and made the decision to go with synthetic oil since I only drive ~6K/yr and will probably do 2 oil changes per year using the synthetic. Does that sound logical?
If you are going to change oil every 6 mo. and 3000 miles, why not just use conventional oil?
I suppose it's the vivid memory of seeing sludged up engines as a kid that stop me from using Pennzoil or QS today. As I said, I'm pretty sure this wouldn't happen today but with so many other choices and that memory so clear in my head, I just won't use those oils. It wasn't BS. It was for real but that was a long time ago.
Today, I use Castrol Dino oil and change it around 4000 miles and I have no problems. I doubt if I were to switch brands anything would change and if I switched to synthetic I doubt if my cars would last any longer.
The reason for not using conventional oil is; I'm under the impression that conventional oil will not lubricate as well for ~6 months once in the engine and having been driven. IOW, the moisture etc that forms due to my 95% city driving of short hops here and there do not let conventional oils work as designed. Yet synthetics are immune to many of the issues of conventional oil over such a long period of time. I don't know if any of this information is true and accurate, but, it's what I've learned over the last several years. Now, are my sources correct in today's world, who knows, I just know that peace of mind for a ~$50 oil change makes me feel a tad better than a $35 oil change with conventional oil. No, it's the the $15 difference that makes me feel like I'm buying better protection, it's that the $15 2x/yr = $30 and that's a small price to pay IF what I'm saying is actually true. Doesn't really matter if I'm right or wrong, it's a decision I've made and feel good about it. Regarding oil sludge of 2-3 decades ago, I totally agree with the Quaker State sludge issues, not familiar with the Pennzoil ones tho. I NEVER used Quaker Sludge in any car I drove unless it was an emergency. (remember during the 60s up to the 80s we had to change oil every 1-2K miles because oil and gasoline was so dirty with lead and other pollutants and contaminants? Today's gas and oil are far superior to anything we used back in the "old" days. One perk for Havoline........ I had a mechanic tell me to use Havoline oil in an old Buick I owned and had begun to use a little too much oil. I thought "hog wash" but tried it........ Damn if that old Buick didn't quit using oil all together...... didn't even have to add between changes as normal. I'm pretty welll sold on Havoline just for that reason. To each his own, 'coz as always YMMV.
I've had had several old timers swear by Havoline.
Havoline was a Texaco brand and now I don't know who sells it now?
I once took the head off an old Valiant that had over 200,000 miles on it. This was back in the days when cars didn't last nearly that long.
It had a blown head gasket. The engine was as clean as can be inside after all of those miles. The customer only used Havoline. The fact it was a slant six didn't hurt either!
I would see that Valiant running around town ten years after that!
Comments
Thanks for sharing this! That looks like excellent feedback from Blackstone. I was considering using them for a UOA on my new Forester since I plan to run extended drain intervals. Given the expense, I was hoping for good value. Do you recommend their service?
If you buy a used Subaru and don't check the oil every 1500 miles, you're going to have a very bad day.
For my purposes, it is very economical. However, if I drove fewer miles annually per vehicle, it may be more economical to choose a different oil.
Well, it's just what 2.5L Subaru engines do
Hahah; okay, fair enough! I check my oil far more often than that out of habit from driving old vehicles, but just wondered if there was a specific issue yours was having (rings, valve guides, etc) that was causing excessive consumption.
Yes I do. As a matter of fact, I just sent a sample off today. I also have them test the TBN, which tells how much of the active additives are left in the oil. As I noted earlier, I run a 5000 mile OCI in my Mazda. My wife's 2004 X3 goes @8500 miles between changes and at 88000 miles its UOAs also look very good- I'm currently using Mobil 1 5W-40.
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
Hey, you know how it is, YRMV.....also depends how hard you push 'em of course....I'm always pedal to the floor, so.......
1993 Toyota Landcruiser 2nd owner 130,000 miles on it- 1st owner was religious pensoil dude - it burns about a quart of oil every 3500 miles.
2001 Jetta 1.8T - burns about a quart of oil every 3800 miles and it has 56,000 miles on it - running normal dino oil since day one and wife driven - ie babied.
Sorry to say it, but at this late stage in the game it may already be too late for your motor as there is a very high likelihood that it is heavily sludged inside. The typical failure mode for this engine is for it to run perfectly well one day and fail the next with absolutely no warning.
Please review the following two threads for more information on this issue:
pat, "Volkswagen Passat Sludge Issues" #1, 7 Mar 2006 2:11 pm
pat, "Volkswagen Passat Oil Changes & Issues" #1, 13 Mar 2006 11:52 am
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
At our current rate the car will be 20yrs old by the time it ever hit 100K trust me we aren't going to own it that long - its paid for gets the wife to the train station thats all we expect from it.
I don't think the sludging paradigm is quite that simple. Spots that are extra hot in a motor deteriorate the oil bit-by-bit as it flows through that region, even when the oil is fresh. Over a long period of time, that hot spot has deteriorated all of the oil and the oil is much more prone to sludging.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
However, in my regular car I only have about 22,000 miles after 3 years. My commute to work is less than 10 miles. Your 1000 miles per month is about the average for US, IIRC.
Nothing wrong with using synthetic in an oil-burning car, however.
By the way, nothing wrong with oil-burning either, if it's not excessive. Throwing some oil into the combustion chambers and upper valve stem area is a good thing.
I personally don't find the declaration of "doesn't burn a drop of oil" as reassuring when it comes to engine health. I like to see a quart burned up every 3,000 miles or so.
The weekend of July 4 is my annual oil change for all my vehicles... assembly-line fashion!
Mine: 1995 318ti Club Sport-2020 C43-1996 Speed Triple Challenge Cup Replica
Wife's: 2021 Sahara 4xe
Son's: 2018 330i xDrive
All though all 3 vehicles are a snap to do. An Astro van, and S-10, an Impala and a Caravan.
We took the car back.
Of course, with an Audi, nothing surprises me.
That's integrity beyond the call on the part of a dealer. That's the kind of dealership I want to buy a car from.
What is it about the VW's that their motors require synthetic to avoid problems?
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
I have a beloved old 1992 Ddoge AWD mini van that used to rattle like a typewriter at start up.
When Valvoline Max Life came on the market (@ $9.oo for a 5 quart jug at WalMart) I bought enough for the next change...I use 10-30.
At the first cold morning start it fired up in a second and sat there running, quiet as a mouse. I have gone over to Max Life in just about everything we own now and Love the stuff.
There has been some price creep on it and I now see that it comes in some sort of Synthetic formula as well, but for the old
3.3 V6 in the 1992 Dodge Van,
3.5 V6 in the 1994 Maxima,
5 ltr V8 in the 1992 Ford F 150
3.8 ltr V6 1997 Buick Park AVE Ultra
It's all they get now and they all run like a top.
I use Penzoil Platinum 5-30 in the 2007 Nissan Versa and our 2003 Honda Odyssey.(this stuff is a little pricy, but AMAZING)
and am still looking for the one 'Great Oil' for the 2006 VW Jetta TDI that has a reputation for eating Cams and Followers for 3 meals a day.
I doubt I will use Sears exclusively, but, at least they're a good backup IMO. I was able to watch the guy do the work and even went out and talked with him a bit as he was doing it.
Thanks for your opinion on the Pennzoil. It's my first oil change for the Azera and made the decision to go with synthetic oil since I only drive ~6K/yr and will probably do 2 oil changes per year using the synthetic.
Does that sound logical?
Just that long ago memory would stop me from using it now.
So do you have any sludged engine stories??
Back in the late sixties when I was in high school, I worked part time in a gas station that did a lot of business.
I was lucky to have worked with an old timer mechanic who really knew his stuff. You'll notice I didn't call him a "technician". He was a mechanic who knew how to fix (rather than just replace) things.
He told me how he had worked as a line mechanic at a Cadillac Dealer.
When customers would bring their Cadillacs in for their first service, they would be asked if they perferred Pennzoil or Havoline and their records would reflect this and that is what would be used.
In those days, he said, at 50,000 miles they would pull and clean the oil pans.
The Havoline cars were so clean that they would wipe the pans out with a rag. After awhile, they quit doing the 50K pan cleaning jon on the Havoline cars.
The Pennzoil cars were a different story! They would have to scrape the gunk out with a putty knife. when they pulled valve covers, the rockers would be covered in goo. The Pennzoil Cadillacs needed engine jobs early in their lives.
So every time we would pull off a valve cover and we saw a gooey mess we would ask the customer what kind of oil he used...you guessed it!
HAVING SAID ALL OF THIS....
There is little doubt in my mind that this doesn't happen anymore. still, I won't use the stuff.
The local store has a lot of different brands of synthetic including Tech----- the Walmart house labeled synthetic which I would be willing to use since it's probably a major brand in their plastic jug.
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
2014 Malibu 2LT, 2015 Cruze 2LT,
Also Very unusual for a dealer to accept the customer`s oil..Any info on whether they would agree to use the customer`s oil?? Just curious !! :shades:
The reason I use only Penzoil Platinum in my 2 newer vehicles is becasue it won the 'no sludge, no cuttings, no tar, no grime, no black gunk' test on my magnetic oil drain plugs.
Don't believe all the Mobile 1 PR hype you hear about their synthetics, in between my regular PP changes, I ran a Mobile 1 change through the 07 Nissan Versa and after 4,000 miles, to my horror, the magnetic drain plug was covered in a build up of black sludge that was so sticky I had to clean it off with steel wool and solvent.
On the PP changes the plug comes out with just a very fine smudge of grey powder that cleans off instantly with a paper towel.
Even if you are playing the Oil Analyis game at $20.00 a change, buy a good magnetic drain plug and you might be suprised by what your favorite brand of oil is really doing in there.
(I just re-read my post and I sound like that Amz guy!).
Does that sound logical?
If you are going to change oil every 6 mo. and 3000 miles, why not just use conventional oil?
Today, I use Castrol Dino oil and change it around 4000 miles and I have no problems. I doubt if I were to switch brands anything would change and if I switched to synthetic I doubt if my cars would last any longer.
I don't know if any of this information is true and accurate, but, it's what I've learned over the last several years. Now, are my sources correct in today's world, who knows, I just know that peace of mind for a ~$50 oil change makes me feel a tad better than a $35 oil change with conventional oil. No, it's the the $15 difference that makes me feel like I'm buying better protection, it's that the $15 2x/yr = $30 and that's a small price to pay IF what I'm saying is actually true.
Doesn't really matter if I'm right or wrong, it's a decision I've made and feel good about it.
Regarding oil sludge of 2-3 decades ago, I totally agree with the Quaker State sludge issues, not familiar with the Pennzoil ones tho. I NEVER used Quaker Sludge in any car I drove unless it was an emergency. (remember during the 60s up to the 80s we had to change oil every 1-2K miles because oil and gasoline was so dirty with lead and other pollutants and contaminants?
Today's gas and oil are far superior to anything we used back in the "old" days.
One perk for Havoline........ I had a mechanic tell me to use Havoline oil in an old Buick I owned and had begun to use a little too much oil. I thought "hog wash" but tried it........ Damn if that old Buick didn't quit using oil all together...... didn't even have to add between changes as normal. I'm pretty welll sold on Havoline just for that reason. To each his own, 'coz as always YMMV.
Havoline was a Texaco brand and now I don't know who sells it now?
I once took the head off an old Valiant that had over 200,000 miles on it. This was back in the days when cars didn't last nearly that long.
It had a blown head gasket. The engine was as clean as can be inside after all of those miles. The customer only used Havoline. The fact it was a slant six didn't hurt either!
I would see that Valiant running around town ten years after that!