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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!