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It’s cold out across North America these days, which makes me feel I have to go on record as being in complete opposition to the notion of getting the car started and immediately driving off. My thought is that you absolutely need to have a little time to get the oil moving, while the engine is...

Amazon has Premium Guard oil filters for $1.84, and also has Purolator Tech filters for $2.40. Does anyone know anything about these filters? Nice price, or crack pipe?

I have noted increased enthusiasm for changing oil drain crush washers at every oil change. I have never landed on a solid opinion here and wonder what is true. Are crush washers deformed, and forever changed after one crush? Is there any actual design that goes into crush washers? Is there a...

I bought five quarts of Castrol GTX 0 W 20 on Amazon for $18.31 on July 16. Today’s price is $29.68. That’s quite a swing, and I encourage people to shop carefully. I wish I had purchased (far) more than two containers!

I would like to try Amazon Basics 0W20 in a Honda, but shocked that it is not at or near the bottom of the price scale. It has no-name packaging, and the “basics” name. Their price today is around $43 for six quarts. So roughly $35-36 for the five quart equivalent. All kinds of excellent...

I recognize that BMW's LL17FE+ oil standard is not one that every manufacturer is trying to meet, and that it presumably requires some fancy footwork in the lab to conform, but I am nonetheless shocked and appalled to see Pentosin's offering selling for $26 a quart on Amazon. I was already...

It pleases me that the folks out there advocating oil changes without changing the filter never really go away, but seldom convince many others to their way of thinking. I recognize that some of these folks are bouyed by supposed recommendations in some owners' manuals. Still others are making...

You wake up and you are made the supreme ruler of the United States. Your authority is absolute. Your first order of business is to choose one oil that will be the only product available for all roadgoing vehicles. No variations, no different weights. My suggestion would be that you choose the...

I appreciate that HPL has made a genuine effort to improve chemistry, PAO, esters and so on. That said, I wonder if they have missed any key elements. Their packaging is rudimentary, their website is overblown, clunky and riddled with misspellings. Over and above all that, they don't seem to...

Like most of us, I love the oil conversations and the endless debates, but I sometimes feel like price sensitivity is less important to many. i understand that some cars require expensive oils and filters, but wanted to make a suggestion on what you should spend. My assumptions are that you are...

I have an eighties classic car that has original paint in very, very good condition. I received gift cards from a detailing shop as a gift and wanted to take the car in. The proprietor was pleased to tell me that all full details get a ceramic coat, vs wax. I said that is not what I want, that I...

Without getting into the merits of whether BMW has it right in specifying the 0 W 20 grade, I am still wondering if my perceptions are correct. On the "newish" BMW 2.0 Twinpower cars, you can use LL 01, LL 04 or the LL 17. The LL 17 is what you get when you go to the dealer, at least in my...

I recently purchased two filters for two honda products - one for the ubiquitous 2.4 and one for a J30. I live in the utopia where these two dissimilar engines actually use the same filter. My preference is WIX white can, and I bought one filter for $9.42, Prime, free delivery. When I looked...

I recently came back to BITOG after not using for maybe six or seven years. I was looking at posts concerning oil filters and wonder what happened. Back in the day, the best advice was to run from FRAM products. If it wasn't specific concerns about media and construction, there was always some...

It has finally dawned on me that BITOG members are not the same. For your consideration, here are the categories they fall into: 1. Extenders - "If I use the right mix of Amsoil and Lucas, I think I can move this OCI from 25k to 30k" 2. Maintainers - "I split the factory OCI reco in half, cause...

I lease a 2013 320i with Xdrive. BMW pays for the service. My car just hit 9,000 miles about a year and a half after the in service date. I got an email from the company dealer telling me to come in for a one-year oil change. The manufacturer calls for 14,000 miles or whatever the service...

I have acquired a new BMW 3. BMW will pay for all oil changes until the car has 50,000 miles, but their recommendation is for 14,000 mile oil changes. The OLM seems to be operating in sync with this time. I would be a heck of a lot more comfortable with a 10,000 mile interval. I note that my...

I just bought Mobil 1 GL-5 with friction modifier (LSD) gear oil for the transaxle in my 87 Porsche Carrera. The likelihood is that this oil is going to be in the car for many years. This car does not have the limited-slip differential and while the specs seem to match the owner's manual, I...

Many folks tell us they are using a mixture of two or more oils either to end up with a mid-grade that is not commercially available or to get "the best of both worlds." I recently saw somebody say that when you mix two oils, you get something worse than either oil by itself. This makes sense...

I have heard a few people mention the blotter test, where you take a drop of oil, place it on card stock, and see how dirty?, discolored? the oil is and if the card is charcoal/black in the center, you've gone too long. My assertion is that the color of oil has no real bearing on its condition...