he talked about seals screwing up...you cant change back to regular oil or regular transmission fluid after using synthetic he said...i always do it...i use synthetic usually every other OC to make sure engine is clean and i like to baby my engine...both engines run great after doing this for 2 years...2.2 ecotec and ford focus...2.2 burns no oil (or nominal) even after 73 k...my focus engine looks brand new after 33k by looking under oil cap...they run just as good as day i bought them...oil is great now, but synthetic once in a while will keep engine running at a top level
AAP employee told me you have to stick w/ syn
- Thread starter chet2
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One of the oldest myths around.
Every time I find myself arguing with a good ole boy from the woods, I have to ask him: "If you can't switch back to synthetic, then why do the oil manufacturers sell blends?"
This is always where the argument ends.
Every time I find myself arguing with a good ole boy from the woods, I have to ask him: "If you can't switch back to synthetic, then why do the oil manufacturers sell blends?"
This is always where the argument ends.
Originally Posted By: chet2
he talked about seals screwing up...you cant change back to regular oil or regular transmission fluid after using synthetic he said...i always do it...i use synthetic usually every other OC to make sure engine is clean and i like to baby my engine...both engines run great after doing this for 2 years...2.2 ecotec and ford focus...2.2 burns no oil (or nominal) even after 73 k...my focus engine looks brand new after 33k by looking under oil cap...they run just as good as day i bought them...oil is great now, but synthetic once in a while will keep engine running at a top level
Sounds like the heavy set, sort of bald, young kid at the Seabrook, NH AAP. I have heard him tell customers some really wild things before.
he talked about seals screwing up...you cant change back to regular oil or regular transmission fluid after using synthetic he said...i always do it...i use synthetic usually every other OC to make sure engine is clean and i like to baby my engine...both engines run great after doing this for 2 years...2.2 ecotec and ford focus...2.2 burns no oil (or nominal) even after 73 k...my focus engine looks brand new after 33k by looking under oil cap...they run just as good as day i bought them...oil is great now, but synthetic once in a while will keep engine running at a top level
Sounds like the heavy set, sort of bald, young kid at the Seabrook, NH AAP. I have heard him tell customers some really wild things before.
They're probably telling everyone that because then they sell more Syn, which means more profitability for the store and more hours for the kids running the place.
Oh man, that dreaded seal swell issue. I remember switching from syn back to dino and ALL the seals in the engine swelled right up on me. It's like someone inflated them like a car tire! In fact, the rear main seal swelled up so much, I swear there was now a spare mini-tire in my engine compartment! Then when I pulled the valve cover off, the seals on the valves swelled up so much they looked like chocolate Dunkin Donuts!
Print out this topic and show it to him next time you're in that store.
Print out this topic and show it to him next time you're in that store.
i once heard a women at advance tell a guy that 10w30 was for winter use and 5w30 was for summer use.
doh.
doh.
Thats ok... There was a guy at a parts place around the corner from my old house that used to try and sell us wheel-bearing greese with each jug of oil. He said, if you just put 1 scoop of this in your engine oil it "re-packs" the bearings in the engine with grease like it had from the factory... So I was thinking this must have been some pretty magic stuff. It starts out in a clump, mixes with the oil and then re-clumps when it sees a bearing.
Gimme some of this space-aged stuff.
Gimme some of this space-aged stuff.
Originally Posted By: StevieC
Thats ok... There was a guy at a parts place around the corner from my old house that used to try and sell us wheel-bearing greese with each jug of oil. He said, if you just put 1 scoop of this in your engine oil it "re-packs" the bearings in the engine with grease like it had from the factory... So I was thinking this must have been some pretty magic stuff. It starts out in a clump, mixes with the oil and then re-clumps when it sees a bearing.
Gimme some of this space-aged stuff.
If one scoop is good for the engine, why not put in 2 or 3 or even 4 scoops ??
Thats ok... There was a guy at a parts place around the corner from my old house that used to try and sell us wheel-bearing greese with each jug of oil. He said, if you just put 1 scoop of this in your engine oil it "re-packs" the bearings in the engine with grease like it had from the factory... So I was thinking this must have been some pretty magic stuff. It starts out in a clump, mixes with the oil and then re-clumps when it sees a bearing.
Gimme some of this space-aged stuff.
If one scoop is good for the engine, why not put in 2 or 3 or even 4 scoops ??
easy now. It's not a myth. I'm reasonably certain that it USED to be true. Lost all 3 front seals on a 2 yr old car after trying synth and switching back years ago ... 91? 92? Dealer replaced all seals under warranty and I never figured out why they all went out at once over a several month period, until I heard the "can't switch back" statement a good bit later, checked my records and realized the timing supported the statement.
No longer true, however.
M
No longer true, however.
M
Why would he know any more about oil than anyone else? He sells parts and you by them. If you ask for his opinion he'll give you one, but it might not be the one you want to hear.
In the old days, say the 1970's yes synthetic oil will make your car spew oil everywhere if you changed to it in lets say a mid life car. Nowadays swap them and mix them anyway you please. But that's just me, the guy up at the parts counter or the guy down at the shop may tell you a whole other line.
In the old days, say the 1970's yes synthetic oil will make your car spew oil everywhere if you changed to it in lets say a mid life car. Nowadays swap them and mix them anyway you please. But that's just me, the guy up at the parts counter or the guy down at the shop may tell you a whole other line.
Come to think of it synthetic oil fixed the rear main weep on my 1998 4.0 Jeep after 1 OCI.
They are professionals better listen.
Yes professional salesmen. Or just some regular guy with a job and wants to go home after work. It's just oil, change it every now and then and be happy.
You may switch back and forth at will, with no problems.
Originally Posted By: meep
easy now. It's not a myth. I'm reasonably certain that it USED to be true. Lost all 3 front seals on a 2 yr old car after trying synth and switching back years ago ... 91? 92? Dealer replaced all seals under warranty and I never figured out why they all went out at once over a several month period, until I heard the "can't switch back" statement a good bit later, checked my records and realized the timing supported the statement.
No longer true, however.
M
If it ever was true it would date back to the 60s or 70s.
easy now. It's not a myth. I'm reasonably certain that it USED to be true. Lost all 3 front seals on a 2 yr old car after trying synth and switching back years ago ... 91? 92? Dealer replaced all seals under warranty and I never figured out why they all went out at once over a several month period, until I heard the "can't switch back" statement a good bit later, checked my records and realized the timing supported the statement.
No longer true, however.
M
If it ever was true it would date back to the 60s or 70s.
Originally Posted By: KW
Why would he know any more about oil than anyone else?
You just answered your own question...
Originally Posted By: KW
He sells parts and you by them.
It is his job to know what he is talking about. When a customer asks and he gives his opinion/advice it should be correct. As someone who sold parts for many years I admit you just can't know and learn everything but you sure better try to. If you don't know something you need to find out the answer or at the least just admit it and say "sorry I just don't know but I will try and find out for you ".
When you give bad advice or sell the wrong part it not only makes you and the store look bad but potentially it can cause the customer a lot of money in repairs and even lead to the store having to fix the damage.
It may be just oil but being so misinformed on such an easy topic lends no credibility to this guy and makes me feel his parts knowledge is very suspect. What if we were talking a new Chevy Corvette that actually requires and needs synthetic oil( GM4718M )and the parts guy told him "you don't want to use synthetic because it will ruin your seals" or some other garbage and talked him into a regular conventional oil? While not common that the owner wouldn't know it is not implausible either. Lots of folks with more money than brains who wouldn't know and who might throw some YB or GTX in there and that would be a bad thing. You have to know what you are doing selling parts even when it is just oil.
Here is a prime example of this that I saw in person. I overheard the parts guy I mentioned at the other NH AAP earlier telling a customer they did not have to use the Toyota WS fluid but could run this here Dex III( yes they actually had some old Dex III )stuff and be fine cause "transmission fluid is transmission fluid". How much $$$ do you think that would have cost the customer if I hadn't stopped them outside before they added it and told them not to do it and why?
I don't want a guy like that selling me parts.
Why would he know any more about oil than anyone else?
You just answered your own question...
Originally Posted By: KW
He sells parts and you by them.
It is his job to know what he is talking about. When a customer asks and he gives his opinion/advice it should be correct. As someone who sold parts for many years I admit you just can't know and learn everything but you sure better try to. If you don't know something you need to find out the answer or at the least just admit it and say "sorry I just don't know but I will try and find out for you ".
When you give bad advice or sell the wrong part it not only makes you and the store look bad but potentially it can cause the customer a lot of money in repairs and even lead to the store having to fix the damage.
It may be just oil but being so misinformed on such an easy topic lends no credibility to this guy and makes me feel his parts knowledge is very suspect. What if we were talking a new Chevy Corvette that actually requires and needs synthetic oil( GM4718M )and the parts guy told him "you don't want to use synthetic because it will ruin your seals" or some other garbage and talked him into a regular conventional oil? While not common that the owner wouldn't know it is not implausible either. Lots of folks with more money than brains who wouldn't know and who might throw some YB or GTX in there and that would be a bad thing. You have to know what you are doing selling parts even when it is just oil.
Here is a prime example of this that I saw in person. I overheard the parts guy I mentioned at the other NH AAP earlier telling a customer they did not have to use the Toyota WS fluid but could run this here Dex III( yes they actually had some old Dex III )stuff and be fine cause "transmission fluid is transmission fluid". How much $$$ do you think that would have cost the customer if I hadn't stopped them outside before they added it and told them not to do it and why?
I don't want a guy like that selling me parts.
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Most of these people in the automotive business do not know really what synthetic oil is. Ask one to explain the difference between mineral oil and synthetic, chances are very good they can't tell you the difference.
Simple explanation of mineral vs. synthetic
Conventional oils (mineral oil) are refined from crude oil. Refining is a process of physically separating light oil components from heavy ones.
Synthetic lubricants are chemically engineered from pure chemicals rather than refined from crude oil.
Simple explanation of mineral vs. synthetic
Conventional oils (mineral oil) are refined from crude oil. Refining is a process of physically separating light oil components from heavy ones.
Synthetic lubricants are chemically engineered from pure chemicals rather than refined from crude oil.
Originally Posted By: Big Jim
Originally Posted By: meep
easy now. It's not a myth. I'm reasonably certain that it USED to be true. Lost all 3 front seals on a 2 yr old car after trying synth and switching back years ago ... 91? 92? Dealer replaced all seals under warranty and I never figured out why they all went out at once over a several month period, until I heard the "can't switch back" statement a good bit later, checked my records and realized the timing supported the statement.
No longer true, however.
M
If it ever was true it would date back to the 60s or 70s.
It may have been, I just have no personal experience to pull from. My dad did have a 77 VW rabbit that he attempted syn oils in but switched back to dino some time around 1980. I remember all of the valve seals let go in that car to the tune of 1qt/month in a car driven approx 12k miles /year. I won't draw a correlation, however, because valve seal problems were common in that engine and may have had nothing to do with oil.
That said, my personal experience with one relatively new car, one syn OCI, a switch-back to dino, and timely failure of all 3 front seals (rear main did not develop any leaks that were notably pronounced) was real.
M
Originally Posted By: meep
easy now. It's not a myth. I'm reasonably certain that it USED to be true. Lost all 3 front seals on a 2 yr old car after trying synth and switching back years ago ... 91? 92? Dealer replaced all seals under warranty and I never figured out why they all went out at once over a several month period, until I heard the "can't switch back" statement a good bit later, checked my records and realized the timing supported the statement.
No longer true, however.
M
If it ever was true it would date back to the 60s or 70s.
It may have been, I just have no personal experience to pull from. My dad did have a 77 VW rabbit that he attempted syn oils in but switched back to dino some time around 1980. I remember all of the valve seals let go in that car to the tune of 1qt/month in a car driven approx 12k miles /year. I won't draw a correlation, however, because valve seal problems were common in that engine and may have had nothing to do with oil.
That said, my personal experience with one relatively new car, one syn OCI, a switch-back to dino, and timely failure of all 3 front seals (rear main did not develop any leaks that were notably pronounced) was real.
M
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