Another What Oil for What Car Thread

[J_Sap]

I have a 95 Bonneville SSE (non supercharged) that I am giving to my younger brother as he needs a car for his last year of school. All it needs is an oil change and the oil that goes into it will probably not be changed out until next summer when I see the car again, he doesn't know a lot about cars and will probably never check the oil level or actively go out to get it changed. His school is also up in the mountains and it gets [censored] cold up there. The car currently has 145K on it, has been sitting for 2.5 years and the oil in it has been in their for 3-5K and is semi-synthetic. GM recommended 10W-30 and that is what was put into it before. It also has no oil leaks right now.

I was thinking of putting in some Mobil 1 Extended Performance into it because it is not too expensive and locally available but I am open to suggestions. He will be paying for the oil change and I know he will not want to spent an arm and a leg for something like Royal Purple. Like I said I am open to all suggestions, thank you.

 

[gathermewool]

What have you been using? How much oil does it use now? Two things:

1. If it burns/leaks oil and he doesn't keep tabs on it, it won't matter what oil you put in.

2. If you've been using dino oil you may experience unusually high consumption for the first interval. I've experienced this and I've read others have.

 

[Gene K]

Shell Rotella T5 SyntheticBlend 10W30. We used to run standard Shell Rotella T 10W30 (Hard to find now) in our 3800 with annual changes of 8,000-10,000 miles. Thats likely to be the cheapest alternative. $16 Gallon at WalMart.

For up to 15,000 mile changes we used to use Castrol Syntec 0W30 (aka German Castrol) for 15,000 mile drains in our College Girl's 2.2L OHV. Despite having a 0W Winter Rating this is a thicker 30 weight (almost a 40) at operating temps. It can sometimes be hard to find at Autozone.

M1 EP will likely work just fine if thats easy to get at a reasonable price. Nothing wrong with 5W30 if it makes you feel better.

I find the standard Purolator Classic stands up to one year just fine but you may feel more comfortable upgrading the filter.

 

[StevieC]

I have used the following in my truck:

Quaker State Dino 5w20 & 5w30
M1 5w30, 0w40, 5w40, 5w50
Amsoil SSO 0w30
Amsoil ASL 5w30 & 10w30
Redline 5w30, 0w30, 0w20
RLI 0w30, 5w30, 5w20
Pennoil Platinum 5w30
Valvoline Synpower 5w30
Royal Purple 5w30

I have tried more than this in different engines but thought I would limit it to my current engine.

I really really really like the RLI 5w20, Amsoil SSO 0w30 and the Redline 0w30 those have been the best by far and I can't wait to put in Pennzoil Ultra next!

 

[J_Sap]

Originally Posted By: gathermewool
What have you been using? How much oil does it use now?


1. I opened up the receipt folder and found that the last oil change was Mobil 5000 10W-30. I know in my original post I put semi-synthetic which I thought I had put into the car, my mistake.

2. It hasn't used a drop of oil. Even after sitting for all this time the oil mark is still at the top of the dipstick, right where it was left. It has never burned oil from what I can remember.

Gene K & StevieC thank you for the recommendations, StevieC OMG you try a ton of different motor oils in your truck.

 

[StevieC]

That's where all the fun it... Trying different things.

 

[dparm]

If the motor is still running strong I wouldn't change much. Keep doing what you're doing with OCIs and oil weight.

I agree that the Rotella synthetic blend or Delvac or Delo blends will be more than sufficient.

 

[pbm]

I'd go to WM and pick up a 5 qt. jug of PP for $20.50 and then get a decent filter like a Pureone (at AA since WM doesn't carry it) and you'd be good to go.

 

[NightRiderQ45]

If he doesn't want to spend much money, then advising him to do syn would be backwards. You got to 145k with dino, so get to another 145k using the same dino. If it isn't broke, don't...

 

[addyguy]

How much mileage will he put on the car before next summer?

That will affect oil choice.

 

[J_Sap]

Originally Posted By: addyguy
How much mileage will he put on the car before next summer?

That will affect oil choice.


I think he will put 10-15K on it by next summer. The reason he has not needed a car until now is all his other friends have had cars and it has not been a big issue for him, but now that all his friends with cars have graduated he will be using it for everything (and driving around the rest of his friends who want to bum a ride).

 

[FrenchTex]

- Cold temperature >>> you need something that has a 0W or 5W
- 10 to 15kmi before next OC >>> Synthetic (and even then, he really needs to check his dipstick)

So if it were my own brother, I would recommend (by order of preference for the case):
- Shell Rotella T6 5W40 ($20/gal on sale, $25 otherwise): rugged full syn oil that does not break the bank.
- LubroMoly Synthoil 5W50 or 0W30 (available at most NAP for about $36/5L). I use it regularly in my wife's Passat and this thing is rock solid
- German Castrol (0W30)...this thing seems to work well in right about any engine

 

[Gary Allan]

Teach him to check his oil. 15k is surely doable with some oils, but expecting 15k without consumption is kinda unrealistic.

Now before every swinging member chimes in boasting of going 85k without consumption ..with the same sump and filter ..the original tank if gas ..the original air in the original tires ..all while sitting pat on the Fische carburetor blueprints so that you can stop every 10 miles or so to soak up the excess fuel you're producing.

..I said it's unrealistic, not impossible.

 

[addyguy]

As Gary mentioned, checking the oil will be important here.

Lots of oils can go 15k, but nothing will save an engine from no oil.

 

[J_Sap]

Thank you everyone. I agree with you guys that checking the oil on a regular basis is important, I do it all the time. But for someone like my brother who has never had a car before and never need to do anything to one before including pumping gas sees a car as a way of getting from point a to point b; and it is difficult to get him to check the oil. He does not have the interest in cars like we do. I can tell him but at the end of the day it is up to him to check it. That is why I want to give the car the best fighting chance with a good oil. I will teach him how to check it and when, but at the end of the day it is up to him to learn the habit of checking it.

 

[dparm]

If he checks the oil with each gas fillup he'll be fine. It's an easy habit to get into, especially since he'll be standing at the pump for a few minutes with nothing to do.

 

[gathermewool]

That's the biggest thing to remember; you're giving him a car for free. I gave my little sister my old Subaru with 200kmi + and told her not to worry about dinging it, abusing it or not maintaining it; that it was now HER car, and, barring a major failure, it was up to her whether it lasted another a few weeks or a few years. I want her to have a car for a longtime, but it's not my car any longer, so no reason to get upset if she doesn't maintain it between visits home. Ok, I'd probably get upset if I checked the dipstick while home and found nothing on it.

I was 2kmi into an OCI of Rotella T6 when I gave it to her, with near-zero consumption. The near-zero consumption was because I rarely beat on the car, and most of the time used it as a DD with a decent amount of low-speed highway miles. Sometimes, with more aggressive driving, though, I'd notice consumption as high as half a quart over a couple of tanks of gas. Just because the Bonnie didn't consume while you had it doesn't mean it won't with your brother's (or brother's friends) driving habits.

In the end it'll be his car and his responsibility to maintain. I hope he gets lucky with zero consumption and yearly, 10-15kmi OCIs work out. If not, all well.