Best oil for first oil change, 2012 Subaru WRX

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killeraxemannic

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Hi,

I have a brand new WRX that has around 900 miles on it right now. I am getting ready to do my first oil change but I am not sure what to use.

I have heard Shell Rotella T6 5w40 is good for the car, but Subaru states that the oil should be 5w30 in the manual and I do not want to void my warranty by running the wrong weight oil.

In my BMW's previously I ran Eneos oil. That seemed to work well for them and I am leaning twards running Eneos 5w30 in my new WRX. I am definitely open to any suggestions though.

My car will be driven slightly harder than average daily, with some auto crossing, and drag racing on the weekends.

I drive around 75mi per day mostly highway miles

The WRX has a 2.5L Turbocharged 4 Cyl if anyone doesn't know.

Cost of the oil is not a concern. I want to run what is best for my situation, not what will save me the most money or be easy to get etc
 
T6 and factory filter (or P1.) I would run that until around 15k then get a UOA to see how it is fairing for you (earlier will include a lot of wear metals etc. which may skew the UOA.)
 
Are there any other specs besides 5w30? Any mfg specs similar to BMW and Benz specs?

What type of OCI are you looking at? Are you willing to UOA? Auto or Stick, ie. rev happy or not?
 
I used to run M1 Extended Performance 5W30. It yielded great UOA results except for the fact the engine consumed about a quart of oil in 7500 miles. (Granted 1 quart at that interval length is nothing)

I'm running Pennzoil Ultra 5W30 now. The UOA results looks great for the halfway point (3750 Miles). At current ~5300 miles I have yet to see any hint of oil consumption.

Both Mobil and Pennzoil are great oils though I'm filling with Pennzoil in my oil change just because of the consumption I saw with Mobil.

My car is a 2011 WRX. Exact same engine as you.
 
Last edited:
Originally Posted By: Bgallagher
T6 and factory filter (or P1.) I would run that until around 15k then get a UOA to see how it is fairing for you (earlier will include a lot of wear metals etc. which may skew the UOA.)



THIS^^^^!!!

Except I do 5000 mile OCI's. You are under a warranty, do not go farther than that.
 
The Subie Brand 5W-30 made by Idemitsu is an obvious choice.
I prefer the SM version of this oil if you can still get it.

Failing that I'd go with PP 5W-30 assuming it still meets the Honda HTO-O6 spec'.
 
welcome2.gif


A 2012 Subaru turbo owner is faced with tough choices, IMO. Most people that have driven Subaru turbos, or that are familiar around the issues running your typical Resource Conserving oil, will recommend something robust. Basically anything that isn't Resource Conserving (German Castrol Syntec 0W-30, Rotella T6, etc.).

KHP, and a handful of others (check nasioc), have been running these new GF5 RC oils and they are actually producing pretty good uoa results. There just isn't very much data on these types of oils since so many people run oils like I mentioned earlier.

It was only during the middle of the 2011 model year that Subaru dropped the 5W-40 recommendations from the manual (except for "conventional 5W-40" for top ups and there is no such thing). Did the EJ engine change? No. IMO, it depends if your dealer will go to bat for you if you have a warranty claim running oil grades not listed in the manual. On one hand, I've read where dealers drained a fresh fill of Rotella T6 because the owner had an engine misfire and told him the non-spec oil caused the misfire. Charged the guy $100 and filled with Subaru 5W-30. OTOH, I've seen where dealers installed "non-spec" API SL rated German Castrol.

If you can find it, Valvoline Max Life Full Synthetic 5W-30 meets the Euro ACEA
A3 spec. Motul X-clean 5W-30 does as well. Otherwise, you can be a pioneer like
KHP and run Pennzoil Ultra or Platinum 5W-30. The Eneos you mentioned was recently reformulated and the data sheet looks pretty impressive. You just won't find many people that have tried it. You would certainly be covered by the Powertrain Warranty if you ran these oils for up to 7,500 miles. Keep your oil receipts!!

BTW, I would keep the moly, zinc, and phosphorus loaded factory fill in for 3k miles.

-Dennis
 
Oh, just saw you'll be auto-x'ing and hitting the strip. Not as tough on oil as a track event, but no way would I run an RC oil. You're kinda rolling the dice with the Powertrain Warranty anyway. Dealers and SoA have dozens of pics of what to look for to try to get out of a warranty claim if they suspect abuse. RT6 or Eneos 5W-40 FTW!

Maybe the former National Auto-X champ will chime in. He's busy prepping a BRZ though.

-Dennis
 
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
welcome2.gif


A 2012 Subaru turbo owner is faced with tough choices, IMO. Most people that have driven Subaru turbos, or that are familiar around the issues running your typical Resource Conserving oil, will recommend something robust. Basically anything that isn't Resource Conserving (German Castrol Syntec 0W-30, Rotella T6, etc.).

KHP, and a handful of others (check nasioc), have been running these new GF5 RC oils and they are actually producing pretty good uoa results. There just isn't very much data on these types of oils since so many people run oils like I mentioned earlier.

It was only during the middle of the 2011 model year that Subaru dropped the 5W-40 recommendations from the manual (except for "conventional 5W-40" for top ups and there is no such thing). Did the EJ engine change? No. IMO, it depends if your dealer will go to bat for you if you have a warranty claim running oil grades not listed in the manual. On one hand, I've read where dealers drained a fresh fill of Rotella T6 because the owner had an engine misfire and told him the non-spec oil caused the misfire. Charged the guy $100 and filled with Subaru 5W-30. OTOH, I've seen where dealers installed "non-spec" API SL rated German Castrol.

If you can find it, Valvoline Max Life Full Synthetic 5W-30 meets the Euro ACEA
A3 spec. Motul X-clean 5W-30 does as well. Otherwise, you can be a pioneer like
KHP and run Pennzoil Ultra or Platinum 5W-30. The Eneos you mentioned was recently reformulated and the data sheet looks pretty impressive. You just won't find many people that have tried it. You would certainly be covered by the Powertrain Warranty if you ran these oils for up to 7,500 miles. Keep your oil receipts!!

BTW, I would keep the moly, zinc, and phosphorus loaded factory fill in for 3k miles.

-Dennis



Everyone I have talked to including the dealer said to dump the original factory oil after 1k. Why should I keep it in?
 
If you're switching to a GF5 oil, you'll be switching to a less robust oil. There's probably nothing wrong with switching, but the manual would probably mention it if it was absolutely necessary. Factory fill uoa's have looked pretty good. Pick any uoa on a Subaru factory fill here and take a look.

-Dennis
 
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
If you're switching to a GF5 oil, you'll be switching to a less robust oil. There's probably nothing wrong with switching, but the manual would probably mention it if it was absolutely necessary. Factory fill uoa's have looked pretty good. Pick any uoa on a Subaru factory fill here and take a look.

-Dennis


What about getting all the metal shavings and things out of the engine? I thought you were supposed to change it so you get all the scraps from the stuff that wore down out of the engine as soon as possible.
 
Originally Posted By: killeraxemannic
Originally Posted By: bluesubie
If you're switching to a GF5 oil, you'll be switching to a less robust oil. There's probably nothing wrong with switching, but the manual would probably mention it if it was absolutely necessary. Factory fill uoa's have looked pretty good. Pick any uoa on a Subaru factory fill here and take a look.

-Dennis


What about getting all the metal shavings and things out of the engine? I thought you were supposed to change it so you get all the scraps from the stuff that wore down out of the engine as soon as possible.

There are very little metal shavings these days and it is also the job of the filter to capture the shavings. I'll try to dig up some uoa's but give me some time.

-Dennis
 
Originally Posted By: killeraxemannic
Are there any out there that show factory fill ---> Rotella t6 at around 1500 miles?

Try the Service & Maintenance Forum at nasioc.

-Dennis
 
I'll echo Dennis' sentiments on oil choice. Any auto-x or strip use of a turbo Subaru points to using a non-resource conserving oil.

Valvoline MaxLife Full Synthetic 5w30 is about the best trade-off between engine protection and warranty preservation. It's API SN, the PDS actually mentions GF-5 and contains language regarding acceptability under new car warranties. The MaxLife PDS is HERE .

The Motul X-Clean Dennis mentions is good stuff as well, but it can be hard to find and expensive. It's primarily marketed as an oil for European OEM oil spec applications like MB 229.5 and VW 502/505. An easier to find alternative is Mobil 1 ESP Formula 5w30. Neither of these oils have the convenient warranty language on the PDS that MaxLife does.

If you're truly terrified of a warranty denial I suggest you use the most stable GF-5 5w30 synthetic available. The very limited data available suggests that's Pennzoil Ultra. Amsoil OE 5w30 (OEF) or XL 5w30 (XLF) are likely candidates as well.

Anyone who tells you to "just follow the manual" hasn't been paying attention to the particular problems of turbo Subarus.

As to dumping the factory fill at 1,000 miles, I'm a bit on the fence. The wear metals will get caught by the filter, so that's no problem, but my factory fill was awfully thin after 1,300 miles when I dumped it (see my UOAs below). I certainly wouldn't be doing any auto-x or drag strip work before changing it for something thicker. If you dump it early, consider a shot of the Lubro-Moly MOS2 additive.

Not to beat up on you, but this has been discussed here recently and is a constant topic of debate and ridicule over on NASIOC.

Some helpful links for you:
Pennzoil Ultra in a 2011 WRX
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=175900&Number=2628262

My UOA history including factory fill on both BITOG and NASIOC:
https://bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Main=175921&Number=2627460
http://forums.nasioc.com/forums/showthread.php?t=2283580

GC or RedLine 5w30 in a 2011 WRX?
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/forums/ubb...856#Post2620856
 
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