Does one synthetic v. another matter???!!!

[surfstar]

i used to change my M1 at 3-3.5k miles. after reading on here i did a UOA on my longest run of 4500 miles - it was fine and blackstone said try 6k. i stayed at 5k b/c the cars a 93 and don't trust it to be as good at extended OCI as newer cars. after a year of 5k OCIs i am now thinking of going to 7-7500 OCIs with a new UOA to support it.

look at how well today's dino oils do in longer OCIs and the fact that your owners (most) manual states a long OCI with DINO oil! i think i may finally reach my manufacturers max OCI of 7500 miles with M1; at least i will feel that the oil is well above what was spec'd for that OCI in 1993 on dino.

its hard to do, but just tell yourself you save time and money and can afford a little more gas nowadays.

 

[John_E]

quote:

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Originally posted by hounddog:
... Sold it with 252k and a timing chain replacement at 225k.(plastic top gear fell apart) ...

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I thought GM had discontinued those !@#$$%** plastic cam gears. Mine stripped at 62.6k mi on my 1973 Chevelle 5.7L V-8, dinging 3 camshaft lobes and collapsing 3 lifters. This was by far the most traumatic mechanical failure I ever experienced with any car I ever owned, and that was the first and only GM car I have ever bought.

 

[John_E]

I change my Mobil 1 0W-40 every 3k mi / 5k km because my wife does alot of city driving and because our 2001 Passat wagon is powered by the ultimate sludge/coke-generating engine, the Audi 1.8T in longitudinal (4-quart sump) orientation.

Everyone points out that the owner's manual recommends a 5k mi /8k km OCI, but they ignore the fine print to the effect that cars driven under severe conditions require more frequent air filter and oil changes.

 

[zlippery]

I would use either the 5w20 or the 5w30 Redline myself. You may want to check out another good (just my opinion) alternative synthetic oil - MotrLube. Mobil, Royal Purple, Amsoil, Valvoline, Castrol synthetic versions are also a good second choices...

 

[gizzsdad]

Originally posted by bobo:
[QB] You, sir, should be bestowed the anal BITOGer of the year award.

Uh - you might have to move that award over to me.
I use syn. in my wife's truck and change it every 3 mo's., which works out to 2K miles or a little less.

Of course, like many of you, I can rationalize it well. She has to be one of the hardest people in the world on oil, let alone exhaust systems. She fires it up in the AM, drives a mile and a half to work, then back home for lunch, back to work and back home at night, 5 days a week. One or two trips a week to the big city (8 mi.). This is day in and day out through Iowa winters (as cold as 25 below on rare occasions).

When I drain hers at 2K, it looks and feels much worse than mine at 4K. I have done one UOA and it wasn't great, but was also under unusual circumstances. I will probably do another one after an OCI or two on gold GC.

And yes, I do have people wanting my used oil to put in their cars. I really AM trying to get better.

 

[Audi Junkie]

Not to make your compusion any worse, do you realize that engine wear is highest after an OC? Overly frequent changing promotes MORE wear! Some are arguing it's a reason to use a high-quality synth, so you can leave it in extra long and benefit from the lowered wear rate. Myself, I would not use an oil that cannot go 5000-6000 miles. I'm using basic Havoline and a lil Delo & Havoline synth to spice it up, but I have a whole shed full of GC. I'm definately using the GC next, probally until it's all gone. I've gone as far as 11,000 miles on it.

 

[Jim 5]

My wife's Acura 3.2 TL has 7500 km's on the current OCI with M1 0w-20. It's 2500km's longer than I've ever allowed a vehicle to go. I'm going to push it to 8000km's and then do a UOA (my first one ever).

Believe it or not, this site has helped my feel less freaked out about going past 5k km's (3k miles) for an OCI. Also, I'm going to push the BMW 330 to 11k Km's (6600miles) on my latest OCI of GC and do a UOA.

Now what do I do with those 40L of "Green" GC in my garage that I bought in a few events of BITOG induced insanity. I guess the next 6 OCI's are covered for my car. Not to mention the dozen L's of M1 0w-40, the half dozen L of BMW High Performance "Synthetic".

I haven't even put a dent in the local supply of XD-3 0w-30 that I've been dying for an excuse to buy...then my wife will really think I'm insane.

10:30 on a friday night, I'm not out at the pub or even surfing the net for porn or something, I'm on a motor oil fanatics' website.

Maybe I should look into some therapy as well.

 

[ekpolk]

Get your safety glasses on guys, 'cuz it ain't gonna long until my friend Dan (a/k/a FTM) finds you and starts trying to poke a finger in there!

 

[Rob Taggs]

If you want to stick to 3,000 mile oil changes like I do and go with a synthetics, its your wallet and choice. Some will ride you about it being a waste but, it gives me peace of mind that I don't have metal and whatnot floating in the crankcase. I will never be able to run oil in my cars for 10,000, 15,000 or whatever. Old school I guess.

 

[ekpolk]

quote:

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Originally posted by Rob Taggs:
If you want to stick to 3,000 mile oil changes like I do and go with a synthetics, its your wallet and choice. Some will ride you about it being a waste but, it gives me peace of mind that I don't have metal and whatnot floating in the crankcase. I will never be able to run oil in my cars for 10,000, 15,000 or whatever. Old school I guess.

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Rob:

Hope things are going OK for you at home.

A particle count UOA would go a long way in giving some peace of mind regarding the "stuff floating in crankcase" worry. I've been very pleasantly surprised to see how little of this stuff there has been in my engines, even at the longer ranges of OCI (for me). They are, of course, relatively new and have fine filtration FF filters installed. But hey, in the end, it's about being comfortable with your car and choices. If you're willing to pay the premiums involved and "need" the feeling you get with more frequent changes, power to ya.