Has anyone used synthetic oil for the life of their vehicle and have over 200K on it?

[icruse]

Bought an 81 Audi 4000 from the original owner (a lawyer in D.C.) it had 62,000 miles. He took very good care of the car (oil ???).
I moved from Va. to Minnesota at about 72,000 switched to Mobil 1 15W50 then Amsoil 10W40.
Drove it until the rear axle rotted lose from the body, but engine and 4 speed transmission (also with Amsoil synthetic gear oil) were just great, no problems.
The car had 242,000 miles, in the summer 34 to 37 mpg.
86 Cadillac (had Valvoline 10W30 till 80,000) then Amsoil 10W30 and later Mobil 1 10W30, got rid of the car at 286,000 and it was still doing fine.
Present 93 Pontiac Grand Prix LE (used from one owner at 117,000, oil???) since it has had Amsoil 0W30 (for about 25,000) and then Mobil 1 0W30 mostly, then 5W30, past May 03 Mobil 1 10W30: current miles 236,000, doing just fine.

Good Day,
Steven

 

[dagmando]

I will answer the oposite of your question. I have a '93 Jeep Grand Cherkoee Limited with the 4.0 I-6 up at the cottage with 186K miles with 3K mile Jiffy Lube dino oil changes since new. I bought it from my neighbor(original owner) about 5 years ago as a tow vehicle I could leave up north. The engine and trans has never been opened for anything. It runs great and starts everytime. I use it to tow my boat, waverunner and snowmobiles.
This is why I have always posted here that it's not the type of oil you use, it's the regular change intervals that count. It also depends on the engine.

[ August 13, 2003, 01:46 PM: Message edited by: dagmando ]

 

[Cary]

82 BMW 320i, bought with 90,000, ran Valvoline 20w-50 synthetic, every 5000, until 215,000 when I pulled the motor to put in a modified stroked motor, was still fine.

91 Nissan Pathfinder, 180,000 miles, bought 127,000, have run M1 10w-30 every 5,000, still doesn't burn a drop of oil.

By the same token, my stepsister ran an 82 toyota celica with mineral changed irregularly to over 350,000 miles with no problems, a guy I go to dogpark has an accord approching 500,000 on the orignal motor and uses "whatever is on sale cheap".

I think the benifit of synthetics are extended oil changes and better lube under sever conditions. If you change every 6,000 with M1 instead of 3,000 with mineral by the time you pay for the extra filter, time and trouble, synthetic doesn't cost any more.

Cary

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

This is why I have always posted here that it's not the type of oil you use, it's the regular change intervals that count. It also depends on the engine.

---

This is true, however it's also nice to be able to use synthetics and go longer intervals, without reducing the life of the engine.

The engine design definitely plays a very huge factor in how many miles you'll go, but don't forget about another couple of huge factors. How you drive it, and the climate you drive it in! If you drive your car very hard, and live in an area that gets cold winters, you won't get as long of an engine life as the guy driving gently who lives in Southern California.

 

[Spector]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MinnesotaNole:
If so:What are your experiences with the oil?
What was your change interval?
How is the vehicle running?
Is your engine still clean and spotless?
Any more info?

---

92 Camry V6, sorry only 157,000 miles used Amsoil 10W30 since the first change at 1000 miles. Interval 7500 miles (oil and filter) . Running fine, minor oil seepage (seals, started about 20,000 miles ago) but still uses just under a quart in the 7500 miles interval. Engine still clean and oil still amber at 7500 miles.
Transmission also original Amsoil ATF every 30,000 drain and fill. Hoping for that 200,000 mark, should have done the seals with the timing belt at 120,000 though.

 

[Flimflam]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MinnesotaNole:
If so:

What are your experiences with the oil?

What was your change interval?

How is the vehicle running?

Is your engine still clean and spotless?

Any more info?

---

I have never run any of my vehicles over 175,000 miles. At 175,000 miles, I usually get tired of them and get rid of them. But these 175,000 mile vehicles, not one has had synthetic in it, and not one has had to have the cam cover off. They had electrical problems though, but I can't blame cheap dino oil for electrical problems.

But my buddy in Queens, New York services Lincoln Town cars for many of the ritzy Limo chauffer services, and he says 250,000 miles is normal for a Lincoln, they don't need engine service before then. And none of the Lincolns he services uses Synthetic oil. They all use Pennzoil, QS, or Castrol.

 

[harper]

I probably should exclude this answer but on dino changes every 4-5k miles (Valvoline and Castrol) by a dealer I have 200,000 miles on a 95 Honda Civic. The valve cover was off for valve clearance adjustment and all looked clean they said. Also no mechanical problems related to engine, just radiator(150k) and clutch (100k) so far.

 

[ruking77]

"If so:

What are your experiences with the oil?

What was your change interval?

How is the vehicle running?

Is your engine still clean and spotless?

Any more info? "

Mobil One 5w-30, but got 10w-30 when on sale when no 5W-30 available.

The change interval was 15,000 mile oil and (tsk, tsk) FRAM oil filters (PH 8A)

The 1987 Toyota Landcruiser needed a 15k cycle valve adjust so the dealer pulled off the valve covers app 17 times during the 250k miles I owned it. CLEAN as a whistle! I got the truck new for 16k and sold it for 9k !It easily had 15 years of life left in the truck. My daughter wanted me to drop a Chevy V-8 (350 cu in 250 hp AW AW AW) with a new 5 speed manual.( I was tired of the low 125 hp and a four speed manual) This probably ranks as one of the dumb things I did by selling it!

[ August 13, 2003, 03:36 PM: Message edited by: ruking77 ]

 

[userfriendly]

81 Chev van I gave the boy when he turned 16. Re-built 350 on propane. I don't think that van ever cooled down in 5 years.
From the fuel bills, I guessed that in one year the van put on around 30,000 miles.
I changed the filter once in a while, and the engine oil perhaps 3 or 4 times.
LPG engines use about 1 litre of engine oil every 3000 miles.
I'm estimating a total including oil changes of 64 litres of oil and 8 filters in 150,000 miles.
The van weighed 5000 lbs empty, and is now rusted out and full of engine blocks and heads.
The engine is in perfect condition.
Ok G-Man-2 it was M-I 15W50 before the tri-formula.

 

[Scooter]

In '91 I bought a new Isuzu Trooper. At the first oil change, I put in Mobil1. I continued to run Mobil1 10w-30 for the next 11 years. I did my own oil/filter changes every 5,000 miles. I also did my own 15k valve adjustments so I had lots of time under the valve cover. Mobil1 kept the inside of the engine very, very clean. I finally sold it in '02 with 240k miles on the original engine and running great. The car still is going strong with over 260k miles.

 

[newtoncd8]

1988 Toyota Camry, 4 cylinder with auto transmission.....currently has 297,000 miles

Oil changes approximately every 4,000 miles using Pennzoil 10W30/summer 5W30/winter with Toyota OEM filter.

Even used Slick 50 back around the 90,000 mile and 150,000 mile mark!!!

 

[dagmando]

quote:

---

Even used Slick 50 back around the 90,000 mile and 150,000 mile mark!!! [/QB]

---

See, Slick 50 DOES work as claimed. Don't you think the SLick 50 is the reason your car made it this far?

 

[newtoncd8]

Well, I don't know if it helped, but I it doesn't appear to have hurt anything with regard to our Camry.

I had used it previously on my 1984 Honda Accord at about 70,000 miles. The car used to make a terrible screech noise for about 20 seconds at startup during the dead-of-winter when I was station in Omaha, NE in the late 1980s.

Believe it or not, after using Slick 50, the noise went away...unfortunately, I totalled the car (not Slick 50's fault..

at about 127,000 miles; so I don't know about long term effects (negative or positive).

Curt

 

[pscholte]

Curtis Newton,

Hi, I'm an attorney and I'd like to talk to you about the potential malfeasance on the part of Slick 50 that obviously led to the totalling of your vehicle...by the way, tell us again where you're experiencing pain in your back...

[ August 13, 2003, 06:54 PM: Message edited by: pscholte ]

 

[MolaKule]

1. Just sold an '86 Suburban 2WD that had 283,000+ miles on it. Changed oil every 10,000 miles on the average. Used either Amsoil 10W30 or Mobil 1 10W30 it's entire life, except for short stints of testing other oils. The 350 had a towing cam intalled at 125,00 miles, Holly spreadbore, Coyote Dual exhaust, and single by-pass filter added.

2. 1992 Suburban 4X4, 277,000 miles on it. Engine never opened up. Everything is stock except for the ECU, which does have perf chip in it. I used either Amsoil 10W30 or Mobil 1 10W30 in it except for short stints of testing other oils.

Oil changes at 3k to 5k unless I'm testing other oils.

[ August 13, 2003, 07:30 PM: Message edited by: MolaKule ]

 

[W.T.McGlynn]

Subject Additives
To illustrate the whole point about additives, consider this. In the manufacture of synthetic oils, once the synthetic polyol ester bases are created, anti-wear additives such as zinc dithiophosphates (essentially combinations of zinc, phosphorous, and sulphour molecules) are added. These combinations are extremely effective as anti-oxidant, anti-wear, anti-corrosion inhibitors. Now look at the contents of some of the after-market additives. Wow! Zinc, phosphorous and sulphour! Imagine that. Those aftermarket additives are actually exactly what your oil manufacturer has put in already.
Consider further that some oil companies actually make a point of telling you not to use aftermarket additives with their oils. So if these additives are so brilliant, why do the companies always seem to end up in trouble? Well - misleading advertising and non-active "active" ingredients claim a lot of victims. Read on......
Note : you can search for the FTC's rulings on any engine additive by using their search page and searching their 'news releases' for the product you're interested in - most of them are in there, which should tell you something.....
Slick 50 in $20M lawsuit, loses to FTC.
Blue Corral, the manufacturers of the Slick 50 engine oil additive, have been banned by the Federal Trade Commission from making claims about reduced engine wear, increased fuel economy and lower running temperatures in it's advertising in America. The Federal Commission found the company's claims of increased performance and reduced wear were unsubstantiated, and Blue Corral has agreed to pay upwards of $20M in damages to affected customers.
Source: Max Power magazine, March 1998.
Engine Oil Bible ©

 

[newtoncd8]

Consider further that some oil companies actually make a point of telling you not to use aftermarket additives with their oils.


First off, I was not advocating the use of additives, I just didn't experience any negative effects. Over 250,000 miles with no noticeable side effects.

However, per the statement above, Valvoline does produce an oil additive; similar to Slick 50. Perhaps they are just jumping on the bandwagon, but...

 

[Patman]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MolaKule:

1. Just sold an '86 Suburban 2WD that had 283,000+ miles on it. Changed oil every 10,000 miles on the average. Used either Amsoil 10W30 or Mobil 1 10W30 it's entire life, except for short stints of testing other oils. The 350 had a towing cam intalled at 125,00 miles, Holly spreadbore, Coyote Dual exhaust, and single by-pass filter added.

---

You sold the old beast? Say it isn't so!! What did you replace it with?

 

[wulimaster]

quote:

---

Originally posted by MolaKule:

1. Changed oil every 10,000 miles on the average.

2. Oil changes at 3k to 5k unless I'm testing other oils.

---

Why so short of oil changes? 10k with bypass, 3k-5k without?

 

[jsharp]

I have a 16yo Nissan Pathfinder that I bought when it had 60K miles on it. It now has 215K miles. I've run Mobil-1 10W-30 in it for all the time I've owned it, changed at 10K intervals.

It's just now starting to use 1-2 quarts between changes though my son is driving it in town mostly so that's a factor. It also had an undersize radiator for most of it's life so it tended to run hot. I'm sure that contributed to any wear but I did add an oil cooler and remote FL-1A sized filter to it since stock it only holds 3 1/2 quarts.

The outside of the engine is really dirty and it leaks a little oil but it still runs perfectly. I don't know what the inside looks like. We've never had the cam covers off...

I also had a Toyota Corolla I bought new in 1980. It had Mobil-1 5W-20 and 5W-30 run in it from 3K miles. 7K-10K change intervals. Sold it with 165K and it still didn't use oil. I had the valve cover off when it had about 140K miles and it was pretty clean.

[ August 13, 2003, 11:05 PM: Message edited by: jsharp ]