Is oil really too expensive??????

[casperfun]

Think about it.

Even the top synthetics are less than the cost of a tank of gas these days.

I mean if your doing...god forbid...3000 OCI's, THAN MAYBE I understand why people try to save a few cents on their oil.

My opinion is if you care about your oil and vehicle so much to be in this forum, then a few more bucks won't kill you on a issue you may be passionate about.

 

[Ram01]

no not really if you using dino

 

[Artem]

Good synthetic oil can be had for cheap when the discounts come along. I don't see how dino oil compares.

Just my $0.02

 

[qdeezie]

It depends. If you are trying to keep your vehicle for 300,000 or more miles and in peak condition or you just generally care about your vehicle, there's no such a thing as too expensive. On the other hand, if you are extremely and offensively cheap OR if you drive a beater that's burning or leaking oil just as fast as you pour it in, then it's too expensive.

 

[webfors]

What is "better"?

If two cars go down the road for 10 years and both get 200k+ miles before they are sold or traded, one with syn, one with dino, does it matter what oil was in the sump? They both got where they needed to get...

Then there's some that get large stashes of dino for less than $3/jug... that's hard to say no to

Keep in mind, some people are passionate above saving money when nothing else is compromised.

 

[nitehawk55]

Price per barrel is getting pretty high as is the gasoline due to those friggin markets and speculators

 

[mongo161]

Very true! Currently, the cost of oil for Oil Changes and lubrication is very inexpensive when compared with the price of a tank of gasoline. But how long will that last? IMO..Price increases seem to run in cycles with supply and demand. I would not be at all surprised to see much higher prices for oil, synthetic or Dino, in the future. An oil change is cheap insurance to prevent major engine trouble, yet some people rarely, if ever, think of changing the oil in their vehicles at a regular interval.

Originally Posted By: casperfun
Think about it.

Even the top synthetics are less than the cost of a tank of gas these days.

I mean if your doing...god forbid...3000 OCI's, THAN MAYBE I understand why people try to save a few cents on their oil.

My opinion is if you care about your oil and vehicle so much to be in this forum, then a few more bucks won't kill you on a issue you may be passionate about.

 

[Virtuoso]

Gotta cut my costs in any way I can. I do believe that many of the 5k synthetic OCI's are really pretty wasteful, even on really nice cars. But it's not my money that's being spent.

So yeah, I spend a [censored] of a lot more on gasoline than I do on engine oil. That doesn't mean I should go spend more money on lubrication than I have to.

Even if I only save a five bucks, that's five bucks I can put towards something else. Like half a can of R134 when I fix the Malibu's A/C in the spring. Or towards new carpet in the living room. Or new paint for the attic bedroom. Or whatever.

They might both come from dead dinosaurs, but it's not always an apple's to apple's comparison. Many here want to get the most out of their investment, so they put the best they can into their cars. I also want the same, but I want to get the most out of the money I have to invest in the cars themselves too.

 

[dave munson]

You guys don't get it. Oil costs the same it did years ago. If I use those silver coins I purchased in 2001, oil is actually cheaper today.

Now the dollar. The dollar is becoming worthless. If things don't change, it will take many dollars to buy one piece of toilet paper.

It ain't the price of oil.

 

[4ever4d]

Considering what effect oil has on the longevity of an engine it's not.The price that seems to be going up most is quality dino,syn oil seem to be more stable right now.I think due to the economy more people are using dino and the law of supply and demand comes into play.With the up scale technology going into dino i'm sure that plays into the picture also.Synthetic has peaked and can not be improved upon,there is pretty much no longer a difference between the two other than extended drain intervals.For the average car owner who diy's dino and a good filter @ a reasonable interval is as good as it gets for less money.

 

[dgee]

oil is cheap. PYB OC is like filling up a third of my gas tank.

Originally Posted By: casperfun

I mean if your doing...god forbid...3000 OCI's,

1mz-fe camry + >3k OCI =

haha jk but you get the idea

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

In my opinion, which I know is worthless and will be derided, ignored, flamed, perhaps censored, and I don't care, the whole premise of starting this thread highlights some of the ignorance that runs too rampant on this forum, creates a useless "club" atmosphere, and detracts from what could be a meaningful discussion about how to achieve the best economy from the expensive (to a lot of people) automotive ownership experience.

There are plenty of people who can't afford to spend the "couple extra dollars" on a product that seems to provide few or no tangible benefits to the longevity or performance of an engine. Why is motor oil $15/gallon while gasoline is only $3? Why is a synthetic product that seems to make no real difference twice that price? Why should somebody spend more money on "insurance" or "passion" that seems to have no payback?

Feed whatever weird psychological pleasure you derive from overthinking and overpaying for car maintenance, but realize that to those who don't have that "couple extra dollars" to spend, or who don't have time to read through a bunch of meaningless threads like this to learn how to save money on their car maintenance, that your comments may seem silly and detract from what could be a useful discussion.

Just my opinion. Flame on.

 

[rclint]

I don't see a problem either way when you purchase what you want. I do see a problem when going above specs on oil thinking it will protect your engine better as this is just not the case. You may be able to extend your OCI etc, BUT all things equal, and if you do compare things equal which is rare when talking conventional/synthetic then one would run the oil filter for two consecutive runs with a good high quality oil filter as used in synthetic.. Then from my math conventional always wins hands down on which is the best deal... and I don't see how synthetic can protect my 02 accord engine which calls for conventional any better than conventional !! and Honda states this as well in the manual saying if using synthetic the OCI must remain the same.. Yet I myself extend my OCI using synthetics... I have no idea where I stand on the truth doing so... I put on a lot of highway miles, so I become laze many times using synthetic to extend my drains a whopping 1/3 more mileage compared to conventional LOL

We do however in the US have the very best engine oil selection, price, and in general what rocks BITOG forum

 

[HTSS_TR]

Originally Posted By: webfors
What is "better"?

If two cars go down the road for 10 years and both get 200k+ miles before they are sold or traded, one with syn, one with dino, does it matter what oil was in the sump? They both got where they needed to get...

Then there's some that get large stashes of dino for less than $3/jug... that's hard to say no to

Keep in mind, some people are passionate above saving money when nothing else is compromised.

I could not say no to $0.49/qt Synpower, $1/qt PP, $2/qt M1, $3/qt PU ...
I rather pay $3/qt PU now and use it some years later, otherwise I may have to pay more than $3/qt for some dino at regular price by that time.

 

[mikiee]

No one could ever convince me that using dino with a quality filter and doing 5 to 7000 mile osi's is detrimental to an engine. I see no advantage (other than extended drains)to using syn unless you live in a climate that see's way below zero temps. If you can get syns on sale cheap, go for it. But if not, I think it's a waste of money for me.

 

[Superbuick96]

Agreed, a 5qt. jug of premium Full Syn usually costs less then a tank of gas. Thats why I have no hang ups when it comes to buying top of the line Synthetic..

 

[Capa]

I don't believe oil is that expansive. I used to only use dino but as of last year I exclusively use syn and do a yearly OCI and save money. I would never go back to dino when I can consistently buy a good syn for under $5 a quart.

 

[webfors]

Originally Posted By: mikiee
No one could ever convince me that using dino with a quality filter and doing 5 to 7000 mile osi's is detrimental to an engine. I see no advantage (other than extended drains)to using syn unless you live in a climate that see's way below zero temps. If you can get syns on sale cheap, go for it. But if not, I think it's a waste of money for me.


I see two reasons for synthetic, extended drains and a specific application that calls for it. Otherwise, it's a feel good thing... which isn't a bad thing.. I've done it myself many a times.

 

[Artem]

we like that warm fuzzy feeling inside.

 

[J. A. Rizzo]

I just posted this same comment on the Honda OLM thread, but it applies here as well. You guys who spend the money needlessly on expensive synthetics probably also think your wives are irrational and that the government spends too much money. Tell me it isn't so. All this insistence that "it doesn't cost that much more" is giving the oil companies license to keep jacking up prices. If you'll keep paying it, they'll keep charging more for it. The material costs are irrelevant. It's all about what the market will support.

Like some comedian said about his parents' views on other drivers, everybody driving faster than them is a maniac and everybody driving slower than them is an idiot. It's a ridiculous argument for driving and for oil choices.