Originally Posted By: kendrickson
I have a brand new Impala LTZ with the 3.9 liter motor in it. I drive about 90 miles roundtrip to work every day, and it is a mix of highway and city driving. I do not drive extremely slowly, but I am fairly easy on my vehicles. Living in Pennsyvania, we have relatively cold winters, but rarely sub-zero temperatures. I will be changing my own oil, and I enjoy changing it, so frequency of oil changes is not a factor in my oil selection. I am trying to decide what brand of oil, and whether to use conventional or synthetic.
I would like to use the same Motorcraft oil I use in my Ford van, but since the Impala is under warranty and MC is not approved for GM6094, I will have to use something else. I have been contemplating for Valvoline, Pennzoil, and Mobil Clean 5000 (which I think is the factory fill) for conventional oil use, and Valvoline Synpower or Pennzoil Platinum if I go with synthetic. I am not stuck on any of these oils if there is a better recommendation. So I am looking for a recommendation on brand of oil, and also advice on whether synthetic oil is going to offer me any significant advantages over conventional. Thanks in advance for your advice.
My Sister has a 2006 Impala with the 3.5L. GREAT CARS! If I was in the market for a car it would be an Impala hands down. Roomy, comfy, well built, and amazing MPG for such a big car( mid to upper 20's on average and 32-36 all highway ). Congrat's on your purchase. Here are a couple quick comments...
1 - if you like Motorcraft oil then consider Kendall GT1 synthetic blend or full synthetic oil for your Impala. Both meet GM6094M and are API Starburst certified p/ your warranty requirements in 5w30. They are both excellent oils like the Motorcraft stuff. ConcoPhillips makes both the Motorcraft and Kendall oil lines. Some have said they are identical while others say they have a slightly different additive pack. Not sure which is right but either way you won't go wrong with Kendall oil for your Impala and it will return similar results to the Motorcraft oil.
http://www.conocophillipslubricants.com/brands-products/kendall_brand/engine_oils.aspx
Around here we can get it at any Firestone Service Center, a few local parts chains, and PepBoys. The full synthetric version( even the new formula with liquid titanium )is just $4.99 p/qt even at expensive PepBoys. I think I read that O'Reilly's carries Kendall but not sure? You can use this link to find some locally...
http://www.findkendall.com/
2 - Lots of folks have recommended QS Ultimate Durability/HP. Normally I would be on board with that as it is very good oil. However, it failed MISERABLY in my Sister's 3.5L Impala. Not sure how much the 3.5L and 3.9L share, if any, but I won't recommend it for a 3.5L that is for sure. I am a QS fan but in this application it just didn't do well. It does great in her husband's 06 I5 Colorado though.
She drives her car easy and does not abuse it. 6 month or 5K on the OC's with the Quaker State Horsepower brand for approx 2.5 years. I was going to use her car for a trip so I was doing some maintenance befor going and on a whim pulled the oil fill cap and got a flashlight and looked in. Man am I glad I did = YUCK!
What I could see of the valvetrain was all varnished up( brownish/red burnt like look )and there was a lot of black gooey stuff all over( sludge like in appearance ). Her engine has no mechanical problems so it was the oil not doing it's job.
I used some Seafoam to flush out the goo and then threw some Kendall GT1 full synthetic in. The engine seems to like it so far. Runs good on it, MPG is still good, and no return of the gooey build up. The varnish/discoloration has lessened some as well. She is due for another OC and we have the new formula GT1 full synthetic wiith the liquid Titanium to use. I won't go back to QS in her Impala now.
Obviously she has the 3.5L and you the 3.9L but wanted to mention the above bad experience for whatever it is worth.
3 - IMO go with a synthetic. For just a couple bucks extra over a conventional oil change you can step up to a superior product. You will see immediate benefits( smoother and quieter engine mainly and maybe even a "small" MPG boost )as well as long term ones( ie; better engine condition ). Also, the Gm OLM can go upwards of 7500-10,000 or even higher before indicating it is time for an OC. That is just too long for conventional oil IMO.
4qts of Kendall GT1( $4.99 each ) + an AC filter( $3.59 )at PepBoys is just $23.55. Can't beat that!
Hope this helps and good luck with the new ride.
