I've been registered for this site now for a couple of months and I really enjoy reading the posts, UOAs and other neat stuff. Here's the situation: up until last May, I took my 1999 Honda Accord LX (2.3 litre I-4 VTEC, 65000 miles, mostly around town driving, 5 speed manual trans) to the dealership for oil changes. They used the much maligned Valvoline All-Climate 5w30 and Honda OEM (Fram, I guess) filters. I changed the oil religiously between 2000 and 3000 miles (the dealership accepts competitor coupons, so I was getting oil changes for $10.00). As the engine grew older, valvetrain noise grew louder, so, just for kicks, I had my dealership put in Valvoline Durablend 5w30. The engine definitely is quieter, runs a bit cooler and certainly doesn't clatter when cold nearly as much as it did using regular dino Valvoline. It seems that my engine likes sythetic blend. Now the question: if I plan to do OCIs around 3k, which synthetic blend should I use? Schaeffer oil is very good, but is very expensive and seems appropriate for extended OCIs. Why do I hear that Valvoline Durablend is one of the worst of the blends among the commonly found oils? I do not mind spending $3.00 a quart, so price is not my first priority. In other words, I will buy Trop-Arctic because it is better than the others, not because it is cheaper. Thank you in advance for your input.
Please help me choose an oil
- Thread starter z917990
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If you are happy with the Durablend and get it done at a good price why don't you just stay with that. If you could take the time to read every post on this site you would see that there are opinions both good and bad about every brand of oil and filter out there. You will probably get plenty of responses to your post recommending enough different oils to make your head spin so again if you are using something you are happy with, continue to use it.
I have to agree with the above,with those short intervals and if you are getting a good price, just go with the durablend. it seems to be working for you. On a side note, I don't think scchaeffers is much more expensive. Durablend is commonly found for 3 bucks and above now(on sale for 2.68). You can get scaheffers in that price range if you want to try something new. Your engine will probably last a long time with AC and durablend though.
On a side note, Have you had the valves adjusted? The increase in valve noise is prbably your valvetrain being worn out of spec. A different oil imay be simply hiding it from your ear.
On a side note, Have you had the valves adjusted? The increase in valve noise is prbably your valvetrain being worn out of spec. A different oil imay be simply hiding it from your ear.
Just use Dino oil like Havoline or Citgo. These oils are giving back good results. I'm becoming cynical about synthetics. Spend 5 times more and end up with more wear. Not me. The results are on Used Oil Section here. The proof is there. But, if you feel like spending $6.00 or more for more wear go ahead. Who cares about a little shearing. The dinos shear and still give great results.
I agree, Mobil Clean 7500 is at a good price point for a blend at around $2.50 a quart. I am a Schaeffer's user, but will probably make the switch to the M1 7500 when my stash runs out. That said, I don't see anything wrong with what you are doing with the Durablend. It may be that the Durablend is holding its viscocity a little better than the dino.
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