PP 5w30, 5205 miles, '05 Corolla

[surfstar]

dnewton3 & Garak: If there were no price differential - would you choose synthetic every time?

b/c by browsing the rebates / sales forum, I can stock up on a deal and routinely get synthetic for LESS than dino sale prices. Then I am free to run the OCI to 'normal/dino' or 'extended/syn' mileage.

 

[Garak]

Originally Posted By: tarbasd
If PP was $50 a bottle, I would use PYB, of course, with the same OCI.


Come to Canada, and you'll have that opportunity, at least if you buy at regular price.

@surfstar: That kind of depends. Even if synthetic were the same price as conventional, I'd have considered it a major waste in my old F-150, at least before the rebuild. I went as far as MaxLife blend for it to address the leaks and the fuel dilution, and it did nicely in that regard.

For the Audi, it would have been a no-brainer yes, considering that the thing worked better with a thicker oil, yet I preferred a 0w-XX or 5w-XX for winter starts. So, a 0w-40 or 5w-40 synthetic would be ideal, especially to avoid seasonal changes. And for the record, I did use some synthetics in that, including RP 0w-40, some Mobil 1 5w30 leftovers I had, and Mobil Delvac 1 ESP 5w-40. The 40s were great. It drank the M1 5w30 like water, unfortunately.

For my G37, I may be going to synthetic, because I'll be able to get more Petro-Canada Supreme Synthetic 5w30 with my Petro-Points than I can likely even use. I could use their conventional with my points, but I'd never go through enough points.

So, I really can't completely answer your question, since I don't have an answer myself. If they were the same price, I'd probably be stuck with conventional because the synthetic would always be sold out. How's that?

Synthetics have their place. So do blends. I just like to have what I consider a good reason for my choices. Of course, it's not like my reasons are any better than anyone else's.

 

[dnewton3]

Originally Posted By: surfstar
dnewton3 & Garak: If there were no price differential - would you choose synthetic every time?

b/c by browsing the rebates / sales forum, I can stock up on a deal and routinely get synthetic for LESS than dino sale prices. Then I am free to run the OCI to 'normal/dino' or 'extended/syn' mileage.


I'll be honest and answer your question:
Yes - if there were zero price difference, then I'd likely choose the syn.

Now - I'll also be honest and say I believe you're not being realistic. There is no way I believe you are being fair in your cost comparisons. I frankly find it hard (if not impossible) to believe that you cannot seem to find dino at a sale price less than a syn sale price. Your are stating that you can "routinely get synthetic for LESS than dino sale prices"? Really? You claim that any day of the week, and twice on Sunday, you can find a syn for less that dino? "Routinely"? Well - I find that incredulous and bombastic; maybe I'm the only one.

It is certainly true to say there are always going to be sales/rebates on products. But that is just as true about conventional lubes as it is syns. If you compare/contrast retail-to-retail or sale-to-sale, then conventinoal oil is less expensive nearly every single time. And here is an important concept to grasp in this cost comparison debate: people often bias the contrast by trying to cherry-pick the lubes due to the timing of the sales events. They might find a PP rebate, and then compare that to PYB that is not on sale, while ignoring some other conventional lube that IS on sale. Or they will bias the topic by stating that they ONLY consider using certain lubes as being acceptable (IOW they would exclude some lesser cost alternatives because their perception is that the those lubes are somehow inferior). I once had a conversation with a person about this cost topic, and their response was that they would never consider using ST dino because it is "junk"; my 10k mile UOA to the contrary!

I also understand that there are regional promotions that are not seen country wide, but that will shift across regions over long time periods. What might be on sale this month from one brand, would likely shift to another brand in the next quarter.

What I am stating is that the "best price" of a syn is typically well above that of the "best price" of a conventional oil, when comparing/contrasting lubes that would be qualified for the application.

A recent example I can show is that I just got Rural King GF-5/SN lubes at $1.79/qrt; that was the walk-in (no sale promo, no rebate) price. Can you show me a recent price of syn that low?

I had this debate with another person lately, and he claimed that the price for his syn was below that of the dino alternatives. He had a "store merchandise credit" from Menard, and so his QS syn was "cheaper" than the dino. However, if he had applied that same credit to choosing dino, it would have been far cheaper than the syn. His "trickery" did not escape my attention; he tried to bias the conversation by falsely shifting the price delta. If that is the game he wants to play, so be it. It's not my wallet he's hurting.

Another example I'll recall is a guy who got some free Amsoil DEO from a buddy who got rid of his diesel truck. Great for him! Free lube! But that has ZERO sense of reality for the rest of us, unless Pablo is going to start handing out oil free-of-charge.

There is no way that "equal" cost of dinos and syns is realistic from day-to-day. If it were true, then why would there ever be a dino on the shelf at all? Why would the oil companies want to even offer the two products for sale? To what benefit would it be for them to offer duplicity of products with no price differential? Would not the consumers buy all the syn, thereby leaving the shelves loaded with stale and stagnant dino? And when that happens, to clear the way for more syn, the dino goes on sale. But then the long term trend (at least in your example of fully equal pricing) would be that dinos would cease to exist, because no one would EVER buy them due to the "routinely" equal price of syns? Sir, that is just preposterous; it does not happen. Syns are not "routinely" cheaper than dinos; the market reality does not reflect your claim.

What I do believe is that you can occasionally score a syn sale with rebate that meets your personal criteria of acceptable, contrasted to some unacceptable alternative list of fluids you may or may not put effort into finding with similar promotional advantage.

So, I'll again answer your question with honesty; "yes" I'd buy the syn if it were the same price as dino. However, I don't believe that situation exists with any regularity whatsoever, if ever. It's a hypothetical and not a reality.

But I am nothing if willing not to learn ... if you want to make me a believer, then offer up the specific proof, and not just the claims, please. I want to see "proof of claim". Not to be mean, cruel or argumentative, but in a friendly BITOG manner I am calling your bluff. So the next time you find these stunning lube scores in your area, then post them up so all of us can get the same deal. Make sure to PM me so I'm fully aware of you find. I would love to be able to investigate your claims in "real time" by calling the stores you frequent, and asking about the specific rebates and prices. That's the beauty of the internet; I don't have to live next door to you to find out what's going on around you. If you doubt my claim, you may call the Rural King stores in Martinsville, IN and Shelbyville, KY to inquire about their lube prices this past year.

 

[FoxS]

Google Quaker State rebate and Pennzoil rebate

Then check the Walmart prices

The rebates are

PYB $10
PP $20
PU $25

That means PU is the cheapest, PYB may come ahead of PP due to tax

QSUD $20
QSAD $10

That means QSUD is the cheapest

You can buy once for each car so that's 10 quarts per car

I'm told we can expect a G Oil FAR deal soon. That's syn too

I think the oil cos want us to buy synthetic after the deals as its more revenue for them, but for the savvy customer, you can just wait, stock up and perpetually get syn cheaper than dino

 

[Voltmaster]

PP is overkill for a Toyota in my opinion.

I run dio 3.5k and synth for ( G-oil only so far) 6k on my 06.

Numbers all look good, as they should for a Corolla.

 

[tarbasd]

Wait a second. Something has just occurred to me. I used a PureOne filter, and I checked their website, and they say that the filter has a silicone anti-drainback valve. Do you think it is possible the silicon came from the filter? Though I bet many people use that filter so this would have jumped out already.

 

[Garak]

That shouldn't be an issue unless the ADBV grenaded into many tiny, tiny particles.

Sometimes silicone gasket maker can skew the results, but that's because the excess applied finds its way into the oil.

I'd just watch on the next UOA. The usual suspects are problems with the ductwork, a garbage air filter, or something with the ductwork. Sometimes though, dusty conditions contribute. I'd hate to see a UOA on a combine.