Short trip/low annual mileage oil recommendation

[bigdawg74]

Originally Posted by GumbyJarvis
Is there a Pepboys around?
They always have coupons online, usually its Pennzoil or Quaker State and a Champion Filter.

Nope, no Pepboys close to me.

 

[bigdawg74]

Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en


Only switcheroo I would make is straight 0W40 Castrol from April to November, but add a little thinner oil for November to April.
In my Colorado, I'm using 0W40 Castrol Edge currently. But I bought two quarts of Mobil-1 0W20 to use in the winter months.
For my engine that holds six quarts, I plan on.....
Four quarts of Castrol Edge 0W40
Two quarts of Mobil-1 0W20.



Wouldn't a 0w40 and a 0w20 both have the same viscosity characteristics at cold temps? Both are 0w....

 

[bigdawg74]

Originally Posted by mightymousetech
You say you drive "spirited", but only 4-6 miles? You have to drive gently till the oil is warmed up,


If I did that, I might as well go back to driving a 4 cyl Hyundai. Thanks, but no thanks! LOL

 

[bigdawg74]

I did notice today as I was browsing through the Wal-Mart oil section that Valvoline has a synthetic 5w40 that is Dexos2 certified. Anybody have any thoughts on that?

 

[RooflessVW]

Your wear metals are high and you have fuel in your oil because you drive it around with a lead foot while it's still cold.

Fix the behavior if you want good UOAs. Otherwise, follow the OLM with a D1G2 oil. If it sucks to change your own oil, take it to the dealer. You'll get the approved oil and a factory filter at a decent price.

 

[Triple_Se7en]

Originally Posted by bigdawg74
Originally Posted by Triple_Se7en


Only switcheroo I would make is straight 0W40 Castrol from April to November, but add a little thinner oil for November to April.
In my Colorado, I'm using 0W40 Castrol Edge currently. But I bought two quarts of Mobil-1 0W20 to use in the winter months.
For my engine that holds six quarts, I plan on.....
Four quarts of Castrol Edge 0W40
Two quarts of Mobil-1 0W20.



Wouldn't a 0w40 and a 0w20 both have the same viscosity characteristics at cold temps? Both are 0w....

In case you are missing something, there are other viscosities inside those oils. The 20s & 40s don't lay still in the grassy knoll.

 

[bigdawg74]

RVW: I never said I lay two strips of rubber from stoplight to stoplight. Nor did I say I exceed posted speed limits. I don't sit in my driveway and idle for ten minutes. And when I did my UOA after one calendar year, my OLM was at 10%.

East coast dealerships must charge less than those out here on the west coast. Out here "dealerships" and "decent price" don't go together.

 

[Mad_Hatter]

Originally Posted by bigdawg74
I did notice today as I was browsing through the Wal-Mart oil section that Valvoline has a synthetic 5w40 that is Dexos2 certified. Anybody have any thoughts on that?


I personally haven't used that oil but I have used Valvoline oils in the past and in my opinion Valvoline doesn't make a bad oil per se. Are there "better" 0w40's out there, maybe maybe not. There are also some very good dino/syn blends out there too. But I think if the price point of that particular oil is amenable to ya and your OM allows you to run it, I say go for it. If I were in your shoes, and this is just my lay opinion, I'd be more concerned with just having the oil changed out a second time annually than spending all day on what oil is "best". I would fully expect that going from one change to two changes annually on just about any SN/GF5 rated oil, be it 0w40 or 5w30+, is going to help you with your fuel dilution and wear metals problem.

Edit: while in general I agree with your stealership sentiments, it is worth a quick call to their service dept. Often dealerships will run specials on oil change pkgs. Buy X amount of changes up front lowers the overall cost. My Kia dealership does this and it takes the normally priced $49.99 change to something around $30 bucks. Not the cheapest compared to say WM or a Jiffy Lube special but certainly easier on the wallet.