Starting to see syn being a waste here....

[daves87rs]

As Bill would say, it pretty much doesn't matter what oil you use, as the engine will outlast the body anyways.....

That is starting to ring true here...big time. Why, you ask? It's been a while since I checked the oil in my Cobalt (many reasons why), and with the harsh winter, short trips, warms ups and such(and the oil has been in since late Oct), I expected to look pretty rough (or at least pretty dark) Imagine my shock when I see that I can still see through it! (Dark amber) OLM is still @ 39%, and at this rate, I might run it down, even though it would push it toward 7k (I know, I'm a wuss)


While I know Ecotecs are easy on oil, I was still surprised by the shape of the oil. I'm dead sure this car would have no problem with a 5k OCI w/ cheap dino.

So, I've decided that from here on out, a blend or less is pretty much all this car needs...Never thought I say it, but unless you really need it, syn is kinda a waste (or maybe I'm just getting cheap.

)

 

[spasm3]

I run syns, i have 4 vehicles, the less time i spend changing oil the better. i run the 0w30 oil in the escape about 10k, the olds will be at 1 year. When my son starts college this fall the saturn will sit a lot at home it will get 0w30 once a year. The only syn i waste is i run 0w30 in the avalanche in the winter and i switch it out for rotella t-6 in the summer for towing.

 

[RamFan]

Since when is how the oil looks an indication to how it is holding up?

 

[HTSS_TR]

It's not a waste if you can buy syn for less than dino (after rebate) and double the OCI of dino.

 

[tinmanSC]

You have 6K+ posts and you're using the look of an oil to tell if it's good or not?

Using the look of an oil to determine if the oil has life left is of limited benefit. An oil can look very dark and still work great and be within spec, or an oil can look clean but the additive can be totally shot, high metal content, high acidity, etc... You can do a blot test with special cards you can purchase, but the only way to know for sure is to do a used oil analysis. In short, looking at an oil on a dip stick is a poor indicator of oil life. However, your OLM is probably a very good indicator of oil life. Using evidence of "it looks good" probably won't carry much weight around here.

 

[KeithKman]

Originally Posted By: daves87rs
As Bill would say, it pretty much doesn't matter what oil you use, as the engine will outlast the body anyways.....


Maybe where you're at, but not here in California. Plenty of older cars with bodies in great condition.

 

[DragRace]

The reason I run'em is because:

Here our winters get [censored] cold,and the less time I'm underneath a vehicle,is better,more life to enjoy!

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: RamFan
Since when is how the oil looks an indication to how it is holding up?



Well, I could sent a sample for a used oil analysis if I wanted to, but since the car engine itself is doing well, I'm not sweating it..

 

[Dave Hess]

It depends on the price of Syn oil, sometimes you can get it for less than dino. But I agree that *most* cars/trucks on the road today Do Not need Syn oil.

 

[whip]

I came to this forum looking for reasons to use synthetic oil. After doing my research, I decided conventional oil was fine. Between the two cars, I put about 5,000 miles per year on each. I'm not willing to go over a year for the change, so synthetic makes no sense for me.

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: tinmanSC
You have 6K+ posts and you're using the look of an oil to tell if it's good or not?

Using the look of an oil to determine if the oil has life left is of limited benefit. An oil can look very dark and still work great and be within spec, or an oil can look clean but the additive can be totally shot, high metal content, high acidity, etc... You can do a blot test with special cards you can purchase, but the only way to know for sure is to do a used oil analysis. In short, looking at an oil on a dip stick is a poor indicator of oil life. However, your OLM is probably a very good indicator of oil life. Using evidence of "it looks good" probably won't carry much weight around here.


1. Using the OLM...
2. Having 6k posts on this site gives a very good idea what an oil can do. Plus, I have hundreds on used oil analysis that I can look at too. So while the "look" may not be the best indicator, it still gives me insight, especially if I am pretty knowledgeable
about what the engine (Ecotec) can do too.
3. Due to the time frame that it went in (only 5 months), I would like to that this syn can hold up to that...

 

[daves87rs]

Originally Posted By: DragRace
The reason I run'em is because:

Here our winters get [censored] cold,and the less time I'm underneath a vehicle,is better,more life to enjoy!



True for winter, and if we have another winter like that last, then running syn in the winter would be a better idea..

 

[mechanicx]

If we compare normal synthetic price to conventional, I dont think synthetic is worth it at about 2x conventional's price. And you are not going to get the same protection running synthetic twice as long. Your OLM is calibrated for conventional and can run about `7-8k miles. I sure wouldn't dump synthetic in and assume I could run 14-16k miles.

Like you said, if you change the oil at least every 5-7k miles with conventional, in that climate the rest of the car is likely going to be worn out and corroded before the engine.

 

[ltslimjim]

How's this, use 0w syns in the winter for 7.5k or less and a conventional of choice during the summer and call it even?

 

[Paulson]

I too am off the synthetic bandwagon. If I put tons of highway miles on the car then yes, I would push the limits farther with synthetic but right now 10K on synthetic is all the farther I'll go.

So lets see here:

$3 a quart synthetic (can be had for less) with at least a $5 filter for 10K

$1.35 a quart conventional with a dirt cheap filter (say $2) going 5K-7.5K

Conventional is the better value and you don't have to worry about if you're pushing the oil too far by going 10K.

The final nail in the coffin for me with synthetic is all of my vehicles require top offs. I don't like the idea of running 6K on the oil, then having to add another quart or two of synthetic for only 4K (in my opinion a waste.)

I suppose I could top off with conventional and it wouldn't matter...

 

[steve20]

I'm with Dave--an 'educated' look at the oil's condition/color CAN tell you a lot about it-if he can still see through it, cahnces are the additives are not beat up and he can run it longer--if he looked at it, and it was as black as tar-chances are the additives are on their way out. When you know your vehicle, you know what is 'normal' oil coloring for your particular driving conditions, and you know when something is different-I think that is all he was trying to say


Steve

 

[Cause4Alarm]

There's not factual basis for this thread.....it should die a dignified death

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: HTSS_TR
It's not a waste if you can buy syn for less than conventional (after rebate) and double the OCI of conventional.


I have to agree. The few dollar difference between a synthetic on sale vs conventional isn't much. I'd follow the OLM and extend a few thousand to stretch your dollar a bit more and call it a day.

but i guess Conventional oil is a pretty good choice for you as well.

 

[Artem]

Originally Posted By: steve20
I'm with Dave--an 'educated' look at the oil's condition/color CAN tell you a lot about it-if he can still see through it, cahnces are the additives are not beat up and he can run it longer--if he looked at it, and it was as black as tar-chances are the additives are on their way out. When you know your vehicle, you know what is 'normal' oil coloring for your particular driving conditions, and you know when something is different-I think that is all he was trying to say


Steve


I have to agree. Oil color isn't the end all tell all but it does give a pretty good indication of oil condition.

I have seen some pretty dark oil come out of my Si after 3,000 miles but the used oil analysis said there's 5.0 TBN left.

At the same time, i've sampled pretty clean looking oil outta my Camry with a TBN of 2.0 after 5k miles.

Regardless, its save to say, if the color is BLACK the oil is most likely toast.