switching to dino AGAIN

[Thumper_sr5]

My 2.7L tacoma as 14300 miles on it and is on its first and only mobil1 5w30 fill. Before that it had 5W30 pennzoil and toyota filters every 3,000
miles. After talking to my boss with the same truck, he says he changed his oil 5w30 castrol gtx and toyota filter every 7,000 and currently has 239,000 miles with no engine repairs. That was all it took to get me to change back to dino castrol at my next service(15000mile). But I will be changing it at 5,000 miles not 7,000 like him.
Any thoughts? or comments?

 

[Jeffrey Behr]

One sample does not a statistically reliable sample make! His info may well be true and correct, but IMO you're more likely to get excellent engine life, etc. by using the BEST oil and filters money can buy, not the stuff that's good enough for some people.

Stay with M1. I'd be using an M1 filter if they have one.

 

[ToyotaNSaturn]

While dino will work fine, why not use 0w-30 Amsoil or M1? What about better MPG overall and less hassle by longer OCI's?

 

[rpn453]

I think in most cases if you change it at a reasonable interval with any SL (or whatever's current) rated dino oil you won't have an oil-related failure.
My buddy was buying oil for his new 2002 T.A. Firehawk and he grabbed the Esso Protec, it was about $1.37 CDN per liter. I asked him why he chose that and he said, "because we had a truck that had 460,000km (286,000mi) on it when we sold it, and this is what we used". Seems like a good reason for him to use that. My other buddy got over 300,000km on all their family vehicles using "whatever was cheapest at the Co-op that week" and didn't have any oil-related failures. A coworker had 386,000km on his car when it had a non oil related failure. He used "5W-30". No specific brand or anything. I use synthetics for the winter, but in the warmer months the dino does just fine. Oil changes for $8!

 

[Spector]

I am going through a RX rinse cycle on a car that has had synthetic since 1000 miles, so over 11 years. The Chevron oil change with filter is under $10 whereas my Amsoil would be about $35. I can change the oil every 2500 miles and still pay less then the Amsoil at 7500 (cannot extend beyond that with this engine) A real toss up. I just don't like the varnish effect from Dino oils in some engines but then, it may not occur. I have 2000 miles to make a decision for the future. Keeps me awake at night!

 

[TooSlick]

If you factor in the value of your labor to do an oil change, it skews the math considerably ....

Quick lubes charge approx $25.00 for a petroleum oil change. You can bring them five quarts of Amsoil and one of their extended use, SDF oil filters and have it put in for $10.00-$15.00. Your total cost for the Amsoil change will be about $60.00 at full retail prices for the oil and filter.

FWIW, most of my local retail customers don't change their own oil, and don't run Amsoil more than 12,000 miles between changes ....

Tooslick
Dixie Synthetics

 

[cousincletus]

I would have stuck with Amsoil if they didn't charge 20 bux a year to be a preferred customer. Another reason is because the new Dodge Durango specifically says in the manual not to do extended drains. It was easy to get for me, because an Amsoil dist. center is right here in Richmond. Amsoil is really good at keeping my engines clean and has many other good qualities, so this was a difficult decision for me. If I lived in the extreme cold, then I would stick with synthetic, but my plan now is to use 5 or 10W-30 in the winter and 15W-40 truck oil in the summer.

 

[toyvwbenz]

Thumper, synthetic oil will not make a consistent measureable difference in fuel economy or engine wear (my experience) over normal oil change intervals. 5K on inexpensive dino oil will do a fine job of protecting your engine. I think 10W-30 would serve you better than the 5W-30 unless you must endure very cold winters.

 

[TheLoneRanger]

I too have switched back from synthetic to dino. I couldn't justify the increased cost for what I thought was nothing gained with the synthetic. I always do my own changes at around 3-4K using GTX 10W-30. Extended drains may be OK, but I like the feeling of getting all the blow-by acids and contaminants out of the engine, regardless of what a UOA may show.

If I lived in Alaska or Canada with very cold winters, and didn't have the time for changing my own oil, then I'd use synthetic. I guess it all boils down to the individual's circumstance......

 

[Drew99GT]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Brett Miller:
BUT.....alot of people, myself included, enjoy changing their oil. It is also an excellent opportunity to go over the vehicle more frequently.

---

Exactly; I recently found a torn and leaky CV boot while changing my oil, which by the way takes me less than 10 minutes, so labor is not even an issue. I probably would have burned through the CV joint running an extended drain cause I simply wouldn't have known about it.

 

[harper]

IMHO, 5k seems safe for a good dino oil. I have used this number as its round and easy on three cars that have taken me to the 200k+ mile range. But a large caveat is what type of driving/conditions you do and whether extreme, ie city driving or towing or dusty etc.

I do a mix of both but more of moderate consistent speeds.

How long do you plan on keeping the vehicle is the key question.

 

[mikep]

quote:

---

Originally posted by Patman:
..... I probably wouldn't be able to sleep if I put $1 motor oil into my engine.

---

LOL....when I had my 1995 Escort wagon I often used a local parts house motor oil that I could get on sale sometimes for 49 cents per quart!

Their same house brand filters were 79 cents each. My father now drives that Escort and he uses whatever the mechanic puts in it. Approx 150,000 miles and runs like a top.

Mikep

 

[Ray H]

I've always used whatever I could get cheapest. PERIOD! (with the proviso that it be at whatever latest API service designation was in effect at the time) I slept just fine. Never any engine mechanical problems, let alone an "oil related" failure. And in those rare occasions that I pulled a valve cover, everything was squeaky clean. Like mikep, an oil change for me is a ten minute job. "Labor" - Pffhhhh! What's the difference between lying on my back under a car or on the couch? Synthetics have their place - high performance and/or operation in extremely cold climates, and on the store shelves - in that order. The argument that "you get what you pay for" can just as validly be countered with, "a fool and his money are soon parted" - they're both overworked cliches that have little relevance to actual value.

 

[haley10]

GTX rules.

I've used it since 1975.

I've run SYN for 2 years and I like M1 10W-30.

Your choice. You may not need the extra performance of a syn if you do regular oci's.

 

[Doug C]

Even if I go 6000 miles on an oil change I lube the joints and check the suspension every 3000. Don't you still need to rotate your tires with or without oil changes?

Cheers, Doug

 

[dustyjoe1]

For what its worth: had 200k miles on my 2.4 87 toy when I sold it. My flavor was havoline 20/50 dino. changed chain guides at 190k miles engine looked pretty good on the inside. Dino on a 3-5 schedule will keep that one running good long time.

 

[dagmando]

Every car/truck is different, but any Toyota or Honda is not worth the extras expense and can easily go 7.5K on dino without issues and outlast the ownership. I have an '86 SAAB Turbo that has 250K miles on with Valvoline 10w-30 dino every 7.5K miles and it has the original turbo and the engine has never been opened. This is an oil cooled turbo too which is really hard on oil where the new SAAB's are water(coolant) cooled. It runs awesome. Take your bosses experiance, run it until 5K if still a bit worried and you will still end up selling it before you need a engine overhaul, which rarely even happens anymore.

[ February 04, 2004, 04:22 PM: Message edited by: dagmando ]

 

[Cutehumor]

eveyone here has made good points. a synthetic is really needed in extreme temps above the mason dixon line in the winter. however if you living in mild temps a dino will suit just fine.

 

[Patman]

When we hear stories of engines run on dino oil going 200k, 300k or more, it definitely makes you sit back and think about whether or not synthetics are absolutely necessary, or if you can get away with spending less money and just sticking with conventional and 3k changes.

But the labor factor definitely comes into play here though. Even if you're saving money with dino, you are going to spend more time under your car. Sure, some people like doing that, I know I do to a certain point, but certainly not in the cold weather. So it's nice to have the ability to do an oil change in the fall which lasts me until the springtime.

We all know the benefits of synthetics, so there is no need for me to rehash them again, but suffice to say that you can't argue with the fact that your chances are better that you'll get a longer engine life when running synthetics, especially in extreme cold climates.

I guess it all depends on your situation. Do you want to keep your car for 20 years? If so, you'll want to use whatever gives you the best chance of making it that far on the same engine. Do you drive your car extremely hard? Once again, synthetics win here too.

And like Spector says, these are the things that keep us awake at night, and I probably wouldn't be able to sleep if I put $1 motor oil into my engine.

 

[Brett Miller]

BUT.....alot of people, myself included, enjoy changing their oil. It is also an excellent opportunity to go over the vehicle more frequently.