Thinking of switching to synthetic, right for me or a risk?

[Everzooom]

I have a 2007 Honda CRV with only about 80k miles on it. No engine issues, no leaks. I've used standard oil for its entire life. I'm considering synthetic, probably Pennzoil Ultra, because I live in the Northeast and do plenty of cold starts and cold driving during the winter months, I also wonder if it might help with the longevity of the engine.

My only concern is that the switch might reveal old or worn seals that could cause bigger problems, especially since the car is over 10 years old.

I've considered switching to Pennzoil standard high mileage for a bit first since it supposedly has seal conditioner in it, and then maybe switching to synthetic high mileage after that. But I don't know if that would be helpful.

Any thoughts?

 

[maxdustington]

An engine that has spent the past decade on conventional will be at risk to spring leaks upon switching to synthetic. It's not worth it if your car is currently not leaking oil, the trans will fail long before the engine. You should run dino and use the savings to service your transmission.

 

[aquariuscsm]

What kind've dino diet has it been on? Definitely do the drain/refills on your transmission with some Honda DW-1.

 

[DIANgEMinONV]

Well, I switched my '08 Accord V-6 to synthetic when it was nearly 10 years old with ~60K miles. It has not developed any leaks so far. A friend of mine started using synthetic when his I-4 Honda had nearly 140K, and it didn't start to leak either.

 

[jongies3]

Do it, Honda uses good sealing practices and rarely seen one leak, even with ridiculous high mileage and poor maintenance. Although I wouldn't waste time (or money) searching for Ultra, Pennzoil Platinum is more than adequate.

 

[StevieC]

We switched my Mother in-law's 2009 CRV over to Synthetic 2 years ago with 60K miles (100K KM) on it and it had used conventional previously. All good, no leaks. She is using 5w20.

 

[Onetor]

Def synthetic!

 

[Everzooom]

Originally Posted by aquariuscsm
What kind've dino diet has it been on? Definitely do the drain/refills on your transmission with some Honda DW-1.


Dealership did the bulk of the changes since my wife drove it mainly and they gave us a discount for buying from them. I'm not sure what they use other than it's non-synthetic. Transmission fluid was changed not long ago and still looks good, I will keep up with it though.

 

[PimTac]

You should have no problems. In fact, most conventional oils are synthetic blends anyway.

 

[gathermewool]

What does the OM say?

If you plan on following the maintenance minder for oil change intervals, switching to synthetic will make zero difference.

 

[dogememe]

I've never had any problems switching to syn blend (which most modern "conventional" oils are anyway) or full synthetic oils in various older, higher mileage vehicles with far more age or mileage on them than yours. I've even gone back and forth a few times with no ill effect.

 

[tomcat27]

should be just fine. besides, most synthetics are heavy on the group III, which is just hydrocracked/highly refined/processed dino oil anyway.
in the event you experience a leak, which you shouldn't, just try a different brand of oil.

 

[aquariuscsm]

Originally Posted by tomcat27
should be just fine. besides, most synthetics are heavy on the group III, which is just hydrocracked/highly refined/processed dino oil anyway.
in the event you experience a leak, which you shouldn't, just try a different brand of oil.


I was just about to say that. 99.9% of "synthetics" are just conventional base stocked oils. I bet the leaky engine urban legend came to be back when synthetics used be a majority pao base. I'd read years back that pao's wreaked havoc on some gasket and seal materials.

 

[RayCJ]

If it makes you feel any better, I had a 1999 Toyota Sienna and a 2000 Camry (both with V6 engines) that lived on dino-oil for the first 5 or 6 years of their life. I did 3k mile OCIs on them. At/around 2006, I started using Walmart SuperTech synthetic oil in the recommended viscosity (I believe they called for 5W30) and increased interval to 5k miles. -No problem at all. -Never looked back. I ultimately put 158k miles on the van and 163k on the Camry before handing them down to my kids. They put another 70-80k miles on them before putting them out to pasture. No engine problems, no leaks... -Just good service.

Ray

 

[E150GT]

I switched to synthetic on my truck at 238k miles. I did fix a leak but it was already leaking on Dino anyway. If iteaks fix it.

 

[JohnnyJohnson]

I switched my 2004 Corolla over to full synthetic at 60K in fact it was Pennzoil Ultra I used. Everything went just fine no leaks period. Then I switch to another and then another and yet another full synthetic none of them leaked. None of them were more susceptible to oil usage than the others. To many wives tail are spawned over this wives tail. My guess is if someone had a problem it really wasn't related to the oil. You have nothing to worry about.

 

[RyanY]

OP: Why not just skip the conv HM and go to pennzoil platinum HM?

 

[NO2]

Synthetics cost less than conventional oil after rebates from some of the major brands (Mobil 1, Pennzoil). They perform slightly better by sludging less and flow better at low temperatures. There is no reason not to use them. You don't need a high mileage version (which will swell engine seals) on a Honda. If you pay a lot more (e.g. my dealer charges $80 for a synthetic vs $30 for a conventional service) don't bother. Honda's are pretty easy on oil of any kind.

 

[csandste]

Originally Posted by NO2
Synthetics cost less than conventional oil after rebates from some of the major brands (Mobil 1, Pennzoil). They perform slightly better by sludging less and flow better at low temperatures. There is no reason not to use them. You don't need a high mileage version (which will swell engine seals) on a Honda. If you pay a lot more (e.g. my dealer charges $80 for a synthetic vs $30 for a conventional service) don't bother. Honda's are pretty easy on oil of any kind.

At least with Valvoline it's condition seals, not swell. No danger.

 

[Rolla07]

Good to switch. Id use a non hm syn and just keep an eye on usage.