So I'm sitting at my desk yesterday.
My buddy calls me up. He has a '97 Hyundai Elantra with the 1.8 liter that car got in that year. It's around 135K. His drive to work is 20 easy freeway miles in very light traffic. He's a cook, so he drives to work when most of us are working, and gets off when most of us are about ready for bed.
He's buying motor oil. He either leaks or burns about one quart every 3000 miles, and he's been running 10,000 mile intervals on conventional for the last few years.
He discusses the various oils in front of him, and how he's thinking Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage might be the right choice for him. He is considering it because he thinks it may help with his leaking/burning condition.
Normally I'd tell someone running 10K intervals to go for a synthetic oil, but he just won't go for that. He's dirt poor and I'm thinking $3/qt is his absolute limit.
I figured that at the $2.30/qt price point at Auto Zone, Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage 10W30 (SL) is probably as good a choice as any, since it has nice high levels of the various additives and if I remember correctly, a viscosity on the high end of its grade. Good for a car that specs 10W40 year round, when I can't persuade the owner to buy the 10W40 because it's not on sale.
So, pros, was the reccomendation sound?
I know that 10W40 would probably be a better choice for him, and I also realize that if I'd been able to convince him to pay slightly more I could have gotten him into one of the "fake synthetics" like the Wal-Mart Supertech synthetic or Shell Rotella T 5W40.
In any case, I've got a 4 year supply of Lube Control in my garage, so I'm thinking of giving him enough to keep the Valvoline doped up for its entire 10K.
I'm also pondering giving him a Schaeffer's UOA kit when he changes this out and finding out how this oil holds up. I'll bet that due to his easy drive, it does just fine, with or without LC.
My buddy calls me up. He has a '97 Hyundai Elantra with the 1.8 liter that car got in that year. It's around 135K. His drive to work is 20 easy freeway miles in very light traffic. He's a cook, so he drives to work when most of us are working, and gets off when most of us are about ready for bed.
He's buying motor oil. He either leaks or burns about one quart every 3000 miles, and he's been running 10,000 mile intervals on conventional for the last few years.
He discusses the various oils in front of him, and how he's thinking Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage might be the right choice for him. He is considering it because he thinks it may help with his leaking/burning condition.
Normally I'd tell someone running 10K intervals to go for a synthetic oil, but he just won't go for that. He's dirt poor and I'm thinking $3/qt is his absolute limit.
I figured that at the $2.30/qt price point at Auto Zone, Valvoline Maxlife High Mileage 10W30 (SL) is probably as good a choice as any, since it has nice high levels of the various additives and if I remember correctly, a viscosity on the high end of its grade. Good for a car that specs 10W40 year round, when I can't persuade the owner to buy the 10W40 because it's not on sale.
So, pros, was the reccomendation sound?
I know that 10W40 would probably be a better choice for him, and I also realize that if I'd been able to convince him to pay slightly more I could have gotten him into one of the "fake synthetics" like the Wal-Mart Supertech synthetic or Shell Rotella T 5W40.
In any case, I've got a 4 year supply of Lube Control in my garage, so I'm thinking of giving him enough to keep the Valvoline doped up for its entire 10K.
I'm also pondering giving him a Schaeffer's UOA kit when he changes this out and finding out how this oil holds up. I'll bet that due to his easy drive, it does just fine, with or without LC.
