What would you guys recommend......?

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Charlotte, NC
I recently bought a '00 Mercury Sable with the 24 valve, Duratech engine. Car's got 80,000 miles.
My wife has a '98 Acura RL 3.5 with 75,000 miles.

Just changed the oil on both this week. Used Pennzoil 5W-30 after reading some of you guys favorable comments and reading several pages with test results. On the Sable I used a Motorcraft 820S filter. On the Acura a ........
Fram TG. OK. OK, I know. Look. I was at Wally's getting supplies and had a list of all the filters that fit the Acura. I get there they only have Fram, a very few Motorcraft and Supertech. No problem if I can get the ST. Right? But the 1st few pages of the manual with the filter size was missing so...... Hey one Fram won't kill a Honda/Acura, will it?

My questions........

1. What dino oil and filter would you guys recommend for these two? I'll probably be changing oil at between 3,000 to 4,000 miles.
1.a) That Acura filter was so small. Couldn't hold much more than a cup. Do you recommend a larger one? How would I find a larger one if so?

2. The Sable calls for 5W-30. The Acura does too but also says if you're in climates that aren't below 20 degrees F., 10W-30 is OK, too. I'm in a climate that goes below 20 maybe once a year by 2 degrees for about an hour. So stick with 5W-30 or what?

3. The Sable calls for, oil changes at 5,000 miles and 3,000 / 3 months if severe usage. The Sable gets about 12,000 miles per year with about half of that being 1,000 trips to Florida and back.

The Acura's manual calls for changes at 7,500 12/months or 3,750/6 months for severe.
The Acura rarely leaves town and does about 1,000 miles or fewer, per month.

So what's up with that Acura 7,500 interval?

4. I took my previous car, a '96 Taurus, to a place that used Valvoline oil and filters. Since they also do a tire rotation, would you guys object if I took these cars there for an oil change and tire rotation once a year?

Thanks, in advance
 
Screw what the Acura manual says....stick with 3 to 4K changes. Motorcraft filter is a good one, I'd use Purolator on the Acura if you can get one, and oversize it. Look around here, there are some websites that will tell you what size or model that you can use. The Pennz. 5W-30 would be my choice for your Sable. For the Acura with limited use, I'd have to go with something a little bit higher on the additive package. Almost like Delvac 1 or Delo 1300.
 
Charlotte, Huh?

You guys had quite the snowstorm a couple of weeks ago, didn't you?

I would simplify things, myself, in your situation. One oil ought to be able to do the job for both your vehicles.

The idea of a 10W-30 HDD oil is certainly a good one: I believe Chevron makes one. Finding it... another matter.

On the other hand, good ol' Chevron Supreme in either the 5W-30 or the 10W-30 weights should cover all the bases. You can buy it on sale (& stock it) by the case for under a $, and just change the oil every 3K or so miles and the filter every 6K for a very happy, clean & well-lubricated pair of engines.

Your driving patterns certainly don't indicate extremes of service, to me. Your climate is mild.
Take the Acura on one of the trips to Florida if you want to put a good long run on it. You are just about ready for an Auto-Rx treatment on both cars, IMHO. The trips would be a good opportunity to do that.
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The Pennzoil 5W-30 sounds fine to me year 'round in both vehicles as recommended.
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If Wal-Mart does not have many SuperTech and Motorcraft Filters (mine is going all Fram too). Then you may have to stop by elsewhere at your convenience.

For the Acura:

Motorcraft FL810
Bosch 3312
STP S2808
Mobil 1 M1-104
K$N HP-1004

This is what Autozone has, I'm sure you can pick up a Wix or Purolator also at Advance, O'Reilly's or elsewhere.
 
Sounds like you are getting good advice. In a vehicle that calls for 30 weight, I like to use 5w30 for the colder months of the year and 10w30 for the warmer months of the year. Advance Auto parts, as mentioned above, carries Purolator filters which are very good and reasonably priced. Stick with the Motorcraft for the Merc. Pennzoil is a very good choice as is Chevron Supreme or Havoline made by Chevron.
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Ford also says that their 5w-20 is okay for your Sable. It's a blend and not a straight dino oil but the UOA's posted here have been very good.
 
The 5W-20's, Pennz. and QS, have held up well for me too in my 02 Accord. But, they surely won't go much past 3K. I'd probably stick with haley10 on this one, you could get by with the same oil on both. If you wanted to run out the drains longer, jump over to syn's. But, be prepared to go into sticker shock on the price difference. I have been thinking about going back to dino's myself as they have been posting most excellent numbers lately.
 
I'd say 3000 miles changes at the respective dealers of your car brands. Keep the receipts, clockwork like maintenance at the dealer will impress the prospective buyers of your cars when you'll decide to sell them, am make them feel confident that the cars were properly maintaned. And, with 3000 miles changes, it won't matter what brand of oil your dealer uses.

Cheers,
CrzyCanuck
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Schmoe,

Thanks for the info. How would I find out what oversized filter would fit the Acura? It needs to fit the bolt it screws on but also the wall that the gasket squeezes onto.
 
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