Synthetic Oil Users

[A10]

We have an 05 Durango with 89000 on it, and I switched to synthetic blend about three years ago. I try to change every 5000 on that one. Just bought a '15 Nissan sedan, and it came with free oil changes for 7 years. So, every 5000 on that one for sure!

 

[Jack Flash]

Various Thoughts:

This deep into the thread and no one has mention Bob is the Oil Guy website yet.

I tend to follow the owner's manuals for my vehicles, and change the oil, etc, as they recommend. I think they are very conservative and you could go a lot longer between changes, but I tend to be pretty conservative myself.

I am no expert, but I have always read that you can't tell much about the condition of your oil by how dark it is. See the Oil Guy website for more. Of course, if your oil looks milky, it may have water in it. (Or may be contaminated with something else). So it doesn't hurt to do a visual check and do it often. Naturally, you will want to keep it topped up.

I think it is foolish to pay a lot for oil then scrimp on the filter. Either scrimp on everything or scrimp on nothing.

Dino oils are probably plenty good for most cars, depending on how they are driven. Again, let the factory owner's manual guide you on this. For most of us, synthetics are probably overkill.

 

[BigBill]

Every 3,000 miles Mobil 1.

 

[Snapping Twig]

A quality oil filter is mandatory.

Forget something like a Fram.

 

[johngalt]

I use synthetic in my Corvette. Oil gets changed when the computer says to, which is about once per year.

 

[gregintenn]

My truck and my wife's car get the oil changed when the oil change light comes on. I put regular oil in my truck. Her car calls for 0w20 oil, and to my knowledge, synthetic is the only option there.

My son's truck burns enough oil that it'll ever need an oil change.Perhaps a filter every now and again.

 

[yeti]

Good point brought up regarding el cheapo oil filters. Paper bypass valves may not survive 10,000mi. Buy a decent oil filter if you want to reach for >5,000
Napa Gold and the better Purolator filters are decent, but there are others too.

 

[Donn]

I change at 5 thousand miles, but only because I have been told, by several people who "ought" to know, that the oil filter begins to break down at about 5K.

Bob

That's true. I run Mobil 1, 8000-10,000 miles between changes. However, I change filters every 3000 miles and of course, when I change oil. I don't care what oil or filter you run, leave a filter on more than 7500 miles, it'll plug up.

 

[Black_Sheep]

The fleet of F150's at work run Mobil 1 with a 10K drain interval. At every oil change a sample undergoes analysis at CAT to check for wear metals and contamination so the 10K interval is based on reliable information.

 

[ladder13]

Good point brought up regarding el cheapo oil filters. Paper bypass valves may not survive 10,000mi. Buy a decent oil filter if you want to reach for >5,000
Napa Gold and the better Purolator filters are decent, but there are others too.

I believe Wix makes the filters for the high end Napa's, excellent quality. I use them, Wix, in our daily drivers. Delco filters in the vette.

 

[MK]

I use Castrol synth blend in my car. Change it and the filter every
5000 miles when the blinky light starts winking.
My trucks, I use regular dino oil.. I'm not as picky about those.

I use it in the car to reduce jelling, which had been a problem on
certain Toyotas. The heads on my year car supposedly have wider oil
passages to reduce the coking/jelling problem, and I use the synth
blend as added insurance.

 

[Jswiney9]

i live in the coal fields. I drive a subaru forrester and my first ooil change was recommended at 7500 miles. it took me 14 months to hit that............ the oil looked brand new. the filter wasnt horrible either.not sure what oil they start with but its a 0 weight oil. I replaced it with a purolator filter and castrol which are my go to products. it absolutely bewilders me that people refuse to use the newer synthetics

 

[Squarebutt]

I've tried synthetic in several vehicles with no noticeable improvement in MPG's or performance. One pickup truck actually needed oil between changes, probably because the thinner syn slipped past the rings. I get 200,000 miles out of our vehicles on dino oil, and by then the salted winter roads have done their damage.
A petroleum engineer told us that syn is really worthwhile on air-cooled small engines, as it flows better through the small passages and the oil also works as a coolant. I use it in the old John Deere garden tractor, the snowblower, generator and power washer.

 

[icemn]

10k miles and no regard for time, but generally gets done within 12 months. Either use a Mobil 1 or purolator pure one filter with Mobil one oil. No issues for several hundreds of thousands of miles.

 

[max]

As long as my Lincoln is under warranty, Ford pays for the oil changes and they use a Motorcraft synthetic blend. The first change for me was 9 months and 5k miles after purchase. The computer said my % was down in the teens.

 

[Philadelphia Patriot]

I got my SUV with 73,000 miles on it. It currently has 118,500 miles on it. I change my oil every 3,000-4,000 miles. I use Castrol GTX High Mileage Synthetic Oil. I also use a high mileage oil filter. I do primarily city driving so I spend a lot of time idling my engine at red lights.

 

[CoMF]

German Castrol 0W30 at the Subaru recommended 7k mile intervals. I probably could stretch it a little further depending on what a UOA revealed, but it's been working fine for me for the last 5 years or so.

 

[THEWELSHM]

I change my Dodge truck at 6000 miles with Mobil 1. The wife Mercedes every 10000 and the dealer calls for 12k?? Either way we get good motor life with synthetic.


thewelshm

 

[DWFAN]

Mobile One 0-40 in my 88 Seville once a year, in the fall. Regardless of the mileage. Just bought an 89 STS and that will get the same treatment. The paints going to fall off before the engine goes south.
DW

 

[EugeneNine]

Mine has the oil life monitor which tells me around 6000 miles. I rotate the tires at the same time.

 

[SMSgt]

I change the High-Milage synthetic every 5000 miles in both my vehicles; one with 160000 miles on it, the other with 260000 miles. other than some slight valve cover leakage on one from a valve cover gasket, neither have oil-related problems.

I picked 5000 miles as it was easy to keep track of when to change.

I previously owned a '80 Corrola that I switched to Mobil One at 10000 miles. The gas mileage went from 28 to 32 MPG and the engine ran noticeably cooler. My wife, who thinks warning lights and coolant running out means try to make it home instead of stopping, drove it until the engine stopped a block from the house. I fixed the leak, filled the radiator, changed the oil and drove it another 25000 miles until the engine crapped out.

I was sold on it from then on.

 

[Engineer1911]

2012 Colorado and 2009 HHR get Mobil 1 5W-20 oil changed every 20K miles. Oil filter changed every 5K miles with WIX premium oil filter. I watch the oil level and add a little to keep oil at the FULL mark all the time.

HHR has 75K with no performance issues, Colorado has 50K and running fine. Followed same change routine on 1995 S10, 1984 Olds Cutlass, and Pontiac 2001 Grand AM GT that all had over 130K miles without engine problems. Just got tired of fixing electrical problems related to age.

 

[carpriver]

I have a 2013 F-150 5.0 with a heavy duty towing package, we tow a 5th wheel. I use either Mobil 1 or Ford synthic oil and change the oil at the start of summer and at the end of summer. If we go south during the winter and We put 7000 miles on it I will have it changed.

 

[CoMF]

Shoot... Forgot to say I use the Subaru factory oil filters with my 7k GC oil changes.

Yeah, it's a glorified FRAM, but Subaru specs a pretty high relief valve opening pressure (22 PSI, IIRC) that's almost impossible to find in the aftermarket filters. Plus they use that "P" shaped molded gasket that doesn't leak.