I have a 1999 Toyota Corolla CE, manual transmission with 125K miles. The car gets a combined 30 MPG consistently. At 120K I found a reliable mechanic and dropped 2 grand into the car and it drives like new. The mechanic mentioned that I should cross over from traditional motor oil to synthetic motor oil. (Better for the engine.) Though I have read up on synthetic motor oil I’m still a newbie. All my Owner’s Manual says about motor oil is to use SAE 5W-30. Anyone else cross over to synthetic motor oil? If so, do you have a preferred brand? My understanding is you can go twice as long between oil changes as with conventional oil. True? Anything else I should be aware of? Thanx.
I haven’t really kept up, but Mobil 1 was the first and I don’t see how 100% synthetic can be beat. Any sort of blend is just mucking up the goodness, kinda like the difference between single malt and blended scotch.
I would feel comfortable extending the interval by 50%, but I think twice as long may be pushing it. Synthetic oil resists breakdown better than conventional oil in many ways, but not in all ways.
When Mobil 1 came out the advertising was 25,000 miles between oil changes. As I recall a major auto mag of the time had no problem with this claim. Of course there should be some time limit because if you take forever to hit 25K miles, then the oil is going to accumulate water and volitile hydrocarbons which don’t have a chance to get burned off.
Check out this ad from 1981.
OK, I understand the Mobil 1 thing. I was there when it debuted. My concern is a 15 year old car with > 125K miles which has always used regular motor oil and now it has been recommended that I switch to synthetic motor oil. Anyone ever done this? If so, tell me about your results. If not, speak to me of your experience with synthetic motor oil.
Engines very seldom fail on modern cars.
The chances are extremely good that the repairs necessary to keep the car in good working order will become more expensive than the car is worth well before the engine itself gives out.
I have had people honk at me at red lights offering, to buy my 1999 Toyota Corolla. If I spend 5 grand in replacement parts (tires/battery/water pump/hoses) to keep the car another 5 years or 100K miles, I’ll be happy.
Can we please move the conversation back to synthetic motor oil? Sheesh!
Since your car is a “typical car” (and you don’t race it in the streets), 100% synthetic oil is a bit of an overkill.
Semi-synthetic is a more appropriate choice. But of course, as you would suspect, many oils, called as “synthetic” by the salesman, are actually semi-synthetic (which is alright). Read the package…
The “SAE 5W-30”… there is no reason to change that.
How often should you change oil?
As often as the manufacturer recommends. You can keep the oil a little bit longer, if you want to go cheap, and you can see that the oil is still in a good shape.
And since your car is getting old, changing oil filter with every change of oil is recommended.
But which oil?
Any semi-synthetic, or synthetic oil of a good brand will do.
I personally use Motul 4100:
Motul - Huiles moteur et lubrifiants?
It may be true. But it should also be pointed out that you can probably extend the change interval on conventional motor oils by quite a bit without worry, too. Either way, you should not extend the change interval without doing an oil analysis.
Even doublign the change interval for synthetic, it may not be economical, since it tends to cost about twice as much as conventional motor oil. You probably ought to do the math to see if it’s worthwhile.
Other than that, I’m not sure there’s likely to be a benefit for you by using synthetics. Either way, the engine will probably outlast the rest of the car; if the body and other parts are shot by 200 miles, and conventional oil lets your engine last until 250K, then there’s not much point in extending the engine’s life to 300K.
There is no reason to be concerned. The only downside to using synthetic oil is that it may cost you more.
Switching oils won’t dramatically alter your engines life, but can save a bit of money with a quality oil and habits. When most people raise this as a concern, it’s usually better to point out other habits which can preserve engine health, as opposed to placing so much emphasis on the oil.
Also, once you purchase a quality oil, there really is no discernible difference between good brands. I’ve used/shared with others, a few different oils and performed a number of used oil analysis, and the wear has always been similar or negligible. The benefit of this, is that doing an oil analysis will give you a better idea as to what’s going on inside the motor, and they’ll recommend an interval for your next change, depending on the wear metals and such in your oil. I’ve seen people go above the recommended 5k to 12k, with a filter change, and some less. Personally, I’m looking to change mine at 7.5k next and will send it in for another analysis, before aiming for 10k/annual changes.
All in all, choose your preferred quality oil, don’t abuse the motor, and you’ll be fine.
In my research-and-anecdote-based opinion, the Machine Elf is spot-on here.
And I’ll add that you can really only justify using synthetic oil if you’re going to extend your between-change intervals. Dino oil does a fine job of taking care of your engine; it just needs to be changed more-frequently.
There are reviews and tests to be found on the interwebs, too. This was the first study I remember reading:
I haven’t read that in a while… it is extremely old but it will give you a glimpse into what’s going-on.
And as the **Elf **suggested… you can have your own, independent oil analysis done and take the guesswork out of it.
I don’t know what the rules are on suggesting other message boards, but the forums at “Bob is the Oil Guy” are just what you’re looking for on this sort of thing.
I recently purchased a used Subaru with 132K. I have no idea what it’s maintenance history was. First thing I did was an oil change with conventional oil. I assumed the previous owner wasn’t as fastidious as I am about their car, based off a few other things I discovered about the car, thus the conventional oil.
I plan to run that for 5000 miles, and then collect a sample to send in to Blackstone. Based on the results I get back, if all looks good, I’ll upgrade to Mobil1 full synthetic.
I have used Mobil1 full syn in multiple cars over the years, and did 10K mile oil changes with all of them. My ex-wife’s Civic Hybrid now has over 170K and the oil analysis is showing remarkably little wear.
Also use a quality oil filter. I like to use OEM filters, they are only a few dollars more than a cheap FRAM, and are readily available at a dealer or on eBay.
Here is a sample report so you see what you’re getting back. The paragraph about 1/3 of the way down the page tells you what you need to know. Not my report, BTW, just one I found online.
Wow! Thanks.
Very useful. Thank you,
Will follow your lead Krouget. Thanks.
Here was my concern, “here and there”. The manual recommends oil changes if using conventional motor oil, not synthetic. I just want my 'lil car to last. Thanks.
Question. I don’t do my own oil changes (but yeah, I could, assuming I can get my cane under the car.) So what do I ask/tell the guys down at the local Jiffy Lube if I decide to switch over to synthetic oil? (Maybe I should do my own oil changes. Haven’t since Nixon was president. I kid you not…)
Compared to the “simple” oil, if you use synthetic, when the time comes for a change, as the manual suggests, you will see that there is more of it left in the engine, and that it is in a better condition.
Synthetic is better in every way, except for the price :rolleyes: .