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Author Topic: Synthetic motor oil.  (Read 1102 times)

rcjordan

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Synthetic motor oil.
« on: June 30, 2023, 12:01:17 PM »
Are you using synthetic oil in your ICE daily driver?

Around here, all of the quick-lube shops have switched to synthetic as a 'standard' oil change.
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Brad

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #1 on: June 30, 2023, 02:52:02 PM »
Yes.  I use synthetic in both vehicles.
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rcjordan

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #2 on: June 30, 2023, 03:40:36 PM »
Around 2005, I just barely avoided an engine failure in a 2000 Grand Caravan due to synthetic forming a waxy film in the oil pan and it plugged the intake tube. IIRC, I noticed an odor, light smoke, and/or over-heating and drove it just a few miles directly to the shop. It was so weird the tech called me over to show me the waxy-plasticy ring that had formed around the inside of the pan and the plug they pulled out of the tube.

Since then I've been specifying conventional oil when the shop did my changes at 8k miles.  But it has been 20 years and synthetics are supposedly better now about not dissolving seals and such.  Around here, all of the quick-lube shops have switched to synthetic for oil changes.  I'd been thinking about trying it again.
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Brad

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #3 on: June 30, 2023, 06:14:33 PM »
My experience is at the dealers and both use synthetic.

The Subaru dealer uses "Subaru" branded synthetic.  I figure the best bet is using the oil the vehicle was born with, plus they can't say it voids the warranty.
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Drastic

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #4 on: June 30, 2023, 11:51:00 PM »
I started running semi-synthetic about 20 yrs ago when full synthetic was prohibitively expensive. That stopped being very available about 8-10 years ago and went full synthetic around then.

I'd be curious to know if your oil filter failed and the resulting bypass eventually caused the problem.
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rcjordan

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #5 on: July 01, 2023, 12:28:03 AM »
>failed

We'll never know.  FWIW, I always have filters changed along with the oil and that incident was on a relatively new change.  Of course, the filter could have had an internal defect.  That van had started out with conventional oil and later changed to syn.  Change-overs weren't supposed to require flushing, same as now, but I've always suspected some sort of reaction with old, gummy deposits.
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DrCool

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Re: Synthetic motor oil.
« Reply #6 on: July 01, 2023, 09:35:09 PM »
My 2013 Toyota Sienna minivan uses synthetic but my 2003 Toyota Sequoia is still on standard oil. A full synthetic oil change at most of the lube places is about $100 now.
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