I have near 12K miles now. No service was done at 10K.

First oil change (@6K) I had regular oil.

Some questions:
1) Should I switch to Synthetic Oil this time now ? Mobil 1 good enough ?
2) Had filter changed too ?
3) How should I do this: Get the oil and give to Service ? Will they charge me less ?
4) Tire Rotation: Can I just take to any tire/wheel place to have this done if cheaper ?

thanks

 

1. Go ahead and switch to Synthetic. Most folks do with the 2nd oil change and a lot of folks have opted for Mobil 1.
2. Always change oil filter (if you go by MID) with every service mainly because of the length of time between services.
3. You can do that and they won't charge you for the oil. The service charge is left to the dealer. Some will charge under a $100 and more. Oil change and tire rotation for about $60 (approx). Search for a thread on B1 service (pretty recent).
4. You can have your tires rotated at almost any wheel/tire shop, don't know what they charge though. Most of tire places here do a rotation free of charge if tires were purchased from them.

Option A - Find a shop/mechanic that can do the same service for a lot less than dealer.
Option B - DIY
Option C - Dealer

 

Mostly what you will hear here is to dyi and save money + know it's right!

#4) FWIW I just had my first rotate & balance today. I get it done @ WALMART $30.00 total for lifetime every 6k. Note that I don't have the vibration problem. I have used them for the past few years and have had no problems.

 

matelot,
If you can give me more information regarding your driving conditions, I could make a recommendation.

However, the Amsoil XL-7500 5w-20 has showed excellent analysis results in this engine, even though its a Group III synthetic.

Michael

 

Mike, you know I think I'd fall into the group "Just Use Dyno Oil"

I drive "normal" like the average guy. I dont do much WOT, I increase throttle steadily.
But on hi-way with little traffic I let it rip.
Most of my driving is North East suburban local roads.
I am very much into engine smoothness and quietness if Synthetic can provide that better than Dyno oil.
thanks

 

Re Tire Rotation:

It's actually rotating the WHOLE WHEEL + tire right ? I mean they dont literally just switch the rubber around, correct ?

 

Correct!!

 

Tire Rotation: Yes, they rotate the wheel and tire.

Oil: It’s a myth, synthetics will not make your engine run smoother and quieter. The only way that you can have your engine run smoother and quieter, but at a fuel economy loss of 2-3 mpg, is to use a thicker oil such as Made in Germany Castrol Syntec 0w-30 or Mobil 1 0w-40. Even then, I cannot guarantee that you’ll have a smoother and quieter engine, since thicker oils will often cause an engine to feel “sluggish.”

To me, the amount of city and highway driving you did and the length of your trips is still somewhat more important than how you accelerate, but the length of your first interval told me a lot. You obviously do an equal, if not slightly greater amount of highway driving than you do of city driving, or your trips are fairly long, since the MID is recommending 6K intervals.

The gap between synthetics and dinos has really shrunk since the launch of the SM/GF-4 oils. A quality conventional such as Havoline 5w-20 with the usage of Lube Control (LC) at an initial dose of 6 ounces, followed by a maintenance dose of 1 ounce every 1,000 miles will yield you the same results as a full PAO synthetic such as M1 if you keep your drains around 6-7K. I’ll try not to discuss cost very much here, since I know that most of you folks around here don’t mind spending a bit more to have the best for your car, but an oil change with Havoline 5w-20, a Purolator PureOne Oil Filter, and the Lube Control will run you about $17. For M1 5w-20 and a Purolator PureOne Oil Filter, it will cost you between $25-$30. Contrary to popular belief, synthetics do not enable your engine to produce less wear. When used properly, both types of oils will allow you to obtain very low wear from your engine.

I don’t disagree with that synthetics keep your engine cleaner. That’s why I recommended the usage of Lube Control. I’ve seen many synthetic lubricated engines on the Bobistheoilguy forum, after 20-30K, are already considered “dirty” by my standards. No oil is going to keep an engine perfectly clean, since there will always be some buildup of sludge and varnish that will hinder the full performance of an oil. That’s why Auto-RX, Lube Control, and Fuel Power are used. Auto-RX is used for more severe cases and Lube Control works very well by reducing carbon buildup, sludge, and varnish in engines. Remember, no oil or additive will keep an engine totally clean; all engines will eventually need an Auto-RX treatment at some point in its lifespan, but the Lube Control will help by reducing a lot of the buildup that occurs, and helps by reducing oxidation and seems to help TBN retention as well, thus, extending oil life. The usage of the Lube Control in conventional oils will keep your engine just as clean, if not even cleaner than synthetic oils without any additives.

Remember, I do not disagree that synthetics handle heat better under high stress applications. But from what you’ve told me, you don’t race and you don’t drive aggressively. Even the driver who occasionally drives their car hard will be fine with a conventional. Now, then you may raise the question of oxidative stability. Yes, conventionals are rarely good past 8,000 miles. That brings the whole issue of Group III based synthetics; since they do after all, contain a petroleum base. Thus, they are at a disadvantage over extended drains since Group II, Group II+, and Group III oils do not offer the same oxidative stability as Group IV PAOs in drains exceeding 10K, after 10K or so, the lesser oils will have a problem with thickening, where the Group IV oils are less likely to thicken. But for the average Joe who does not exceed 7K drains, this really becomes irrelevant.

So for you, I just suggest using the Havoline 5w-20 SM/GF-4 with a Purolator PureOne Oil Filter and Lube Control at a 6 ounce initial dose and 1 ounce every 1,000 miles. Don’t worry about overfilling your crankcase when you add the maintenance dose of Lube Control; about 1-2 ounces is designed to “burn-off” every 1,000 miles or so. It contains a good dose of Molybdenum, has an excellent additive pack, and a sizable amount of Group III base oils. Here is a Virgin Oil Analysis of this oil:



Note: The back of the bottle stated that it meets SM/GF-4 Specs. The technician said the oil was an SL since it said that within the seal, which is probably because the API did not allow them to print SM until a certain date.

If you do not wish to use additives or still insist on using synthetic oil, give the Amsoil XL-7500 a serious consideration. Below is a Used Oil Analysis of the oil used in a TL. Though it’s the SL/GF-3 formulation, I expect the new SM/GF-4 formulation to perform just as well if not better.



Mobil 1 is also a good product, but it does seem to have higher Iron Wear. Though the Amsoil XL-7500 is a Group III oil, it performs just as well, if not better than the Mobil 1, so I feel that its worth its price at about $4.75/quart shipped if you purchase in a case from lubespecialist.com.

As a final note, I can’t think of any GOOD sub $5 oil filters. The Frams are junk, rule those out. The STP and Supertechs are ones that I used to recommend, but I had to stop recommending them since they are now switching over to a new Champion Labs Ecore design, which makes their construction just as bad, if not worse than the Frams. The Purolator Premium Plus isn’t a bad bet, but their quality can be inconsistent. For $1-$2 more, why not upgrade to an entry-level high-efficiency oil filter such as the Purolator PureOne? At $6 a filter, its an excellent bet. For longer drains (8K+), I recommend upgrading to an Amsoil Oil Filter which is available for around $12. But for your application, the Purolator PureOne is sufficient.

Hope this helps,
Michael

 

woa thanks mike...hehe :

your post
------------
my head


I am slowing tryin to digest it

 

1) Mine has been Mobile one since 5500 miles
2) Filter don't need to be changed until every 30,000 miles
3) Do it yourself, it's simple
4) Have your tires rotated every 2 oil changes (10,000) so yes, do one. You don't need any wheels replaced at 10k, unless you drag race like me

 

Those of you do your own oil change
where do you get the drain washer , dealer ?
They charge you ?

Is jacking/lifting the car necessary ?

 

Michael,

When you recommend syn oils for racing or hard driven cars on the basis of resistance to heat, you lose me.

I do motorcycle track days often. My bikes runs hotter in pit-lane waiting to go out (>200) than it does on the track at 170MPH (~160). Even in August, it runs 160 at race speeds.

I would guess stop an go traffic with the engine fan keeping temps between 210 and 230 degrees would be tougher on an oil.

Am I off base, or what?

Don

 

pepboys, bring the old oil to jiffy lube , they be glad to take it.
just use regular jack, the car is just like any other car... nothing special.

(were you the one that stalked erica? )

 

huh stalk ? nah, you must be mistaken.

(But if you have seen her in person then I apologize, know what i mean ? )

 

Don, I'm not very familiar with the cooling systems of motorcycles. So I won't comment on that subject.

From what I understand and other have found, is that oil temperatures seem to be the lowest at idle since idling rarely puts any thermal stress on the oil, as long as the the cooling system is working properly and efficiently. Higher oil temperatures are normally seen in highway or under hard acceleration because of the higher frequency of combustion impulses and the additional bearing load. However, high temperatures do put a stress on oil since oil tends to thin out at higher temperatures. Thus, I recall in one instance where a guy's cooling fan was not working properly, jacking up the oil temperatures and causing the oil to shear, which led to elevated wear.

However, synthetics only have an edge where there are very high temperatures (over 300F+), in most cases, conventionals can handle the heat and stress in stop-n-go driving.

Michael

 

Motorcycles run hotter than cars.. especially air cooled ones. But even liquid cooled will run hot at idle,, they have very small radiators, for obvious reasons and usually need movement for optimum cooling. They also produce a ton more HP per liter than cars so need more protection. I use synthetic oil only on all my vehicles but wouldn't even consider dino oil on my bikes. I use Mobil 1 but if I still raced I would use Amsoil. I believe it is better but not worth the extra money for non-race applications. Actually my Husqvarna dirt bike has a sticker on the trans from the factory saying "Use synthetic oil only"