I heard a couple times from my buddies that full synthetic oil does not need to be changed every 3000 miles like regular oil? Is this correct, because i went to pepboys and they put synthetic and they still put the sticker on my windsheild to get it changed at the 3000 mile mark. Let me know if this is correct.

-DeZ

 

Obviously they are going to want to change your oil every 3k miles. Most people don't know their ass from their elbow when it comes to cars and listen to what these people tell them. Synthetic lasts longer than dyno oil. If I had synthetic i would change it ever 7k.

 

Follow the MID (the computer screem on your odometer). I usually wait from 10%-20% to change it (your preference though). Never believe anything from a dealership or a mechanic unless you can trust him/her. The main thing about synthetic oil is not the oil itself (many dispute about which brands are better, but at the end of the day they are almost alike), its the oil filter. If I were you, I would do the oil changes yourself just so you know what goes in it.

 

the owner book and mid are calculated for approx 7500 miles- the engine doesnt care if regular or synthetic- the mid doesnt know what you run it just tracks rpm and miles since last reset

modern oils and filters will go 7500 no problem
3000 is for auto shops to make money

all this info is in the owner book

 

Follow your MID. I change every 7.5K miles. Dino or synthetic, it does'nt matter. Probably can go longer with synthetic to perhaps 10K miles. They made our car smart for a reason, follow the MID.

 

Yep, follow the MID. Syn or not, it's your preference. In general, syn is more durable, heat and cold resistance from break down than dino.

 

You gotta think with your dipstick Jimmy!!!

 

 

Thanks for all the input guys.. Im guessing from all the response that 7k to 8k is the range where synthetic needs to be changed. Either way thanks at least i learned something new today

-DeZ

 

I change mines every 3k even with synthetic. I always think of it as fresh oil will keep the car at peak performance more time than older oil. I may be wrong but i always feel better knowing that the oil never gets to old and to run down. Some interesting facts about mobil 1 http://www.jobbersworld.com/December%2011,%202008.htm even though its not the same weight it still gets me wondering.

 

I do 3-4 on synthetic

 

I wait till the oil life is 0%... after all, there's still oil inside... dealership and auto-shops for the sake of making money, they'll tell you blah blah blah that you need to be back every 3K miles... that's like 3 to 4 times per year... base on the assumption of you driving more or less around 12K ~ 15K per year...

My last oil change was done after 6912 miles, with full synthetic, and before that, dealership put regular oil, and I went back around 4K miles... so, I'll stick with full synthetic from now on...

Also, I've notice synthetic really unleash the TL-S...

 

For what it's worth, I run Amsoil synthetic and had my oil tested and the MID is pretty much dead on in terms of oil life. From what I've been told there are some complex sets of algorithms that are used to calculate oil life for the MID and take into account a lot of factors. So stick with the MID imo

 

odd that somebody who lives in one of the prettiest places in the country doesnt appreciate conservation of natural resources and limiting waste. Why dont you just change all your filters every month as well?

As for myself, I follow the mid but round up to the next 1k marker. I use amsoil filter & oil so I feel pretty confident in my protection.

The way I see it, synthetic only allows the oil to suspend more particles without adversely affecting it's lubricity, so dino oil and synth oil may collect the same amount of particles, but those particles would affect the dino engine sooner than they would the synth. However, with modern oils, the point at which these particles would affect the engine is pretty damn high these days.

 

7-8 k is fine for standard Dino oil, 7-15k is usually good for full syn. 3k with dino is a waste of money and 3k with syn is a HUGE waste of money.

 

You're wasting your money and the environment. Whatever blows your hair back I guess.

 

So basically my oil can last twice as much as my filter? I know these filters usually needs to be changed with every 4k miles? Do i need to change the filter at the 4k mark or is it better if i just ride it out until 15k oil change?

-DeZ

 

I think you misunderstood long range oil and filter use

7500 for the filter and 7500 for the oil- any type
If you have a special oil (amsoil) AND get it tested at 7500 for remaining life, change the filter at 7500 and keep going

Some filters claim 15k- but IMO thats pushing it with the crud that 10% ethanol added gas leaves in the systems

The oil doesnt suspend the particulate matter forever- it transfers into the filter.. with any luck!

 

OP, no offense but I am skeptical.

Unless you asked for Full Synthetic and/or Pepboys charged you an extra $20 - $30, I'd say they would normally use a "Synthetic Blend" which likely has a shorter life than a "Full Synthetic".

(The definition of "synthetic oil" has gotten confused due various law suits and legal rulings. In many cases "synthetic" today is not the same as "synthetic" used to be. You can search discussions on synthetic oil and Mobil1 in particular for more discussion.)

 

OP didnt state cost- but OP please stop going to pepboys/any quick lube-
learn to DIY or have another ziner help you..maybe a local honda shop thats private owned- not dealer..
If you get under the car with a torque wrench I bet the drain plug is more than 29 foot pounds and the filter will be on super-human tight-
likely with no oil on the rubber seal (makes removal easy next time) and almost certainly they dont prefill the oil filter to reduce the time engine is running dry until oil pump in pan picks up fluid- pushes it to oil filter,, filling it- then to engine and thru passages

Time how long till the oil light goes out when you change your own oil- not prefilling is several seconds until minimum pressure is reached- thats not operating pressure- just absolute min for idiot light

 

i just follow the mid, mostly because it gets annoying. Usually you can run synthetic for 10k confortably.

 

3000k oil changes were also back in the day when cars engines were not as advance and efficient. As everyone has stated here, follow the MID, it calculates according to the way your drive.

 

Can you switch from dyno to syn without problems?

 

Wow. I'm drunk so I'll state my real opinion, this thread is full of suck and fail. The answers are out there do a freaking search.

Steevo, yes, you can go back and forth as you like.

 

Theres a sensor built into the engine that measures the quality of your oil. So you can use regular or synthetic, the car will tell you when the oil quality is no longer acceptable. I had a 2005 TL and used full synthetic oil which lasted somewhere around 6.5-7000 miles. And I changed my oil at %10-%15.

 

There is no sensor that measures quality of the oil. It has no idea what you put in there. This thread should have stayed dead with my last post from '09.

 

Crap! I just posted an oil thread, didn't see your post IHC about switching from conventional to synthetic being okay.

 

Don't be so quick to criticize as the two threads of yours were combined and have been answered many, many times before.

 

Did you know if you reset the MID, the engine actually filters the oil through reverse oxidation process and removes burned contaminates. It should give you another 3k - 4k miles before you can do it again. You never have to change your oil. True story.

A drunk post by you serving up another member ruined by another noob.

You'll have to get drunk again and tell us what you really think.

 

Trust the MID for regular or synthetic. Lots of research indicates regular oil holds up for many miles and no need to change at 3000.

 

my work here is done

 

lol the dude has been a member for almost 2 years and just posted now!

 

I just got drunk in Feburary, I have another 4 months to go before I do it again. I'm so old lol.

 

and after making that one post, he gets blasted by IHC...I dont expect to see another post for a couple years.

 

Could be worse.. I'm actually negative on the DD count. That's the worse.. everyone else is drunk and you're the one who isn't. Especially when they're sick and trying to start shit with other people or harass ladies on the street. Herding a group of drunks into a car is not fun.