Synthetic Oil
 

At the risk of being seriously slammed by you guys ...I have a question.

Someone once told me a few years back that using Slick 50 or other Pure Syntheitc oils too early in an engines life will cause problems with piston rings "seating"

So the question is ...should I not use synthetic oil until a certain amount of miles?? I drive 400 - 600 miles weekly (thank God they are reimbursed). So getting miles on are not a problem...I just want the best life from the car

Before you guys ask...the extra cost of the oil is not a factor.

search!

Its a debate, and you won't get a straight answer... there isn't one. I will tell you that I put Synthetic in my car at 1400, and the only thing that happened to me was that my car ran a hell of a lot smoother, and my gas mileage jumped from an average 26 mpg, to an average 30 mpg. :D

My dealer says don't do it until 10,000 miles. I used to be a mechanic and everybody said the same thing. Let it break in a little before you change over. The mileage at which you do that would depend on how hard you drove it.

As for Slick 50, I've heard many conflicting things. All the PTFE engine treatments should require some clearance before you put it in. This is because they actually are supposed to put a film on components. I've read that the teflon doesn't make it past the oil filter, but I find that hard to believe since I've torn down engines that have had it put in and they are a major bitch to get cleaned up. The PTFE turns into a goo when you hot tank the block and it's a serious job to get out of engine passages. It must be getting past the filter in order to leave enough on to do that.

PTFE does get past the filter,but being that it is a solid,it also gets caught in the filter,causing possible premature failure of the filter which can cause major engine damage....not a good idea to put in slick 50,or any other PTFE lube, IMHO

The only mechanic I've ever trusted told me it was fine to switch to synthetic at any point, just don't switch back and fourth. He says any mechanic that tells you you need to wait is living in the 70's, when it was necessary.

He also brought up the fact that Mobil 1 synthetic comes from the factory in many new cars, which was enough to convince me.

It is an ongoing debate, however. If you want to be sure, just wait.

Oh, and any mecahnic will tell you to avoid Slick-50.

i think that its an old 'wives tale' that one should not use synthetics right away in a new engine. possibly due to those in the industry that either dont believe in them or whatever.

the fact is that, there is NO proof that engines 'need' regular petrol oil for 'break-in'. many manufacturers use synthetics from day one. thats just my opinion though.

In this whole argument, which if you do a search on Google or Yahoo or something, you will find millions of posts in thousands of forums concerning when to put synthetic...

all I have heard are theories concerning what breaking in with synthetic can do to your engine... I have not read one piece of anecdotal evidence where someone even claims to have ruined their engine this way.

I couldn't think of any reason that you would need regular oil for break-in. I believe that the C5 vettes come from the factory with Mobil1 and I'm sure others come with synthetic stock. I have a friend who put in syn. and he said his focus runs so much smoother now.

Slick 50 is not an option....Mobile 1 is my choice....

Thanks for all your input...this forum is awesome;) :D

Please do not confuse Slick 50 and other oil additives with synthetic oil. The additives like Slick 50 and Prolong are akin to snake oil and are being investigated by the government. http://www.ftc.gov/opa/1997/9707/slick.htm Synthetic oil has been around for 30+ years and has a proven track record.

An engine will also break in just fine with synthetic oil. BMW, Mercedes, Porsche and also Corvettes come from the fatory filled with synthetics. I usually recommend people wait until the first oil change to switch over. It is another old wive's tale that once you switch, you can't go back. You can switch between conventional oils and synthetic oils as often as you wish, although I can't understand why you would want to give up the benefits synthetics can provide.

i used to use Mobil 1 on my old 99' Si that revved to 8Krpms, and I never had one prob in the 40K miles that I put on the motor in 2 & 1/2 years that I owned the car. and that was revving it to 8Krpms daily.

i now use Exxon/Esso 5w-50 and I love it. its got a viscosity index of 168 and a flash point of around 430-440 degrees F. And its only $3.20/qt compared to Mobil 1 at $5.00/qt (at Autozone). Unfortunately, Autozone, in their infinite wisdom and knowledge has quit carrying Exxon Superflow synthetic and thus I'm out of oil.

I have considered Neo, which is what Mazdaspeed uses, as does also Jun Auto Mechanic. I also looked at Redline but they did not look nearly as good as Amsoil.

I will be using Amsoil's 0w-30 oil as it has a index of of like 190 something! and will go 35K miles before a change! i advise all of you to check them out for sure!

you guys are awesome sources of knowledge...thanks

Okay.. I'm a complete newbie when it comes to auto mechanics and different types of oils. After reading all of these posts on synthetic oil, I'm very interested in potentially switching over once I get my new Protege 02 in a few weeks. I'll do it on the first oil change.

Where do I go to have this done? I'm in Toronto-Canada... Will the dealership provide this kind of service? Also, what synthetic oil would you recommend here in Canada? Not sure if Mobil 1 is available here or not.

Lastly, how does using synethic oil alter the recommended maintenance checks and time between each check? ie: if I'm not mistaken, with regular oil you should do an oil change every 5,000km or so.

Any advice would be great...

PJStyles

MY dealership here in Calgary said that they would put the synth in, but they did not sell it. I would have to buy it and then bring it in to them. You should check with your dealership. I'm sure the jiffy lubes, etc. of the world would do it for you as well...they may even offer the products. Come to think of it, my g/f gets her car's oil changed at Wal-Mart and I believe they offer synth as well.

Mobil 1 is available in Canada...check Can-Tire or an auto store.

Manual states oil changes at 7500 km, but I do it at 5000 km. I believe synth is good for something like 10 000 km, but somebody else will have to post that for sure...I can't recall as I haven't used it before.