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My 93 year old mother has decided to stop driving, so I have been given her 2003 Buick Century, with only 30,000 miles (50K kms) on it. It has been dealer-serviced since new. I’m wondering if it would be worthwhile to switch it over to synthetic oil (recommended weight and brand??) for the balance of its life. I’m using it as a daily highway speed commuter …putting on about 240 to 350 kms per week. So, what are the pros and cons of switching to synthetic??
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This is Eric the Car Guys take on it.
Personally I use synthetics because I drive 2000+ miles a month on my daily driver and tow and plow with my other vehicles. Whether it helps and is worth it is up for debate, I think it is for me at least…
Thanks for the link to video …that makes perfect sense to me, and reflects my gut reaction to the whole issue of “regular or synthetic?”. So, I’ll just stick with a regular 5W-30 oil change and filter change every 3000 kms, this old buick should last another 20 years or more.
Now …if I can just figure out how to keep that “new car smell” for another 20 years!!!
[quote=”Digger89L” post=90395]Thanks for the link to video …that makes perfect sense to me, and reflects my gut reaction to the whole issue of “regular or synthetic?”. So, I’ll just stick with a regular 5W-30 oil change and filter change every 3000 kms, this old buick should last another 20 years or more.
Now …if I can just figure out how to keep that “new car smell” for another 20 years!!![/quote]
WOA WOA WOA! That’s 3,000 MILES there, Honcho. Not KMs.
I guess the first thing we can say is that Oil intervals should be based on driving conditions rather than mileage. If you do more idling than high speed freeway driving, your oil is going to wear out faster than 3,000 miles.
I work for GM & I run nothing but Mobil 1 in Street cars. (Recommend Royal Purple for track cars.)
GM has been running 5/30 since the dawn of time. I recommend you stick with it.
I personally recommend 3 month or 3,000 mile intervals, Whichever comes first, on Full Synthetic. I don’t give a damn what anybody says, either. I’ve got tons of redneck friends who’ve done their own testing.
Nobody ever says anything about oil filters being updated to last 4,000 6,000 or 10-15,000 miles. It’s all a load of bullshit & I’m just not buying it.
As long as we’re talking about GM & Mobil here, I should mention that I seem to run across customers with various wrong ideas about Dexos1 & Dexos2.
DEXOS is a GM brand license. What that means is that their engineers have come up with an additive package and specification that they have decided is the best thing for all 2011+ vehicles. Dexos1 is a Synthetic Blend. They advertise 4/4,000 intervals.
Any oil company can meet or exceed the specifications for Dexos, and then purchase the advertising rights.
Dexos2 is Full Synthetic that still meets Dexos1 standards, but is a Full Synthetic. They advertise 6/6,000 intervals.
Further education about oils & intervals can be found here:
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/291
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/212
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/178
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/140
http://www.agcoauto.com/content/news/p2_articleid/122
Well, actually …3,000 kms is only 1,864 miles ….and 3,000 miles is about 5,000 kms. I’m in Canada, so we talk kms (sometimes) up here. Actually, I dug out the “never been opened” owners manual, and discovered that it does not provide a “recommended oil change interval” …My 2003 Buick has the “GM Oil Life System” which claims to be a computer-based system that will indicate an oil change is required. So, I don’t know exactly how many kms (or miles) the system is flagging an oil change at. There doesn’t appear to be anyway to re-set a default in that “oil life system”. So, yes I agree that a reasonable oil change interval would be about 5,000 kms (not 3,000 kms) …which, for my usage, would be about every 4 months, give or take. Right now I’m using Castrol 5w-30 oil, and the Hastings Premium oil filter.
The above has been around a while, and gives a solid view from his articles. Being in a more temperate region on the east coast here, I only try to run full synthetic. Further north, especially in Canada, where it dips even further, I’d almost consider it a must IMHO if you want to get what full life you can from an engine.
I’m sure this will get hashed and re-hashed even further, but that just reflects my opinion.
[quote=”Digger89L” post=90512]Well, actually …3,000 kms is only 1,864 miles ….and 3,000 miles is about 5,000 kms. I’m in Canada, so we talk kms (sometimes) up here. Actually, I dug out the “never been opened” owners manual, and discovered that it does not provide a “recommended oil change interval” …My 2003 Buick has the “GM Oil Life System” which claims to be a computer-based system that will indicate an oil change is required. So, I don’t know exactly how many kms (or miles) the system is flagging an oil change at. There doesn’t appear to be anyway to re-set a default in that “oil life system”. So, yes I agree that a reasonable oil change interval would be about 5,000 kms (not 3,000 kms) …which, for my usage, would be about every 4 months, give or take. Right now I’m using Castrol 5w-30 oil, and the Hastings Premium oil filter.[/quote]
You make me proud with this. The engineers that made it know better than anyone.
[quote=”Digger89L” post=90512]Well, actually …3,000 kms is only 1,864 miles ….and 3,000 miles is about 5,000 kms. I’m in Canada, so we talk kms (sometimes) up here. Actually, I dug out the “never been opened” owners manual, and discovered that it does not provide a “recommended oil change interval” …My 2003 Buick has the “GM Oil Life System” which claims to be a computer-based system that will indicate an oil change is required. So, I don’t know exactly how many kms (or miles) the system is flagging an oil change at. There doesn’t appear to be anyway to re-set a default in that “oil life system”. So, yes I agree that a reasonable oil change interval would be about 5,000 kms (not 3,000 kms) …which, for my usage, would be about every 4 months, give or take. Right now I’m using Castrol 5w-30 oil, and the Hastings Premium oil filter.[/quote]
I haven’t reset my GM oil life monitor either. It’s a 2010 Chevy Aveo and as far as I know, the dealership I bought it from reset it with around 32K on the odometer. I’ve put 13K or more on it & the light hasn’t come on.
If you do get that GM oil life light on your dash, most are KOEO, & 3 rapid, full stomps on the throttle.
The picture I put below, these setups are usually on the right side of the dash just beside the gauge cluster. The button with a picture of a car and the letter i is the menu you want. When you find where it says oil life xx%, you hold down the Check mark button until it resets.
You may find the same buttons on the steering wheel itself. The newer GMs are all starting to have the same menu selections under the radio.
Sorry …I guess I wasn’t writing clearly: I DO know how to re-set the oil change reminder AFTER an oil change requirement has been indicated. I’ve gone through one cycle since I got the car (although I don’t know the accumulated mileage that it had before the reminder triggered). The manual says: with engine off, turn key to RUN; press and release accelerator pedal slowly 3 times within 5 seconds – light will flash three times; turn key off, then start engine. AND THEN …I discovered on the previous page of the manual a notification if the reminder system is ever accidentally reset, then you should change the oil within 5,000 kms of the last change. (so, there’s the recommended interval). All that having been said, what I was meaning to get across in my previous post was that I don’t know if there is a way to “change” the pre-set mileage at which the reminder system is programmed to indicate an oil change should be done. For example, if I was to switch to synthetic, would it be possible to re-program the reminder system to extend the time / mileage at which it triggers? Not a big deal though ..I think I’ll stick with regular oil in my “new” car.
PS: I’m in my 60’s now, and finally driving a Buick. If guess I’m officially an old fart![quote=”Digger89L” post=90610]Sorry …I guess I wasn’t writing clearly: I DO know how to re-set the oil change reminder AFTER an oil change requirement has been indicated. I’ve gone through one cycle since I got the car (although I don’t know the accumulated mileage that it had before the reminder triggered). The manual says: with engine off, turn key to RUN; press and release accelerator pedal slowly 3 times within 5 seconds – light will flash three times; turn key off, then start engine. AND THEN …I discovered on the previous page of the manual a notification if the reminder system is ever accidentally reset, then you should change the oil within 5,000 kms of the last change. (so, there’s the recommended interval). All that having been said, what I was meaning to get across in my previous post was that I don’t know if there is a way to “change” the pre-set mileage at which the reminder system is programmed to indicate an oil change should be done. For example, if I was to switch to synthetic, would it be possible to re-program the reminder system to extend the time / mileage at which it triggers? Not a big deal though ..I think I’ll stick with regular oil in my “new” car.
PS: I’m in my 60’s now, and finally driving a Buick. If guess I’m officially an old fart![/quote]A car engine is just a glorified fireplace and just like a fireplace you put fuel in it and burn it. Fireplaces get dirty and so do engines. Some of this filth ends up in the oil and there is no difference in whether the oil is conventional or synthetic, they both get dirty.
Second, there is oil filter that can hold only so much dirt. When it starts to plug the bypass valve opens and you then have no functioning oil filter. The longer you think you can go with a supposed extended drain interval the more likely the filter is to bypass. You don’t want that to happen.
The oil specified for my car is synthetic only. The filler cap on the engine even specifies the brand of synthetic oil to be used. The oil change interval for highway driving is every 5 months or 8000 km. However, for severe service (which means stop and go city driving) the change interval is every 4 months or 6000 km.
And yes I know there is a certain oil company that has made claims about extended intervals for synthetic oil. Please don’t do that.
My whole idea about Synthetic oil boils down to this: If it’s supposed to clean your engine better, doesn’t it make sense that it will get dirty faster too?
If you wash 10 dishes in a sink of soapy water, you’ll probably be ok. But what if you wash 1,000 dishes in the same water? Do you really want to eat off of those plates?? :sick:
I’ve heard the anecdote; If you were to drive from florida to alaska the best thing for your car would be for the engine to never stop running. It was explained that because the engine does a large majority all of its possible wear at cold start, it would be best to avoid this condition.
If you live in a mild climate, synthetic oil does not turn to a gel till something like -5*c or -10*c. So synthetic oil, being liquid at lower temperatures is better. You want your oil as low viscosity as possible, or so the anedote teaches.
I always use 5w20 where I live. Oil cap says 5w30. There is some website that explained this theory in great detail, but I cant find it now.
I was driving a Buick in my 40s. I musta been an “OLD FART” back then. Now I drive a mini van in my 60s so I guess I’m going backwards :silly:
I am a big fan of synthetic oil but if you use mineral oil and change it frequently the engine will probably outlast the body.
I don’t trust service monitors unless they are time/mileage based but that’s just me.
I believe that engineers are smarter than I am or will ever be. They know how long everything will last. They don’t give a rats ass how long it lasts as long as it lasts until the warranty expires.
I really think that’s what they want to happen. After all, car manufactures make money on selling cars, not repairing them.
[quote=”Chevypower” post=90685]clean your engine better, doesn’t it make sense that it will get dirty faster too?[/quote]
Viscosity is the issue really, not being dirty, so long as the filter is doing it’s job. Synthetics hold this better, for a longer duration, with less fluctuation and with far harsher conditions.That said, I still partially agree with Eric’s assessment, as it’s likely for the vast majority to just mean an engine overhaul at 260k, rather than 230k so long as you keep on top of the recommended intervals. Might be able to keep the compression up, but the oil rings will probably still go at nearly the same rate regardless. In climates that are colder for a longer duration, such as Canada, again I’d think the cold starts with conventional would exacerbate things a bit more than most places in the states.
As I plan to keep my vehicles til I kick it, it’s just worth it to me as the extra abuse I give them is negated slightly more, so I can hold off on those engine swaps for as long as possible.
The only recommendation I have made on switches from conventional to synthetic is to short change maybe the first couple of oil changes. The reasoning here is not the fact that synthetic cleans better (it does btw). Its that the contaminates from conventional are what is going to be cleaning out. After that I’m more than comfortable to tell someone to go their full interval that is recommended or go by the oil life counter. The engineers have billions at their disposal to research when and how stuff needs to be done. I go along with them, anything else would make me appear arrogant thinking I know more than the guy who designed it.
I think engineers design things as a “bare minimum” standard. They tell you it’s ok to run conventional oil because that’s the minimum requirement. Conventional oil is better than no oil. Blended is better than Conventional, and Full Synthetic is better than blended.
Also, I wouldn’t ever ever ever change the viscosity requirement unless I met the conditions described in the Owner’s Manual or factory Service Info.
But hey, that’s just me. We’re all adults here, and we’re all entitled to our wrong opinions. banana:
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