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Hi Eric. I own a 2013 Chevy Sonic and it was due for the 2nd periodic maintenance last June. My neighbor mechanic however encouraged me to shift from fully synthetic (SAE 5w30 as prescribed by Chevy) to conventional oil. Aside from the huge cost difference, he claims that synthetic fuel causes early damage to bearings and other moving parts of the engine. I have no experience on this so i am hesitant to follow his advise for fear that the shift could cause some adverse effect on the performance/condition of the car .. until i came across your video. However, since your discussions always referred to used/old cars, could you share your professional advise on my case and help me resolve the following concerns:
– is there any effect on the performance of the car/ condition of the engine if i decide to use conventional oil?
– would this shift be a valid reason for chevy not to honor the warranty terms of the car
– does your experience validate the adverse effect of synthetic fuel on the moving parts of the engine as claimed by my neighbor mechanic.
By the way, I reside in Tacloban City, Philippines so our weather here is hot and humid during summer and very damp on rainy days.
Hope your professional opinion could help me decide on these issues. Thank you very much and I look forward to more interactions on this field. God bless
manny
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Synthetic oil will not hurt your vehicle. In fact it’s probably better for it. In your case, you might consider a high mileage oil to address some of the issues you have. High mileage oil is also a synthetic. I have a video on this topic coming out soon that should address the rest of your questions. I talk more about synthetic oil in this article.
If your engine was made to use synthetic then use synthetic. It is better oil. Your engine will last longer.
Use what is recommended. PERIOD.
I do not want to come out and say your neighbor is an idiot—but well???
Truth of the matter is that the engine is made with specs that are much tighter and with materials that need “special” attention. I suspect your neighbor is one of the old school types that was raised on conventional oil and considers anything new as nothing more then “Snake Oil”. (Snake Oil=high cost remedy that does absolutely nothing but cost the buyer his money while the scam artist runs away laughing at the rube he just scammed)
In the case of newer oils? Nothing is further from the truth! Older cars? Sure, use either. Really won’t hurt a thing. Newer cars? Stick with the recommended oil/filters and change intervals. If concerned about your area? Use the “rough/extreme service” duration for the changes and you’ll be fine. (normally take the recommended duration and knock a couple of thousand miles off it–in case your manual does not state one for extreme service)
Consider this: If synthetic oil did cause as much damage as your neighbor thinks it does? Picture the amazing amount of lawsuits you would be reading about—and how fast it would be pulled from your parts store.
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