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10-31-2003, 10:01 PM | #1 |
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Synthetic Oil
hey everyone,
my car is comin up on 25,000 Miles, can i still switch to mobil 1 synthetic without any worries? i heard that synthetic can kill the seals in the motor.
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10-31-2003, 10:52 PM | #2 |
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This topic has been brought up many times.
Do a search for other threads. I believe many people have made the switch without problem. |
11-02-2003, 04:09 PM | #3 |
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Synthetic oil doesn't damage seals, the think mobil 1 has an discussion of this myth on their website
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11-02-2003, 10:07 PM | #4 |
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Good to go. 1,000 miles old or 25,000.
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11-03-2003, 11:19 AM | #5 |
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similar question
I recently purchased a 1997 Impreza Outback Sport with about 90k miles on it. It seems in awsome shape, I've put almost 3000 on it in about a month and a half. Could I switch to Mobil 1 this late in the game? Or would this be a really bad idea?
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11-03-2003, 12:03 PM | #6 |
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There is no bad time to switch to synthetics. As long as you give the engine a "break in" period.
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11-03-2003, 12:52 PM | #7 |
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Switched to Mobile 1 at my second oil change (6,000 miles). No problems at all.
Bill |
11-03-2003, 01:48 PM | #8 |
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make sure you understand WHY
I have been a proponent of using synthetic oil for many years. I have used it myself almost exclusively. My current two Subarus (and the two I don't have anymore) have been on Mobil 1 since birth. However, recently I started having some doubts about the benefits of using synthetic motor oil in Subarus. Subaru engineers have been advising agains using synthetics in Subarus for years. There was a TSB that warned against using synthetic oil. Recently they grudgingly retracted their position on synthetics. There is a new TSB that permits their use, provided that change intervals are kept.
I decided to try non-synthetic oil about a year ago. I started with my 1994 Impreza. I put in Havoline 10W-40 last summer and was extremely impressed by how much smoother and quieter the engine felt. I still had some Mobil 1 to use up, so I ran another interval with that over the last winter. Then I took a sample and got it analyzed. This summer I filled up with Motorcraft 10W-40. After a 5 month 3600 mile interval I sent in another sample for analysis. The results blew me away. The non-synthetic oil had lower wear metals! At this point I tried non-synthetic oil in my 1998 2.5RS. Once again, wear metals that showed up in oil analysis were much lower compared to the previous sample of Mobil 1! Subjectively, the engine felt much smoother and quieter on the Castrol 10W-30 than on the Mobil 1 5W-30 I used since buying the car new. Lead number on oil analysis report went from 9 to 0! The sample on Motorcraft 10W-40 from my other Impreza showed 0 lead as well, which is as good as it gets. All other wear metals were similarly low. Chrome was particularly bothersome for me, since it points to piston ring wear. It too went to zero with non-synthetic motor oil. Excellent! At this point I am convinced that Subaru engines like non-synthetic motor oil. If you want longer drain intervals or live in very cold climate, then you may actually benefit from synthetic oil. If you follow the owner's manual and change at 3750/7500 miles depending on your useage -- I strongly suggest that you stick with good brand-name non-synthetic oil. Your engine will last longer! |
11-03-2003, 09:43 PM | #9 |
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i change my oil every 3 months or 3000 miles. it gets pretty cold up here during winter here in anchorage, ak. would i benefit from synthetic oil?
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11-03-2003, 10:54 PM | #10 |
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I had Mobil engineers come into work to talk to us about another purpose, but of course I drilled them about Mobil 1. The one engineer has a Legacy and he uses it exclusively. He says there is no bad time to switch to synthetic, it is a wives tale. Also, he says new motors have no break in period. That was only old engines. In fact, Z06's and Porsche's come with Mobil 1 from the factory floor.
I have a hard time believing that a particular engine could dislike synthetic. All synthetic oil is is uniformly short hydrocarbon chains formed from Ethane gas. Because it is an engineered oil, quality control is much better on the purity and uniformity with hydrocarbon chains giving better viscosity and lubrication properties. The one thing VVK failed to mention is how long his oil sample intervals were from using synthetic. To be fair, oil sample rates should be the same for synthetic as natural oils for comparison sake. |
11-04-2003, 12:16 AM | #11 | |
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clarification
Quote:
Anyway, the interval on the 1994 Impreza was virtually the same on synthetic and non-synthetic. The interval on 1998 Impreza was 6500 miles on Mobil 1 and 4000 miles on Castrol GTX. |
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11-04-2003, 10:14 AM | #12 |
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VVK, thanks for the clarification. However, I bet I could find numerous studies showing the exact opposite results that you found. Studies and tests are usually worthless because controlling the variables is too difficult, especially with differing driving conditions. Maybe you drove harder during one test than the other. Maybe the engine was newer for one oil than the other. Maybe it was winter during one test and summer during another. See what I mean?
I am intrigued by the Subaru engine differences you spoke of. Do you know specifically what is so different about a Subaru engine than a Vette or Porsche engine? And don't say about 300Hp. |
11-04-2003, 03:38 PM | #13 |
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Even the MINI Cooper comes from the factory with Mobile 1 in the engine. Some dolt tried to say the engines were broken-in ahead of time but an email to MINI/BMW killed that idea.
I'm also curious as to why the boxer engine wouldn't like synthetic but other types of engines are fine with it. Bill |
11-04-2003, 03:56 PM | #14 |
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Well, I wouldn't say Boxer engines, because Porsche uses it and most of their engines are Boxer.
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11-05-2003, 02:28 AM | #15 |
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vvk,
How can that be? Here I am using Mobil 1 with my mind at ease and I stumble across your results...thanks a lot! With the advantages of synthetic, I can't believe the conventional oil did better. I wonder in a turbocharged engine how conventional oil would do against Mobil 1. Maybe under more extreme conditions is where the synthetic starts to show its advantages. I've been a happy Mobil 1 user for many years and plan to keep using it but this was interesting to say the least! |
11-05-2003, 01:18 PM | #16 | |
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I feel your pain
Quote:
I have been researching this issue for some time. One very conclusive report that I came across is a study done by Dutch Subaru enthusiasts: http://www.extreme-machines.nl/downl...lierapport.doc You can save this one as HTML and then use Google or similar service to translate into English. The gist of the study is summarized as: "synthetic 0W-40 oils increased wear by 70% compared to a reference group of non-synthetic 10W-40 oils." This might sound like an improper comparison, but you have to remember that most synthetics sold in Europe are either 0W-40 or 5W-40 and we are talking northern Europe here, so 0W-40 oils would be high on their list. The 10W-40 dino oils sold in Europe are actually much inferior to US-market products because they are very unpopular and use old Group I base technology that is no longer used in the US. Some other sources that I have seen point out that non-synthetic oils have some important advantages over synthetics. For example, they provide superior solubility for anti-wear additive packages. Another source claims that non-synthetic base oil provides reduced friction compared to PAO. Synthetic oils are said to be more chemically aggressive, which is bad for leaky engines. On and on... I was using Mobil 1 for years in my old SAAB. It used to have some major oil leaks and I was able to reduce these leaks dramatically by simply switching from Mobil 1 to Mobil Drive Clean. I am definitely noticing much smoother and quieter engine running on Castrol GTX versus Mobil 1. The difference is dramatic. This subjective feeling was confirmed in no uncertain terms by my recent oil analysis. Getting zero lead is a huge deal, especially compared to relatively high lead numbers I had been getting in the past. I do believe that when a car manufacturer specifically recommends synthetic oil, like most European makes do, synthetic oil does have major benefits. I still use full synthetic in my new SAAB. I have been using German-made Lubro Moly and my oil analysis results are excellent with 10k mile change intervals. |
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11-05-2003, 06:19 PM | #17 |
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I got my car using synthetic oil when 10000 miles
Everything feels better, I also heard what u worry about, but it seems that my engine still running excellent for 10000 miles more. and I heard that people use Mobil 1 fully synthetic is for Turbo Charge Engine, go ahead and change it! u can also consider Castrol Fully Synthetic(I'm using right now) |
11-05-2003, 10:08 PM | #18 |
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You'll be fine switching over pretty much whenever if the engine is in good shape - the only thing which makes switching over is if you have an older engine which already leaks oil - in that case, synthetics tend to clean out the leak (which is usually partially plugged with crud) and leak faster.
I swapped my last car over at 86k miles, and got rid of it at a little under 190k miles with no oil related issues whatsoever (no burning, no leaking, etc.) Switched my WRX over to synthetic at 3k miles (Mobil 1) The studies I have seen are all interesting, but they seem to be missing the control (a mobil 1 blank sample with 0 miles on it) - perhaps the synthetic is higher in various materials from the get go due to the additive package or production methods used for it... a control may have been mentioned in the dutch report, but since I don't read dutch, all I could go with was the data chart... also, I don't know what the lot-to-lot variability is in those materials - the data might all be in the noise of the spec... |
11-07-2003, 05:43 PM | #19 | |
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Quote:
Its fine! |
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11-26-2003, 08:52 PM | #20 |
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I have certainly had doubts also regarding synthetics vrs standard conventional oils. I also used Havoline in a Mustang Gt I recently owned. It ran very smooth and I had no problems what so ever. I CHANGED OVER TO SYNTHETIC after about 4 months of owning the car due to the major hype ( less wear, friction, etc.) To be honest with you aftter 1 year I started having motor troubles , most likely not the oil but ? My parents have used Havoline for ever in their cars their 74 dodge has 300,00 + on it and has never been torn down. I have alway been told that once you go to Synthetic you cant change back is this true ? I started using mobil 1 10 w 30 in my wrx after the 1st oil change. It feels a bit more sluggish to be honest with you since I changed. I also here a slight tick sound when it is cold ( which I never heard with the original oil from the Factory) I feel that if it is safe, I will probably change back to Havoline ( It is definately the best oil I have ever used. My brother uses Royal Purple and swears by it but hell where do you find it in hick vill U.S.A.
Any help would be appreciated |
11-26-2003, 09:48 PM | #21 |
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You should be able to switch back to Havoline with no problems.
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11-26-2003, 10:26 PM | #22 | |
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Quote:
I emailed SOA a while back regarding synthetics and they gave me a nice, detailed reply which my wife deleted. I'm almost certain they said whatever oil I choose, to stick with it and not deviate from it...so if I run synthetic only use synthetic, and vice-versa. You should send SOA an email regarding your questions. |
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11-26-2003, 10:55 PM | #23 | |
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Quote:
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11-28-2003, 10:42 AM | #24 |
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Guys, it says clearly in the manual to use whatever kind of oil you want as long as it's 10w30 and SAE? recommended.
I switched to Mobile 1 at my second oil change and have had absolutely ZERO problems. Bill |
11-28-2003, 03:54 PM | #25 |
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Thank you! Finally, someone else who actually read the damn manual, where it quite clearly says that you can use any oil (synthetic or otherwise) provided it meets the SAE approval specified.
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