Dealer put synthetic oil in with last oil change - is this ok and why?

[ismlv]

Took my car (99 SUS Ltd) to the deal just before 75K miles for a
standard 3K oil change. Got the bill and noticed it was higher than
normal and that they put synthetic oil in. Is this standard practice?

 

[Edward Hayes]

Not unless you asked for it. ed

 

[ismlv]

Lovely.... I didn't ask for it. Can anyone recommend WHEN I should use
a synthetic oil? I do mainly highway driving. Generally put about 12 -
15K/year on the car. Main trips are twice/week, 2 hours straight
highway driving. I'm in Northeast PA so it can get pretty cold in the
winter and hot in the summer. Want this car to last as long as
possible.

 

[Guest]

You can find endless posts of synthetic vs. non-synthetic post via
Google. I would be wary of using synthetic @ 75k miles if the car never
had it before.

 

[ismlv]

Curious - is your comment about being wary of using synthetic at 75K
if my care never had it before based on the theory that in some cases,
synthetic oil has a tendency to leak out of an engine with a lot of
miles that's had "regular" oil all the time? I've read that synthetic
particles are so small (hence less friction) that they can leak into
places "regular" oil can't.

I don't believe I'll be getting synthetic next time as my last Subary
(92 Legacy) had 92K on it when I traded it in in 99 and always had
"regular" oil (with all changes being done at this same dealer no
less) and I never had even a hint of an engine problem.

 

[Pawel Slusarz]

I don't believe I'll be getting synthetic next time

You might not have much of a choice. Some manufacturers recommend that
once you put in synthetic, you should not switch back to regular
(lengthy link follows).

http://toyota.custhelp.com/cgi-bin/...X4mcF9wcm9kX2x2bDI9fmFueX4mcF9wYWdlPTE*&p_li=

Paul

 

[no mas panzon]

To ismlv,

First, like a previous poster said , I am wary. I'm wary of lots of
things, but in the specific case of synthetic vs. dinosaur oil, nope!
I've switched for a couple of oil changes on more than one car with
over 75K miles. I've NEVER had a problem that resulted from that
switch.

Second, I read the note from Toyota offered by another poster.

In that post, I do NOT see where Toyota warns against switching back
to dino oil. (I DO see where they do not recommend switching
"back and forth", but that seems reasonable. Pick one and then dance
with the one what brung you. Switching back and forth can be
confusing, if not dangerous in many areas of life. Fun, maybe, but
dangerous. Driving is not an area where I want to live dangerously.

I suggest you NOT WORRY about the synthetic oil. I have done
it with no harm. If it works for you, if you like it, stay with it,
so long as it meets your auto manual's specs for oil. If you don't like
it, switch back to dinosaur oil. Enjoy the car and don't worry.

If you've gotta worry, try 'piston slap' or something like that.

The above are my personal opinions only. Obviously, YMMV.

 

[Catherine Hampton]

Took my car (99 SUS Ltd) to the deal just before 75K miles for a
standard 3K oil change. Got the bill and noticed it was higher than
normal and that they put synthetic oil in. Is this standard practice?

No, it isn't. I use synthetic in my Subaru; it helps if you tend to keep cars
nearly forever (like I do) or do a lot of stop-and-go driving (I do). But it
is NOT standard for any Subarus I know about (might be for the really
high-performance cars).

I would ask for a refund on the grounds that your manual does not recommend
synthetic, you did not request it, and the dealer didn't notify you in advance
that they used it by default.



--
Catherine Hampton <(e-mail address removed)>
Home Page * <http://www.devsite.org/>
The SpamBouncer * <http://www.spambouncer.org/>

(Please use this address for replies -- the address in my header is a
spam trap.)

 

[Mike B.]

Get they synth mix. Get a bonus with the synthetic. Sting Rays now come with
synthetic from the factory. Audi does too. Older cars. ('93) may not have
the seals that work well with synthetic oils.
Change it back if you have the time to get it changed every 3K.

 

[Guest]

Curious - is your comment about being wary of using synthetic at 75K
if my care never had it before based on the theory that in some cases,
synthetic oil has a tendency to leak out of an engine with a lot of
miles that's had "regular" oil all the time? I've read that synthetic
particles are so small (hence less friction) that they can leak into
places "regular" oil can't.

Yes. I don't know if it's ever been proven though.

 

[T]

Get they synth mix. Get a bonus with the synthetic. Sting Rays now come with
synthetic from the factory. Audi does too. Older cars. ('93) may not have
the seals that work well with synthetic oils.
Change it back if you have the time to get it changed every 3K.

Later synth has seal conditioners the early stuff didn't; to keep really
old crusty seals which would get cleaned of gunk from leaking.

Basically, don't worry.

TBerk