We get many questions from our customers about what type of oil they should be using in their vehicles. Our recommendation, for all our customers, is to use a full synthetic oil. Even if your car has always used conventional oil, synthetic oil can be used at any time. Actually, 70% of new cars today use full synthetic motor oil.
What is the benefit of Synthetic Oil?
Synthetic oil generally resists breakdown for longer than conventional oils making it work better in keeping your engine clean. Contaminants such as soot, carbon, and sulfuric and nitric acid are inevitable byproducts of the combustion process, and all of them end up in your motor oil to varying degrees. Conventional oils would collect these deposits and break down, reducing their efficiency, causing your engine to reduce power, performance, and fuel economy, and ultimately shortening the overall life of your engine.
Another added benefit to synthetic oil is that it tends to flow better in lower temperatures than conventional oil. Oil can settle overnight. When you start the car, it will begin flowing through the engine to protect you against friction. In the cold months, conventional oils can take longer to flow through the system. Using synthetic oil protects against engine wear because it flows through the critical parts faster during the colder months.
Dispelling the Myths
There are a lot of myths associated with synthetic oil that are not true. Here are just a few:
- 1. Once you switch to synthetic oil, you can never go back to conventional.
- Most oils today are a synthetic blend or semi-synthetic. Meaning they are using synthetic components anyway. You can switch back and forth at any time, although it is advised that you use the same type of oil for top-offs until you have your oil changed.
- 2. By using synthetic oil, I can go longer between oil changes.
- It could. Synthetic oil changes are recommended every 5,000 miles. So if you were changing your oil every 3,000, then this will save you some time and money in the long run—the main reason for using synthetic oil, though, is to protect your engine and prolong its life.
- 3. You shouldn’t use synthetic oil in older vehicles
- This is based on the belief that synthetic oils will break down the seals and cause leaks, which may have been true in the past, but are no longer true with the new synthetic oils. They are perfectly safe to use in any vehicle. Except for some Mazda rotary engines, where using synthetic oil may void the warranty.
- For us, the answer is simple. Synthetic oil can help prolong your engine’s life and make your engine perform better, so that is the best choice.