Synthetic blend vs regular oil

2008 Chevy Equinox,6cycl, sport engine

Is it ok to switch from synthetic blend engine oil back to regular engine oil? What about full synthetic engine oil? The dealership we took our car in for unrelated service changed the oil even though we declined the oil change special. The car’s readout showed the oil life at 87% good, it was just changed in Nov 2009. The dealership changed the oil back to regular oil on 30 Dec 09. I wanted them to show me proof from GM or give me a letter stating they accept responsibility for any related problems for the switch, they refuse to do so. The car is still sitting at the Dealership as I refused to accept it back until the matter is resolve. The Dealership stated,“well the car wasn’t driven and they’ll change the oil back”. I said, I still want proof or the letter. Before this the service writer stated it’s OK to switch oils back and forth. So what’s the big deal about proof from GM or the letter I asked for??

I think that you are making a mountain out of a molehill.
There is no problem with switching from synthetic blend, to conventional oil, to full synthetic oil. Personally, I would be more upset about an oil change that was not requested than about the type of oil being used.

Calm down, remind them that you don’t have to pay for a service that was not requested, and motor on–regardless of the type of oil in the crankcase.

You have got to be kidding me…go get your car and chill out will you please.
Just be hopeful that they didn’t really sabotage your car after the grief you’ve just put them through.

I have a 2006 Chevrolet Uplander with the V-6. I have used synthetic, regular and a synthetic blend. I haven’t had any problems at all using different oils. I haven’t seen any real advantage to the synthetic oil. The minivan has an indicator as does your car about the percent of oil life remaining. I’m certain that this indicator has some algorithm that doesn’t factor in the type of oil in the crankcase.
The only engine failures I’ve seen that have been related to oil have been one cylinder lawnmower engines. I’ve seen engines fail when 10W-30 oil was used in the summertime when the manual specifies straight 30W for this application. If the oil has the correct viscosity and API specifications in the owener’s manual, your Chevrolet will do just fine.

Hey you guys know how it goes “the customer is always right”. You better hope your service advisor actualy ate his bannana that day,

As long at the oil meets the specifications for your car, you can switch back and forth all you want with no damage to your car. It has been a long time since that was a problem.

Since synthetic blend is probably not a recommended or mandatory oil anywhere, nobody is responsible for anything. The engine can’t tell the difference. Synthetic blend is just another gimmick. If we wanted a blend, we would put in one quart of synthetic with regular old style oil and be happy to know just how much synthetic we put in there.

All the dealer has to prove is that they installed oil that meets the requirements of your engine. The engine does not care if it’s mineral oil, a blend, or pure synthetic as long as it has the proper API rating. ALL API rated motor oils are compatible with all other API motor oils. Your Equinox is going to the shredder some day but it won’t be because of lubrication failure unless you run it out of oil. And that “oil life indicator” is a joke. It is displaying what it was programmed to display. It has no clue as to the actual condition of the oil…It’s just guessing and hoping…(I should say the guy who wrote the program is guessing and hoping)…You better hope you never need any warranty work from this dealer…You are on their “no fly” list now…

“You better hope you never need any warranty work from this dealer…You are on their “no fly” list now…”

Ditto!
After throwing that hissy-fit over an issue that is truly a NON-issue, the OP should really avoid the embarassment of ever returning to that dealership. If warranty work is ever required, find a different dealership.

And, rather than throwing a hissy-fit the next time that a supposed issue arises, I suggest that the OP check with this forum before he/she makes a spectacle of himself/herself.

Unless counterindicated by the manufacturer for some reason, it should be fine.

The only reason I’ve ever heard not to switch between types of oil is if you’re in an old car that leaks a little bit of oil, and you want to avoid having it leak a lot of oil…like if sludge is the only thing keeping oil inside your engine.

Since this is the only kind of car I drive, I pick one kind of oil and stick with it.

Generally dealers’ service departments hate synthetics because the cars using them don’t come back as often. Just to throw you a curve, the new A.P.I. Service “SN” rating will be out this fall. The last one was “SM”. Re: “Sludge”, this is full of contaminants, abrasive and corrosive stuff that should gone asap.