Maybe some people get that way because they had a mom who cooked lousy breakfast. You know. Childhood trauma and whatnot.
Yup!
My friend got 3 years of free maintenance when he bought his Scion. His driving pattern is exclusively low-speed very short distances, so I reminded him of the need to change the oil at least once a year, and that it would be free of charge at the dealership. His response was⊠âit looks cleanâ⊠and also, âI donât trust them to actually change it, so why should I botherâ.
I urged him to get the oil changedâat an indy mechanicâbut he persisted with his âit looks cleanâ mantra. After ~6 years of no maintenance, he wound up with some very expensive engine repairs.
I have another story about how he inevitably winds-up paying more while he thinks that he is saving money, but I donât have time to post it right now.
Edited to add: The same guy got his bathroom window smashed by falling ice ~5 winters ago. He ârepairedâ it with a piece of cardboard, but then because the bathroom was so cold, he didnât bathe for several winters. He used âbaby wipesâ instead.
Wife #2 (who didnât live with him) couldnât stand it any longer, and she insisted that he get the window replaced. The local glass guy quoted him a little more than $300, and he told the glass guy that he was âa G. D. thiefâ and told him to get out of his house. I was there to witness it, and it was really embarrassing. Anyway⊠no window fix resulted in a divorce.
After he acquired wife #3 (who also doesnât live with him), she couldnât stand his really bad hygiene any longer, so she gave him an ultimatum: Replace the window, or I file for divorce.
He called the local glass guyâwho remembered him and who refused to do business with him. He wound-up having the window replaced by Andersen, to the tune of ~$900.
As the old saying goes⊠The guy who tries to save the most winds up spending the most in the long run.
3 Likes
You are correct that the days of everything recommending 10W30 or 5W30 conventional oil are over. However I canât help but think that a lot of these exotic recommendations nowadays are more about meeting CAFE requirements than about prolonging the engine life.
I suspect that one can put 5W20 or even 5W30 synthetic oil into just about any vehicle on the road, even if the official recommendation is 0W20 or 0W16, etc, and it wonât materially harm engine life or performance. Of course, during the warranty, I wouldnât experiment, and would just have the oil changed at the dealer, to maintain proof of timely oil changes using the OEM oil and filter.
1 Like
My SAAB recommends 0-30 or 0-40 synthetic. In my area I have a serious âold schoolâ dedicated SAAB mechanic - literally has a few lots full of old SAABs undoubtedly for parts, many of which are getting sparse by now. Heâll basically buy up and SAAB and keep it around. I think he still sells ones that can be put on the road.
Anyway, I went to him to get oil/filter for a change, and he sold me 5-30 syn explaining that the difference was so minuscule as to not matter. This is an '03 9-3 with a 2.0T. I supposed other years/engines could be different.
I stand corrected. Thanks.
Ironic eh?
The big Jiffy Lube Corp comes in undercutting the mom and pops and then raises prices higher than ever. Sort of like Amazon and Uber. I avoid all three.
Guess I was right after all!
When I stopped going there JL still offered the $39.99 oil service with mineral oil, it the synthetic service was $93.00. That was $20 more that the high priced but excellent shop I normally use.
Jiffy Lube was built around speed and convenience for the busy people, you pay extra for the no appointment needed 10 minute oil change vs the normally much longer wait of the normal repair shopsâŠ
And NO, I donât like them, and I could not stand Stu Crum and how he screwed up and over the company I worked for, he made some absolutely stupid changes⊠I will leave it at thatâŠ
you ever heard of variable valve timing? 
2 Likes
Check the owners manual. My Miata owners manual has a table of other viscosity lubricants depending on the min and max ambient temperature range.
I know that Firestone shops use Pennzoil and have 3 large bulk tanks and one 250 (IIRC) gallon tank of different oil weights as well as 15-20 different oils in 6 gallon bag boxes that they use, so they have just about anything you need when changing your oilâŠ
And? So does every vehicle Iâve ever owned. What does that prove?
1 Like
It means that more than one lubricant is suitable for the vehicle.
1 Like
Again So? It doesnât negate anything I said. Show me the vehicle that says 0w-20 AND 10W-40 are acceptable for the same vehicle? The range of oil differences is narrow.
2 Likes
When I saw ownerâs manuals with multiple oils cited, it was for different ambient temperature service. There was some overlap, but colder temperatures required lower viscosity oils.
1 Like
That must be an older vehicle. Most vehicles sold in the United States during the lest 20 years recommend only one oil viscosity.
For example:
2 Likes
My Wifeâs new Crown says to use 0W-8, but 0W-16 can be used if 0W-8 isnât available, then switch back at next oil change. 0W-16 is the recommended oil for the Rav4 and other Toyota vehicles with the EXACT SAME ENGINE. Iâll probably use 0W-16.
Does the Crown have the 2.4L or 2.5L engine?
2.5l Engine. Same as Rav
1 Like