# Confused by an Oil Question & Answer **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [February 11, 2012, 7:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891 "2012-02-11T19:58:30Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Joe-Guy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joe-guy/32/124_2.png) [@Joe-Guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joe-Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 11:16pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/21 "2012-02-12T23:16:44Z")
Okay… after a day of thinking about what CR wrote and after reading all of the comments, I can see where CR did answer the question, but they didn’t answer clearly, in my opinion. The answer should have been, “Any oil that contains a very small or very large amount of synthetic oil can be called ‘Semi-Synthetic’ because there is no established standard.” If CR had been more clear with their answer, I would not have been confused. I feel better now… 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Caddyman](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/caddyman/32/23_2.png) [@Caddyman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Caddyman)\ **Post date:** [February 12, 2012, 11:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/22 "2012-02-12T23:27:53Z")
Should this happen again to you, there is a special place for oil-obsessives…www.bobistheoilguy.com where every conceivable nuance of automotive lubrication is discussed ad-nauseum… ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/23 "2012-02-13T04:25:12Z")
Well CR did answer your question with the first word, then they confused you with the rest of their answer, which you apparently still do not understand and that does not apply to the question. But their answer is accurate for a different question. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 4:25am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/24 "2012-02-13T04:25:57Z")
cont. At one time it was simple, regular oil was made from crude oil and synthetic oil was made from natural gas. Chemically, they are pretty much the same but the synthetic oil molecules are more consistent in size and shape. Both are chains of carbon surrounded by hydrogen. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 4:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/25 "2012-02-13T04:26:20Z")
cont. Oil makers began to find ways to refine crude oil into the same consistency as synthetic oil, giving it the same, or nearly the same performance characteristics so the API decided that if it performed like a synthetic, it could be called a synthetic, even if it is 100% crude in origin. ---
**Author:** ![keith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/keith/32/5518_2.png) [@keith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/keith)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 4:27am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/26 "2012-02-13T04:27:58Z")
cont. And that is what CR was referring to with their answer. ---
**Author:** ![Joe-Guy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/joe-guy/32/124_2.png) [@Joe-Guy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Joe-Guy)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 5:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/27 "2012-02-13T05:14:13Z")
**"Well CR did answer your question with the first word, then they confused you with the rest of their answer, which you apparently still do not understand and that does not apply to the question. But their answer is accurate for a different question.** Actually, I do understand CR’s explanation of performance standards vs formula. I don’t understand why they thought that information was necessary to include with the answer to the question proposed. ---
**Author:** ![DavidKelly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e56c9b/32.png) [@DavidKelly](https://community.cartalk.com/u/DavidKelly)\ **Post date:** [February 13, 2012, 11:54pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/28 "2012-02-13T23:54:44Z")
CR did not correctly answer the O.P.'s question. There are **no performance** standards for **synthetic** motor oil. There is no requirement that a motor oil be superior to refined. The only requirement is that accepted “synthetic” processes be used to manufacture. Superior motor oil can be made with synthetic processes but just because synthetic processes were used doesn’t mean the oil is superior, or even as good as a good refined oil. It makes no difference how much synthetic is in semi-synthetic motor oil because synthetic is not a superior property. ---
**Author:** ![raj](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/c0e974/32.png) [@raj](https://community.cartalk.com/u/raj)\ **Post date:** [February 14, 2012, 8:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891/29 "2012-02-14T20:47:02Z")
The important thing with motor oil: 1. Change it in a regular fashion 2. use proper spec for vehicle, easy as vehicle gets older since they improve Everything else is really fluff, sort of like drinking tap drinking water vs bottled water. End result is exactly the same, thirst quenched but taste is slightly different. [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/confused-by-an-oil-question-answer/70891.md?page=1)