# Is synthetic oil better than conventional oil in older cars **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** mercury\ **Created:** [December 8, 2020, 2:05am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133 "2020-12-08T02:05:29Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 3
**Author:** ![drivetime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@drivetime](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drivetime)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 2:45am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/41 "2020-12-09T02:45:13Z")
When i went on Amazon to look for oil just in case we use a company that comes to the house, when i click on Valvoline oil it keeps saying this doesn’t fit your vehicle. Funny no other oil says that. ---
**Author:** ![VOLVO-V70](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/8e8cbc/32.png) [@VOLVO-V70](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VOLVO-V70)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 2:55am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/42 "2020-12-09T02:55:13Z")
Oil goes in any vehicle and if you use a mobile service they will bring the oil . You are making this way to difficult . It does not have to be Valvoline because even house brands will work. ---
**Author:** ![drivetime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@drivetime](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drivetime)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 2:59am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/43 "2020-12-09T02:59:56Z")
> [@VOLVO-V70](#): > > You are making this way to difficult . Yeah i know I’m being way to paranoid ---
**Author:** ![jtsanders](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/c2a13f/32.png) [@jtsanders](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jtsanders)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 2020, 8:26pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/44 "2020-12-09T20:26:35Z")
COVID-19 transmission is significantly lower outside. If it’s cold, dress appropriately and wait outside go when there isn’t anyone else there, like when the shop opens. Make an appointment for the first thing in the morning, or talk to the shop and find out what time of day their waiting room has the fewest people. If you tell them your concerns for your mother, maybe they will accommodate them. ---
**Author:** ![James-378](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/cab0a1/32.png) [@James-378](https://community.cartalk.com/u/James-378)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 2:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/45 "2020-12-14T14:45:04Z")
In your case I would use a good quality conventional oil and change it every 2500-3000 miles. A 1993 car with only 33K means that the car is only driven on short trips so there is a lot of short trips . Short Trips are harder on cars/engines than long ones. The really big reason for using synthetic is when the engine oil is used for another use besides just lubrication. Variable Valve /Cam Timing often uses engine oil as Hydraulic Fluid , and Turbos use engine oil to cool the Turbo Bearings. Synthetic Oil will not "thin out " at elevated temperatures . Weirdly enough Synthetic Motor Oil is made from Natural Gas which comes out of the same hole in the ground as crude oil does. ---
**Author:** ![drivetime](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/58956e/32.png) [@drivetime](https://community.cartalk.com/u/drivetime)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 5:23pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/46 "2020-12-14T17:23:39Z")
> [@James-378](#): > > In your case I would use a good quality conventional oil and change it every 2500-3000 miles. Thanks for letting me know, we plan on going today to Valvoline, i got the hood open i wanted to make sure it would open before we went. I checked the oil and it’s definitely darker now, last time i checked in June it was more of a golden brown so good thing we are going today. ---
**Author:** ![p.g.i.holmes\_156524](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/edb3f5/32.png) [@p.g.i.holmes\_156524](https://community.cartalk.com/u/p.g.i.holmes_156524)\ **Post date:** [December 14, 2020, 11:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/47 "2020-12-14T23:58:49Z")
> [@pyrolord314](#): > > I saw an article that said 69 million filters a year in California. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s more than 1,000 tons a year. If the average weight of an oil filter is around 9oz then that’s under 20 tons. ---
**Author:** ![pyrolord314](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/6a8cbe/32.png) [@pyrolord314](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pyrolord314)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2020, 11:45pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133/48 "2020-12-15T23:45:13Z")
> [@p.g.i.holmes\_156524](#): > > If the average weight of an oil filter is around 9oz then that’s under 20 tons. the filter would have some oil trapped in it beyond what you drain out, probably closer to a pound, which would put the number closer to 34.5 short tons. Even if you figure say 12 oz, that still comes out to 25.875 short tons, a significant amount. But yes, that is less than 1,000 (quick math in my head error 😆). [Previous page](https://community.cartalk.com/t/is-synthetic-oil-better-than-conventional-oil-in-older-cars/173133.md?page=2)