“Synthetic” in this case, IMHO, is both a type of oil and a measure of quality. Just as oak is a type of wood, but also a higher quality than pine.
Why would you say it is a higher quality? Oak is a harder wood than pine, but does that make it better? Maybe for some uses. But if you are looking for a Christmas tree, I suspect that a nice pine will be better than oak.
It is simply an issue of measuring a number of factors, not just one or two.Pressure treated fir and redwood make excellent, long-lasting decks. You will pay a lot more for redwood, and in some cases it might be preferable. But for most folks, the PT deck is all you need. None of our 4 cars are used in severe environments and I can’t see why I should pay almost twice as much for an oil change just to get synthetic fluid. BTW, I also have a pressure treated fir deck, and it looks great after 11 years and a new clean/stain job.
I change the oil in my 2008 chevy Aveo every 6 months regardless of mileage. I use 4 quarts of royal purple. my change cost with filter is about $33.00 this little piece of crap car runs better, quieter and gets better mileage with this oil. same goes for my 2000 F150 harley edition, every 4 months with that, but its stored for the winter. truck is mainly used as a boat hauler., summer ,fall. 5.5 quarts + filter run me about $43.00 Truck runs better mileage up and is alot quieter. I used to be one of the guys who said can’t be that good… kept reading… got drunk, bought a case. I could tell the difference first ride to work… best price for Royal purple I found was by the case on Ebay… (both use 5W30, makes it easier). I recently had a friend ride with me for a 240 mile tow, he honestly thought I had replaced the engine… that quiet… he was amazed.
I must add this to be fair… I never did my own service till april 2011. let the dealer take me for a ride… so really my cost of service went up about 7-18$ per change. roughly. neither vehicle leak or burn oil much. I I had a leaker or burner, I’d think twice about letting 7 $ a quart drip on the ground… have a nice feeling, doing it myself. people here on this board can help alot! so for the last 14 months I’ve had no visits to dealer… that makes any beer taste better!!
@JosephEMeehan: I have a synthetic Christmas tree. 
Same-o. Same-o. The usual suspects repeating the same mantra that synthetic oil serves no purpose in ordinary use, except for the foolish to waste their money. Right?
I have followed this belief over the years. I have also followed what Tom and Ray say about it over the years. Here is their latest comment on it, apparently posted this last week.
“TOM: And by the way, synthetic oil is great stuff, for various reasons. It lasts longer, lubricates better, decreases our dependence on foreign oil and leaves less used oil that then needs to be recycled or disposed of. So we don’t disagree with the recommendation of synthetic oil. We just disagree with the sneaky way the dealership handled it. Good luck, Craig.”
Personally, I am betting on Tom. A couple years ago, just to find out whether you guys know what you are doing on synthetic oil, I let my Mobil-1 in my 2002 Sienna go to 8800 miles. Car had like 170,000 miles, I forget exactly, so warranty was up, it was my car to ruin.
I had the oil tested at Blackstone, and it still had everything good, and no harmful contamination. It could have easily gone over 10,000 miles. Most comments here on oil are not guesses, but wild guesses.
Warning: my driving was mostly on the highway. Results for cars not in as good shape, or for different driving circumstances will produce different results.
People here insist various things others must do if they really care about their car. IMO, those who really care about their car will have the oil tested once in a while, both summer and winter. Not only does the oil test tell you about the oil, but also what shape the motor is in, its bearings; its rings; and much more.
If you do not test your oil, which is clearly a personal choice, you are guessing on this issue.
How does one go about testing the oil if you don’t change it yourself?
I saw that same T&R column. Their advice to use sythetic and ‘double’ the oil change interval is dangerous. It ONLY applies like @irlandes describes - if you are out of warranty AND you test it AND you work up to the appropriate distance, fine. But just doing what T&R said is a bad idea for most drivers, and all drivers of cars still in warranty.
+1 to Texases comments about using synthetic to extend time between intervals. The goal is to prolong the life of the engine, NOT the life of the oil.
Synthetic oil and dino oil are chemicallly the same. The differences are that synthetic has fewer impurities and more consistant molecular size. These differences can make a difference under extreme conditions, but I’m unaware of any study by other than the sellers of this oil that has shown improved reliability or improved longevity of a stock street engine (non-turbocharged, not high compression) by using synthetice oil.
I’ve owned cars for over 40 years, drove some for hundreds of thousands of miles, and never worn out an engine…all on dino.
For those who choose to use synthetic when your manual only requires dino, I respect your desire to give your car the best and your decision to use dino to do so, however in response to the OP’s question, he’ll never know the difference and IMHO the cost is not justified.
Having said all that, everyone should check their owner’s manual. We’re entering an era where turbochargesr are going to be used for improved performance in engines designed to reduce emissions, and we may find synthetic required more commonly than ever before.
Before my wife and I were married, but going together, I had a little black dog. We were shopping for groceries one day and I picked up the house brand dog food. My future wife said, “You feed the dog the inexpensive house brand food?” “Sure”, I replied. “He is just a little cheap dog that I got at the pound”. A woman in the same aisle overheard this exchange and really yelled at me about being cruel to animals. Well, that dog lived to be 15 years old on house brand dog food. In fact, he looked forward to being fed.
I am certain he wouldn’t have lived a day longer if I had bought him the most expensive food on the shelf. Well, if your owner’s manual does not call for synthetic oil, I would bet that your car won’t last 100 miles longer if you use synthetic over regulal dino oil as long as you are using the viscosity required in the owner’s manual.
Some folks here have indicated their cars ‘run smoother’ with synthetic. If anyone can explain how that can be (aside from the placebo effect) I’d really appreciate it!
On the other hand, the placebo effect is a perfectly valid reason for them to continue using synthetic.
I swear my '72 Vega accelerated faster after I put the rear spoiler on…
Same Mountainbike, maybe the synthetic allows less to get through the PCV system since it is more the same size molecules over dino oil.
I’m a dino oil fan. I have only used the same brand oil for all my vehicles for no particular reason than I just know my experience with it. I only have one vehicle that the dealer touches because I don’t want to argue over warranty work for a vehicle that has a lifetime powertrain warranty. Anyway, I have only had one oil related failure in my 25 years of driving and maintaining cars. That was from a vehicle I bought at auction and it failed after an oil change because of too much wear on the bearings. It was dino oil and a lot of sludge was built up in that motor. None of my vehicles have ever displayed anything more than a slight honey tint of color change on dino oil on clean aluminum components. There may be a benefit of not relying on foreign oil but the cost offset still cannot be argued for a standard daily driver that doesn’t see sever duty.
Auction vehicles are a crap shoot. I’d bet that poor motor rarely saw an oil change…or even had it’s oil level checked. Nothing will protect against neglect.
It’s not synthetic oil alone that allows you to extend your change interval. The oil has to have extra additives to buffer the oil and prevent acid production. Mobil1 has several grades of synthetic oil, and only Mobil1 Extended Performance is rated for extended oil change intervals my Exxon-Mobil. All their other oils, whether synthetic or mineral, are rated for the same mileage, about half the extended range blend.
@jtsanders They can make that claim becasue 99.9% of the people out there will not hold them to it, so it costs nothing but makes them stand out in the oil crowd…00
The other thing to check (if oil testing is used) is how long regular dino will last under the same conditions. Bet it’s quite a bit longer than the specified change interval.
I only use Mobil1 Extended performance. My mileage interval between oil changes is 10,000 miles, because that is what I drive in one year’s time. If I drove 15,000 miles in one year, I would have no qualms about changing every 15,000 miles/1 year. Price wise, I reckon I come out about equal to those who change dino every 5,000 miles.
I once belonged to BMWCCA (BMW Car Club of America) and went to their yearly conventions. On more than one occasion during cocktail hours I met up with a VP of Mobile and one or two engineers from Mobile. From their conversation, I came away with the opinion that 15,000 mile/1 year change intervals was not extreme with Mobil1 Extended Performance.
@texases: All I can say to you is that my vehicles’ engines are quieter and feel smoother to me on synthetic oil. Since I don’t think the saints are watching over my engine and applauding my choice of motor oil, all I can say is that the chemistry must be better. My old 1994 used to use about 1-2 quarts between 3,000 mile oil changes before I switched to synthetic. (Mobil-1) Currently, with over 260K on the clock, it uses about ½ quart between 5-6K oil changes. Better oil? Yes, at least in my opinion.
@gsragtop
I don’t buy your explanation. I’m not saying how long Mobil 1 Extended Performance lasts, only that it lasts longer than their other oils. If you don’t believe that EP has buffers to reduce acid formation, then I disagree with you. I have a hard time believing that they would take a chance with class actions suits if they were lying about their enhanced additive package.