Have 2008 Ford Fusion which calls for synthetic oil! Am I asking for trouble using a blend or regular oil? The proper weight I’m ok with just wondering about the oil. Also found that the filter is a disposable insert filter ! Can’t figure why Ford did that!
First, confirm that synthetic is required. I am not up on the newest Fords, but I am betting that the owner’s manual recommends a semi-synthetic blend, but I could be wrong. If this car is still under warranty, follow the owner’s manual information while this car is still under warranty. If synethic is truly required, use it and follow the interval recommendation. Failure to do so could void your warranty, if you have a major claim due to an engine failure.
Secondly, the cartridge filter seems to be more popular now, so it si not unusual that car manufacturers are going that direction, mostly to be more “green”, and less waste, I think.
If your owner’s manual checks out OK, conventional can also be used. You may want to joint the Ford Fusion Forum; I suspect those guys have collected a good body of knowledge about the Fusion.
You either go with a 100% synthetic oil or a conventional oil. Using a semi-synthetic oil is only as good as it’s lesser component. It’s like mixing Johnny Walker Gold scotch whiskey with Uncle Tom’s Canadian whiskey. The infererior component is only going to ruin the superior component.
Tester
Am I asking for trouble using a blend or regular oil?
If the owner’s manual calls for synthetic, then the smart move is synthetic. Look at it this way, $10.00 extra for an oil change vs a a few thousand dollars for engine repairs. Sure you might not have engine repairs, but do you really want to take the chance when the guys who designed the car say it needs synthetic.
Also found that the filter is a disposable insert filter ! Can’t figure why Ford did that!
Why not?
Do whatever the owner’s manual calls for until the warranty expires. Don’t take anyone’s recommendation unless you understand their reasoning.
For what it is worth, my Porsche mechanic completely disagrees with tester’s answer. His experience has been that 1 quart in 4 gives the same protection as full synthetic. In a car that take 11 quarts (1988 Porsche 911) that is a significant savings. There are many opinions when it comes to oil, but the best advise has been given already. Read the Owner’s Manual and do what it says.
Use the weight and rating of oil that is specified in the owners manual. Synthetic oil has many beneficial aspects in terms of instant lube, better cold performance, and more uniform size of molecules. The engines on many newer cars require it because of higher output per cc. and the oil pumps and passages are designed for this characteristic. BMW definitely REQUIRES it, but my Toyota highlander is fine with reg. 5W-30//// Do what the engineers designed it to do…you won’t regret it.
The synthetic requirement usually is there to support extended drain intervals. Not only are they concerned about spin-off oil filters generating too much waste, dealing with millions of gallons of drain oil is getting to be a problem too. Hence, long drain intervals and cartridge oil filters. It’s a Green thing.
Check the specification for crankcase oil in your owner manual and compare it to the specification numbers in the chemicals an lubricants catalog at www.motorcraft.com. See if the semisynthetic meets the owner manual specification. I know that you can get Motorccraft semisynth at Walmart pretty reasonably, as well as Motorcraft filters and they are good filters.
Change mechanics … the one you’re using doesn’t have a clue .