Synthetic oil truths

Not a Wolf Moon, I hope.

CR has been SUED and LOST for some of their testing. I’ll use it as ONE source.

I don’t remember how many years ago it was that Paul Brand had the local auto talk radio show but I still remember him talking about bearing wear on race cars. He was a race driver and said they would OH the engine with new bearings and then take it around the track and pull the bearings again for the next race. He commented that the bearing wear happened right at the start and there was no significant difference after that (obviously until they are worn out). Point was if they actually pulled the taxi engines apart (which would be pretty expensive for CR), they likely would have seen the same wear the first week as at the end of the test. Whatever but I’ve never actually worn an engine out, except for snow blowers and lawn mowers.

I suspect that what Brand said could be interpreted as whenever the engine is started for most automobile users. It matches what I’ve heard and read that oil runs out of the lubricated areas (not completely) and it takes a short while for it to circulate and to become less viscous when the car is started in cold weather.

You’d think assembly lube would be used though on new bearings? I dunno, never done it. Just trying to picture pulling the taxi cab engines to dismantle to check clearances unless they were done prior to the test, or after break in.

@MikeInNH The only two lawsuits I could find against Consumer Reports was the one CR lost for disclosing information about its subscribers and the one CR won when Isuzu sued CR for CR reporting from its test which revealed the tendency of the Izuzu Trooper to tip over under certain conditions.
Obviously the lawsuit CR lost did not involve laboratory testing and the one CR did not lose did involve testing.
Over the years, CR had found serious safety hazards in numerous products.
The handling of an automobile does reflect the opinions of the CR test drivers, while the tread wear of tires is based on laboratory testing. I buy Michelin tires based on CR’s testing and have been satisfied with the service I received from Michelin tires. .

+1 to Triedaq’s almost totally accurate recollection.
The only thing that I can correct is that CR pointed out the dangerous handling characteristics of the Suzuki Samurai, not the Isuzu Trooper.

Suzuki and Consumers Union Agree on Dismissal of Lawsuit (consumerreports.org)

The Isuzu Trooper was actually a very good and durable vehicle, but that reality didn’t allow Isuzu to avoid failure in the US marketplace with its cars and SUVs.

@VDCdriver Thank you for the correction.

If it’s Wolf’s Head


I switched to rechargeables 15 years ago, have saved a ton on batteries. I keep a replacement set charged so I don’t have to wait for charging. Also, they’re recycleable at Lowe’s, Homeless Depot ,so no waste.

They have almost everything at Lowe’s: you didn’t have to buy Whirlpool. They had the cheapest; I bought Samsung because CR rated it okay and it was on sale. Pro tip: I shopped on-line. When I went to the store to look at it, it was $150 more. I told them that, they immediately offered it at the on-line price. I don’t think they would have if I hadn’t shopped on-line first.

I’m not expert enough on most things, but they rated bicycles once, and I am an expert on them. I found their ratings worthless. I’m also an expert on computers and don’t find their recommendations on them useful. The ratings on flooring seem to be okay, but it’ll take years to know.

Remember the Dodge Omni/Plymouth Horizon kerfuffle?

No, I have to confess that I don’t.

@RandomTroll My experience at Lowe’s buying major appliances is that often they have models on display but don’t have the model in stock and won’t sell the display model. Lowe’s will order the model, but it might take a week to have it shipped. Best Buys was the same. We finally were able to purchase one immediately at Menards. When we had to buy a washer and dryer, Lowe’s had the Whirlpool in stock and on sale. Mrs. Triedaq does not like to.go shopping, so I was happy to wrap up the sale. Our 37 year old freezer gave out and I just went online and bought a replacement.
I agree with you about rechargeable batteries. In the summer, I play a lot of night concerts and need a music stand light. I keep spare batteries in my horn case and have them ready if needed. Also, I have had to play in venues where the lighting is so bad one had to light a match to see if the lights are on.
I subscribe to Consumer Reports to get basic information before making a purchase. However, I don’t often end up purchasing the top rated model.
Getting back to motor oil and filters, I buy whatever oil is on sale that meets the specifications for my vehicles and purchase whatever name brand filter is available. My vehicles have gone over 200,000 without engine problems or burning oil.

The Wolf Moon is the full moon in January. It’s too cold to lay on the ground and change oil. Wait for the Pink Moon in April, or the Buck Moon in July.

I once went on a ride with a customer so I could hear a noise her car was making. She said “Oh I hope it’s nothing serious. I can’t have my car in the shop while Mars is in retrograde.”

4 Likes

Who ties her shoes in the morning?

You should have asked her the following question:
What do you do when The Moon is in Uranus?
:thinking:

:smirk:

I only buy appliances from the local dealer and not the big boxes. Whirlpool mainly now. He advises on which models are better etc. and I want him to stay in business. We’ve been buying there since 1976. I buy microwaves anywhere though that has the right color in the right size and no need for delivery. I seem to recall the guy saying the models in the big boxes are not the same, just like riding mowers. That they are specially built for the big box volume. Just me.

@bing. I would like to buy from a local independent appliance store, but there are none left in my community. Years ago, I always bought my appliances from a local store that serviced what they sold. However, now I am forced to go to the big box stores or go online.
The same thing is happening in the auto industry. There are “automotive groups” where one company operates multiple dealers selling all different makes.

We have a couple local appliance stores around here. I buy from a place called Barron’s. They’ll meet any advertised price.

We do one stop at a local appliance chain, I like to talk with someone knowledgeable with features and warranties. Not like a car that comes with everything automatically If you don’t mind not having wireless to connect to your washer and dryer, this set is $300 less. Like I need to monitor my washer and dryer? Bad enough if my wife is on the phone and I start the car to go somewhere it intercepts her phone call until I drive far enough away to loose bluetooth connectivity. So I have an electric toothbrush, probably 15 years old, and battery is lasting only a few weeks, new models have connectivity and a 2 minute timer. I guess you can monitor how often and when you brushed your teeth. Wonder why cars do not text our phone when maintenance is due, or even cel is blinking pull over and call a tow ruck.

@Barkydog I try to stay away from apps on my smartphone that monitor things. The church I attend had a break-in, so a security system was installed. I was the chair of the house committee, so if the security system noted someone in the building, I was notified. I then had to either check it out or notify the police. Most of the time I would have my little terrier mix dog get in the van and would grab my Daisy single shot BB gun and go check the system. My dog is friendly and the BB usually rolled out of the barrel before I could pull the trigger, but I protected the church building. The ‘intruders’ were always church members who forgot to disarm the system when they came into the building.