Can you switch to Synthetic Oil too soon? Or is there such a thing.

 

Some people think so, but the oil manufacturers say it's hogwash. Some new engines even come with synthetic from the factory. I know the engine in my wife's BMW 325i has had nothing but Castrol synthetic in it since it was built.

 

Never to early. First oil change and I went to Mobil 1. The dealers try to sell you some BS about it will effect the engine and such, but they just want all your service.

 

BS

 

Foiled:

I put in Mobil 1 at the oil change. Nothing else but synthetic from now on. No problems to date.

 

dont worry about it, throw it in. Just don't switch back and forth.

 

Thanks for the replies. Oil is due and Mobil 1 is my choice.


Do they say Mobil 1 will last longer then normal Oil? I am not a fan of the 3month/3000 miles. That may have been true when we ran leaded fuel and non detergent oil but I know I have drove 5-6k miles in my avenger and dropped the oil and it looked almost like it could have been re-bottled, many times I thought I should just put it back in. So what is the general consensus on this subject?

 

Synthetic is supposed to last much longer, RP says up to 15K! I go with what the truck maker says, 3K mileswith hard driving with conventional oil. I might go 10K with a high-end synthetic. I'd judge by looking at the oil when I drained it and having a lab analyze it. I wish Dodge would use the system like GM, it tracks how you drive and gives you a custom time to change the oil.

 

Anyone here use an analysis center that they could recommend?

 

Regarding how often one should change synthetic oil vs "standard". . .

It's been about 10 years since I did my research, but I recall concluding that it would be best to change synthetic between 3-5K miles, which isn't really much different than standard. My understanding is that the synthetic oils hold up much better than standard as far as not breaking down and reducing viscosity - I recall reviewing graphs of viscosity of synthetic and standard oils after 3 K, and synthetic still had something like 85% of original viscosity versus 55% or so for standard. The issue I recall is that of the detergents and other addititves in the oil - the things that help kill acids that form and help protect the engine from particles that form. These detergents and other items are consumed, so it may be fine that your viscosity is great, but your detergents and other important components may be gone around the same time they would be consumed in a standard oil. So, the question becomes what is more important after 3K miles - viscosity or those addititves. Although I love the idea of synthetics (all I ran in my motorcycles), I went back to standard at < 1/2 the cost of synthetic.

Just my $0.02