Thoughts on synthetic oil

[II kings 9:20]

Originally Posted by CottyGee

Miles -

Dino juice will be fine. But the service interval might be off. The 3,000 mile mark is not some arbitrary figure. That's the "severe service" interval and for a reason.

If you don't do any in-town driving or and driving in dusty conditions or any driving in the mountains or driving in high temperatures, you're within spec. However if you DO some of any of thise "servere service" kinds of driving, IMO you're risking a great deal. Of course, it's your car and your money, and if you plan on selling the car... For my money, $10 worth of motor oil and a $5 filter are good investments four times a year.

Forgive my "preachiness" on this subject. It comes from having had plenty of (used) cars where this most basic form of maintenance was neglected, resulting in an engine that suffered because of it.

I hear you CG but BMW and MB have factory synthetic from day one and NO SCHEDULED OIL CHANGE INTERVAL. MY X5 has an oil change interval indicator that is usually around 12-15K regardless of so called severe service. MB may go as high as 18K before a "scheduled" oil change. The monitor determines oil quality yada yada and determines when it's time. Since my X5 is leased, I follow the indicator and that is what the svc dept recommends, two oil changes in 32K miles! About 6-7yrs ago consumer reports had an independant study of NY taxi cabs in "severe service" and used Dino. One group had oil changes at 3K and the other at 6K. At 100K engines were broken down and digitally analyzed and there was no difference in wear. I am not trying to convinvce anyone to change an interval they are using, that woud be pointless. These are just opinions to stimulate thought and other opinions which all of us might find useful in some way. I use magnets on the filter and pan which may be equal nonsense as 3K oil changes. My C will get it's second oil change tomorrow right at 3K. I will do again at 6K and plan on 6K with Syntec thereafter.

[CottyGee]

LOL - yeah, my father's-in-law Mercedes has that oil sensor system in it too. He had to practically twist the MB dealership's arm to get them to change it at 5K!

They kept telling him it wasn't necessary and he'd hafta pay for the service (like $90) and he kept telling them he didn't care - they had to change the oil and filter and lube the chassis! As a 30+ year mechanical engineer designing turbine engines, I think he understands the concept of it being better to err on the side of caution.

I'll fork over the $298, AND do oil changes at intervals exactly as specified in the owners manual.

[II kings 9:20]

BTW CG, if I were buying the X5 I assure you I would change well before 15K. How else does MB and BMW give "free maintanence", two oil changes during a three year lease, that's it! Where was all this free stuff when they required valve adjustments etc.

[joey]

This recent article seems to imply the 300 2.7 could also develop the sludge problem. Or least it doesn't rule it out.

Consumer advocacy group says Chrysler V6 has sludge problems
http://www.autoweek.com/news.cms?newsId=100750

The Owner Manual clearly says to change the oil every 3000 miles, or every 3 months, whichever comes first.
I plan on changing the oil every 3k to ensure I don't void the warranty.

[JonW]

Originally Posted by joey

I plan on changing the oil every 3k to ensure I don't void the warranty.

I'm with you on this Joey. As much as I like extended intervals, this one sentence sums up the whole point to staying at 3K intervals. If you don't do this, you run the risk of being screwed. Both Chrysler and third party warranty companies will be more than happy to void your warranty if you don't follow the prescribed schedules.

My Yukon XL has the GM oil life system that tells you when to change it. It would go to about 8K for me, but I always change at about 6K (using Mobil 1). There's no reason Chrysler and all others shouldn't be using a system like this. Forcing people to stay at the 3K interval is ridiculous.

[II kings 9:20]

The manual also clearly states a 6K interval, I don't worry about sludge with synthetic oil.

[JonW]

It might state a 6K interval, but it also states that if any of the conditions listed apply, use a 3K interval. At least one of the conditions would apply to almost anyone.

[II kings 9:20]

Seems kind of silly, why not just have a 3K interval for everyone, I will say that Chrysler is most expert at wiggling out of warranty claims and I am planning to keep mine past the 50K mark and will still go synthetic and 6K, not a big deal to go 3K and if those idiots have small oil passages in the Hemi like the 2.7 even 3K wont help you, you best go with synthetic. One of my employees husband just replaced his 2.7 at 50K with sludge problems and had it serviced at the dealer every 3K!!!. Because it was (I think) a 2000, it did not have 7/70 and was out of warranty, DC agreed to pay half. Your best protection against cooked oil is synthetic, changing every 3K may not be as helpful as you may think, it still cooks if the passages are too narrow. You will protect your warranty but if you are concerned about that best to have it done at the dealer for documentation.

[CottyGee]

Well, all this talk about oil and syn vs. dino... I had the oil changed for the first time today. 7 quarts of Valvoline full synthetic oil.

I checked the running temp fairly well using the "easter egg" detail. Was consistently running 203-204ºF when cruising. After a good acceleration, it climbed as high as 230ºF, and then within a couple of minutes, dropped back down to 203-204ºF.

The synthetic didn't seem to make any difference. But then again, I didn't really expect it to!

[kcrnmale]

Can you explain the easter egg thing again. Which button is the Nav? Somehow I have a stopwatch running on my display and have no idea how I got here or how to go back to before...please help.