There are of course widely differing opinions on long term use of fossil vs synthetic oil, but putting that aside, given that I plan to use synthetic engine oil once the engine is broken in, what mileage/time is best to make the transition. The car is a six month old Focus ZX4 ST with the 2.3 L DOHC engine. I have only 3000 miles on it, but the first (6 month) service is due next month. Is this mileage now sufficient for full break-in wear, with fossil oil? I live in a mild area of coastal California, and the car gets mixed use, mostly short-drive use. Thanks.
When to switch to Mobil 1 ?
Jan 31, 2006
4 Replies
You might double-check with your dealer, but if this was my car I'd have no hesitation in putting syn into it on the next oil change.
y switch the factory 5/20 is syn
5-20 synthetic blend, and it's more expensive and they'll try and talk U out of it, even though the manual AND FILLER CAP says to use 5-20. And, unless you watch them put it in, you've no clue that they are putting the cheap stuff in, so beware.
Pure synthetic blend oils (like Mobile 1) are fab and with a good filter, I'd go 15k on a change with easy driving without hesitation (which I plan to do when the warranty is up...maybe ;-)
I don't care how good the filter is, you should change it every 5,000 miles minimum. The oil can last 15,000 miles but that's pushing your luck. All this depends on the type of driving you do as well.
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