Too late to start using fully synthetic engine oil?

"Lin Chung" wrote

Main dealers use the oil which is specified by the manufacturer.

I tried a fill of fully synthetic on my 20 year old 140,000 mile Rover V-8 with no ill effects.

There's a reason why spamsoils called that & why it doesn't appear on many manufacturers approved oils.

I'll call them up in the morning. Thanks.

For several years I've used Halfords semi synthetic in mine with no ill effects. I also use the same oil in my Celica GT4 turbo. IMO fully sythetic oils are overkill for most cars. AFAIK my BM has never been filled with fully sythetic. Still very quiet after nearly 170k. Mike.

I know what you are saying. I have not come across any refutation of their claims though, from any quarter, and their claims are pretty damning as far as the more highly profiled Mobil are concerned. In fact, Amsoil challenged Mobil to come up with evidence to show it was the No.1; there has never been a response from Mobil -- not a single one mentioning the name "Amsoil"!-- as far as I am aware. Amsoil has neutralized Mobil's sole advantage of overwhelmingly superior number in car makers giving stamps of approval by suggesting that the car companies had done a good deal with Mobil oil and they could then ride high alongside with Mobil who had been so successful in public relation and advertising.

What could this reason be that you hinted at but have not actually spelled out?

Look for the viscosity rating, and the ACEA spec that the manufacturer gives, something like 5W30 ACEA A1/B1 for a Focus for example.

Then go and buy the right amount of that. If you want you could pay more money to pay for the flashy advertising stuff on the side, but the oil won't be significatly better. I've got 330k out of a Rover on standard semisynth, and Ive seen BMW's run up to 600k on £12 for 5 litres semi as well - as long as you get the correct standard then you won't go far wrong.

The best way to increase the engine life though is shorted the service interval. 10k changes? Go to 7.5k changes and use a decent filter. 6k changes? try 4k etc etc.

The message from "Lin Chung" contains these words:

Ah, well, that's what you get for believing advertising!

If you want to use a UK based decent full synth. Try to find a supplier locally of the Millers oil ranges. Minerals and semi synths for older cars (classics) Modern semi and full synth for road cars. Modern semi and full synth for race cars. Usually not as cheap as Halfords full synth, but more oil weight choices and cheaper than branded stuff like Mobil 1, and very well respected. at 17K miles, you should hav eno problem with a switch to full synth, if your engine warrents it. Basic engines don't. Some are a waste of time if you even switch to Semi.

Plenty of people have had oil analysed at the recommended change intervals and found it still to be fine. Changing it early is just wasting money.

I changed over to Mobil 1 at 60,000 to fix an HLA rattle on my MX-5. Draw your own conclusions!

Ummm, but I've had it checked and found it run out of base number. Without an analysis you will never know. For motorway milage you should be fine - stop-start short city run sort of stuff and swapping early is probably prudent IMHO

Many modern cars have service indicators which take into account the type of use. Also, many will state an annual oil change regardless of low mileage. And I'd agree if the car is used mainly for short journeys. But if it has average use, the maker's recommendation will be fine.