Pennzoil @ $.99 or Mobil 1 at $5+

I can't comment on oil going into a Prius, but I would say it wouldnt be any different than any other vehicle. My experience with switching from a conventional oil to synthetic is the following. I have a very rough shape (beater) 1998 Dodge Caravan 3.0 liter. I bought it with

83,000 miles, very cheap price. It had conventional oil in it, and it used to tick very loudly on regular 5W-30 grade oil during cold startups and for awhile afterwards. I changed it with fresh conventional 5W-30, nothing changed. Then, I decided to try Walmart brand "Supertech" oil, full synthetic 5W-30, I believe that's their brand name. After I put that in, the noise cleared up tremendously, almost gone completely. I have seen consumer reports articles about motor oils, and from what they say, all coventional oils are on one plateau, and the synthetic oils are on another above them. Dont worry about the brands, as you are just paying for somebody's television and radio ads, and other sponsorship of racing, sports, etc. If you want to dump extra money into Mobil's pocket, go ahead, but I wouldnt. You can't tell me that the other brands are worse. And, if by some crazy chance they are (which I dont think so), it is still full synthetic, and unless you really run a vehicle badly, and are bad on maintenence, you'll be fine. The store brand is about half or more off the price of Mobil One, or other big advertisers like them.

Bill

21 Apr 2008 14:19:03 -0700, MrTom wrote:

Another thing on that, Tom. I was a complete non-believer on synthetic motor oil. I just figured it was a scam, and didnt think it would do anything better, but ran out of alternatives, so I gave it a shot. I was definitely surprised, and will never think that way again after my experience.

Bill

where are you getting Pennzoil for .99 ?? Even Wal-Mart is over $2 a quart

You were more correct when you were a "nonbeliever in synthetic." What you experienced was not "synthetic magic" but a particular motor oil which had the missing swelling agents to keep your beater's hydraulic lifters filled. The very same swelling agents might do more harm in a new engine, swelling the seals to be too tight resulting in premature wear which then *needs* the swelling agents to work properly.

Mobil-1 is very good stuff, Fly-By-Night Synthetic doesn't deserve to be mentioned in the same breath. Then again Walmart Supertech oils don't appear to be the usual fly-by-night junk.

Refined oils are very good these days, probably as good as Mobil-1 was

10 years ago. Experience with synthetic motor oils has taught manufacturers what works, so today they know better what to make than in the past. They know what to work toward in their refining processes.

As for the difference between synthetic and refined, its not automatically better if synthetic. A synthetic motor oil is no better than the manufacturer cares to make it. There are no independent performance standards one must meet to sell a "synthetic motor oil" other than exactly the same as refined oils meet.

There are performance standards that only synthetic motor oils have passed, but not all synthetic motor oils can pass.

If you are going to drive 10,000 miles between drain intervals then by all means pay the extra for Mobil-1. But if you drive 5,000 miles or less in 6 months it makes very little difference. Use an ILSAC GF-4 motor oil every 5k or 6 months, whichever comes first.

Kragen Auto Parts here in California has a one-case limit rebate deal that expires 4/25/08. The deal is $2.99/quart with a $2/quart rebate and excludes synthetic, SUV/truck, synthetic blend, or high mileage oils. The image in the ad shows a bottle of 5W-30, which is what the Prius calls for. With the expiration only 4 days away I figured I would post my questions.

Tom

If the price of the oil is your issue try to figure out how many % the cost of your oil is compared with your gas. You will wonder why you are bothering yourself with this question. If the quality is the issue I think there are already a few interesting replies. Thibaud

Hear, hear! I have always used plain old Castrol GTX in all my vehicles, with a smidgen of Marvel Mystery Oil tossed in at each oil change. Never had a problem.