oil stuff

[Mephistopheles Jones]

Hi all,

I've got a 1993 SL2 manual 144,000 miles. First a quick question: do you guys pay $5/qt for the Mobil 5W30 synthetic oil? I can't seem to find it cheaper anywhere else. I'm in Los Angeles, by the way.

Also, are all oil filters the same? Instead of buying the cheapest one at Autozone, I bought the next to cheapest one. Bad idea?

Thanks for reading.

Meph

 

[Bob Shuman]

I buy Mobil 1 by the 6 quart case at Sam's Club and use on one of my vehicles. I believe it is around $4.50 a quart.

On the oil filter, I buy Purolator brand for all my vehicles since I've had good luck with them and based on what I've read they do a better job of filtering and the manufacturing quality is higher. I buy the Purolator Pure One (blue box) brand at about $4 each and stock up when they go on sale. I've also used the regular Purolator filter (white box) and these can usually be had for about $3 each where I live in Illinois.

As mentioned above, I don't use the Mobil 1 in all of our vehicles (there are 5) since it would be too expensive! I generally use Valvoline (10W30 summer and 5W30 winter) in the Saturn and most of the others as well. This doesn't seem to be a problem since the engines have 128K, 121K, 68K, 56K, and 34K miles and we've had no major engine problems of any kind. The Mobil 1/Synthetic is great, but at 4 times the price of regular oil and changing every 3K miles I'd go broke!

Bob

 

[Tim Shoppa]

I've got a 1993 SL2 manual 144,000 miles. First a quick question: do you guys pay $5/qt for the Mobil 5W30 synthetic oil? I can't seem to find it cheaper anywhere else. I'm in Los Angeles, by the way.

No offense (I have a 92 SL1), but the car isn't worth enough to justify putting synthetic into it at this point. Maybe if you really abuse the engine (high-speed driving for long stretches... I-15...)

At one point I tried to justify using synthetic transmission fluid (towing, etc.) but I can't justify that anymore myself.

Also, are all oil filters the same? Instead of buying the cheapest one at Autozone, I bought the next to cheapest one. Bad idea?

I used to like the cheap Fram's, but their quality has gone downhill greatly in the past decade. Lately I've putting AC/Delco oil filters on. (PF53) Only a little more money than the Fram's.

Tim.

 

[Mephistopheles Jones]

No offense (I have a 92 SL1), but the car isn't worth enough to justify putting synthetic into it at this point. Maybe if you really abuse the engine (high-speed driving for long stretches... I-15...)

Well, two things: my gas mileage recently dropped significantly on my last trip up to the Bay Area (used to be 31+ mpg, now it was 26 mpg, but maybe it was because I was due for an oil change?) so I thought I'd see if the synthetic would correct it. Also, I plan to be driving this car for the next ten years, as long as it can pass the emissions tests, so to me it's worth spending an extra $10 every 3 months on my present car (if it extends life) than spending $1000 every 3 months on a car payment.

By the way, does driving 100 mph count as high speed? Everyone does this on long trips, no?

At one point I tried to justify using synthetic transmission fluid (towing, etc.) but I can't justify that anymore myself.

I used to like the cheap Fram's, but their quality has gone downhill greatly in the past decade. Lately I've putting AC/Delco oil filters on. (PF53) Only a little more money than the Fram's.

Thanks! I think I bought a Fram, because the can was orange and it had a neat little grip. Will keep my eyes open next time.

 

[richard hornsby]

By the way, does driving 100 mph count as high speed? Everyone does this on long trips, no?

Not sure if you're being saracastic or not, but to answer your question:
Around here (Ohio) they call that reckless op and may take your license from you. With all the construction we have in this state, even without citing reckless op, that fine will probably run well over 500$ if you get caught in an orange barrel zone doing >55mph.

I had a 1986 Jeep Cherokee whose speedometer only read up to 85mph on I-95 near Miami a few years back. I think I was doing 90mph and couldn't keep up with traffic. Total insanity.

-rj
98SL2

 

[blah blah]

Not sure if you're being saracastic or not, but to answer your question:
Around here (Ohio) they call that reckless op and may take your license from you. With all the construction we have in this state, even without citing reckless op, that fine will probably run well over 500$ if you get caught in an orange barrel zone doing >55mph.

I had a 1986 Jeep Cherokee whose speedometer only read up to 85mph on I-95 near Miami a few years back. I think I was doing 90mph and couldn't keep up with traffic. Total insanity.

-rj
98SL2

Traffic was moving at 90+ mph in ohio? NO WAY! I keep getting the idiots that do 50 on the highway and merge onto the highway doing 35. You sure you live in Ohio?

 

[Mephistopheles Jones]

Not sure if you're being saracastic or not, but to answer your question:

Yeah, I was being sarcastic

Around here (Ohio) they call that reckless op and may take your license from you. With all the construction we have in this state, even without citing reckless op, that fine will probably run well over 500$ if you get caught in an orange barrel zone doing >55mph.

I think it's a little different here out west, where you have long freeway stretches of nothingness. Seems to me the only people who get stopped for speeding on I5 or I10 to Phoenix are people who drive recklessly. Once I was driving about 90, with traffic, and a car just ahead of me who was changing lanes dangerously got pulled over. Also, the stability in newer cars is amazing. I once rented a Maxima that I ended up driving 90+ mph while thinking I was driving 60mph-- it was a really smooth ride.

I had a 1986 Jeep Cherokee whose speedometer only read up to 85mph on I-95 near Miami a few years back. I think I was doing 90mph and couldn't keep up with traffic. Total insanity.

I remember when I was a teenager and driving close to 100mph was the scariest thing. But today, some people may have a car that handles at 100mph as well as other cars at 30mph.

Meph

 

[richard hornsby]

Traffic was moving at 90+ mph in ohio? NO WAY! I keep getting the idiots that do 50 on the highway and merge onto the highway doing 35. You sure you live in Ohio?

LOL, no, that was Miami Florida a few years ago.

-rj
98SL2

 

[blah blah]

LOL, no, that was Miami Florida a few years ago.

-rj
98SL2

Oh my bad, i was thinking miami county. Must of been summer or spring break. I cant see Florida, a big retirement state, having drivers doing
90.

 

[arthur]

I just bought Mobil 1 5W30 for $3.79 / qt. at Walmart yesterday (regular price - not on sale).

 

[Tim Shoppa]

Not sure if you're being saracastic or not, but to answer your question:
Around here (Ohio) they call that reckless op and may take your license from you.

On I-15 up through California you pretty much have to get to 80MPH just to merge in.

They are fairly respectful drivers despite their high speeds... but they do not like to slow down, and you do occasionally see on the news where a fog bank caused a 80-car pileup in central California.

Tim.

 

[Tim Shoppa]

Well, two things: my gas mileage recently dropped significantly on my last trip up to the Bay Area (used to be 31+ mpg, now it was 26 mpg, but maybe it was because I was due for an oil change?)

Oil changes are good... but won't make that much difference in mileage.

*If* you were going to go to 30K mile change invervals and doing it with synthetic, then it'd be a win. But I doubt that is what you're trying to do.

the synthetic would correct it. Also, I plan to be driving this car for the next ten years, as long as it can pass the emissions tests, so to me it's worth spending an extra $10 every 3 months on my present car (if it extends life) than spending $1000 every 3 months on a car payment.

If you've been changing the oil every 3 months for the past decade, you've already been treating the engine pretty nicely. IMHO switching to synthetic at this point would only make sense if you were going to some really long oil change interval, and even then I'm not sure that's better than what you've been doing.

You probably do want to stick your head under the hood every couple of months. Lots of rubber things will be near the end of their lives most likely, and you want to catch them before they leave you stranded.

Tim.

 

[blah blah]

144,000 would be awful late to bother switching to synthetic. To much engine wear has already occurred. You could still mix in one quart with every service to add a little advantage. You can also buy oil filters with doses of ptfe (aka teflon). If you burn oil though I wouldnt recommend it. Teflon takes out cat converters.