Will switching from Synthetic to Dyno oil harm my engine?

All oils that meet or exceed any API specification in nearly twenty years
have had to meet specific seal standards. This was because a particular
early API standard could be met by oils that did not agree with a new [at
that time] seal material, causing it to harden and leak prematurely. I think
the material was a neoprene blend. This has not been a problem for a *very*
long time.

Having said that, the Maxlife and similar added value [read as added profit]
oils do have an increased level of a chemical that mildly softens and swells
seals. This is not needed of course but some people will insist on treating
their cars as if they were sentient organic organisms which will somehow
'thank' them at some point for unnecessary [and unasked for LOL] pampering
at added expense. In truth, it is the pamperer himself that derives pleasure
from such practice but he would do better and achieve more good if he spent
his time and money on doing good to his fellow man.

Huw

 

Riiiiiight, *nudge nudge* it's not pyramidal *wink wink* it's "multi-level
marketing".

 

You draw a conclusion from an unrelated recommendation. What is on the
shelves of your neighborhood auto store or truck stop IS of primary
importance. That's what people are buying. Yes, I know VW suggests
synthetic IF ... are you are going to perform oil services by the oil life
monitoring system. So does BMW and Mercedes for that matter. But for
all -practical- purposes, the only mainstream synthetic diesel oil around
here (the western US) is Shell Rotella T 5w-40 synthetic.

 

Huw... our context is the AMERICAN market. Not the UK ... where you are.
But go ahead and make your case for the benefit of others. But do review
this thread retroactively before you do.

 

But none of them are in the USA.

You're in the first stage of denial, Huw. Now ask yourself WHY would
anyone go to all the effort in PhotoShop to doctor up a couple of photos
like these? Do I smell a conspiracy theory from you?

 

Rob. I'm a retired line haul driver, 1998. I know what's on the shelves
around the 11 western states and on tap in the service bays at truck stops.
It's Shell Rotella, Delo 400, and Mobil Delvac. RARELY did I see Delvac
1300 synthetic. Shell Rotella synthetic wasn't on the market as I recall in
'98. So my friend, you are in error about the commonplaceness of synthetic
oil usage in class 8 trucks.

 

Oh ... that is great psychoanalysis! ROFLOL

 

I'd rather swell my seals! ;>

 

Sorry but I've also bought Valvoline at the .49 cent price - with rebate of
course. Not recently, but at least once this year.

I see Castrol also discounted quite regularly.

My point is obvious to anyone - if you are a halfway smart shopper
you can buy oil at the buck a quart level. Sure, you have to buy it
when they sell it at that level, and you have to stockpile it as well,
but it can be bought.

What you CAN'T do is be a lazy-ass and just walk into whatever
retailer you want whenever you want and buy whatever brand of oil
you want at a buck a quart. You do have to actually pay attention
to these things called, you know, advertising circulars? They come
in the local newspaper? You know, the thing you line your birdcage
with since you can't read?

I would suggest that you ask your wife where she gets those little
things called grocery store coupons, she might teach you a thing or two.

Motor oil to auto parts stores is like milk is to grocery stores. There's
a huge market for it and it is very competitive. It is one of the few
things
that is guarenteed to get customers into the store. When an auto parts
chain drops $200K into an advertising campaign, they
use motor oil as a loss leader just like the grocery stores use milk as
a loss leader. And it works great for that.

Ted

 

Completely immaterial Dan since every major oil brand discounts from time
to time. The Valvoline bigots can buy their Valvoline at discount if they
bother to read the advertising circulars. It doesen't take a lot of effort
to
buy as much oil as you need when it goes on sale, you just need to have
the space to store it.

Claming as these morons seem to be doing that their 'spechul' oil is so
all-faluting better that it never goes on sale, is a bunch of bullcrap.

Ted

 

Sure Danny Boy. I ain't trying to sell it here, I was just making a
point that *some* synthetics do have significantly more detergency than
dino oils. Yes, I am a 20 year Amsoil dealer, but I don't push it on
anyone. I use it because it works and they have a much larger selection
of products than any competitor.

 

They INSIST on specific oil for both petrol and diesel engines. The same
oils are suitable for both.



But for

That is only because you have virtually no modern diesel cars which call for
superior oil. No demand = no stocking. Having said that, you really should
be able to find these oils if you look hard. Surely you have plenty of both
Mercedes and BMW petrol vehicles which insist on Longlife 01 or mb229.1?

Huw

 

Of course they are. US BMW and Mercedes have the same service schedule as
European ones and have been since 1998 that I know of. Plenty of time for
one to run up to 15000 miles many times over.

No, but a lack of imagination from you. Why do you say that I think the
pictures are doctored? I do not believe they are, any more than those
sludged Toyota's you have pictures of are doctored. Similarly I don't
believe that BMW had its services carried out to BMW recommendation using
the correct oil. No difference in principal between the idiots who miss
services with Toyota or with BMW. Or are you applying a double standard
here, that idiots only drive and lie about Toyota vehicles? LOL

Huw

 

You can choose to use your own arbitrary context if you wish but on a global
scale synthetic high performance oil is now becoming standard for passenger
car diesel engines. I was not aware that this was more than a slightly
significant market sector in the US but if you say that of those, most use
1980's technology, then who am I to argue with you.

Huw

 

Each to his own kink. Live and let live and all that.

May your seals swell alarmingly for Christmas

Huw

 

I use Castrol or Valvoline dino in my cars, change oil and filter (

I only use fully synth oil and swap it every 2.5-3K miles. But thats the
manufacturers recommendation lol. Ouch. Bloody 3SGTE engine .

J

 

You are simply wasting your money changing it that often.

 

Another Tom wrote:

So what do you think that proves? That every car run on an extended oil
change schedule will wind up a sludge pit?

My wife's car has run Mobil-1 10W30 for the past 205,000 miles (that's
right, 215,000 miles total, was switched from Castrol GTX to Mobil-1
after the initial 10,000 mile break-in period.) The change interval is
between 7000 and 10000 miles, most of the time closer to 9000 miles. Its
gone as long as 15,000 miles on one fill a couple of times (my bad!)
The engine is a 1993 Chrysler 3.5L SOHC v6, 215 horsepower, in a 1993
Eagle Vision TSi. I recently had occasion to remove the valve covers to
install new gaskets. The cams, rockers, and valve stems looked like new.
Not "clean," I mean LIKE NEW. As in "if you put these back in a parts
bin, no one would notice that they were used unless they looked REALLY
closely." I have observed the same with my 1969 Dodge 440 and my 1973
Plymouth 318 as well, although neither of them began their lives on
Mobil-1 with ~10,000 mile oil change intervals.

Now, I could argue that Chrysler just builds a far superior engine to
BMW (and in truth, I believe that is true when you take into account a
lot of practical considerations for an everyday routine-driver type car-
otherwise I'd own BMWs instead of Chrysler products). But I honestly
think the Beemer got screwed by something else. Poor oil, a filter stuck
in bypass mode, coolant intrusion into the lubricant, fuel contamination
of the lubricant.... SOMETHING else. Not the oil change interval.

 

So? That sludged BMW isn't a diesel engine. UK and US DIESEL fuels are
quite different and have a significant impact on DIESEL engine oil
change schedules, but not so when comparing US and UK gasolines or
lubricating oils.

 

I would say that the "pamperer" in this case is heartily deceiving
himself. Valvoline Max-Life (in particular) was observed to have an
excellent additive package WHEN FIRST INTRODUCED, but within a year or
so, a number of key wear-preventing additives were sharply cut back. Its
a 3rd-rate lubricant at best,\ now, unless they've put it back to the
way it was. This was chronicled extensively on bobistheoilguy.com a few
years back.