Re: Oil Change

> Well I decided to change my own oil yesterday as I haven't done this for a
> few years and my local garage was booked for a few weeks. I also wanted to
> put Castrol Syntech in my Honda Accord which is something some mechanics
> frown on. I think they only make money buying the cheap shit oil and filters
> in bulk. So, Saturday morning a friend of mine and I set out to do his Camery
> and my Accord. The last time I did an oil change was in my 1988 Subaru Wagon.
> What I didn't know was, you can't really get at the drain plug in a Camry or
> Accord since they sit so low. So, I had to get the car jack out and jack the
> car up enough so that I could see the damn drain plug. My drain plug was so
> tight that I couldn't break it free. Luckily I am an old pro at tricks and
> used vice grips on the end of the ratchett to extend the length of it. Once
> I broke it free it was all down hill from that i.e., drain the oil, refit the
> plug, change filters etc., and then put in the Syntech. BTW you can get oil
> in Walmart in 5gal bottles. Did I save any money? Perhaps in the long run.
> The quality of the oil is much better and supposed to make your car last
> longer. I studied these engineered carbon molecules in organic chemistry. The
> carbon chains are packed tightly together in a more uniform pattern and
> should penetrate bearing surfaces better and take longer to break down. I
> have heard that your horsepower will increase slightly as a result but this
> is yet to be seen. The cost is more i.e., $23.95 for 5 gals of oil. I used to
> use Castrol in my air-cooled bugs and Porche 914 when I had it at the
> recommendation of an aircraft mechanic who rebuilt my bug engine. It was the
> only oil that didn't foam up and seemed to hold up better with heat. So, now
> what would be the recommended Oil Change Interval? Forget the 3000 miles as
> this is not necessary. It's a ploy from the oil industry to buy more oil. I
> think minimally you should change your oil every 5 to 6 thousand as long as
> you monitor your levels. I am also wondering if I can go longer with the
> Syntech oil? I am not sure about this. Any ideas out there?
>
> Jah

I use Castrol Syntec in my Acura and change it about every 5000 miles. It is
easier for me to keep up with since its a nice round number. Depending on how
you drive and the conditions the car is put in, you can probably go 7000-8000
if you want without any consequence.

Other stuff you might not be aware of... Castrol Syntec isn't 100% synthetic.
It is based off of regular old crude. Mobil 1 is usually recommended by a lot
of people because it is supposed to be 100% synthetic, but from what I
understand now, it isn't anymore either. Amsoil is 100% synthetic but you can
only get it via mail order/web. Now, what I have started using is the German
Castrol Syntec 0w30 which is 100% synthetic and regarded as one of the best
oils you can get. The bad thing is that you can only buy it in the U.S. at
Autozone and it is around $6 a quart. The Autozone here stocks it but not a lot
of it, so it takes a few trips for me to get 5 quarts... but I don't drive the
Acura much so I have plenty of time to get it.

For my Camry and Del Sol I just use regular cheap Castrol oil and change them
also around 5000 miles.

Steve


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