Not that many years ago, few people knew about synthetic motor oil and even fewer wanted to buy it. Things have changed… crude oil prices are rising, people are keeping their cars longer, and more people are worried about the environment. Today, synthetic oils are extremely common and many vehicle models even require synthetics. We have a steady stream of people at the shop who ask about this important product, but many more who still aren’t conscious of it at all. If you’re one of the people who hasn’t made the jump yet, there are three main reasons to switch to a synthetic oil. Synthetics are:
- Better for you
- Better for your vehicle
- Better for the planet
Let’s look at each of these points a little more closely…
Better for you
Synthetic oils are better for you because they save you valuable time and money! The superior protection and longer life of synthetics mean you’ll spend less of your valuable time chasing oil changes. We recommend clients have their Minor Interval Service (which includes an oil change) about every 3 months or 3000 miles with regular oil, but clients using synthetics can go about twice that. This longer interval also matches better with intervals for tire rotation and periodic inspection. The superior properties of the synthetic oils could (in a pinch) actually be pushed as far as 12 months or 10,000 miles (though we wouldn’t recommend it).
Money-wise, the less-often oil changes are about a wash with the more-expensive oil. However, synthetic’s superior protection reduces expensive mechanical failures, keeping you on the road more reliably and saving on long-term repair costs.
Better for your vehicle
Synthetic oils are better for your vehicle because they protect it more effectively! When synthetic oils were in their infancy in the 40’s and 50’s, it was enough of a goal just to make them as good as conventional oil. The early oils didn’t quite meet that goal, and the reputation of synthetic oils took a hit that stays with them today. But times have changed! Now, synthetic technology has far surpassed the capabilities of regular crude. They have fewer impurities, leave fewer deposits, are better for extreme driving conditions (especially extreme temperature), offer better mileage, lower oil consumption, lower octane requirements, and more. For example, “Film Strength” is how strong the film of oil is between any moving parts. While petroleum oils have film strength of around 500 psi, synthetics average about 3000 psi, over 6 times stronger!
In modern engines with tight tolerances and high operating temperatures this extra strength is critical to extending the life of your engine. In New York taxi tests, taxis that were run 60,000 miles on synthetic oil but without oil changes (CAUTION: Don’t try this at home… they used a special filter!) showed less wear than taxis using conventional oil changed every 3000 miles!
Better for the planet
Crude oil has thousands of natural impurities that aren’t entirely removed in the refining process. These corrosive acids, paraffin and other waxes, heavy metals, asphalt, napthenes and benzenes, as well as countless compounds of sulfur, chlorine, and nitrogen in crude oil mean more toxics emitted into the air. These chemicals also pass through your catalytic converter, reducing its life and efficiency.
The actual size of the oil molecules also has an effect on emissions. Crude oil has variable size molecules, while synthetic oil’s molecules are mostly the same size. In crude oil the smaller molecules are stripped away to form gunk in the engine and goo in the emissions.
Since synthetic oil is made from crude oil as a feedstock, it isn’t a complete replacement for conventional oil. The extended life of synthetic oils does reduce our dependence on crude oil. This is good for two reasons: Environmentally, every drop of oil we don’t use is a drop we don’t use. This leaves carbon sequestered in the ground and not free in the atmosphere to influence global climate change. Politically, every drop of oil we don’t import helps reduce our dependence on foreign oil… or need to produce it at home.
Who DOESN’T need synthetics?
We strongly suggest everyone who can switch to synthetics do so, but not everyone can.
If you’re vehicle burns a quart or two of standard oil between changes (not uncommon for older vehicles!) then you still have oil when the change is due. However, synthetics can burn noticeably quicker than regular oils. If you go by the recommended interval for synthetics you may have burned through most of your oil by the time the next change is due, which could leave your engine unprotected.
Don’t guess, but don’t worry either… call and ask our Service Advisors. They’ll gladly tell you if the jump to synthetic oil makes sense for YOUR specific vehicle!
The Bottom Line
So why hasn’t everyone already switched to synthetic oil? Some
people (even professional mechanics) aren’t aware that modern synthetic oils
have solved the problems of their early ancestors, but the biggest reason is
probably the fact that the oil itself is about twice expensive as conventional
oil. This seems like a logical stumbling block, but the higher price for
the synthetic oil has to be weighed against the advantages of your time savings,
fewer oil changes, better mechanical performance, longer vehicle life, better
mileage, lower emissions, and the environmental advantages. We
think that the advantages far outweigh any perceived cost drawbacks, and
recommend that you consider synthetics on your next Minor Interval Service.
Like many quality products, they may cost more up-front but the long-term
return makes them by far the best value.
SPECIAL OFFER-
If you’re ready to make the jump to Synthetic, we want to help. If your vehicle currently uses conventional oil, we’ll switch you over and give you your FIRST Minor Interval Service with Synthetic oil for the same price you’ve been paying for our MIS with conventional oil! Some fairly simple restrictions apply, so please call our shop and our Service Advisors will explain the details and get you in the books!
 What makes our Minor Interval Service MORE than just an “oil change”? Glad you asked… here’s the answer! |
