Interesting video comparing expensive and cheap synthetic oil with mineral oil

[Zing]

I use synthetic oils in my cars and my marine engines. The older the engine, the more important to make sure it has good lubrication. Synthetic oils are superior in every way against the old mineral oils; some people will never accept it (same argument as vinyl records against cd sound quality).

Ooh, I've got to challenge that assertion. Vinyl is actually better than CD quality. You are wrong in what you say about that, and if your judgement on that issue is wrong it may well be wrong on other issues. Sorry to be so blunt about it.

 

[vyv_cox]

I use synthetic oils in my cars and my marine engines. The older the engine, the more important to make sure it has good lubrication. Synthetic oils are superior in every way against the old mineral oils; some people will never accept it (same argument as vinyl records against cd sound quality).

There are many ways in which synthetic lubricants are superior to minerals. My experience is more with industrial lubricants, where synthetics performed incredibly well and minerals failed quite dramatically. Some large gas turbine driven compressor sets I worked with run for five years at powers of around 60 MW without oil changes.

However, as I said earlier, it is the experience of very many 'classic' automotive clubs and societies that changing to synthetics has led to wrecked engines. Don't take my word for it, just search for it. It may well be that introducing synthetics to a fully rebuilt older engine will be successful but many people seem to have run into problems.

 

[CAPTAIN FANTASTIC]

There are many ways in which synthetic lubricants are superior to minerals. My experience is more with industrial lubricants, where synthetics performed incredibly well and minerals failed quite dramatically. Some large gas turbine driven compressor sets I worked with run for five years at powers of around 60 MW without oil changes.

However, as I said earlier, it is the experience of very many 'classic' automotive clubs and societies that changing to synthetics has led to wrecked engines. Don't take my word for it, just search for it. It may well be that introducing synthetics to a fully rebuilt older engine will be successful but many people seem to have run into problems.

Yes, I appreciate the problem in the early days with synthetic oils where there were issues with viscosity specifications and choosing oil to convert from mineral to synthetic, like for like, in those early days must have been challenging and detrimental to some engines when the wrong viscosity oil was chosen.

 

[lynallbel]

There probably is a genuine reason for having maker-specific oil. It certainly is not a marketing ploy. Vehicle manufacturers are very aware that you have choice and that making you buy more expensive oil could well influence your next car purchase, ie, buy another make.

It probably started as a standard spec oil but for some reason or another gained a few additional additives during the development process. There could be many reasons for this, for example, emissions, mechanical, chemical etc etc. Lubricating oils play a big part in engine technology. Once the engine is homologated by the Authorities with a given oil, it's no longer economically viable to make changes.

Once these vehicles are of an age where owner servicing, or back street garage, for example Richard Expert Servicing , do the work control has been lost any pretty much "anything goes". The subtlety of the original reason for needing an additive is lost. What this affects longer term, emissions, durability etc, who knows?

If your book recommends fully synthetic, any make of the correct API grade and viscosity should be fine.

Never assume that any vehicle being serviced by the dealer network is being serviced correctly.

 

[Stemar]

I never go to a main dealer if I can help it. At 10 years old and 140,000 miles, they'll find far too much wrong with my car and want to charge a fortune to put it right. Far better to go to the bloke who understands older cars and accepts the odd quirk. My local Formula 1 seems quite good, so I use them.

 

[JumbleDuck]

I never go to a main dealer if I can help it. At 10 years old and 140,000 miles, they'll find far too much wrong with my car and want to charge a fortune to put it right.

A friend of mine who lives in Yorkshire found out recently that his local Land Rover main dealer charges £180/hour.

 

[RichardS]

A friend of mine who lives in Yorkshire found out recently that his local Land Rover main dealer charges £180/hour.

It doesn't surprise me. :ambivalence:

I have a County Court case proceeding at the moment and I asked the garage concerned (not a main dealer) to discuss a modest settlement for damage caused to a Discovery by their incompetence. They refused to negotiate so I told them that unless they played ball, I would obtain a formal quotation to repair the damage from the local Land Rover dealer and that the quotation would then form the basis of my claim. The quotation came to £1600 which, with court costs plus interest, will end up close to £2000.

Richard