air filters? synthetic oil?

whats the difference between the filter under my head and the one in my

glove box.
i just went to jiffy scam and they told me i needed BOTH repalced. i
know how to replace the one under the hood myself, but then then showed

me this other one that was more flat and they said it had to be
accessed through the glove box? who knows. it was $30, and i replaced
it.
i have a 2005 toyoto matrix.

was i scammed? there were leaves in it. how often does this need to be
changed?

what is the difference between that air filter and the one that is
under the hood. thanks.

also, totally unrelated.
synthetic oil. what's the deal! my step dad said i could go 15,000
miles in between changes. i have gone 7,500 and i changed it. the same
dude at jiffy scam said that i was insane and no one can go that long
in between oil changes. who is right? is it bad to go 15,000 in between

changes, when using mobil 1 or whatever?

The air filter in back of the glovebox has nothing to do with how the
engine runs. It only cleans the air in the cabin. I would change it
every 2 years, maybe more often if you smoke or drive with the windows
open in dusty conditions.

okay, so not too bad. ive had the car for almost two years. is it hard
to replace? the dude acted like you had to be a mechanic to find it.

whats the air filter under the hood for then?

any advice on the oil thing?

okay, so not too bad. ive had the car for almost two years. is it hard
to replace? the dude acted like you had to be a mechanic to find it.

whats the air filter under the hood for then?

any advice on the oil thing?

<jrunruh@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1146756858.093506.233600@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> okay, so not too bad. ive had the car for almost two years. is it hard
> to replace? the dude acted like you had to be a mechanic to find it.[/color]

The cabin air filter is not too difficult to replace. Open and empty the
glove box, squeeze the sizes of the glove box so that it drops completely
down, remove the old cabin air filter, reverse the process.[color=blue]
>
> whats the air filter under the hood for then?
>[/color]

The air filter under the hood filters the air going into the engine.
[color=blue]
> any advice on the oil thing?
>[/color]

Follow the recommended oil change intervals and advice regarding synthetic
oil that is listed in your owner's manual. Many people find this hard to
believe, but the automakers are pretty knowledgeable about the products they
design and build and probably know more about them than the people who post
in newsgroups.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

[email]jrunruh@gmail.com[/email], 5/4/2006, 11:34:18 AM,
<1146756858.093506.233600@g10g2000cwb.googlegroups.com> wrote:
[color=blue]
> okay, so not too bad. ive had the car for almost two years. is it hard
> to replace? the dude acted like you had to be a mechanic to find it.
>
> whats the air filter under the hood for then?
>
> any advice on the oil thing?[/color]

The air filter under the hood is to clean the air before it enters the
engine where it is mixed with fuel to create combustion.

If I was you, I would change the oil as the manufacturer recommends or
at less intervals. You don't want to void your warranty, do you?

nope i dont! :)

but is synthetic worth the extra money then?

why do the new bmws then say 12,000 miles in between oil changes and
toyota still says 5,000. are the engines that different?

also, i was recognizing that my gas mileage was getting really bad.
would this have anything to do with needing to change the oil?

sorry, again, i am compltely clueless when it comes to cars. so if that
question is really stupid or not, i have no idea.

thanks all!

<jrunruh@gmail.com> wrote in message
news:1146759105.063351.233590@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...[color=blue]
> nope i dont! :)
>
> but is synthetic worth the extra money then?[/color]

If you are going to change oil every 3,500 to 5,000 miles, then IMO,
synthetic is not worth the extra money. I've seen many engines with over
300,000 miles that were routinely serviced with conventional oil.
[color=blue]
>
> why do the new bmws then say 12,000 miles in between oil changes and
> toyota still says 5,000. are the engines that different?[/color]

Some European makes use trip computers that calculate when to change the
oil. Toyota uses "conventional wisdom" in the U.S.
[color=blue]
>
> also, i was recognizing that my gas mileage was getting really bad.
> would this have anything to do with needing to change the oil?[/color]

There are a lot of factors that affect fuel economy, but oil changes are not
usually one of them unless the engine is filled with the wrong oil or the
oil hasn't been changed and the engine is sludged up.

Factors that affect fuel economy:
Weather
Traffic
Driving style
Tire inflation
Brakes dragging
State of engine tune
Transmission condition
Fuel
Terrain[color=blue]
>
> sorry, again, i am compltely clueless when it comes to cars. so if that
> question is really stupid or not, i have no idea.
>
> thanks all!
>[/color]


--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

Ray O wrote:[color=blue]
> <jrunruh@gmail.com> wrote in message
> news:1146759105.063351.233590@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...[color=green]
>> nope i dont! :)
>>
>> but is synthetic worth the extra money then?[/color]
>
> If you are going to change oil every 3,500 to 5,000 miles, then IMO,
> synthetic is not worth the extra money. I've seen many engines with over
> 300,000 miles that were routinely serviced with conventional oil.[/color]

Ray,

I normally agree with you so let me get your professional opinion on a
different set of circumstances.

I have cars that see 6-8k a year, which sit for decent periods of time
(days and weeks)in New England variable weather. When I do drive them,
most trips are short, surburban driving, with frequent starts and
shutdowns, and towing and off-roading. I change the synthetic oil every
spring and fall, mainly to remove moisture and freshen things up. I
_think_ I see a noticable difference in cold starting these vehicles
with synthetic over standard lubes.

Since there's always the off-chance I'm imagining the difference, do you
think I'm not gaining an advantage with synthetic?

Thanks!

B A R R Y wrote:[color=blue]
>
> Since there's always the off-chance I'm imagining the difference, do you
> think I'm not gaining an advantage with synthetic?[/color]

I forgot to mention, I've always used dinosaur oil in my commuter cars,
changed at 3k (monthly) with good results, but they didn't sit for days
and weeks.

Thanks!

so a car with synthetic oil can go for more than 5K between changes?

On 4 May 2006 08:06:20 -0700, [email]jrunruh@gmail.com[/email] wrote:
[color=blue]
>whats the difference between the filter under my head and the one in my
>
>glove box.
>i just went to jiffy scam and they told me i needed BOTH repalced. i
>know how to replace the one under the hood myself, but then then showed
>
>me this other one that was more flat and they said it had to be
>accessed through the glove box? who knows. it was $30, and i replaced
>it.
>i have a 2005 toyoto matrix.
>
>was i scammed? there were leaves in it. how often does this need to be
>changed?[/color]

The air filter you mention sounds like the one that cleans the
passenger compartment. As for when it needs to be changed, I would
follow your manufacturer's recommendations. Typically in the past, I
would change any air filter I couldn't see light through. Sometimes
depending on where I drove, I would have air filters last longer than
other times.
[color=blue]
>
>what is the difference between that air filter and the one that is
>under the hood. thanks.
>
>also, totally unrelated.
>synthetic oil. what's the deal! my step dad said i could go 15,000
>miles in between changes. i have gone 7,500 and i changed it. the same
>dude at jiffy scam said that i was insane and no one can go that long
>in between oil changes. who is right? is it bad to go 15,000 in between
>
>changes, when using mobil 1 or whatever?[/color]


You can do what ever you want with oil. I've met people who drove
10,000 miles on conventional oil, but then it was because they didn't
car they trashed their car. If you have money, then violating your
car's warranty shouldn't be a problem, and if you don't follow your
car makers maintance schedule you could be violating it.

I was taught, oil viscosity break down was at a much higher mileage
than the typical oil change schedule, but that was only the laypersons
concern. Oil has adtivives that protect the engine, first being a
detergent, that keeps dirt suspension. This only last a few thousand
miles, so you could be cruding out you engine. Add in there are pH
buffers, and depending on you driving habits, you could be turning
your oil acidic and eating out any protective oxiode layers and
weating compenents even faster.

So long story short, follow your manufactures oil and air filter
schedule ( or let your step dad provide a warranty in writing for your
car. ;) j/k )

hth,

tom @ [url]www.NoCostAds.com[/url]

"B A R R Y" <balsapilot@yahoo.com> wrote in message
news:BnG6g.27432$NS6.3780@newssvr30.news.prodigy.com...[color=blue]
> Ray O wrote:[color=green]
>> <jrunruh@gmail.com> wrote in message
>> news:1146759105.063351.233590@y43g2000cwc.googlegroups.com...[color=darkred]
>>> nope i dont! :)
>>>
>>> but is synthetic worth the extra money then?[/color]
>>
>> If you are going to change oil every 3,500 to 5,000 miles, then IMO, .
>> synthetic is not worth the extra money. I've seen many engines with over
>> 300,000 miles that were routinely serviced with conventional oil.[/color]
>
> Ray,
>
> I normally agree with you so let me get your professional opinion on a
> different set of circumstances.
>
> I have cars that see 6-8k a year, which sit for decent periods of time
> (days and weeks)in New England variable weather. When I do drive them,
> most trips are short, surburban driving, with frequent starts and
> shutdowns, and towing and off-roading. I change the synthetic oil every
> spring and fall, mainly to remove moisture and freshen things up. I
> _think_ I see a noticable difference in cold starting these vehicles with
> synthetic over standard lubes.
>
> Since there's always the off-chance I'm imagining the difference, do you
> think I'm not gaining an advantage with synthetic?
>
> Thanks![/color]

I am not an expert in oil and lubricants so the advice I give is what the
product engineers I used to work with told us to give. I believe that
synthetic oil is also made from petroleum products so it is also "dino" oil.

There are probably hundreds, if not thousands, of discussions and articles
on whether synthetic oil is better than conventional oil and under which
circumstances one should use which oil.

I tend to look at things from a cost-benefit point of view, which is why I
recommended that people stick to conventional oil if they are going to
change it every 3,000 or 4,000 miles. That said, there is no harm in using
synthetic oil and changing it every 3 or 4 thousand miles. Since you are
not changing oil that frequently and your vehicle seems to see some harsh
conditions, using synthetic oil is probably a little better than
conventional oil.
--

Ray O
(correct punctuation to reply)

[email]jrunruh@gmail.com[/email] wrote:[color=blue]
>
> also, totally unrelated.
> synthetic oil. what's the deal! my step dad said i could go 15,000
> miles in between changes.[/color]

Mobil 1 synthetic has an extended performance blend that they claim is
good for 15,000 miles. It is not the same as standard Mobil 1
synthetic.
[color=blue]
> i have gone 7,500 and i changed it. the same
> dude at jiffy scam said that i was insane and no one can go that long
> in between oil changes. who is right? is it bad to go 15,000 in between
> changes, when using mobil 1 or whatever?[/color]

You can read the stuff at the Mobil 1 web site and also see discussions
at [url]www.bobistheoilguy.com[/url]
[color=blue]
>From what I've read and my own experience, synthetic oil should be good[/color]
for 10,000 miles in new cars if most of those miles are on the highway
during trips long enough that the engine is fully warmed up. Short
trips in cold weather is murder on engine oil. Older engines may
require more frequent oil changes if previous owners were lax about
maintenance. I've been using synthetic oil in my cars for over 15 years
and am convinced the additional expense for the oil is repaid many
times over.

Rather than ignore your car like most folks, it is important to
routinely check your engine oil level, especially if you use an
extended oil change interval.

[color=blue]
> If I was you, I would change the oil as the manufacturer recommends or
> at less intervals. You don't want to void your warranty, do you?[/color]

Here is my question. If I decide do oil change by myself, will the
warranty be voided?