oil change: regular or synthetic?

aaaah the weekly oil discussion
simply put, TRD's above post prety much covers it...
synthetic oil isnt subject to thermal breakdown as conventional dino oil is, for its molecules dont break down and they keep their form, thus allowing the oil to have an extended use period...however, synthetic, like all oils, gets contaminated easily and still should be changed regularly, to prevent debirs and dirt in the oil from damaging bearings.
i dont reccomend 10k oil intervals, just stick with the regular 5k intervals
one of the best ways to go is to mix a quart of synthetic with your dino oil, for you get the protection of sythetic and its more resistant to dirt...toyota reccomends a synthetic blend for all new vehicles, and thats just what a synthetic blend oil is
all in all, id always adhere to 5k ol change intervals, just to keep your car safe and not void your warrenty
i mean, i use synthetic myself and i still adhere to 3k intervals...call me crazy, but my engine has 56k and still looks brand new inside

check out www.bobistheoilguy.com for more info.

tonga said:

I have a 07 toyota camry. I want to have oil change this week. When I called the dealer, they told me there are two options: regular and synthetic. Which one should I choose? Synthetic is more expensive, ~80, and regular is only half of the price. I would like to hear any opinions about that.

Click to expand...

So, on a I4 or V6? On my V6, I buy the filter from the dealer for $3.25 + tax, and oil, I'm using Mobil 1 Synthetic, 5 quart from Wal-Mart for $19.97, and 1 quart for $4.70. For a V6, 6 quarts is what I need to get the level to exactly where it needs to be, between low and max ... if you don't wanna pay that much for full Synthetic, go get Synthetic Blend Phillip 66 by the case, 12 quarts for $19.97 from Sams Club, or $20.92 from WalMart, and it's good for 2 oil changes ...

For V6 (6 Quarts + Filter):
Full Synthetic: 19.97 + 4.70 + 3.25 = $27.92 + tax
Synthetic Blend: 9.99 + 3.25 = $13.24 + tax

For I4, 5 quart is more than enough ...

So ... 5 Quarts + Filter:
Full Synthetic: 19.97 + 3.25 = $23.22 + tax
Synthetic Blend: 8.32 + 3.25 = $11.57 + tax

Takes me 10 minutes to drive my car up a ramp (I don't have a ramp, but I drive them through a bunch of cardboards which I get from my company), go under my car, release the filter cap, drain part of the oil out of the filter, then remove the filter, and remove the drain plug ...

Takes another 5 minutes to clean the filter up and replace the filter element ... I usually leave the gasket and o-ring till when I wanna put em' back ... then go back into my house ... watch a movie or two, or TV, might wanna get some food ... usually after 2-3 hours, I'll just go back out, and usually I wouldn't see any drippings left ...

Then it'd take less than 2 minutes to put the o-ring/gasket on, and another 5 minutes to go under the car and install the filter and drain plug back on ...

Takes 5 minutes to put all 6 quarts of oil back in ... 5 minutes to start engine, reset meter, check leak, and check level ...

Total time needed just for the process: 10 + 5 + 2 + 5 = 22 minutes ... excluding the 2-3 hours you spend having fun ...

By doing this, you save money, you get to understand your car better, you get a sense of satisfaction ... and you know what the heck is under your car ... and not wasting a single minute at all, like you do when waiting for oil change at the dealership/Iffy Lube ... and you're sure than you drained every single drop of old oil, and you're sure that your filter is new, unlike dealers/Iffy Lube that scams you, charging you things for what they didn't do ...

Changing oil is like a hobby to me ... if you bring your car to me (LA area, Diamond Bar) ... I'd be glad to do it for 10-20% cheaper than what your dealer is gonna charge you ... and in the process, I could teach you how to do it yourself next time ...