Oil changes
- Thread starter bucky88
- Start date
bucky88 said:
Short answer, it cost more to make and everyone gets a cut.
Just be lucky you don't own a Porche. $300 was the last price I heard and can't figure that out unless it's for the filter. I'm sure it's not a Fram.
If Mr Lube is going to be a regular thing save money and change air filters yourself; C/Tire, Fram, easy pop-out pop-in. 1/3 the price, then you can save for the syn oil.
It's a never ending battle. I had an Ex-Marine tell me that these two guys from MIT (Cartalk hosts) don't know anything about oil in our recent discussion.
I change mine religiously at 3-4,ooo miles so the extra cost doesn't help me (that's what I am doing today). But if you don't have the time and often forget, you might benefit from the extra mileage between changes.
I change mine religiously at 3-4,ooo miles so the extra cost doesn't help me (that's what I am doing today). But if you don't have the time and often forget, you might benefit from the extra mileage between changes.
Crude oil comes out of te ground mixed with muck and sand, it is refined and regular oil is extracted. through a process of super refining the slipperyest of these oils are extracted to make synthetic oil.
Synthetic oils will last longer before breaking down, will not turn to butter when in extreme cold, and will not break down in extreme heat. it also suspends dirt better than regular oil. It also keeps the engine cleaner.
I am sure I will get opposing opinions, even big oil companies can not perpetrate a hoax and sell you inferior oil and tell you it is better.
Government, military and airlines use synthtic oil to keep their equipment in good shape.
Synthetic oil is better.
Synthetic oils will last longer before breaking down, will not turn to butter when in extreme cold, and will not break down in extreme heat. it also suspends dirt better than regular oil. It also keeps the engine cleaner.
I am sure I will get opposing opinions, even big oil companies can not perpetrate a hoax and sell you inferior oil and tell you it is better.
Government, military and airlines use synthtic oil to keep their equipment in good shape.
Synthetic oil is better.
Synthetic oil is man made, it is NOT from crude oil.
According to many car experts synthetic oil is better then regular motor oil, but a two year test on New York City taxi cabs resulted in no advantage.
Note; Taxi cabs, especially in New York, rarely experience cold start ups or driving at high speed for a long period of time.
According to many car experts synthetic oil is better then regular motor oil, but a two year test on New York City taxi cabs resulted in no advantage.
Note; Taxi cabs, especially in New York, rarely experience cold start ups or driving at high speed for a long period of time.
Ceiling Cat said:
For normal driving condition, yes even city driving, regular good oil is fine. The reason the military uses synthetic is they may be in a position of not knowing when the next oil change will come and so put as much time and mileage as they can on their side; similar with the airlines
With regular driving, 50/50 city & highway, changing oil and filter every 5,0000 kms is fine. If you tow or do country hilly driving, more often won't hurt, but not necessary. I'm not saying synthetic is not better, just not needed all the time. It wouldn't be the first time someone tried to up-sell something, now would it.
Sukdeep said:
... and now we know why the premium price at these dealer. Anybody know if Mr Lube is covered under MB warranty? Doubt it, but why not?
The HARDEST thing on an engine is when it is driven in short hops. Like to store and back, etc. The engine never has a chance to get hot and thereby burn off any moisture in the oil / crankcase. This is what causes engine sludge to develope in the crankcase. (If you've ever taken off a valve cover on an old car, you will know what I mean.)
A car that is driven over longer hauls - the engine will get hot and boil off the water.
This is especially true in colder climates where moisture will condense in the crankcase.
If you drive short hops, change your oil more frequently. Long hops, you can probably stretch it out.
I don't know if synthetic oil is any better coping with moisture to tell you the truth. (Less hydroscopic.)
Testing NYC cabs is exactly my point. Though they travel lots of miles, their engines are always hot and moisture doesn't condense as readily.
A car that is driven over longer hauls - the engine will get hot and boil off the water.
This is especially true in colder climates where moisture will condense in the crankcase.
If you drive short hops, change your oil more frequently. Long hops, you can probably stretch it out.
I don't know if synthetic oil is any better coping with moisture to tell you the truth. (Less hydroscopic.)
Testing NYC cabs is exactly my point. Though they travel lots of miles, their engines are always hot and moisture doesn't condense as readily.
shakenbake
Senior Turgid Member
blackrock13 said:
Regardless of the vehicle manufacturer, I will NEVER go back to Mr. Lube. They are ripoff artists exraordinaire. They always try to upsell. And, their engine flush could conceivably destroy your engine.
http://autotechrepair.suite101.com/article.cfm/040206
http://www.discovervancouver.com/forum/lube-t150300.html
On May 19th I took my 1991 Aerostar to Mr. Lube to get an oil change. As it had been awhile since I had one the Tech had "strongly" advised me to get an engine flush - telling me it would clean all the sludge out of my engine and it would perform better. I agreed to it and after the oil change I came home and did not drive my van again until the next day when I went out to my mother-in-law's. An hour and a half into the drive my engine starting making loud clunking noises. I had to get it towed back into Calgary to my mechanic who said I had complete engine failure. I had told him about the flush and asked if this could be the cause, since I have never had engine problems before, and he said it most likely was. The co-owner of the garage also told me years ago he had a 1990 vehicle that he had himself done an engine flush on .... one week after the flush the engine completely ceased.
I had to have my van towed to another shop who could put in another engine for me and both mechanics there said it was for sure the engine flush that caused my engine failure. They said that what happens is the "sludge" in the engine that builds up over time becomes loose when this chemical in the flush is released, and the debris then destroys the engine. Had I not had the engine flush.. I would not have needed a new engine. I called Mr. Lube to discuss this problem with them and they advised me that "someone" would call me back but no one ever did. I finally contacted the head office in BC and asked for the names of the owners of Mr. Lube and was given Mr. Jason Guenter. I contacted Mr. Guenter and he first wanted to know why I hadn't called Mr. Lube more than once to report my issue...???? I told him that I never had engine problems before and he was more than welcome to contact my mechanic to verify that. He's now coming up with one excuse after another about why they should not take responsibility. I just want compensation.. with the towing charges, rental of another vehicle, a newer engine and the labour my costs have exceeded $2500.
Oh, and by the way, they told me I needed an new battery last year, and I am running on the same defective (in thier minds) battery after a winter and subsequent summer with absolutely no start-up issues at all.
Fuck Mr. Lube.
shakenbake said:
Yes, they do try to up sell; as does Green & Ross, CT, and even your regular dealer; name one who won't these days. Can you say no? If it's true they've pointed out problem and if it's not your regular place will tell so and the next time, nicely say that your regular place didn't find that to be so. They'll watch what they say next time and maybe even put a note on your file to say 'Don't BS him'.
Porsche flushes the system on each oil change, that's why they are so expensive, takes twice as long, they're probably using synthetic oil, so that's more as well.
Synthetic lasts longer, but if you're changing every 5,000 km, you don't need. BMW is at 24,000 km, because of the oil. If you're keeping the vehicle long-term and expect high km, then speeding that up some is probably wise. Otherwise, stick with manufacturer's suggested intervals.
Synthetic lasts longer, but if you're changing every 5,000 km, you don't need. BMW is at 24,000 km, because of the oil. If you're keeping the vehicle long-term and expect high km, then speeding that up some is probably wise. Otherwise, stick with manufacturer's suggested intervals.
The one time that I followed a regiment of synthetic oil changes for 2 year for my mechanic wizard 'buddy', he and I both agree that it was purely personal choice, because in my car there was no increase in performance as advertised. This was back when 'syns' were relatively new to the general public.
I'm wondering exactly HOW they flush an Engine?
Fill the crankcase full of some chemical and run it? Other than that, I can't see how it's going to work. And I have to wonder about the concept of that.
Just pouring it into the crankcase without running the motor isn't going to do a thing.
And do you screw a temporary oil filter on it, run it, then dispose of that filter?
How do you get the residue degreaser out of your engine? Especially the lifters? When assembling an engine, all bearings and lifters always have to be greased with a start up lube to prevent damage upon the initial start up until such time as the engine oil has properly coated all surfaces. (And you want to wash this away??)
How effective is it really going to be? Minute particles are going to cling to the various surfaces. You'd need to run this magical degreaser through 10 times before it would be effective and then you'd want to remove it from the system.
Can't see it.
Fill the crankcase full of some chemical and run it? Other than that, I can't see how it's going to work. And I have to wonder about the concept of that.
Just pouring it into the crankcase without running the motor isn't going to do a thing.
And do you screw a temporary oil filter on it, run it, then dispose of that filter?
How do you get the residue degreaser out of your engine? Especially the lifters? When assembling an engine, all bearings and lifters always have to be greased with a start up lube to prevent damage upon the initial start up until such time as the engine oil has properly coated all surfaces. (And you want to wash this away??)
How effective is it really going to be? Minute particles are going to cling to the various surfaces. You'd need to run this magical degreaser through 10 times before it would be effective and then you'd want to remove it from the system.
Can't see it.
First, do not trust these quick change places
They overcharge on everything and try to upsell
Check with manufacturer. Such a change may affect seals and cause leakage
In any case, engine needs to be completely empty, not to mention the sludge problem, as synthetic does not mix with mineral oil
so I say fuck it and do not try to mix
I mean how much does an oil change cost ?
And stop going to these overpriced, incompetent upsell places esp Crappy Tire
They overcharge on everything and try to upsell
Check with manufacturer. Such a change may affect seals and cause leakage
In any case, engine needs to be completely empty, not to mention the sludge problem, as synthetic does not mix with mineral oil
so I say fuck it and do not try to mix
I mean how much does an oil change cost ?
And stop going to these overpriced, incompetent upsell places esp Crappy Tire
shakenbake
Senior Turgid Member
blackrock13 said:
However, it seems that some places are more notorious than others in this respect.
Do you remember Goodyear Go Centres? They were absolutely awful. I caught them trying to sell me unnecessary brake work and went along for the ride. It cost them, because I asked for the old parts and went and threatenned them with legal action for replacing perfectly good components. I got a full refund of all the work done. Sure, my name went into the 'Do not BS him' file. However, after a short while, they started again. Obviously, they forgot not to BS me. And it is the same with others.
As for Dealerships, I have been lucky in that I have found ones who have consistently saved me money over the years.
Last edited:
Regular oil requires a change every 5-6000k's
Synthetic oil requires a change every 10-12000k's
Whats my point? You need to do two regular oil changes to match one synthetic oil change.
Also, synthetic protects your engine in the case of oil shortage, while regular oil does not.
How much do you love your car?
Mobil1 synthetic is really amazing stuff.. its all I use in my race/street cars no matter if its high/low mileage.
Synthetic oil requires a change every 10-12000k's
Whats my point? You need to do two regular oil changes to match one synthetic oil change.
Also, synthetic protects your engine in the case of oil shortage, while regular oil does not.
How much do you love your car?
Mobil1 synthetic is really amazing stuff.. its all I use in my race/street cars no matter if its high/low mileage.
I went with regular oil change at Mr. Lube. They did recommend the synthetic oil for high mileage cars, which mine is (over 100K). I alson had them replace my battery. Two other places (my dealership and Active Green and Ross) had previously recommended that a new battery was needed; so I knew Mr. Lube was not trying to rip me off. Mr. Lube even knocked off $30 for the battery to match the price I was quoted by Active.
From a customer experience standpoint, I can say that I was impressed by Mr. Lube. It was my first visit. The staff were courteous and kept me informed about what they were doing with my car. They even scraped the hardened tree sap off of my windshield. The whole process was quick and efficient.
In contrast, I just came from the local Honda dealership for an oil change and tire rotation for my SO's vehicle. When I brought the car in, the service advisor said it would take 20 minutes. 80 minutes later I was driving out of the dealership, with no apology or explanation for the delay.
B88
From a customer experience standpoint, I can say that I was impressed by Mr. Lube. It was my first visit. The staff were courteous and kept me informed about what they were doing with my car. They even scraped the hardened tree sap off of my windshield. The whole process was quick and efficient.
In contrast, I just came from the local Honda dealership for an oil change and tire rotation for my SO's vehicle. When I brought the car in, the service advisor said it would take 20 minutes. 80 minutes later I was driving out of the dealership, with no apology or explanation for the delay.
B88
I've been changing oil since the early 80s religiously every 5,000 miles and NEVER had any engine problems on any of my Big 3 vehicles. Have taken some of them over 100,000 miles with this oil change schedule. Some imports require synthetic oil, domestic vehicles don't. All you need for 97% of domestic vehicles is a good grade regular oil with the 'star/sun burst' symbol.....or whatever they call it, and you are good to go.
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