Focus Fanatics Forum banner

Synthetic Oil

2K views 17 replies 14 participants last post by  SkaAddict 
#1 ·
So I go into the dealer for my first oil change on my '05 ZX3 and ask for synthetic oil. The service guy says ok, but why??? I tell him that I know that it is better for your engine in the long run and I know other (from this forum) that are running full synthetic oil. He then goes on to tell me that unless Ford recommends synthetic oil in the car that it is possible that if I had problems down the road that they may not cover it. So, forget that I went with the regular oil/lube.

My question is, was that a true statment? Would Ford possibly not cover a warranty repair if I were using synthetic oil? Should I have stuck to my guns and said put the synthetic in anyway?
 
#4 ·
If you buy the oil yourself - I just put Amsoil 5W20 in for $5.25 a quart.
Like anything else when you have a garage do it it's going to cost more. And having a dealer do it even more. So I don't know if $8 a quart is "normal", but I'm not surprised....
 
#6 ·
Your first mistake was asking the dealership to do the oil change. There are no downsides to using a quality synthetic. Technically they last longer (do not degrade as quickly) and provide better start up protection especially in newer cars with tighter tolerances. Any knowledgeable service person would know this. Are they worth the extra cost? This is a debate that will go on for some time. Dino oils have gotten so much better and provide quality protection. Yes the additives break down a little sooner but they'll easily last the 3000 to 7500 mile change intervals commonly recommended. If you love your car more than your girlfriend then feed it synthetic, otherwise dino juice is just fine. I have had several cars go well beyond 100K miles on diets of dino oil. Regularly scheduled maintenance is the name of the game!!
 
#9 ·
I was under the impression that you should wait until the engine was broke in before making the switch to synthetic.

As long as I get all my service done at the same dealership that I bought my car from, my drive train will be warrantied for the life of the car. I don't care to change my own oil and if they mess up they have to cover the repairs. I know how to work on my car it's just not worth the PITA to do it. My time is worth more then that. I think that you really have to decide what is it worth to you.
 
#10 ·
8 bucks a quart for Motorcraft synthetic is a typical stealership ripoff, you could buy synthetic oil for half that at an auto parts store and bring it in with you, and ask them to use the oil you provided. As long as you use the recommended grade and the oil of your choosing meets the proper specifications (it says right on the bottle something like "meets or exceeds API suchandsuch") it shouldn't matter whether you use regular or synthetic in terms of keeping your warranty valid.
 
#12 ·
As long as you use the correct weight of oil, and the engine failure can't be attributed in some way to different weight oil, you are fine warranty-wise. An OEM cannot flat out reject any warranty claim because you happen to change one thing from the OEM specification. But, if the failure has a possible root cause in the item you changed, the dealership will make it your responsibility to prove that it wasn't the cause of your specific failure (even though the law says otherwise). Oil is VERY low on the warranty invalidation list.
 
#13 ·
Synthetic overhyped? Well, not all engines need it, but I guess it depends on what sort of temperatures you're running and if you have oil burn off. It probably would've helped to use it in my 4.6L T-Bird since it required about a quart after a 1000 miles of driving (with no oil leaks). High temperature, high compression? Sounds like a good idea to run an oil that doesn't break down very easily.
 
#16 ·
I just saw a program on TV, can't remember which one HorsePower TV or Two Guy's Garage some thing like that, where they replaced the tranny, rear diff and engine oil with Royal Purple and got an 8whp gain on the Dyno!!
Reduced parasitic drag.
So maybe slipperier oil is worth a little extra cost!?
 
#17 ·
Go to Costco -- ~$25 for a case of 6 quarts of Mobil 1.

If anything, I'd say spend more on the filter in general, synthetic or not, since that's the true weak point of the system.
 
#18 ·
Everyone has a different opinion...it has benefits, like extended drain interval if you buy the right stuff (the AMSOIL I'm running right now has a 30,000 mile drain interval with filter changes & topoffs every 8,000) and lower oil pressure, lower viscosity at low temperature, higher burn/flash temps, etc. If you can afford it its beneficial, but by no means is it required.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top