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Blackwagonman

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  1. Lowwill, Using Rotella 5W-40 will not void your warranty as this oil falls under Subaru's recommended oil options for your car.
  2. I am not sure if you were confused or questioning your dealer so I figured I would address it. As far as your dealer recommending only conventional over synthetic because it's too thin makes absolutely no sense considering that oils have standardized weights and temperatures. Maybe your dealer was referring specifically to Mobile 1 5w-30, which I have heard several people say thins down over time. Many dealers carry M1, so that could be the reason. Personally, I am not a huge fan of Mobil 1 5W-30 for the above reason. Currently I am using Rotel T6 synthetic in 10 or 15W - 40. I am really a fan of 40 weight oils for our cars. It is very encouraging to me that Porsche recommends 40 weight oils in their cars as they have a similar engine design.
  3. Sounds like my local dealer basically arguing with me about and then telling me I was a moron for running 0W-40 in my car. Funny how the conversation turned when I explained it was on the recommended oil list for my car. "well, well ...." silence Overall they are a good dealer it's just easy to see why people get so frustrated. Service advisers with little to no car experience do not go over well with knowledgeable customers.
  4. There are a couple of points I would like to throw in here for consideration. 1. Not all oils are the same and to commoditize them is a mistake. Oils are different, yes they have the same purpose, but the formulation via the additives and base oil utilized can make a significant difference in how they interact and lubricate engine parts. My point of reference is the differences found in oil wear testing result. 2. Conventional vs synthetics.... you will find very opinionated people in this debate on both sides of the coin. Once again though oils are not all the same. Synthetics are designed to provide better lubrication, not burn off as easily and last longer. A recent example of this was the Forester XT I just bought. The previous owner only ran conventional oils in the car and changed his oil every 4 to 5K. Well shortly after I got the car I realized that by 4K about 1 quart of oil had been burned off. Shortly, there after the car ran into an oiling issue that blew the turbo. It wasn't until I ran an oil system cleaner (kreen... great stuff) through the car that I realized how dirty and poorly the engine was functioning. The oil that came out after the cleaner was nasty. The point is subaru along with several other car manufactures do not recommend conventional oil for turbo charged cars for this very reason. Synthetics will burn off additives over time, but the oil does not breakdown. This brings up my next point. 3. Extended oil changes are not for everyone and can have serious consequences for your motor. Amsoil specifically can last for 15K, but the filter will not. The filter must be changed every 7500 miles and oil levels must be checked and filled on a consistent basis. On that note, even Amsoil recommends a decreased extended OCI for heavy or turbo applications. The issues I personally have with extended oil changes is that there is a huge reliance on the oil filter and the depletion of additives over time reducing the effectiveness of the oil. I know of several auto manufacturers who extended and then retracted their longer OCIs due to numerous engine failures. In other words, if you are not meticulous about the care of your car and have full faith in your oil then go for it, but realize that it's not without risk. 4. UOA are a great suggestion and I am really happy to see people here recommending them. They can really help guide you will your oil related decisions. Hope this adds to the conversation and thought processes associated with this conversation.
  5. Hey Mikeslgt, Was the code a P0011 code? If so, my car just pulled this code and then within a few hours my turbo died. This is similar to what several other people have reported also. That being said several things could be the culprit... a worn out turbo, faulty oil control valve, plugged banjo screen, leaky oil pump, etc. In my situation it was a worn out turbo (150K on it) and a leaking oil pump. The question I would ask is has your car had it's major service yet (timing belt, oil and water pumps etc.)? If not I would consider getting them done asap. Other things you may want to do is an oil pressure check on the engine to make sure things are up to par. You also may want to have an oil system cleaner run through the system. What type of oil are you using? Have you switched brands at all lately? Just curious.
  6. Few dealerships can be trusted as the service managers are normally customer service guys, not car guys. Although, not always the case. You just have to ask a few loaded questions to find out for yourself. For example; the dealership close to me told me that I would destroy my engine by using 0W-40. I responded it's on the recommended oil list and got the "wellllll..." then silence response. Oil is one of those things that few people ever take the time to understand, yet it is one of the most vital parts of our cars. That is why I feel it's worth taking the time to learn about it and use good quality stuff in my cars. Synthetic oils are superior to conventional oils that is why I feel synthetics are worth the money. Especially if you plan on running your engine into the ground. In the current economy, the longer my vehicle will last the better.
  7. Thank you for the positive thread award! I would like to thank my parents, tuner ... haha. I wanted to jump in and quickly respond to Max and Joe's posts. Both posts bring up valid points. One point that I would like to make is that many industries rely on minimal standards to partially equalize the industry. The minimal standard however does little more than get the product in the game. This allows for alot of upward mobility for products ie better additives, more refined base oils, etc. Your car will run on the cheapest oil. If your going to take your 30K vehicle and stuff the cheapest oil into it I would hope you at least do regular frequent oil changes ESPECIALLY for a turbo'd car. The question that can't be answered is how is the overall longevity and power output is going to be affected by these entry level oils. For instance, take semi-synthetic, did you know that the only thing companies have to do inorder to call an oil semi-synthetic is add a drop of synthetic to their regular oil. They are not required to inform you of how much synthetic is added... and they don't! In other words don't waste your money on semi-synthetic, either go regular or synthetic. Even synthetics aren't created equal some are just hydrocracked petro while others are truly man made. You get what you pay for in most cases! For me personally I figure I purchased a car for 27k, I want to make sure I am doing all I can to protect it and keep it running for a long, long time. I use true synthetic because of it's wear characteristics, longer oil change intervals, and it also reduces dependence on foreign oil.
  8. Hey where are you guys auto crossing? I am in the northern suburbs and looking to do a little autoX to improve my skills.
  9. Fishbone, I could not have said it better. If you do another UOA once you have 40 in I would be very interested to see the results. Do you track your car at all?
  10. Quick follow up ... 0w-40 M1 works great. Car runs and idles smoother than before and I have seen a definite improvement in cold weather starting. My search for an oil is over. I will run M1 0w-40 from now on.
  11. If you have seen a Black LGT running around town it might have been me! It's really rare to see LGT's, I saw my first one at the airport the other day. A silver, non limited, AT. I am relatively new to the forum and to MN. Do any of you have a preferred shop in the twin cities? I just ordered ss brake lines, hawk pads and motul fluid. They will need to be put on sooner than later, so I thought I would ask. Thanks
  12. Yeah, I have used the 5w30 before and after reading some questionable things about it being thinner than other oils the same weight I started looking at 40's. Everyone raved about the GC 0w30 due to it being thicker. Finally, once I read that OW40 was one of Mobil 1's newest formulas I decided to give it a try. I just changed my oil today, so we'll see if I notice any differences.
  13. Thanks to all who replied to my original post. After doing more research on the web. I finally decided on Mobil 1 0W40. Being that I live in MN the 0W is important. The 40 came from a report I found ... http://www.performanceoilnews.com/oils_against_oils.shtml Being that I really believe in synthetics this seems like the Best compromise ... Grade IV base stock, cold temp and proven performance.
  14. Ok, so I have just spent the last few hours combing over all the past threads on oil and I have come to a few conclusions... 1) Dino oil is just OK for my LGT... I have run synthetic since 12k anyway 2) Group IV PAO synthetic oils are better than group III oils Here is my question I have heard all of the different weights being thrown around... What is the best weight for my 05 LGT wagon living in MN? It seems from what I have read a 0w40 or 5w40 (maybe GC 0w30 as it is close to a 40 weight) would be the best weight for my LGT. What do the cold weather oil gurus out there have to say about my thought on the weight? Thanks
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