Oil for oil change?

Hey everyone. I was wondering if everyone follows the manufacturer oil recommendations in their cars? I need an oil change and the dealer is one of the cheapest I have seen but it also seems every time im in there is something else they want to replace. To buy the oil recommended for my car is expensive verse a normal standard oil like 5w-20 or 5w-30.

Keep in mind the most important pieces of your vehicle reside inside the the engine. Go with what's recommended. Spending an extra 10-25$ for proper care shouldn't break the bank for you I'd hope

Wicat3,

 

Do you have the 2.5 or the 3.6?

I'm thinking you have the 2.5

0W20 Full synthetic is only a few dollars more. Most of the time, you can find it on sale at Walmart for $22-25 a gallon, with 1 of the top 3 brands.

 

For example:

Mobil 1 0W20 is now on sale for $22.88

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Mobil-1-0W-20-Advanced-Fuel-Economy-Full-Synthetic-Motor-Oil-5-qt./17034374?athznid=ItemCarouselType_WPA&athena=true&athcpid=17034374&athpgid=WPADesktopHP&isAthAd=true&findingMethod=wpa&tgtp=2&cmp=11280&relRank=308&pt=hp&adgrp=11686&bt=1&plmt=1145x345_B-C-OG_TI_1-20_HL-MID-HP-ERO-BACKFILL&wpa_qs=HJ8vE8n7alJgkrWBAA6Y7MNcGK3P4NnbbhTvL6PD52EA3jec7-VXbm9GgoZ7rwbv&bkt=__bkt__&pgid=hp-3&itemId=17034374&relUUID=c3c47879-b599-4252-9aa8-52ea4cad1861&adUid=74c26703-8d39-48e8-ad08-4894a9404187&adiuuid=12d5d0c7-e45c-4eb7-b3c6-15d6b0888080&adpgm=wpa&pltfm=desktop

 

Versus Conventional Motor Oil

Castrol GTX (which is great oil)

5W30

$15.97

https://www.walmart.com/ip/Castrol-GTX-5W-30-Motor-Oil-5qt/17200822

 

 

So 0W20 Full Synthetic is about $6.91 MORE per gallon than 5W30 conventional oil

That comes out to about 1.3 cents more per 10 miles driven, assuming an oil change every 5000 miles.

And THAT seems expensive??

If you're getting your oil changed at the dealer you'd save more than the cost of the higher quality oil just by going to a regular shop.

 

I provide the oil and filter and the shop I go to charges me $15 for the labor.

Difference between a 5 qt jug of Castrol 5w-30 conventional and synthetic blend is $1.91 and to full synthetic is 7 bucks at Walmart. If you can change it yourself you can run the best oil & filter and still save $$$.

Don't get me started on running (supposed) money saving fluids in a car

Trust me Im not trying to be cheap by any means. I am in desperate need of an oil change and trying to weigh my options. Last time I went to the parts store I found the oil to be pretty pricey, Conventional oil was about 20 dollars while the 0w-20 synthetic was about 30 dollars. I also found out that normal oil filters leak so I would have to get a subaru filter as well.

Subaru OEM blue oil filters are not too expensive if you buy a small quantity online, like three or six at a time. I see good quality synthetic oil quite often for under $25 for a 5-quart container. It makes sense to follow the recommendations, consider it cheap insurance.

Auto parts store prices on oil are usually going to be higher than Walmart, that way their sale prices or rebates or whatever end up in line with Walmart's normal prices.

Castrol Edge 0W-20 (synthetic) is about $26 at Walmart, sometimes $23 when on sale, and an OEM or Wix filter should be less than $8.

Or, for the truly committed (or indoctrinated, whatever):

 

http://www.discountfleetsupply.com/wix57712.html

Or, for the truly committed (or indoctrinated, whatever):

 

http://www.discountfleetsupply.com/wix57712.html

 

57712 is not correct, it is for the EJ motors in the 10-12 Legacy 2.5i

 

57055 is for the FB in the 13-14 Legacy 2.5i

 

And who knows, he may have a 3.6R, he hasn't been specific as to which model he drives.

Good call, my mistake there. For some reason, I thought it was the same filter for the EJ and FB motors.

Sorry I have a 13 2.5 legacy

You need a crush ring for the oil plug correct? I had an 07 Legacy prior to my recent purchase of a 2014 2.5i so I'm working on understanding the vehicle better. Thanks

For my 2013 2.5i Prem Legacy. I only use Ardeca SYNTH-SX Ow20 for my other vehicles I only stick with Ardeca brand. As for oil filters I just get some aftermarket ones. For the oil drain washer. I only replaced it one time since owning my 2013.

...As for oil filters I just get some aftermarket ones...

The oil filter needs to have the correct bypass pressure, it's important. The Subaru OEM filters and a few aftermarket ones do, but some don't. It's supposed to be 23 psi, IIRC. You can find a list via search.

How come everyone is using 0w-20 synth? Is that what the dealer uses? Last oil change I was in a hurry and brought it to subie for a synthetic change. First time. And that caused some leaking issues I believe, in my front seals. Currently replacing them. I assumed the dealer used 5w-30 synthetic?

 

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5W-30 is what's recommended for the EJ253, but the FB25 in the '13+ is supposed to get 0W-20.

Oohh. Didn't know the engines differed for those years.

 

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Where is RAO?

Ive changed my oil before and had an issue with the filter leaking. I used a purluator filter so maybe the psi rating was off and I was unaware of that even being an issue. This is part of the reason why I hesitate to working on the Subaru. Any other car I worked on is fairly straight forward. I am thinking if I can get the right info I will change the oil myself and takle my cabin air filter since that needs to be changed

Filter bypass shouldn't cause leaks. What the bypass valve does is sense the pressure difference between inlet and outlet on the filter. When the difference is large enough, it allows oil to bypass the filter so the engine is not starved for lubrication. Bypass can happen when the oil is cold on initial start-up or if the filter becomes blocked with contaminants. Of course, you don't want the oil to bypass the filter unless it's really necessary.

Of course, you don't want the oil to bypass the filter unless it's really necessary.

 

Exactly! With filters that have a 8 or 15 psi bypass, its likely that oil is bypassing the filter all the time, even when at idle as most cars idle between 10 and 20 psi. With the OEM Subaru and Wix, set at 23, all the oil is getting filtered at warm idle.

The bypass pressure setting on an oil filter refers to the pressure drop across the filter, not the actual oil pressure at the filter inlet or pump outlet. There's a bypass valve in the oil pump that serves that purpose, but the one in the filter only lets oil by when the filter is too plugged (or the oil is too cold) to flow enough oil.