Synthetic fluids worth the added cost?

One highly-regarded independant Subaru shop offers service with all synthetic fluids (engine oil, transmission fluid, differential fluid, brake fluid) for $150 more than using non-synthetics (all Valvoline). What do you think?

i use syn motor oil cause i don't like changing it every 3-4k miles.

 

i go 10k miles or more depending on the driving condition and oil i use.

 

im not sure about the other oils, but just use wat the manufacturer recommends,

not the dealer. dealer is there to rape you unless it's for a warranty repair.

The recommendation for the multiple synthetic fluids are from a well-regarded independant Subaru shop, not a dealer.

I use to work in a gas station.

 

Try pouring regular motor oil, or especially gear oil when it is -35 degrees outside, then pour a synthetic. HUGE DIFFERENCE!

im going to synthetic fluid when i get around to it ... i already have mobil 1 in the engine.

and in that case they rape SOA in warranty claims!

 

hey, it ain't my fault they couldn't design the damn headlight to prevent

spiders from coming in! that's a defect in design in my books.

Depends on how often you change your oil, not miles but weeks or months.

 

I've done an average of over 4,000 km a month for the last two years, mostly highway, and that gets expensive very quickly if you choose to use synthetic. If you change your oil once or twice a year, then maybe it's worth it.

 

How easily the oil pours depends on the viscosity and the pour point, it's not a good indication of how the oil performs.

 

http://www.engineersedge.com/lubrication/pour_point.htm

hey, it ain't my fault they couldn't design the damn headlight to prevent

spiders from coming in! that's a defect in design in my books.

 

at least you only had one in there. I had a whole bloody family of spiders

I dirve less than 10000 miles per year. I usually make very short trips 1 to 4 miles a day. Should i just be changing my oil every 4 months? How about rotating tires?

If you make a lot of short trips, you ought to change every 3 - 4 months regardless of oil IMO. All those short trips are a lot harder on oil than fwy driving. 1 to 4 miles a day isn't even long enough for the oil to reach operating temp. You might consider a 50 or so mile fwy drive every couple weeks.

I think i am getting bad gas mileage due to the fact my oil isn't reaching operating temprature. I;m still using dino oil would there be any benefit to running synthetic because of my short trips?

 

 

..anyways oil changed and tires rotated today, twisties tommorow

Are synthetics worth it... that depends. I happen to be a big fan of synthetics, but in all honesty if you are talking about medium term to even long term protection, conventional oils are fine. What I mean is that while synthetics will usually allow less engine and tranny wear than conventional oils, the difference is small enough that even over the course of 100K miles there will not be a signifigant difference in wear. The car will run about the same. Most people sell their cars long before the point where the long term wear advantages of synthetic shine through.

 

You could argue that the right buyer might pay you a bit more for a car that has been regularly maintained with synthetic fluid, so you may recoup some of the cost there come resale time. If you take advantage of the longer drain intervals of synthetic you can also recoup some of the cost, particularly if you are paying someone else to do your fluid changes. Less changes = less labor = less money spent. For me, I chose to run syn fluid for the peace of mind factor. If for no other reason that makes it worth it for me.

It's always been my opinion that other things will "kill" a car way before any wear that could be delayed by use of any oil. It's the "other things" that add up to monthly bills that make you get rid of a car, seldom an oil related failure. That's not an excuse to neglect reasonable oil changes, just the reality of car ownership for most people. Talk about oil all day long, but in the end, if you've been reasonable in your maintenance, it's not what really matters most of the time.

if your like me and want to keep this car for 10 years or so, get synthetics. Particually if your your area sees both extremes of climate (cold winter, hot summer).

My old Passat had an oil temperature gauge (pity new cars lack this essential feature!): with conventional oil, it ran around 118-120 C. With 100% synthetic (Mobil 1), it dropped to 108-114 C.

 

So, I would say that 100% synthetic oil is well worth it.

 

And, FWIW, most of the high-end VW/Audi, BMW and others engines are running 100% synthetic from the factory so unless it's a scam for $250 CDN oil changes, I certainly hope there is reason for the madness!