Synthetic Oil: The Benefits and Myths

We get a lot of questions from our customers about what type of oil they should be using in their vehicles.  Our recommendation, for all our customers, is to use a full synthetic oil.  Even if your car has always used conventional oil synthetic oil can be used at any time.  Actually 70% of new cars today use full synthetic motor oil.

What is the benefit of Synthetic Oil

Synthetic oil generally resists breakdown for longer than conventional oils making it work better in keeping your engine clean. Contaminants such as soot, carbon, and sulfuric and nitric acid are inevitable byproducts of the combustion process, and all of them end up in your motor oil, to varying degrees.  Conventional oils would collects these deposits and break down reducing it's efficiency causing your engine to reduce power, performance, and fuel economy and ultimately shortening the overall life of your engine. 

Another added benefit to synthetic oil is that it tends to flow better in lower temperatures compared to conventional oil. Oil can settle overnight, when you start the car it will begin flowing through the engine to protect your against friction.  In the cold months conventional oils can take longer to flow through the system.  Using synthetic oil protects better against engine wear because it is flowing through the critical parts faster during the colder months.

Dispelling the Myths

There are a lot of myths associated with synthetic oil that are simple not true. Here are just a few:

1. Once you switch to synthetic oil you can never go back to conventional.

Most oils today are a synthetic blend or semi synthetic.  Meaning they are using synthetic components anyway.  You can switch back and forth at any time, although it is advised that you use the same type of oil for top offs, until you have your oil changed.

2. By using synthetic oil, I can go longer between oil changes.

It could.  Synthetic oil changes are recommended every 5,000 miles.  So if you were changing your oil every 3,000 then this will save you some time and money in the long run.  The main reason for using synthetic oil though is to protect your engine and prolong it's life. 

3. You shouldn't use synthetic oil in older vehicles

This is based on the belief that synthetic oils will break down the seals and cause leaks, which may have been true in the past, but are no longer true with the new synthetic oils.  They are perfectly safe to use in any vehicle.  with the exception of some Mazda rotary engines, where using synthetic oil may void the warranty.

For us the answer is simple, synthetic oil can help prolong the life of your engine and can make your engine perform better, so that is the best choice.