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Straight talk
Reader asks if friend's advice is OK
Saturday, December 27, 2008
Wheels: An e-mail from Jason in Springboro says, "I have two cars with high mileage, a 2000 Toyota Corolla with 193,000 miles and a 2005 Chrysler Town and Country with 93,000 miles. I have changed the oil every 3,000 miles, but when I changed to synthetic oil at 140,000 (Toyota) and 60,000 (Chrysler) miles, I changed my schedule to every 5,000 miles. I am currently using synthetic SAE 5W-30 for the Toyota and SAE 5W-20 with the Chrysler per manufacturer recommendation. A friend of mine suggested switching to synthetic blend high-mileage oil for both cars.
My question is two parts:
1. Should I stick with the current changing schedule of changing the oil every 5,000 miles?
2. Can I/should I switch to synthetic blend high-mileage oil for both cars?"
Halderman: Keep doing what you are doing. A "high-mileage oil" does not meet the vehicle specifications in all of the oils I have checked. They may be OK to use if:
1. The engine is using oil (more than a quart every
600 miles to 1,000 miles)
2. You see visible blue exhaust smoke when accelerating.
High-mileage oils contain extra seal-swelling additives and are usually thicker and do not provide a fuel economy savings as does the oil you are currently using.
I do not recommend a synthetic blend either because you don't know how much is conventional oil and how much is synthetic. Stay with what you are doing.
Wheels: Jay writes by e-mail, "I cannot find Mobil 1 (5W-20) and I need your expert advice. My Honda is due for an oil change, and while I do have four quarts on hand, I need 4.4 quarts total.
Should I add 0.4 quarts of another synthetic brand to the existing Mobil 1 I have, or would it be better to switch this one time to 4.4 quarts of a completely different synthetic? If so, is one more compatible to Mobil 1 than another, or wouldn't it make much difference? I've used only Mobil 1 for the four years since purchasing the vehicle."
Halderman: I have not had any problem finding Mobil 1. If you cannot locate a store that handles this grade, then you could use any other oil of the same or similar viscosity. This is OK because all oil is by law "miscible" and can be mixed without any concerns.
I hope this helps.
James D. Halderman is an ASE-certified master technician, a member of the Society of Automotive Engineers and the author of 12 textbooks. Submit your automotive care questions to Halderman via e-mail at jhalderman2@juno.com, or write him in care of: Wheels, Marketing Publications Department, Dayton Daily News, 1611 S. Main St., Dayton OH 45409.
