Synthetic oil suddenly required = SCs.

[sld72382]

One from my dad.

Lately a lot of car makers are now requiring people to put synthetic oil in all their cars - even their lowest-end econoboxes. Or in reality, types of oil that is only available in synthetic (like 0W-20 or something like that).

This causes headaches for people like my dad, who is a manager at a quicklube place. The dealers don't tell people that they need to use the expensive synthetic oil when they buy the car and leave it up to the quicklube managers to take the brunt when the customers turn sucky.

Now my dad is under strict orders to follow manufacturer and owner's manual guidelines when it comes to oil. Reason is simple - if my dad's worker puts the "wrong" oil in and it ends up damaging something, his shop is liable for it (and the claim comes out of his bonus).

Case in point, here is one SC my dad told me about. She comes in with a new Carolla (or some small foreign job):

SC: *Asks about the price for an oil change.*

Dad: It's *tell her the cost of a synthetic oil change.*

SC: OH MY GOD! XX bucks for an oil change? You have got to be kidding me!

Dad: You car takes a grade of oil that is only available in synthetic. If it took a grade that comes in conventional oil, I would have offered it to you.

SC: Can't you just put the regular oil in anyway?

Dad: If we do that, not only might it void your warranty but also if the oil were to damage something we would be liable for it. So unfortunately, no.

SC: You're just running a scam to upsell to synthetic oil. I'm going to the dealer! *Drives off.*

My dad told me she came back two days later because the dealer told her the same thing but was going to charge her more and make her wait two hours.

[TonyDonuts]

SC: You're just running a scam to upsell to synthetic oil. I'm going to the dealer! *Drives off.*

Because, naturally, the dealer is always a paragon of honesty and decency and would never, ever, ever scam a member of the driving public.

>snerk< >snerk<

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahaha . . . hoo!

I hope she at least looked embarrassed when she came back, but she probably just thought your dad and the dealer were in on the same scam.

[sld72382]

Because, naturally, the dealer is always a paragon of honesty and decency and would never, ever, ever scam a member of the driving public.

>snerk< >snerk<

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHahahaha . . . hoo!

I hope she at least looked embarrassed when she came back, but she probably just thought your dad and the dealer were in on the same scam.

My dad told me she said that if she is forced into getting the synthetic oil she might as well get it from the cheaper outfit that only takes 10-15 minutes as opposed to two hours.

[MoonCat]

Even if the dealer did tell her about the synthetic oil when she bought the car, she probably didn't listen. People don't read signs or instruction manuals, why would they pay any attention to stuff like this?

[Shalom]

I recently leased a new Subaru. They did mention the required 0W-20 full-synthetic, but this was when they were trying to sell me the maintenance plan: you pay some outlandish sum up front (like $1100), and they cover the oil changes and other required maintenance for the first 36K miles. As this car requires weird stuff like having the brake fluid changed (WTF? I never heard of such a thing), oil changes can be expensive. Hell, just the oil itself is $8/quart for the cheapest variety even if you want to do it yourself. Also it takes 5 liters. Not 5 quarts. This means you have to buy six and hope you don't lose that leftover half-quart before the next change.

On the upside, after the first service at 3750 miles, which is free (Sub of America sent me a coupon for it), you only have to change the oil every 7500 miles on this engine if you stick with the full-synthetic. This means that over the course of my lease, I will need 6 oil changes. I added it all up, and it turned out that what they wanted to charge for the plan was more than all the required maintenance items put together, so I declined to purchase it.

[sld72382]

....snip....

you only have to change the oil every 7500 miles on this engine if you stick with the full-synthetic.

I don't know why car makers still say that. Car enthusiasts know the real number is still 3 months or 3000 miles.

[LillFilly]

Reminds me of when I went for an oil change and specifically asked for X service which included Y type oil (summer or winter weight, I forget). I came back and they told me the total, which was 3-times as much and was for Q service and full synthetic oil. I had to pay it; what could I do, give them the oil back?

[blas]

That's interesting because I have an 09 car. Before I got free oil changes for a year, I was going to the dealership or their lube branches, and they didn't make me put synthetic in there.

[sld72382]

That's interesting because I have an 09 car. Before I got free oil changes for a year, I was going to the dealership or their lube branches, and they didn't make me put synthetic in there.

You probably have a car that takes a grade of oil that comes in a conventional base. Personally even though I drive a fairly mundane car I make my dad put in the full synthetic because it's simply better for the car.

[pitmonkey]

When I was driving for a living, I used the synthetics. It would be 10,000 miles or 3 mos whch ever came first.

[Ironclad Alibi]

Reminds me of when I went for an oil change and specifically asked for X service which included Y type oil (summer or winter weight, I forget). I came back and they told me the total, which was 3-times as much and was for Q service and full synthetic oil. I had to pay it; what could I do, give them the oil back?

It was their goof up, they should eat the extra cost. Of course, you could make them do it over and perform the service with the proper oil as ordered, which would cost them even more.

[BlaqueKatt]

I don't know why car makers still say that. Car enthusiasts know the real number is still 3 months or 3000 miles.

um that would be very outdated knowledge-synthetic oils break down much slower than conventional oils, and even conventional oils today are better processed than the oils from say the 1980's. So Yeah the AUTO MANUFACTURERS do know what they're talking about, since they make and test everything.

[Racket_Man]

as a delivery driver I always get my oil changed at around 3000 to 4000 miles reguardless of conventional or sythentic. the kind of driving I do ruins oil either way esp in weather extreams such as deep winter or boiling summer.

even though my car's manual says to change the oil at 7500 miles there is NO way I will kill my engine with oil that old and dirty and gunky. I have spoend enough money on that car--thank you

[Geek King]

the kind of driving I do ruins oil either way esp in weather extreams such as deep winter or boiling summer.

even though my car's manual says to change the oil at 7500 miles there is NO way I will kill my engine with oil that old and dirty and gunky.

Of course, if you drive outside of what is considered "normal driving conditions," you have to adjust your maintenance schedule. For most people, though, the manufacturer's directions should be followed.

[protege]

even though my car's manual says to change the oil at 7500 miles there is NO way I will kill my engine with oil that old and dirty and gunky. I have spoend enough money on that car--thank you

IIRC, mine says that too. However, since I do mostly stop-and-go driving (with very little time on the highway)...and since the car sits outside most of the year, I usually get the oil changed around 4,000 miles or so. As for other car, since it's only driven on weekends and nice days, the oil gets changed only once a year. I can't run synthetic oil in that car--it can't handle it. I'll get lower oil pressure, since the tolerances are much greater than in a more modern engine.

As for brake fluid, since it absorbs water, that might be why Subaru recommends changing it every so often. Water can lead to corrosion of brake lines, a 'spongy' pedal, or possibly system failure. I've never done it, since it's a pain in the ass. Instead, I leave that to the professionals