kdejour

Hey fellow members. I was wondering what is the best way to switch to synthetic oil. I have an 04 sl and i recently began considering the switch to syn oil. I am going to go with mobil 1 super syn and mobile oil filter. I just wondered should I do an engine flush to get rid of the oil that was put in there by the dealer or just do a regular oil change and switch. The car was purchased less than two months ago I just don't trust dealers to put in top notch oil. Thanks alot. The car has about 23000 miles on it.

Jeff92se

iTrader: (82)

Drain dino out, pour synthetic in.

Bobo

Like he said. And 23K is probably a good starting point on an 04 to make the changeover.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

Like they both said. Drain old oil out, put new syn oil in. Oh, and don't forget to change the filter and tighten the drain plug

aussie983

iTrader: (16)

On a similar note, ive heard that its often not good to switch to synthetics at higher mileage. What would be high mileage for a 4th gen? I just bought a 4th gen with 140,000 miles and i have a lotta bottles of synthetic lying around.

Virus

iTrader: (1)

That's a loaded question. The Synthetic oil isn't the problem. If your car oil was changed every 3-4k with dino oil, you should be fine. Synthetics clean much better, so they will clean everything and if there is a leak currently present, it'll let you know.

kdejour

\

Thanks for that. I have looked under the car the other day while the car was on the lift. No oil leaks. As far as the oil changes go I'm not sure. I purchased from the dealer and it had fresh oil in it. I guess it is hard to tell if it was changed every 3k miles. I just want to pamper my car like I do all my cars lol.

Bobo

Give it an AutoRX treatment to clean out any sludge and varnish and potentially solve any seal leaks. See auto-rx.com

kdejour

Will do. Thanks alot.

FishyMan

IMO avoid the flush for now, ur engine is still young, i dont think at 23k u would have any leaks.
If you're worried about it, do a refill/drain/flush repeat.

1-drain dino, pour in syn w/ generic fram filter
2-run for about 100 miles or desired amount
3-drain syn,
4-get MOBIL SUPER SYN and MOBIL OIL FILTER
5-change ur air filter while your at it hehe..

that should make u feel good that u took crap out and put fresh in... but i dont think it'll matter that much

Bobo

On second thought, you don't need to do this at 23K. Just switch to synthetic and ignore Fishy Man's instructions completely.

shelland

I just switched our new Vibe to Mobil1, and am planning on doing the same with my 00 Max. I've read some recommend adding a mix of synthetic and dino for the first change for cars with higher miles - opinions?

My Max has just over 80k, and in the near 2 years I've owned it, I've never seen a single drop of oil under it.

Bobo

Then forgedaboudit!

alpimax99

iTrader: (2)

max whith over 106k should and how do i change to synthetic???

Rich1

I've got a 2000 SE with 72K miles on it. Just switched to Mobil 1 5W-30 from dino (used Castrol GTX most of the time). The car seems to perform even better now IMO, smoother starts, can't even tell that it's on sometimes.

Bobo

Try Esso XD3, 0W30, full synthetic next time. It's only available at your local Esso bulk plant and outpeforms Mobil 1 on UOAs and is considerably cheaper. Read about it on bobistheoilguy.com

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

Damn I just have to ask now, bobo what was you're old screen name?

kcryan

iTrader: (1)

rmurdoch 10char

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

I like this name much better j/k

Bobo

I was hoping my devoted followers would like it, lol!

nismos14

iTrader: (56)

Haha one thing I do admire about you is that you never seem to take any arguing to heart, which is contrary to alot of others on this board.

Bobo

Tell that to my detractors, lol!

shelland

I just changed to Mobil1 in my 00 Max at 80k. Especially considering I changed at a higher mileage, is it recommended to change the filter (and oil?) at a shorter interval the first time?

Based on reading all the threads in this forum, I think I'm going to change every 7500 or so as a rule with a filter change half-way, but should I change earlier on the initial dose of synthetic?

Thanks!

Bobo

Since you haven't run AutoRX through your engine, I would be inclined to shorten the first OCI. You might want to consider changing the oil and filter at 3,750 miles as some sludge and crud might be freed up with the initial use of synthetic oil.

In your subsequent OCI, you should be able to go more than 3,750 miles on a quality oil filter. I would be inclined to change it after say 5K and check your oil subsequent to that. Only a UOA will let you know how long you can extend the OCI for.

Use a decent oil filter (Nissan OEM, Mobil 1, Purolator PureOne, WIX, Napa Gold) and avoid Fram oil filters like the plague.

junzhang

Dion and synth is full compatiable. So just switch and go. In summer, use quality dino like Castrol GTX 5W30. In winter when temperature drop below 0, use Mobil One 5W30. Every 5000 miles or 3 month which come 1st.

Bobo

Wrong! Don't be switching back and forth between dino and synthetic oils.

Stay with one or the other, but don't switch. And 3 months oil-change intervals are an urban myth perpetuated by the oil companies and lube joints.
There is no need to change dino oil every 3 months unless the mileage is excessive.

junzhang

The after burning gas and water will contaminate your engine oil. So 3 month or 3000 miles is rough the ponit for stop & go conditon. For highway, you can easily go 5k or 3 month. Good quality dino is no worse than syn to pretect your enigne in normal conditions. If you live north or south to see extreme temperatures, you's better use syn. Since you will change dino every 3k or 5k, syn is a waste cause they are good for 10k but how could your remove the oil contamin and water?