I'm a new guy on this forum, just bought a 01 SE AE 5 SPD.
Any opinions on the following items would be appreciated. Should I have the car undercoated to protect against rust or is the factory stuff good enough? Should I go to synthetics for the engine and tranny after the 1000 mile break-in is complete?

Thanks for any input,

Lee

 

Maxes hold up pretty well against rust.

On the synthetic, most people recommend waiting to 7-10K miles before switching. The cylinders and piston rings need to wear a little so they will "seat" properly. Then, people switch to synthetic. BTW, this initial wear is not harmful, and is actually helpful to getting a nice tight fit/seal and keeping the compression up high. Too much wear - 100K to 150K miles then opens up the seal/fit and causes a loss in compression and performance.

 

I think the undercoating / sound deadening is a good idea. It's lot more quiet when driving over recently salted roads - not nearly as much clatter from those little salt rocks hitting the undercarriage. As for rustproofing, avoid the dealer-installed "one application good for 5-10 years" deal. If you're keeping the car long term, best to have an annual rustproofing done by an established firm. Unfortunately, the messier kind (drips in your driveway for a couple days) seems to work best.

As to synthetics, I've had a number of people far more knowledgeable than myself recommend that changing your oil regularly (religiously, even) will obviate the need for synthetics. While synthetics will last longer before breaking down, if you are changing your oil regularly this won't matter - ordinary oil will not break down between regular service intervals. If you routinely get the dirty oil out and fresh oil in, your car will love you for it.

Jaeger