[skooterpie]

Hello all,
So I'm coming up for am oil change soon. I've been using either Castrol 10W/30 Syntec or Valvoline 10W/30 Synpower on my 2001 S for about 70 of its 80 thousand easy miles. It doesn't burn anything and I change it at about 3500 mile intervals (maybe a little too frequent but hey, oil is probably the cheapest investment). I've been reading lots of good stuff about the Castrol 0W/30 or "German Castrol". I can get it for the same price as the other stuff and I live in Southern California where the weather is pretty mild.
Any concerns or recommendations? Is my car too old to appreciate its benefits?
Thanks!!!!!
/Skooter

 

[adc]

One of the best oils on the planet. But there is no benefit to changing every 3500 miles.

If you did an oil analysis www.blackstone-labs.com you would see that.

Benefits of GC (German Castrol) is that it is a "True" synthetic.

 

[bluesubie]

You can easily do 7,500 mile intervals on GC, IMO. Backed by uoa's of course.

-Dennis

 

[MoxoM]

Not worth it. Keep in mind that Subaru had conventional oil in mind when the engines were designed, so even the cheapest synthetic, such as Walmart Supertech ($12 5qt.), will provide protection that exceeds what is expected. Most folks are partial to a brand, but you're wasting your money on GC if you're sticking to the recommended change intervals. Check out BITOG and you'll see posts from people who used GC and received subpar results from their used oil analysis. You see, there is no universal oil which works best on every engine for every driver. Engine design, driving styles, driving conditions and small variances in manufacturing will affect a UOA to the point of paranoia. BTW, when you test your oil, you're getting results from 80% recent oil and 20% oil which cannot be drained during a normal change. About 1 quart of oil always remains within the engine.
I've used SuperTech, Mobil 1, Mobil 1 EP, Castrol Syntec, Exxon Superflo just to name a few and my cars have never suffered oil related failures and run excellent.
At the end of the day it's your time and money so you have to do what makes you feel good. However it pays to be informed of what really makes a difference in your vehicle’s performance and longevity.

 

[neoshi]

Whatever you use, skip Valvoline. Something changed in their additives that make for some hairy UOAs... there were results here somewhere..

Keep in mind NAPA motor oil is Valvoline too.

Kind of interesting actually.. here is another set of test results from Amsoil: http://www.amsoil.com/comparison/motor-oil.aspx

 

[skooterpie]

UOA?

Please forgive me but what is a UOA??????
Thanks

 

[Justforfun]

Please forgive me but what is a UOA??????
Thanks

Used Oil Analysis