Ohhhhhh......OIL THREAD!!!!!
OK...anyone that has come to know me this past few weeks knows that OIL is a pet peeve of mine! BUT, needless to say, by couching it in THIS way (relevant only to 2003- 9-3's) makes it much more manageable to talk about. Why does OIL chaff my arse so bad? Because there are SO MANY opinions out there, opinions that can change from car to car and expert to expert...and we will most likely never find a common ground that everyone is comfortable sticking with. And we all know opinions are like assholes...everyone has one and thinks there's doesn't stink...:o
Here's my overall perspective before I even attempt to go into detail (which won't be tonight as I promised my wife I'd be home before 8pm without a speeding ticket)...
If one knows what ones doing, is it possible for Dino to be just as effective as Synth if you change more frequently, change per season, alter per driving condition, etc, etc? Yes, probably.
Can Synth give you more ease of mind and save you precious time waiting for your car or doing it yourself? Maybe...
Do I like or dislike Synth? Yes.
Here's the problem...besides general populous perspectives on the very basics of the synth versus dino discussion, there are a plethora of experts out there who also vary due to experience level, understanding of the chemistry and physics behind synth, dino, and engines in general.
Besides the 250 billion opinions, collections of facts, scientific data, studies, tests, etc, etc...there are a million combinations of different and unique situations in which a given recommendation for synth over dino or dino over synth would change. For instance...a 1989 Saab with 450,000 miles on it and factory engine/turbo untouched that has run Dino since it left the assembly line --- would one recommend that said car should be switched to Mobile-1 in the middle of a Dallas, TX August? I, for one, would NOT as the properties of synth would most likely end up with an oil-stained driveway. And that's just ONE specific example?
See my rantings on the thread: how synthetic oil blew 3 engines in my 2005 9-2x Aero and you'll see how a TON of seasoned Saab mechanics and district managers gave me their professional opinion that synth kills 9-2x Aeros, as well as many other points i try to make to bring some logical conclusion to a 4 year old question in my head regarding boxer engines, synthetic oil, and other ingredients possible to draw a different conclusion.
Also engine types come into play...was the entire engine and ancillary parts (e.g. type of oil filter used) designed specifically with synth in mind? Was an old engineering technique used that was originally designed for optimal dino oil? For instance, at one point Subaru was making oil filters to allow a bypass of the filter when high pressure and fast lubrication to the flat boxer engine was needed...was this an engineering technique needed for thicker dino oil and thus not needed for synth? Are there any implications to running synth in an engine with specific mechanics built-in specifically for running dino, when one runs thin/slippery synth and spends an hour in and out of high performance driving?
I have so much to post on this subject and probably even more questions to ask on this subject...but quickly one more point and one more question:
1- when an auto manufacturer stamps "use Mobile-1" on a car's engine compartment and prints it in the manual, doesn't it make one wonder why, when there are so many synths out there to choose from...even a Saab synth at one point, they would single out a brand and choose to ship it from the plant with Mobile-1 in it (and make a big deal about it)? IMHO it's was all about the marketing and bundle deals between Mobile-1 and GM/Saab. And why was the 9-2x Aero the only Saab to NOT recommend Mobile-1 or ANY synth and recommended "conventional oil every 7,500"? Hmmmmm....
2-As far as my 2011 9-3 Aero goes...I'm running Mobile-1, but my question is on the SID. Does it really only quote oil quality and days to change based on an algorithm that is affected by driving habits? There's NO ACTUAL readings it takes into account from the oil itself (e.g. viscosity)? I've noticed it changing its percentage and time to next oil change updating less when I drive a nice pace for 2 hours compared to driving hard (90-130MPH) on a 28 minute commute home...but I always thought it must take another measure into account other than average speed ratio to miles driven...
Schizen, I gotta run to the parking garage to get the jet...lol, wife's going to be pissed I have to work on a launch plan tonight.....
Mobil-1 kills 2005 9-2x Aero engines
Huh? The production year 2004's for model year 2005 owner's guides clearly stated (at least the one I rec'd with my new car purchase early 2005) 'conventional oil at 7,500 mile intervals'. And read my thread on the 9-2x Aero engine deaths, there's a scan of the invoice from JMK Saab for the second engine replacement that states in 2 places *"!!!! PLEASE USE ONLY CONVENTIONAL ENGINE OIL AT SPECIFIED INTERVALS AS PER OWNERS MANUAL!!!!"*. Maybe the 2006 and some/all 2005 production-year models didn't specify the same thing? That is VERY strange...quite vexing indeed. Can you send me a scan of the manual? It would be great for my very large collection of clues that I hope to one day find a concrete answer on (such as Saab screwing up an oil pump on PY 2004 9-2x's). Initially I was trying to warn potential buyers of used 9-2x Aeros to check oil change records and run away if you see Synth or long periods without proof of oil changes at the specified intervals, now I just want an answer. I had over 25 oil changes done in 5 years on that stupid 9-2x (not counting the 6 changes associated with the new engine installments/break-ins) and still blew bearings 3 times.
Lol.....yes, I can, and often do, laugh at my "speelling" errors...just another pharma exec who's spelling sux (it's what happens when you grow up with a computer that has spell check, though from Jr. high - high school it was a Apple 2e with crappy spell check abilities).
"Mobil-1" it is...thanks for the spelling lesson before I spelled it 90 more times with an "e"!