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Oil Change

66K views 184 replies 67 participants last post by  triscal 
#1 ·
#127 ·
this is a dumb question, do the dealers use synth oil. and is it a good idea to get my oil changed at the dealer. i live in so cal. and i was reading that you use 10w-30. do you use that type of oil year round SD GR?? also will synth be good for my first oil change. its an 05
 
#128 ·
The dealers do NOT use synthetic oil. They use straight dinosaur oil. The oil recommendation for my car is 5W-30, but living in Southern California, with the mild climate, you can use 10W-30 without problems. And, there should be no problem going with synthetic oil if you want to. A lot of new cars today come with synthetic oil already - Porsche, Corvette, Mercedes-Benz. I would say, go ahead and make the switch to synthetic oil if you really want to. However, it isn't necessary to do so. As long as you keep to the oil change intervals (with dino oil) that the manufacturer provides, your warranty will be covered.
 
#129 ·
ImPrEzZaNoOb said:
this is a dumb question, do the dealers use synth oil. and is it a good idea to get my oil changed at the dealer. i live in so cal. and i was reading that you use 10w-30. do you use that type of oil year round SD GR?? also will synth be good for my first oil change. its an 05
It's not a dumb question. The dealers do not default to synth oil but will use almost anything you request, as long as you pay the money and are willing to listen to baseless opinions on your choice of oil presented as gospel.

Chances are you will be going to the dealer a couple times for little things and a checkup anyway, so you may as well let them change the oil while you are there I guess. Just make sure they don't scratch your car, that's the main point they might go wrong. I have faith that they don't routinely make a mess of lube jobs, unlike the quick lube industry (avoid if at all possible). I let the dealer do the first few changes then took over and switched to synth. YMMV.

If/when you are ready to start doing your own changes, go to the dealer and get an oil filter, a crush washer, and a receipt. Don't stock up, since you need dated receipts showing regular oil changes for your warranty. Then go pick the oil of your preference, and have at it.

I'd noticed up to ~300 ml consumption per oil drain interval with M1 10W-30 spiked with a bottle or less of M1 15W-50, and had heard good things and seen good data on the new M1 5W-40 "Truck/SUV" so I moved on to that. I saw consumption drop to less than 300 ml, and I got excellent used oil analysis data from the lab when I sent a sample. The second oil change with this oil is now done and the car used no oil that I can measure (meaning it did, like all cars, use some oil, but less than I could crudely measure). The 5W-30 and 10W-30 Mobil1 grades seem to be generated from the same base stock and use the same additive package, whereas I've seen in the data I got that the 5W-40 differs. It lacks moly and adds other elements, so it's a different package. Still, all 3 are quality oils and I'd run any of them without worrying.

Note that 5W-40 is not explicitely listed as a weight in the manual. However, as others have pointed out it is within the ranges listed in the manual, so I'm less nervous about any potential warranty issues (plus, the data show the motor is doing really well).

You will not IMO have a problem using any 5W or 10W M1 grade, or any other quality oil. Our motors are not particularly difficult on oil, as long as you don't redline all day and boost hard all the time.
 
#130 ·
hey SD_GR i'm using mobil 1 10w-30 synthetic oil, and keep noticing oil loss. When i change the oil, the dipstick is at the second circle (F), but in 4-5 weeks its down to the lower circle. How much oil am i losing here? this has happened the past 3 times ive changed my oil btw.
 
#131 ·
How many miles between changes?

The next time you change, add 4 qts initially. Don't start the motor, just wait until the oil settles. Then see where 4qts is on the dipstick. On mine, it's roughly at the L mark, but yours may/will vary. Then gradually add more oil until you get to the normal capacity (4.8 qts). That way you'll have "calibrated" your dipstick and will know how much you are using.
 
#132 ·
i change it every 4000 miles. Right after i put around 4.8 quarts in i check dipstick and its at full, so i think the dipstick is pretty accurate, but it seems like after a month or so it magically disapeers.By the time i change my oil the stick is completly dry so i dont even know how much im losing... Really sucks that a brand new car is already losing so much oil though :unhappy: .
 
#133 ·
If oil use exceeds a reasonable amount, you should complain. Typically car makers will say 1 qt per 1,000 miles is "normal" but I find that high myself. If you are using 1 qt per oil change, and that's what it sounds like, that's not too bad.

You might try another viscosity and/or another brand. This can reduce consumption a lot depending on the particular motor and oil choices. The 5W-30 and 10W-30 M1 formulations are on the thin side of the spec and you might find your motor prefers a "heavier" 30-weight.
 
#134 ·
i went to wal-mart to get a oil filter for my 05 wrx. all they have is a FARM extra guard for 04 model.

is it gonna work?

btw, i'll use M1 5-30 syc on my 1400mi wrx. i drove it kind of hard sometime but never got over 5k RPM or 95MPH. do i need to do a tranny oil change too after the break in?

i'm a new driver to stick shift, does that add more weight to changing tranny oil?

thanks.
 
#135 ·
Transmission oil is fine. Leave it in until whatever the owner's manual says to change it.

As for the filter, I would be wary about it. Check out the oil filter study and see for yourself that the Fram is garbage. Get something a little better. I won't touch Fram.
 
#136 ·
photog72 said:
As for the filter, I would be wary about it. Check out the oil filter study and see for yourself that the Fram is garbage. Get something a little better. I won't touch Fram
Don't know if it's still true these days, but Fram used to be made with parafan, which is really bad for your engine.
 
#137 ·
i already had my first oil change before had a chance to read your post.

do you recommand me to have another oil change within a couple of days?

the FARM double guard oil filter + Mobile one 5W30 costed me $35.

just wondering... walmart sells only two brands of oil filter and 90% on the shelf are FARM. if FARM is really bad, then most cars on the road are having problems.

but i also believe wrx is no ordinary cars so it must take some special care.

thanks,

ray

photog72 said:
Transmission oil is fine. Leave it in until whatever the owner's manual says to change it.

As for the filter, I would be wary about it. Check out the oil filter study and see for yourself that the Fram is garbage. Get something a little better. I won't touch Fram.
 
#138 ·
How much is your engine worth to you? You shouldn't need a new oil change. Just take that filter out and throw it away. Replace it with something else that was recommended in that study. Check your dipstick and fill it with the oil that escapes when you change the filter. Shouldn't cost too much more. I know people who wouldn't put fram on even their beater cars (including myself)!
 
#139 ·
thanks for your advise.

I'll do that ASAP.

but one question, when i do the oil change, as soon as i pull out the oil nut, the warm engine oil shots out like crazy. the engine is warm and the oil cap is not removed and the oil filter is also inplace.

after i wait until the oil dripped completely, i remove the oil filter, then there are still a lot of oil come out from the oil filter place.

so, even if i just replace the oil filter, i think most of the oil will be gone by the time the new filter gets in place.

it's 05 wrx wagon and the oil filter is bottom mounted verticallly.

also, i didn't remove the plaste cover while changing oil. should i remove it?

am i doing something wrong or it's normal that the oil flows that quickly?

ray

photog72 said:
How much is your engine worth to you? You shouldn't need a new oil change. Just take that filter out and throw it away. Replace it with something else that was recommended in that study. Check your dipstick and fill it with the oil that escapes when you change the filter. Shouldn't cost too much more. I know people who wouldn't put fram on even their beater cars (including myself)!
 
#140 ·
WRayX said:
thanks for your advise.

I'll do that ASAP.

but one question, when i do the oil change, as soon as i pull out the oil nut, the warm engine oil shots out like crazy. the engine is warm and the oil cap is not removed and the oil filter is also inplace.

after i wait until the oil dripped completely, i remove the oil filter, then there are still a lot of oil come out from the oil filter place.

so, even if i just replace the oil filter, i think most of the oil will be gone by the time the new filter gets in place.

it's 05 wrx wagon and the oil filter is bottom mounted verticallly.

also, i didn't remove the plaste cover while changing oil. should i remove it?

am i doing something wrong or it's normal that the oil flows that quickly?

ray
Just use the Fram for this cycle and change to another make next oil change- 4,000 miles with the Fram isn't going to harm anything. Though I don't use them in the WRX, I got 200,000 miles out of my previous two cars with Fram filters and never had any problems.
 
#141 ·
I use M1 5w-30 and a mobil oil filter...i dont drive my car much since im at school most of the year...i only have 4790miles on her and ive had her since march im probably goin to do my intervals at 4 or 5k
 
#142 ·
WRayX said:
just wondering... walmart sells only two brands of oil filter and 90% on the shelf are FARM. if FARM is really bad, then most cars on the road are having problems.
I wouldn't only shop Walmart for auto products. They only sell whatever is cheapest, and you get what you pay for. I only buy Mobil 1 there.
 
#143 ·
WRayX said:
when i do the oil change, as soon as i pull out the oil nut, the warm engine oil shots out like crazy. the engine is warm and the oil cap is not removed and the oil filter is also inplace.
If you just take off the filter without unbolting the oil nut, you only loose the oil in the filter. Just top off the new filter with oil and replace.

For you experts out there, is it bad to change the oil on a cold engine? The manual says to do it with a warm engine, but I've always done it on a cold engine. The one time I changed it after a drive instead of sitting over night in the garage, the oil squirted all over the place including inside the right wheel rim and made a mess of my garage floor even though I had spread newspapers beforehand. I do run the engine until normal temp right after the initial fill to get the oil into the engine and check the dipstick again and add if necessary.
 
#145 ·
SAE = Society of Automotive Engineers
SAE+number is probably some standard.

Somewhere, a FAQ said to put in 4 quarts, run the engine until warm to get the oil into the engine, then add and check the dipstick until it's at the correct level.

You don't need to jack up the car to change the oil, but I do since I like to see what I'm doing underneath and prefer to lie on a mechanic's cart instead of the dirty floor.
 
#147 · (Edited)
Mobil 1 5W-30 is perfect for the car, in the fact that it is the weight of the oil that the car is sold with new. You can go w/ Mobil 1 without worry.

http://www.mobil1.com/index.jsp

10W-30 Above -4° F
You can use Mobil 1® with SuperSyn™ 10W-30 with confidence. This viscosity is also available in Mobil Drive Clean Oil™ and Mobil Drive Clean Plus™ High Mileage formula.
5W-30 Below 104° F
You can use Mobil 1® with SuperSyn™ 5W-30 with confidence. This viscosity is also available in Mobil Drive Clean Oil™ and Mobil Drive Clean Plus™ – both the Newer Vehicle and High Mileage formulas.
 
#148 ·
Drive Clean is a good, albeit conventional, motor oil. It meets API SL so it is suitable for use in your car under warranty. Drive Clean Blend is a synthetic blend. Many of use use Mobil1, as this oil is a poly-alpha olefin-based synthetic oil.
 
#150 ·
Fram filters - :thumbdown I will never use them again. Look here for why I will never use 'em.

isr96 said:
i been using fram filters and mobil one oil from walmart since i bought my sti. STI has 22k miles now and i haven't had a problem. I do oil changes every 2500-3000 miles.
 
#151 ·
my car is actually a 2005 and i dont really want to switch to snyth yet thats why, and i just know the 5w-30 is suppose to be for my car. I just dont know what oil to use. so the drive clean is a synth oil? or is it just a sytnh blend? should i use that and later on 10k miles i should switch to synth?
 
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