Car Question for Gear Heads:

[olnacl]

While this doesn't apply to the OP, I switched to synthetic oil in the engine and transmission of my 1980 MGB which, with conventional oil, gave an annoying little clash while changing from 1st into 2nd gear. That issue went away almost immediately (and never returned) upon changing the trans oil to synthetic. Note: The MGB uses motor oil in the trans, not "gear oil." I've used synthetic oil in all my cars since then.

[wurm]

Interesting timing. I just finished changing the oil in my '06 Forester. I used to bring it to the dealer for oil changes until the warranty ran out at 120k miles. Now I do it myself. Yeah, a 5 quart jug of oil and the filter came to $18.84 after tax, and there are service stations around that do $19.95 changes, so one wonders if it's worth it sometimes. But there is something about changing it yourself and knowing it's done right that gives me some peace of mind. And I can be done in about 20 minutes and can do it in my driveway, so there's no "waiting" involved.

All that said, the next time it's due for a change it might be 20 degrees outside with a foot of snow on the ground, so I may just go back to the dealer for that one.

[jdc]

just dont fall for the 'every 3,000 miles' thing.

most cars made in the last 10 years can easily go 7500.

[davester]

jdc wrote:
just dont fall for the 'every 3,000 miles' thing.

most cars made in the last 10 years can easily go 7500.

True, but it's got little to do with the cars. Oil change intervals are based on the breakdown characteristics of the oil, which have improved drastically since the middle of the last century when 3,000 miles was all you could expect.