If you've ever asked yourself, “does my car need synthetic oil?” The short answer is that synthetic oil is a great option for your vehicle if it requires it or would like to upgrade. However, it might be the wrong decision if your vehicle is not compatible with it. Therefore, consult your mechanic or read through your vehicle's owner’s manual.
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Motor oil is one of the most critical fluids in your vehicle that you must maintain all the time. Unfortunately, while we all know that you need to monitor the oil level, many inexperienced drivers may not be fully aware of the type of oil they should choose.
Among the different types of motor oils, synthetic ranks as the top one. However, you might ask yourself before, “does my car need synthetic oil?” The answer depends heavily on many factors, and to help you make an informed decision, we will provide you with all the details.
In this article, we will walk you through all the different types of synthetic oil. We will also provide you with and detailed explanation for when to use synthetic oil and when synthetic oil is not suitable for your car.
What are the different types of motor oil?
The first step in answering the question “does my car need synthetic oil?” It is to understand the different types of motor oil before making a final decision. The general thing to keep in mind is that motor oils are not all the same, and there are several options that you should be familiar with and understand all details about its pros and cons.
Here are the common types of motor oils:
1. Regular oil
The first and standard type of motor oil is regular or conventional oil. This is the one most vehicles use because it is affordable and designed to provide your vehicle with all necessary lubrication without causing any issues.
While regular oil is portable and provides you with many benefits, it's not the best when it comes to oil change frequencies. As you might already know, you need to change the oil at some point in time because it breaks down. The problem with regular oil is that it breaks down faster than any motor oil. That's why drivers who do not like to is it being repair shop regularly decide to go with a higher quality motor oil that doesn't require that oil changes.
2. Synthetic oil
Synthetic oil is the top and highest quality motor oil that you will come across in the Automotive World. It comes from a specific material that allows it to stay long without needing an oil change. It provides addition, its engine with massive lo
Well, why don't we all use synthetic oil then? The problem with synthetic oil is that it might not be compatible with your car and is very expensive. If you compare the prices of synthetic versus conventional oil, you will see that there is a big difference. However, if you're looking at it from a different perspective, you'll realize that synthetic oil might save you some money.
In other words, if synthetic oil does not require frequent oil changes, then you don't have to worry about visiting the independent shop frequently. So does, if you do a total cost, you'll see that they're not that different, but the initial cost will be much higher when using synthetic versus conventional.
3. Synthetic blend oil
Considering the pros and cons of both conventional and synthetic oil, designers and companies came up with new oil that is in between the two of them. It provides good benefits close enough to synthetic oil but not as good. The best part about synthetic blend oil is that you get great benefits at a much lower cost than synthetic oil.
4. High mileage oil
Finally, the high mileage oil is designed specifically for vehicles with very high mileage. These vehicles are expected to have weaker engines with weaker seals and internal components. This will, the high mileage oil is designed that includes several additives to enhance sentence performance and prevent its sun and rig down. It might also include some additives to help clean up the engine and remove the sludge buildup inside the engine.
Does my car need synthetic oil?
It's all depending. The best place to start is from your vehicle's owner’s manual. If your manual requires your car to use synthetic oil, then you cannot use any oil because all other oils are of lower quality, as we indicated before.
If you go with lower quality oil, there's a chance that you'll deal with engine damages and other complications that you don't want to deal with.
On the other hand, if your manual does not require you to use synthetic oil, then it's your choice. You can use a higher quality oil to improve the engine performance without worrying about frequent oil changes, but you don't have to appear. In other words, also a lot of experts mentioned that you could stick with your regular oil and get the benefits needed for your vehicle as long as you change the oil on time.
What would happen if I used regular oil instead of synthetic?
As we mentioned before, the consequences of using regular oil versus synthetic oil depending on what your vehicle requires. For example, if your manufacturer requires that your car use synthetic oil, then switching to your oil will be a problem because it leads to damages. But, on the other hand, if your engine does not require it, do not worry about it.
The way to think about it is that synthetic oil provides the engine with much higher benefits and prevents overheating. However, it could be that your engine is designed to generate massive heat, and relying on regular oil might not be enough.
Therefore, if you decide to save a couple of dollars on oil changes, that's not going to be the wisest decision because if you think about it long term, engine problems are severe and might cost you thousands of dollars on repair if not more.
Can you switch back to regular oil after using synthetic?
If you decide to upgrade your oil and your engine doesn't require it, you can easily switch to regular oil. In other words, if you want to try how good synthetic oil is and whether it enhances the engine's performance, you can do so. Still, if you think that it's a little bit beyond your budget and there are not many benefits you're getting, then you can easily go back through regular oil without any issues.
According to experts, mixing oils is not a problem, and one of the quickest proves the synthetic blend oil. It is made of a combination of both synthetic and conventional oil. Therefore, switching between the two should not be a problem.
What are the disadvantages of synthetic oil?
Yes, there are some drawbacks to synthetic oil. Many of us think about synthetic oil as the highest quality motor oil, and by choosing it, there is no way we can deal with any issues. However, that might not be the case in every situation.
For example, if you would be driving an older vehicle that is not compatible with synthetic hello, then there is a very high chance of dealing with sudden engine breakdowns. Surprising right?
Think about it this way, synthetic oil contains many strong chemicals, and your older car contains very weak seals. So the strong chemicals from synthetic oil might break down these seals and allow the engine to leak or deal with any other problems that will cost you the entire vehicle.
Therefore, before switching to synthetic oil and investing more, you should consult your mechanic and get a confirmation about whether you can use it or not.
The other thing to think about is if your vehicle is very old and has other major problems, then switching to synthetic oil might not be the solution, and it will not resolve these issues unless you dig deeper and find the real culprit. That's why many automotive experts recommend selling cars with major problems rather than investing in minor things like oil changes or switches.
How many miles is a full synthetic oil change good for?
As we mentioned before, full synthetic oil allows you to drive your car without worrying about the oil change for a long time. Typically, expect to reach up to 15,000 miles without needing an oil change. However, this number might change significantly depending on a lot of factors. Therefore, you must fill yourself with a different symptom indicating that your vehicle is due for an oil change before dealing with major complications.
In general, pushing the synthetic oil should allow you to have more time before you need another oil change. But, it doesn't mean that you should ignore any severe symptom indicating that your vehicle needs an oil change immediately.
On the other hand, regular oil might require a change once every 5000 miles. Many mechanics might advise you to change your oil every 3000 miles. However, that's too much, which is a very common myth about oil changes. Therefore, the best location to get accurate information is through your vehicle's owner’s manual. It states details about when to change the motor oil, whether you're using synthetic or regular oil.
Is it OK to change the oil once a year?
It's hard to tell whether you can change your oil once a year or not. Oil change frequency is considered two different things simultaneously: the number of mileages you drove and the age of this oil.
For example, if you or a commercial driver put heavy mileage on your vehicle in less than a month, you might need frequently changes more than you expect. However, if you don't drive your car frequently, you may not need the oil change as much. However, this does not mean that you want to eat at all because oil goes bad over time, and you'll still need to change it.
To give accurate information about when to change the oil and whether going one year without an oil change is fine or not, you should consult your mechanic.
Final thoughts
If you don't want to deal with major engine problems, you'd have to focus on the motor oil. It is responsible for lubricating the engine and preventing overheating issues. Within the different types of motor oil, synthetic oil stays at the top as the highest quality motor oil.
However, many of our readers reach out continuously and wonder, “does my car need synthetic oil?” As mentioned in this article, synthetic oil is not required for every vehicle. You should go back to your vehicle's owner’s manual or consult your mechanic to confirm. Keep in mind that switching synthetic oil might not always be the wisest decision because, in some instances, it might lead to damaging your engine. Thus, you must do your research and look at your manual to confirm whether your car is ready for using this high-quality oil.
Additionally, we mentioned that sometimes focusing on switching to higher quality oil might not be the wisest decision, especially if you have other major problems. Instead, you should focus on fixing these problems, especially related to a bad engine or transmission. Otherwise, you might want to think about selling your vehicle and buying a better car worth investing in a higher quality motor oil.
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