My son's car is coming due for an oil change. It's at 30% after about 7,500 miles. I'm wondering how much of a nuisance it is removing the shield under the engine, and if it's actually necessary.

Are any of you using synthetic? I've been using synthetic in everything for years. By everything, I mean lawnmowers, snow blower, generator - everything. Although I'm sure it's not necessary, it is good for hot and cold weather. I buy it in 5-gallon bottles for a little over $5.00 a quart.

 

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Removing the shield really isnt too difficult, and it is necessary. The oil pan is pretty much center of the shield and the filter is in the front, so you have no access while the shield is in place.

Removing it is not hard; there are 6 screws along the edges and the rear edge has two plastic screw/fastener things. The front edge has a tab that slides into the front bumper and that holds it in place. The plastic screws seem a little delicate, so just be careful.

Beyond that the only tricky bits were these little metal tabs that the other 6 screws attach to. Basically, there are six holes on the underside of the car where the shield is fastened. The screws don't fasten to these holes though; there is a small metal clip/tab thing that goes around each of the holes on the car, and those are what the screw threads into. 4 of mine were pinched tight enough to stay in place, but two of them were loose and one just slid right off. It was no big deal, but take care to make sure the clips are in place.

And make sure you have the right size filter wrench before you start! I found 65mm to fit perfectly, but I had a 67-to-65mm universal wrench that didn't work out, and I found that out after I drained the oil. I had to borrow a car and go to the store which made a 15 minute job into a 2 hour job. Why? Because I'm dumb. Be smarter than me.

 

Thanks for the advice.

 

No problem! Good luck to your son.

 

I have one of these...


I just did a quick search so didn't get a chance to get the size of what I have. This is just gives you an idea.

Works very well.

 

I prefer this style of cast aluminum wrenches to the stamped steel variety. They seem to have a better fit on the end of the filter and don't slip as easily



For engines with long change intervals I use Mobil 1 synthetic. It's consistent in quality and with the long intervals the cost of the oil is minimal.

 

Very helpful information as I am getting close to my first oil change ... Thank you m_x!!

 

GeorgeL it was actually your recommendation for the end-cap style wrench that pushed me in that direction. I had one of those band-style wrenches for my old mustang and it was a PITA to use. Though I will say, I opted for the stamped steel. It was $6 and fits nice and snug.

 

The quality may vary on the filter wrenches and there may be drawn steel ones that work well. I actually found my cast aluminum wrench sitting in the middle of the street. It probably got stuck on the filter and forgotten by its previous owner.

To avoid getting the wrench stuck on the filter I tighten the filter per spec then reverse the ratchet and apply a little opposite torque to just break the wrench loose without turning the filter.

 

Mobil 1 synthetic is what I always use in my cars. I always keep eye out for sales as it's expensive. $25 for 5 quart is what I typically pay which is reasonable.

 

For just a few bucks more at Walmart, for years I've used the "extended performance" Mobil 1. It's designed for up to 15k oil changes.... so a little beefier on the slickery additives... but I stick with the regular 5k to 7.5k interval.

 

Not bad. The 2015 Fits and newer Hondas you will see average 10K for oil changes. My car got 2500 miles so far and is at 80% at oil life so may take me a few months before I get the oil changed which I love.

 

If I remember correctly, awhile back Mobile 1 Synthetic was FULL synthetic, then the formula got changed and Mobil 1 extended performance was the new FULL synthetic oil. Was awhile back, anyway I purchase the EP version when I can when it comes to Mobile 1 synthetic oil.

 

Unless the website is telling bald-faced lies, all Mobil 1 oils are full synthetic:

https://www.mobiloil.com/USA-English...Oils/Oils.aspx

 

Look at this:

What is synthetic oil: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Synthetic_oil
What happened with Mobil 1: Talk:Synthetic oil - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A really good summary from Chuck: Synthetic Motor Oil Discussion - Subaru Forester Owners Forum

"Not all synthetic oils are created equal.

There are many oils out there that call themselves synthetic, but not all are created equal, and that's important to know. You do get what you pay for. Group III synthetic oils only use about 12% synthetic base stocks. The rest is hyrdocracked petroleum base stocks. For major oil companies who have their money in crude oil refining, the word "synthetic" is merely a marketing term. It does not mean 100%, but just that a percentage of synthetic base stock goes into their product.

The oils that are commonly mentioned are Group II and Group III synthetics with the exception of Royal Purple, which is a Group V. AMSOIL is a Group IV synthetic (PAO) but also uses Group V Ester technology. It gives you the best of Group IV and Group V synthetics. Mobil 1 is a Group III synthetic. AMSOIL is a Group IV synthetic.

In the late 1990s, Castrol started selling an oil made from Group III base oil and called it SynTec Full Synthetic. Mobil sued Castrol, asserting that this oil was not synthetic, but simply a highly refined petroleum oil, and therefore it was false advertising to call it synthetic. In 1999, Mobil lost their lawsuit. It was decided that the word "synthetic" was a marketing term and referred to properties, not to production methods or ingredients. Castrol continues to make SynTec out of Group III base oils, that is highly purified mineral oil with most all of the cockroach bits removed.

Shortly after Mobil lost their lawsuit, most oil companies started reformulating their synthetic oils to use Group III base stocks instead of PAOs or diester stocks as their primary component. Most of the "synthetic oil" you can buy today is actually mostly made of this highly-distilled and purified dino-juice called Group III oil. Group III base oils cost about half as much as the synthetics. By using a blend of mostly Group III oils and a smaller amount of "true" synthetics, the oil companies can produce a product that has some of the same properties as the "true" synthetics, and nearly the same cost as the Group III oil. AMSOIL differs from Group III oils. As a Group IV oil, it uses 100% pure synthetic base stocks. This is why you can run it for longer intervals.

Synthetic oils were originally designed for the purpose of having a very pure base oil with excellent properties. By starting from scratch and building up your oil molecules from little pieces, you can pretty much guarantee that every molecule in the oil is just like every other molecule, and therefore the properties are exactly what you designed in, not compromised by impurities. Synthetics were thus originally a reaction to the relatively poor refining processes available from about 1930 to about 1990. The original synthetics were designed for the Army Air Force in WW II. They simply could not make their high- performance turbo-charged radial engines stay alive on the available motor oils of the time.

One process for making synthetic base oils is to start with a chemical called an olefin, and make new molecules by attaching them to each other in long chains, hence "poly." The primary advantage of Poly-Alpha-Olefin "PAO" base oil is that all the molecules in the base oil are pretty much identical, so it's easy to get the base oil to behave exactly as you like. PAOs are called Group IV base oils.

These PAO base oils have an enormous advantage over mineral base oils in low temperature performance and in resistance to oxidation, which is critical in keeping the oil from forming acids.

Another type of base oil is made from refined and processed esters and is called Group V. Esters start life as fatty acids in plants and animals, which are then chemically combined into esters, diesters, and polyesters. Group V base stocks are the most expensive of all to produce. However, the esters are polar molecules and have very significant solvent properties - an ester base oil all by itself will do a very decent job of keeping your engine clean. So, people who are serious about making a superior oil will usually mix some Group V oils into their base stock.

Oils that are strictly Group V ester oils tend to be better suited for high RPM, hot running, air cooled engines. 100% ester based oils are usually more expensive than Group IV oils, and don't have the longevity of PAO (Group IV) or PAO/Ester mixes oils. Group V oils perform very well in the shorter term. They perform very well in race engines and in applications where drain intervals are factory spec or shorter, whereas Group IV oils are better suited for the long haul of extended intervals.

Whatever oil you choose, know what you are buying. Just because the jug says "synthetic" doesn't mean it is made from 100% pure synthetic base stocks.

Synthetic oils do not cause leaks. What they do is clean everything inside your engine. If you had a faulty seal or gasket that was being clogged by conventional oil sludge, the synthetic (especially Group IV and V oils) will clean out the sludge deposits and cause the leak to finally start. That said, it is a very rare occurance. I switched over a 1993 Dodge Ram 1-ton Cummins over a year ago. It had never seen synthetic before. Now it is 16 months later and not a drip. If your gaskets and seals are in good condition, switching over will not cause a leak. What you will gain is extended drain intervals and better protection, as well as better cold weather performance.

-Chuck"

 

Well, that is an interesting and lengthy read. Your link was to the talk page which seems to basically be a bunch of people arguing about the reliability of the various references in the main Wikipedia article and the justification for their editing practices.

Unfortunately, there doesn't seem to be a reliable source for any oil information. People are making all sorts of claims and they can't all be true. BITOG is fun to read, but again there is a lot of heat but very little light shed on the subject.

What I do know is that every manufacturer of oil has its own proprietary formulas. The only real standards are from the API and those aren't really helpful in discerning the relative quality of oils. The auto manufacturers are happy with the API standards so it is unlikely that there will be anything better. Independent testing is very expensive so it is unlikely that Consumer's Union or other testing laboratory will go to the trouble.

If there truly were a superior oil that reduced wear markedly I'm sure that high mileage users like truckers would discover it quickly. The cost of overhauling a 600HP Cummins Diesel is high enough that a significant life extension from a magic oil would be economically desirable. The reality seems to be that most oils vary only slightly in performance and longevity.

Knowing this, I tend to opt for the oils I perceive as most consistent. Mobil 1 has been around quite a while and despite the rumors of formula changes doesn't seem to have changed its wear characteristics. Other oils from small refiners may be slightly better, but there is always a chance that they might be markedly worse.

 

So far everywhere I've read Mobil 1 is full synthetic and been using it for years.

If it's not true and a lawsuit Mobil needs to put a disclaimer about it. So far have not seen this on the Mobil website.

So taking this with a grain of salt.

 

The definition of full synthetic in the US got changed after ExxonMobil lost the case verse Castrol back in 1999. But in Europe the definition for full synthetic hasn't changed, so Mobil 1 full synthetic with Group III rather than Group IV can be marketed as "full synthetic" in the US but not in Europe.

Here is more discussion on the matter: so is mobil1 actually synthetic or not? [Archive] - AnandTech Forums