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Just would like to clear up a few things:
First my background: ASE certified Master Mechanic, European Masters Degree in Automotive Electronics and about 20 years experience as a Automotive, Diesel and Aircraft mechanic.
Not doing this anymore, more money in developing e-learning courses for engineers.
No, not all oils are the same! You can clearly identify the base oils.
In Fleet and Aircraft maintenance it is very common to send oil samples to the lab for engine diagnostics. The lab is used never got the viscosity or manufacturer wrong.
Is there a correct oil for all climates and situations? No!
For example regular Quakerstate has a high level of Paraffin in the base, will sure kill any engine in high temperature climates by
clogging oil passages in lifters or cam oilers with huge amounts of sludge.
What's best to use? Simple and easy! Important thing is to change the oil regulary, every 3000 miles or 3 month what ever comes first. ( Just an easy rule of thumb)
Stay with the same oil brand and type. You can adjust the viscosity up and down according to manufactures specifications.
Use a quality filter! General rule of thumb: If it's orange it's junk!
Fram filters don't do much, there is actually nothing in them that could filter oil! As an aircraft mechanic I got used to cut used filters open, take my word for it!
Jiffy Lube and Q-Lube use a Fram Filter, just painted to their colors.
If you pay $15 for an oil change you get what you pay for. But don't get me wrong, any oil change is better then no oil change!
I used to race Dragsters and we used to buy WIX filters, paint them orange and put stickers on them to get contingency money. Nobody would use an original Fram.
Synthetic Oils are definetly worth their money if you still follow your oil change schedule. But for use in your grocery getter they are definetley overkill. My Nissan Pathfinder has 200k miles on Castrol GTX with no residue, sludge or any oil related problems.
To clarify the question about Diesel Oils like Rotella and Delo,
you have to keep in mind that the combustion pressure and temperatures inside a Diesel engine are higher then in a gas engine. These oils are formulated for specific applications and can not be replaced with generic replacements, even if the API codes indicate otherwise.
Hope this clears up some questions and problems,
Klaus
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