long oil diatribe
Certainly, syn oil is not necessarily for everyone. There are many good choices of both dino and syn. What is justified for one person may not be justified for another person in a different situation. Luckily for us, its a free country and we can choose whatever oil we want to use.
Here are some reasons I like synthetics:
High Detergent - keeps the inside of the engine clean. If you do have to teardown the engine, you won't have as much sludge and varnish to deal with.
Flows at low temps - I go skiing in the winter so I see low temps a few times a year (0- 32F)
Protects at high temps - It is hot here in the summer (+100 F) and I tow a camping trailer
Less Engine Wear - Because of the high detergent, the syn oil keeps dirt suspended and away from the surfaces of the engine. Dirt is what wears your engine out by abrading the surfaces when it comes into contact. (Dirt is mostly Silica (SiO2), the reason why people are interested in Silicon (Si) levels in an oil analysis)
In my situation, I can come up with two reasons why I don't agree with the arguement "The rest of the vehicle will be worn out and in need of replacement":
Reason 1: Cars don't rust here. (Actually they do, but not nearly as fast as in say, Buffalo NY or Detroit MI) It is not uncommon to see 1950's and 60's vehicles still driving and looking good. I see them every day. Even 70's Suburus and Toyotas and Datsuns. I saw a Honda 600 last weekend. Yes the plastic and rubber parts will get old, but they can be replaced for cheaper than payments on a new car.
Reason 2: Smog Check. We have to get our vehicles smogged every two years. You are a lot more likely to pass smog with a tight, well maintained engine. If you fail smog, it can be a huge hassle, not to mention expensive. Also, you can't transfer title to someone else unless it passes smog. If it can't be repaired economically, about all you can do would be to donate it to a charity. So even if you think that you will be tired of the vehicle, it is still in your interest to keep the engine running well so you can trade for something else when the time comes. You may not have smog check yet, but it is just a matter of time.
I'm not saying that you can't pass smog by using dino, but my 89 Ranger (Mobil 1) still passed easily with 125k before I sold it. The second to the last time (over 110k) the smog tech couldn't believe it. "These things (Ranger) always fail."
