My '05 AWD Limited is almost due and i'm thinking she would like full synthetic like all my previous vehicles... anybody using it?

I'm in the process of using synthetic. I read somewhere, I forgot, that if you have been using dino, you shouldn't just jump right into synthetic b/c it could harm your engine. You should first use a synthetic blend, then go full synthetic afterwards. I could be wrong but some people have gone dino to syn. w/o a problem.

I got my Endeavor at the end of February and just got my first oil change a week ago (200 miles under 3000, a new record for me) and went with full synthetic. Admittedly I don't know what the dealer put in it, but I wasn't too concerned. Just after I had the change I did around 50 miles of 60-70 mph highway driving without any problems, and haven't had any problems.

synthetic is a complete waste of money for this car.

the ONLY reason to use synthetic is to protect the engine during EXTREME oil temps. below zero or over 350 degrees.
unless you run somewhere in the winter, you will gain nothing but an empty pocketbook using synthetic. You CANNOT extend intervals. It is NOT magic oil. It offers exactly the same protection as normal "dino" oil, which is excellent these days.

it is only used for a factory fill on vehicles that are expected to see ultra-high temperatures for their oil.

there is one and only one reason to go to full synthetic, and that is money savings.

i know what your thinking, isn't synthetic more expensive? and yes your right. but the fact of the matter is simply this. if you use synthetic your change interval is dramatically higher in relation to conventional oil. granted every 3000 miles with a regular oil filter you have to change, but you can keep your oil pan drain out of the mix for 3 filter changes thats counting the first one. then all you need to pay attention to is keeping your oil toped off with the same synthetic oil each month.

if you choose to, you can also buy a high mileage oil filter as well. the oil filter will tell you what its change interval is. mobile 1, fram, k&N, and Beck Arnley makes ones that autozone carries for my 01 Eclipse RS that costs about 10-12 bucks except for the fram filter that one is priced at 22.50. with this oil filter is assumes your new oil change interval will be 3-4 times as long as the conventional oil change intervals. i use synthetic oil and i changed my oil 5000 miles ago, and i plan on going 5,000 more because i have been doing 9,000 mile interval changes for a year now which was only 2 changes, and the year before was 8,000 mile intervals. it hasn't affected my engine any different than doing the 3000 mile change with the conventional oil, however it has affected my wallet in a rather positive way.

i buy 7 quarts of castorol syntec full synthetic from Wal-Mart i use a single 5 quart jug to fill my 2001 Eclipse RS to the top, then i use the 2 single bottles to top off over a 6-7 month period. i also periodically check my fluid level every 2 Sundays because i love my car and i prefer to be careful. i buy 2 extra bottles just in case, but i usually don't need the second one. so on my next fill up i only buy one extra. but let me put this in dollars for you.

5 quart jug of castrol syntec costs you about $18 then the 2 singles cost you $3.35 a piece and a performance oil filter will cost you about $11. now i end up paying $35.70 approximately. now take a conventional oil lets say pennzoil and buy it from autozone and use it in your car. and you buy the gallon jug thats 4 quarts for $12.50 and 2 singles for the rest to fill and one for top offs. the 2 singles cost you $3.85 and a fram oil filter your looking at about $5.75. your ending total is $25.95 almost 10 dollars less than i pay for my change. say you are my shadow and you drive everywhere i drive. now i put nearly 20,000 miles on my car every year. thats 6 changes for you per year and i am barely into my 3rd. we continue this for a 2 year period. 40,000 miles. you have now had 14 oil changes including your very first one and i have only had 5.

your oil changes will cost you in 2 years period.
14 X $25.95 = $363.30

my oil changes will cost me in 2 years period.
5 X $35.70 = $187.50

now if money in your pocket doesn't seem appealing to you then fine go ahead and buy that lame conventional oil. your just adding to the sooner we will run out of petroleum, and will be forced to have non modifying electric cars, they will go the same speed no matter what unless you lighten the load up. yeah i'm excited for that.....not nascar will $uck

That is COMPLETELY false. I hate the fact that people country wide have bought into this marketing nonsense.
you can absolutly NOT go further with synthetic than regulard dino oil.


there is also no difference in filters. Using the factory filter is easily the best choice, hands down.

the real truth is this... synthetic oil was created to deal with extreme temps, both above and below zero. outside of those extremes, it is exactly the same as regular oil in just about every conceivable way.
People constantly quote things online, but if you find their sources it ALWAYS traces back to the oil companies themselves. Thats rather biased, dont you think?
the truth is that all conventional motor oils can easily exceed the 3000 mile interval. a more realistic modern interval is about 5000 miles, but in reality it is COMPLETELY based on your driving style, and the only way to know for sure is to have an oil analysis performed, which is generally not worth the time and money, hence the conservative 3000 mile interval.
here it is, summed up easily for everyone to read.

1. Don't fall for the 3000 mile myth or the dark oil myth

2. Follow the manufacturer's recommended change interval for severe service or have an oil analysis performed to see if you can use the normal service interval

3. If you do the oil changes yourself then buy the oil and filters near the date of the oil change and keep a maintenance log with receipts

4. Use an API certified 5W30 or 10W30 oil (whatever your manual says is preferred) and watch out for oil change places that force 10W30 on you

5. Don't use oil additives

6. If you really want to know the optimum time to change your oil than have oil analyses performed

7. Use the manufacturer filter or a quality after-market filter (don't go by brand name recognition!)

8. Synthetic oil is a good choice if you have a high performance engine or if you live in an extremely cold climate, otherwise it provides no benefit (but no harm either).

9. Avoid engine flushes

10. Check your oil

This is how i feel about the situation, and its not based on any facts...

In the realm of car maintenance, oil changes are the cheapest, easiest thing you can do regularly to have the greatest preventative maintenance affect on your car. Clean oil makes your car happy. I don't change my own oil anymore cause I live in an apartment that won't let me work on my car in the parking lot. So I go to a garage every 3,000 miles. They charge under $20 for an oil change. I usually upgrade to the synthetic blend for about another $15. (Why? I dunno, its only $15, why not) So for around $35 and about 20 minutes every 3-4 months I keep my car very happy. If you ask me, that's a small price to pay when you consider the cost other potential problems you could be causing by having dirty oil.

But that's just how I feel about it.

I use synthetic motor oil in my wife's Endeavor. I've used Mobil 1 EP and Amsoil. I change the oil annually, but the filter every four months. I do this mainly due to laziness - I got tired of crawling under the SUV in the winter (the oil filter is easy enough to change).

That said, a magazine did test of dino oil in cabs and they concluded the OCI (oil change interval) could easily be 6000 miles with any name-brand dino oil. That's the OCI I used when using conventional motor oil.

BTW - I've switched back and forth between synthetics and dino oil with no flushes or such between, may be you would do so if it was an fully ester-based synthetic.

I been using mobil-1 and change oil every 5k miles. I think Im gonna change back to valvoline high mileage though in my Tundra at least. I changed the oil every 3k then and the oil was still fairly clean comming out of the plug. W/ the 5k mile changes with mobile-1 the oil comes out pretty dark. In the endeavor I really havent noticed a difference, the oil comes out dirty no matter what I use or interval.