I have a senior mechanical engineering coworker named Tim that had been using Mobil 1 Super Syn synthetic motor oil for years. He was religious about changing his oil every 3000 miles (sometimes every 2500 just to be safe). This was his way of maintaining his engine so it would last until the wheels fell off his SUV.
That is some expensive preventative maintenance. When I asked him why he was using the Mobil 1 Synthetic he replied that he had heard that synthetic oil protects better and his engine would last longer. Tim is a senior mechanical engineer and us engineers are always cautious in sharing factual data type information. Notice Tim had said “heard” the synthetic oil protected better. He didn’t actually have the data to back up the idea of better protection.
So how does an experienced mechanical engineer come to spending 3 times as much per oil change and 3 times as much for the entire year with out any factual data to show him the money he is investing in oil changes is saving his engine and saving pain and frustration later from some form of engine failure.
I don’t blame Tim… this just goes to show how much faith is put into products out on th e market. Tim will spend $100s of extra dollars on oil changes not knowing if he is getting the desired results of engine performance and longevity.
Anyway, Tim was introduced to all the testing data performed on the various motor oils and synthetic motor oils out on the market. AMSOIL synthetic motor oil stood out for its performance results in the testing but also because the company guaranteed engine protection all the way out to 25,000 mile oil (for the oil comparable to the Mobil 1 Super Syn at the time).
Tim decided to try the AMSOIL and intially considered extending his drain intervals slightly from 3,000 miles to 4,000 miles. This is a big leap for a guy that is religious about his 3,000 mile oil change intervals. I asked him if he thought that was a bit risky and I asked why he would do that, he replied it would allow him to extract some “value” in time savings and pocket book savings while taking advantage of the additional protection offered from the synthetic motor oil.
Over the next couple of years Tim gradually extended his oil change intervals and when I last asked him, he was changing his oil once a year (he drives less than 25,000 miles a year I guess). I was so shocked I almost fell down. How could Tim have changed from Mobil 1 Super Syn every 3,000 miles (ultra conservative maintenance plan) to I change my oil once a year! If you ask Tim what he thinks about Amsoil vs Mobil 1 he will tell you Amsoil is a better value with extended protection.
Using synthetic oil has some real upsides but are you taking advantage of what the oil is really capable of… good question. If you want to see the data Tim was looking at when he decided to change, have a look at this synthetic motor oil review.
