[Norval]

I will be leaving my 07 Focus on an unheated garage for about 4 months. It will be started up occasionally and I will add stabilizer to the gas. Will also change the oil and for this situation is it better to use regular oil or synthetic?
Thanks

[NikiterZTS]

Regular is just fine.

[buzz2.0]

+1 for regular oil

[mo_focus]

4 months should be ok for the regular oil. if its 4yrs then i would say synthetic since it wont change its chracteristics over time.

[CanadaSVT]

Yep, I vote regular.

[Norval]

Thanks, friends. Got it done this AM. The guy at the garage said I could leave it for six to eight months before the next change if I'm not putting the miles on it.

[NikiterZTS]

If you're not driving your eco-car in the winter. What are you using for winter?

[Mystake]

ive heard as little as 3 months for conventional oil.

personally I just run synthetic. The other thing is, you can't switch back and forth from synthetic to conventional. it doesn't work that way.

but synthetic does not break down over time.

[NikiterZTS]

(01-06-2011, 02:34 PM)Mystake Wrote: but synthetic does not break down over time.

It does but it takes longer

[Mystake]

(01-06-2011, 10:54 PM)NikiterZTS Wrote:

(01-06-2011, 02:34 PM)Mystake Wrote: but synthetic does not break down over time.

It does but it takes longer

Then I stand corrected.

iirc, synthetic also doesn't thicken up the same way conventional does when cold?

[NefCanuck]

(01-07-2011, 08:25 AM)Mystake Wrote:

(01-06-2011, 10:54 PM)NikiterZTS Wrote:

(01-06-2011, 02:34 PM)Mystake Wrote: but synthetic does not break down over time.

It does but it takes longer

Then I stand corrected.

iirc, synthetic also doesn't thicken up the same way conventional does when cold?

Correct, better flow when cold and better protection in extreme heat conditions are some of the main benefits of running full synthetic oil.

NefCanuck

[ZTWsquared]

(01-09-2011, 01:44 PM)NefCanuck Wrote:

(01-07-2011, 08:25 AM)Mystake Wrote:

(01-06-2011, 10:54 PM)NikiterZTS Wrote:

(01-06-2011, 02:34 PM)Mystake Wrote: but synthetic does not break down over time.

It does but it takes longer

Then I stand corrected.

iirc, synthetic also doesn't thicken up the same way conventional does when cold?

Correct, better flow when cold and better protection in extreme heat conditions are some of the main benefits of running full synthetic oil.

NefCanuck

Are we talking about breaking down with use, or breaking down without the car being run much ... if the car is being started briefly then shut down, synthetic oil should keep its protective qualities for years and even the dino oil will be fine.

Having said that, when the car is started while you're away, make sure it is allowed to get up to full operating temp before it's shut down ... that will reduce the amount of condensation (water) that will accumulate in the engine and the exhaust.

[CanadaSVT]

For three months the only reason I would start the engine is to keep the battery charged. I wouldn't worry about the engine for that amount of time.

[2DXTRM]

(01-10-2011, 06:01 AM)CanadaSVT Wrote: For three months the only reason I would start the engine is to keep the battery charged. I wouldn't worry about the engine for that amount of time.

Yup, I havent started my Mustang since I "put it away" for the winter at the end of October. I'll bring it back out in April. I took the battery out of the car and put in my basement. I check the voltage on it every now and then, and it has been sitting steady around 12.4x volts.

Oh and sticking to the topic of the thread, there is synthetic oil in it right now, only has a few hundred kms on it when I last changed it. Last winter it had regular oil in it.

[patrick23]

(01-06-2011, 02:34 PM)Mystake Wrote: ive heard as little as 3 months for conventional oil.

personally I just run synthetic. The other thing is, you can't switch back and forth from synthetic to conventional. it doesn't work that way.

but synthetic does not break down over time.

says who? I switched from regular to synth to regular again now. been on regular for a year and when I switched to synth I did it for a year of pure castrol goodnes. now I settle with whatever oil type substance meineke put in my car. and nothing bad has happened.

[Mystake]

I said back and forth, you switched, then back. no forth.


... lol


I think it has something to do with seals. I'm really not sure. Especially in higher mileage engine, something about seals get old and sludge and deposits build up around them, keeping them sealed. synthetic cleans tehm off and reveals leaks.

i also thought conventional swelled seals more than synthetic.

[Drivesthebeast]

I have had 100% Synthetic oil in my last 2 vehicles in a row, and I have it in my Escape. It IS better for cold starts, and for sitting for extended periods of time. Warmup of the engine is faster, it allows the valvetrain to operate more effectively, and is supposed to increase fuel economy. I'm likely going to start putting Royal Purple 5W20 in my Escape this winter, as it's surpassed the 100K mark on the odometer.

At the end of the day, you won't go wrong with using either type of oil for only a 3 month stretch...

[dragerboat]

(01-13-2011, 12:49 AM)Drivesthebeast Wrote: I have had 100% Synthetic oil in my last 2 vehicles in a row, and I have it in my Escape. It IS better for cold starts, and for sitting for extended periods of time. Warmup of the engine is faster, it allows the valvetrain to operate more effectively, and is supposed to increase fuel economy. I'm likely going to start putting Royal Purple 5W20 in my Escape this winter, as it's surpassed the 100K mark on the odometer.

At the end of the day, you won't go wrong with using either type of oil for only a 3 month stretch...

I`m using mobil 1 synthethic 5w20 in mine and on my next oil change i`m going to be putting in the new pennzoil ultra 5w20.By the way as per ealier posts yes you can switch back and forth between synthetic and dino oil if your car is fairly new it doesn`t hurt anything.The problem with seals and synthetic oil is only if your car has more than 100k + and if you used dino oil all that time than your seals might have dried up over time or have cracks in it. Synthetic oil has a thinner viscosity rating than dino oil or in layman`s terms conventional oil.
http://www.bobistheoilguy.com/cms/ is the place to go to learn about oil. Great site.

Cheers

[OAC_Sparky]

Synthetic oil has the exact same viscosity rating as ... wait for it ... the same viscosity rating conventional oil.

A pound of feathers weighs the same as a pound of bricks. If 5W20 is the viscosity rating of the oil, it is the viscosity rating no matter if it is synthetic or conventional.

The main difference between conventional and synthetic oil is how it breaks down under use; but an engine will still deposit the same contaminants in the oil at the same rate and these contaminants still need to be removed by the oil filter. While you can run synthetic longer in an engine than conventional oil, you still need to remove the contaminants so you either need to keep a clean filter; by either changing it at the same interval as with conventional oil if it is a conventional filter, or by using a synthetic-duty filter that has more surface-area internally.