Often times, rumors can grip the automotive community and dig themselves a fairly deep ditch, often refusing to unstuck themselves form the collective minds of car owners everywhere. From the myth that premium grade gasoline should be used in every car, to the idea that the “cold air intake” is a useful performance modification, false ideas about cars and automobiles are everywhere. However, one of the most potent myths to come up recently is over a matter as simple as oil. You may have heard it said before that synthetic oil, which is usually much more expensive than traditional motor oil, is better for your car and is thus a much better choice than running traditional oil. However, while there is some fact to that statement, it is simply not true.
In fact, quite the opposite may be true, and synthetic oil may be doing more harm to your car than good. However, this is not to say that synthetic oil is bad necessarily, just that it is not meant for all vehicles an all applications. Keep in mind, synthetic oil was originally designed for use in airplanes and other military equipment. Why? The original idea was that because military personnel could not keep stopping to change oil, they needed a substance which could stand up for longer periods of time and be more resistant to harsher conditions. While the synthetic oil that we buy in the store today is not the same lubricant that was used in World War II military aircraft, the basic idea has remained unchanged.
So, if we are not buying military grade synthetic oil at the auto parts store, what exactly are we purchasing? What we are buying is a product that replaces many of the components in traditional mineral oil with other manufactured additives and detergents. Because of these additives, and the difference in the way that synthetic oil is processed, it tends to cool far more easily than traditional oil, and they also adhere to metals much easier. Yes, this does mean that synthetic oil is a superior product, nothing else considered, and that it will last longer without having to be replaced than mineral oil. But, just because something may be more expensive and produced to a different quality standard does not necessarily mean it is better.
Case in point, older engines which were designed to run with traditional mineral oil will take no benefit whatsoever from synthetic oil, they are simply not built to process a substance that does not have the properties of regular oil. In fact, some older cars, due to more fragile seals, gaskets, and other vital engine parts, may have their engines further degraded by the harsher products that go into composing synthetic oil. In cases such as these, it is very possible and even likely that synthetic oil will damage your engine and drastically shorten the life of your vehicle.
So, if we have now figured out that synthetic oil can be damaging, the question remains as to when it should be used. Of course, synthetic oil is a superior product, and as a result, most new car engines are designed with synthetic oil in mind, thus they have engines that are maximized for the use of such artificial lubricants. If you are not sure about your car, then there are a couple venues that you can go through to find out. First, consult either a dealership or the owners manual of your car, either of these two sources should be able to tell you for a fact if you should be using synthetic oil for your vehicle, or whether you should be avoiding it. However, if neither of these sources provide any results, than a quick Google.com search should be just as effective.
Whatever the results of your oil answer quest should be, follow their advice. If your car is getting older, and you have always used mineral oil for it, than there is likely no need for you start using synthetic oil now. On the other hand, if you have brand new car, and your owner’s manual specifies the use of synthetic oil, get ready to shell out the extra money. Remember not to buy into the rumors about synthetic oil, and there are all sorts of them flying around. From the idea that synthetic oil increases engine performance to the fact that it will make your vehicle more likely to pass emissions testing, common sense should dictate that such lies should not be believed. Synthetic oil can be a very good thing for your vehicle, however, it can also be damaging, and the key is knowing whether to use it or not. Like everything else, take some time and learn, the results could give you many more happy years with your vehicle.
