Recommend synthetic oil? Change at 3k or 5k

[alanwagen]

The car guys on PBS would recommend 5k intervals with conventional oil. Anything less is a waste of oil and a boat payment for the quick lube. Oil and engines are much much better so this is not your grandad's Oldsmobile with a carburetor.

BTW, the Prius interval is 10k with synthetic and even then the oil looks real clean.

[Jcp123]

Originally Posted by alanwagen

this is not your grandad's Oldsmobile with a carburetor.

BTW, the Prius interval is 10k with synthetic and even then the oil looks real clean.

I'd take Opa's Olds over modern cars any day. Modern cars are, shall we say, overrated. And this from someone with much love for my Echo.

Prius doesn't run its engine all the time, so longer OCIs make sense.

[alanwagen]

Originally Posted by Jcp123

I'd take Opa's Olds over modern cars any day. Modern cars are, shall we say, overrated. And this from someone with much love for my Echo.

Prius doesn't run its engine all the time, so longer OCIs make sense.

I can see a nostalgic affection for old cars, but changing plugs and rebuilding carbs all the time gets old. You would be lucky to get 100 k out of an old car without extensive repairs: shocks, front end, alternators. What I don't miss the most of old cars is the tweaking the automatic choke and hesitation, stalling and balking when the engine was cold. Back in those days, you had a good car when it would start on the second crank. And lets not even get in to the ignition points and setting the dwell.