So I pulled the 710 rod to check the level and still good even that the oil life is saying its due. The ole dino is still clean and golden amazingly after the 800 mile round trip road trip last year and daily running til now. Getting ready to get the oil changed here soon. September will be inspection time for plate renewal. I am amazed this 09 is doing better than the 08 I had.... that oil was black after a few months.... Been debating syth oil, but I cant justify the cost from regular dino?

 

Careful the VVT solenoids don’t clog up.

 

Yes, I am aware since we solved that with my 08 in the past. So Im always on the oil. I dont use crap oil ( but most are the same with dino ) just use better brands than the cheapest. Been debating going synth oil as Ive heard and read from the gods on various forums that swear by it, longer lasting between changes, doesnt carbon up like dino, better protection..ect... but gets confusing with once you go syth you have to stay with it, cant do the dino, synth, dino back n forth with the oil. The cost is what I dont like about it. A regular semi synth dino is about $40 changed where the full synth oil runs about $75+ changed ( both include filter change ) I know with the longer life of the synth it equals out in the long run but I also hear that the synth oil cleans the block better which can cause leaks at seals and gaskets that the dino's carbon had plugged up. Mine has no leaks or seepage so far and worried that it could start if changed over for the age of the car itself at 14 years.

 

Bonez- I never go longer than 1 year on oil changes here..Oil doesn't wear out, but the additives do.

And seeing the oil get dark, shows it is doing it's job as intended. It is holding the particles in suspension.

 

There's the gold. Oil darkens doing it's job.
The additives are key to engine life as well especially now with the different metals, components and close tolerances of the modern day power plant.

Not a chemical engineer however know of the back in the day tales of can't mix the two types once you switch you can't go back and so on. And the salesmen who occasionally came in the shop with the sales gadgets making their brand superior to others. Then the Slick 50 came out and so on...
Bringing us to today. The local store has all types of motor oil from multiple makers. The old crude oil refined stuff, to the blends of "regular and synthetic" to all synthetic and many different marketing ploys like designed for high mileage engines.

If you're not suppose to mix them why do they market "blends"? That's when I went to the buying habit of but the major brand of the viscosity recommended by the manufacturer at the best price point at the time. I love the words ON SALE. Not the cheapest the best value. I've used them all and switched back and forth without problems for 20 years.
For what it's worth:
Someone on another forum of fleet experience found through research analysis and maintenance procedures that around 7,000 mile oil change interval worked best as far as protection of the motor and useful life of the lubrication fluid. And they were hard on the vehicles. Long hours daily, extended idle times.

 

I hear that. My HHR is my secondary vehicle, so it only gets used maybe 1,000 miles per year. So I change it every year. Because it sits so much.

 

Woody speaks the truth!

 

Use anything labeled Dexos1 and change it more often. Don't go below 50% on the DIC. Use TopTier fuel. That is all.

 

I use top tier fuel, Castrol 5W30 Dexos full synthetic oil and AC Delco oil filter changed every 6 months .
oil is clean when I drain it, but Zi can’t bring myself to go a full year the condensation factor is the reason.

 

Dexos only comes in semi and full syn. Dino is not recommended by GM anymore.