Re: [A/S] Truck maintanance

[Jerry Flanders <jeflanders@xxxxxxxxxxx>]

Years ago I called the Mobil 1 info line to get the skinny on this. I was 
thinking of putting it in the family sedan that had 60K on it at that time. 
They told me they do not recommend it if your vehicle has more than about 
30k on it. They said the engine could start leaking oil. I asked a few more 
questions and got the idea that apparently the synthetic oil's detergent 
might dissolve away natural gunks that would have formed with the natural 
oils earlier, and those gunks  might be sealing it up and keeping it from 
leaking.

Sounded funny to me, because the gaskets/sealers sealed it tight 
originally, and they should not have changed on their own. I didn't switch 
to the synthetic because I generally assume factory engineers know exactly 
what they are talking about. (Especially in this case, since it cost them a 
sale).

I don't use it now because I always have to change oil every 3k - 6k anyway 
on a new vehicle until the warranty expires, and by then I am over the 30K 
milestone.

BUT - Synthetic oils come with some very high priced new cars, so it must 
be preferable.

Jerry 4404