Napa oil and filters

[Bing]

Not sure if this debate has come up before so here it goes. What do you guys think about Napa oil and their gold line of oil filters. I personally use them both. The oil I use is their 10w-30 premium regular oil and change at around 3500 to 4000 miles.

I have thought about switching to either their high mileage stuff or full synthetic, what do you think?

From what I have researched and found their oil is made by Ashland companies which also makes Valvoline oil. Also their filters are made by Wix, which I thought they were pretty good to.

[00Beast]

Yup, NAPA oil is re-branded Valvoline, and NAPA Gold, Car Quest and Wix filters are all the same. What you are running is a great combo and will help keep your engine in shape for a long time. No worries my friend.

The benefits of synthetic are extended drain intervals. If you're going to do 3-4k intervals no matter what, stick with conventional.

[Bing]

Thanks for the confirmation on what I was figuring was ok to go with. With my 99 having just under 100,000 on it. I want to make sure I'm headed in the right direction for a happy and long engine life.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

NAPA oil is slightly different than Valvoline. The additive packs are slightly different. Wix/Affinia makes the Gold filter, which is the same as a Wix-branded filter. Good filter, especially on when discounted.

I've run 8-9k changes on synthetic oils for a long time. The car is used for a lot of highway travel, so a longer change interval works for me. Changing every 3k miles I'd be changing every few months. With synthetic oil, I change the oil 2-3 times a year. So it ends up being cheaper and more time-efficient for me to run synthetic than conventional oil.

Your oil change schedule depends on how you use the car. If all the mileage is city driving where 3k miles takes you 4-5 months to put on, stick to your current oil. If it's mostly highway where the car gets up to temperature for 20-30 minutes at a stretch and you're changing the oil every second month, then definitely investigate synthetic oils.

Like 00Beast said, the advantage to a syn is being able to extend the change intervals. Then, the extra up-front cost is hopefully made up by extending the interval out.

[2000GreySSEi]

Thats a good oil & filter combo. As long as your not using FRAM your doing good.

[Bing]

Whats up with Fram oil filters? I have used them in the past but not on the bonneville. I'm just curious, bad design or components?

[00Beast]

All of the above. Below par steel case, all internal components are glued cardboard, which is not conducive to actually filtering, just causing a restriction, as well as failing. Do not use FRAM, period.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Fram's top of the line Extended Guard is a good filter. Everything below that is junk construction for the price of good construction. The fiber endcaps are just plain cheap.

I've used Frams before, and may again. Despite all the bad-mouthing we do about Fram, it's one of the most widely-used filters in the US. Not that many people have had problems with them out of all the millions used every year.

There are definitely better filters for the price. However, if there was no other choice, I'd use a Fram for 5k miles and not lose sleep over it.

[Bing]

I'll probably just stick with what I'm running now. Might give a thought about going to synthetic for the longer change intervals. Especially since I end up doing 2 oil changes when its butt cold out. Laying on the ground in the garage when its this cold is just not that much fun.

[1oldman]

Fram's top of the line Extended Guard is a good filter. Everything below that is junk construction for the price of good construction. The fiber endcaps are just plain cheap.

I've used Frams before, and may again. Despite all the bad-mouthing we do about Fram, it's one of the most widely-used filters in the US. Not that many people have had problems with them out of all the millions used every year.

There are definitely better filters for the price. However, if there was no other choice, I'd use a Fram for 5k miles and not lose sleep over it.

==============================================================

I've been using the Fram HM3980 and HM 10w-30 Synthetic oil for over 12 years now, no problems. Run the oil 4k to 8k, depending on driving conditions. 270k+ miles on the engine and still don't have to add oil between changes.

Son changed the O2 sensor for me when fuel mileage dropped 1 - 3 miles to the gallon. I had been using Bosch. I ordered a Delphi and so far the fuel mileage is 1 to 4 miles better than when the Bosch was working. I’ve only run two tanks of gas in it so far, but I can’t wait till the summer blend is available to see what the mileage goes to. Maybe the car will handle that “crappy“ e10 better too. - BC

[wjcollier07]

I regularly use the Napa Gold filters in every vehicle I get my hands on...and generally Pennzoil oil...but Valvoline is certainly fine as well..and that is in fact what NAPA oil is, as Ed mentioned.

I usually go about 6-7k on a "full" synthetic oil change in a 3800...more can be squeezed out in a smaller honda or toyota engine...or usually about 50% to double whatever the manufacturer recommends for the engine with conventional oil.

As soon as I get the gaskets done on this new L67, it'll be getting the super extended amsoil SSO treatment...it's nice to forget about oil changes for a year at a time.

[mike2fix]

Longer drain intervals is not really one of the typically advertised benefits of synthetic oil, there are some that specifically are formulated for extended drain intervals but it is not all synthetics. Pennzoil Ultra, Pennzoil's latest (and according to many on Bob The Oil Guys site) and greatest synthetic is not an extended drain interval oil, they specifically state this in their (Pennzoil) FAQ's.

Some of the advantages to synthetics are higher flash points, better wear protection and better cleaning additive packages.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

Due to the higher detergency, a longer drain interval than a regular dino oil is entirely doable with the present synthetics.

Add the API SN standard that came into effect on January 1, 2011 into the mix, and there are very few reasons why not to run a SM or SN-marked synthetic oil for longer than a regular motor oil in a car.

Getting into detergency, the Pennzoil yellow bottle (regular) 5w-30 oil marked API SN states "40% sludge removal on first use" according to the SAE sludge removal test. The old Pennzoil Platinum in 5w-30 SM formulation advertised "40% of sludge removal on first use". I'm not sure what it says now with the SN formula. That's progress. Guess what oil is in my oil stash right now waiting for the summer.

[mike2fix]

I am not disputing that you can run synthetics longer than normal, I am just saying the manufacturers and the oil companies do not recommend it and synthetics marketed as extended drain, specifically state that they are extended drain interval products. Mobil 1 has their gold top EDI oil as well as a standard drain interval synthetic oil. The quote below is from Pennzoil's own FAQ regarding EDI.


35. If Pennzoil Ultra™ is so good why does it have to be changed every four months or 4K miles in order to make a lubricant related warranty claim?

Regarding Pennzoil’s position on oil drain intervals, we standby the vehicle manufacturer’s recommendation. If the vehicle manufacturer recommends 3,000 miles or 15,000 miles for drain intervals, we are more than confident our products will excel as long as the Pennzoil® oil selected meets the requirements outlined in the owner’s manual.

Given the variety of oil drain interval recommendations from vehicle manufacturers including custom intervals set by oil life indicators, Pennzoil chose 4,000 miles as a single data point to apply to all participants. If your vehicle manufacturer recommends drain intervals shorter than 4,000 miles, Pennzoil strongly recommends adhering to those requirements to maintain both your vehicle warranty and your Pennzoil warranty.

[LeSabre in Buffalo]

"Extended drain" is anything over 8-10k miles in my book. Even though a synthetic may not be marketed as an extended drain oil, it better still be able to handle 8k miles of mostly highway driving, else I'll support a different manufacturer.

And these warranty things with mass-market oils are kind of a waste. It's cheap enough, change it. Now pushing the edge like Amsoil sometimes does with oils that are very good and not necessarily API certified, that is a well-deserved warranty given the price of the oil and the use it sees.

[1oldman]

"Extended drain" is anything over 8-10k miles in my book. Even though a synthetic may not be marketed as an extended drain oil, it better still be able to handle 8k miles of mostly highway driving, else I'll support a different manufacturer.

And these warranty things with mass-market oils are kind of a waste. It's cheap enough, change it. Now pushing the edge like Amsoil sometimes does with oils that are very good and not necessarily API certified, that is a well-deserved warranty given the price of the oil and the use it sees.

The'92 SSE I'm driving, GM recommends 7500 mile change intervals if you only have highway driving, no towing, no dusty conditions, no hi temperatures (and no racing ha ha). Otherwise, it's 3000 miles. The new cars from GM can have intervals of 12 months, 12000 miles, under the right conditions.