Oil: Spend more on better oil for FE?

[theholycow]

I'm going to change the oil in my VW. It requires VW-approved oil and I have many options. Of course, I looked for low-weight oil.

I found some 0w-30 for $6.87/qt (which I bought), and later found 5w-30 for $3.80/qt (not much more than half). That's $18 difference for my 6 quart oil change.

Is it worth it? Should I make the effort to return the 0w and buy the 5w, or will the 0w pay off in FE over the 10,000 mile interval?

[Jay2TheRescue]

I have found that synthetic always pays off in extended changes... I never felt comfortable in running dino juice for more than 3,000 miles. I'm not sure I feel comfortable letting it go to 10,000 though. I do 5,000 for simplicity. I know if my mileage is divisible by 5,000 my oil change is due. I know without even walking out to the truck, or looking anything up that my next oil change is due @ 155,000 miles. Right now I am at ~ 152,500. I am considering switching it to a 0w oil sooner than 5,000 though. I may change the oil at 153 or 154,000 miles and then let it roll till 160,000 just to even it out again. 5K synthetic oil changes keep a nice clean engine. When I pulled Rusty's oil pan off a few months ago and inspected the crankshaft all internal parts I could see looked clean & like new - and the truck has darn near 190,000 miles on it. Rusty is a special case now, as I don't anticipate putting 5,000 miles a year on him. I told dad we'll change the oil every spring regardless of mileage. - and of course we're sticking with synthetic.

-Jay

[theholycow]

Well, only synthetics are approved by VW. The cheaper stuff is Pennzoil Platinum synthetic 5w-30, and the expensive stuff is Castrol Syntec European Formula synthetic 0w-30.

The 10,000 mile interval is per the manufacturer's schedule and I'm fine with it. The leased car only needs to last 45,000 miles...and there's a 50,000 mile warranty.

[GasSavers_Pete]

holycow,
In my experience with my current car (GM 3.8 V6 , 104 000 kms) the fuel difference is about 5% between 20W/50 and 10W/30 with the 10W/30 being slightly more frugal.

This is in mostly highway driving and short trips are rare which may have some bearing on matters.

I am not sure how this relates to your situation but it is at least a starting point.

Cheers , Pete.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I forget that you've leased it. I always operate in "Drive it till the doors fall off, then put em' back on and drive some more" mode.

-Jay

[theholycow]

I usually drive it until I can't stand fixing it anymore, which gets worse as repairs get more frequent/expensive, and varies inversely proportional to how much I like the vehicle. This leasing thing is a stop-gap measure to temporarily cut my losses.

Pete, I'll have to do the math for 5% and see... Thanks.

[Jay2TheRescue]

I can honestly say I have never hit the "I can't stand fixing it anymore" point. For all practical purposes I should have hit that point on the Buick, but I loved the car so much I didn't care how much I had to fix it.

-Jay

[GasSavers_BEEF]

since you already have the stuff, it will cost you to take it back. I mean to say, you have to drive to the store and waste time there returning it and getting the other stuff.

this could also be a good opportunity to experiment. you could see how the mileage goes so you know what to do next time. I have burned more than $20 on a good meal (and lunch for that matter). I say to give it a try. it may pay off, it may not.

I am not too keen on the whole lease thing. I think most have a purchase feature at the end of the lease which I have heard is usually a pretty good deal for the value of the car. you may consider purchasing it if your mileage continues to rise. I know you have put quite a bit of effort into the mileage of that car.

[theholycow]

Yeah, I might think about buying it out at the end (or sooner), but probably not. I really like the VW but I'm still not convinced of its longevity, so I'm not sure I want to commit like that to a VW.

I'm almost sure it will be a good deal, though; they apparently retain resale value pretty well, and I just saw a used one with an asking price that looks like MORE than sticker on a new one. If gas prices don't fall to $2.50/gallon again then used little cars will still be in great demand, and book value will be higher than my buyout.

Check it out:
$17,888
http://www.automart.com/vehicledetai.../src-dealerads
25,000 miles
Only option: Sunroof (all those other features are standard)

Brand new 2008 4 door with more power and better EPA rating than the above 2007 model:
MSRP $17,575
http://www.vw.com/rabbit/pricelist/en/us/#/overview

I toyed with trying to turn a profit selling out of my lease and then buy a beater but, besides being an insane idea, I really can't do it for a number of reasons.

[Jay2TheRescue]

Originally Posted by theholycow

...I toyed with trying to turn a profit selling out of my lease and then buy a beater but, besides being an insane idea, I really can't do it for a number of reasons.

But beaters are fun.

-Jay