Type Oil for 850GLT 1995, questions?

[viper69]

I live in LA, the local dealership charges $65 dollars for an oil change!!!

I went to a private mechanic that charges $51, they specialize in Saab and Volvo only.

He told me that places like Jiffy Lube or out here EZ Lube use Penzoil which is paraffin based, and according to him is terrible oil...is that true?

He recommended Castrol for 3,000 mi changes..and for $70, he'd use that Synthec (spelling??) and I could change every 6,000 miles...I do a lot of local driving...my vehicle is not turbo.

I want to see what people think, is he trying to take my money?? He know's I'm new in the area.

[95autoturbo]

sounds like you should just go to walmart, but get your own quality air filter for them to put in, cause "fram" oil filters are trash, if you do lots of local driving then get your oil changed atleast every 3k.......................

[MadeInJapan]

With a non-turbo the synthetic isn't really necessary...just make sure you do the interval changes (3K miles would be great), keep the oil trap and flame trap clean and don't let the 5 minute jiffy/easy lube places do your oil changes. Buy some Rhino ramps from a autoparts store for about $20, and go to www.fcpgroton.com and buy the Mann oil filters and their aluminum washers for the drain plug. I do my own oil changes and I have the whole thing down to under 10 minutes, and I know it's done right.

Your local indy shop will charge you...$51 (with him supplying the oil...$70 if it's synth.)...hmmm. Prices below are what I'm paying...maybe your local indy is getting better prices for quantity.

Oil filter= $5.00 for Mann (maker of Volvo OEM oil filters)
Oil (6quarts)= $20 for normal $36 for synth (mobil-1).
Alum Washer= 20cents.

Labor is the same whether he uses Synth or not...and Btw, the Castrol he's recommending is fine! If you don't want to get dirty, trust the guy and he's going to have a good look over each time he does your oil, it could be worth the $25+ for labor he's charging you.

My local indy charges $35 with me bringing my own oil in. I do my own.

[White850Turbo]

Your mechanic is semi-right. No oil is paraffin based... that'd be downright retarded. But... "dino" oils do contain small amounts of a paraffin , some more than others. Just to clarify, paraffin is NOT good for an engine. Synthetic does not contain paraffin.

I think synthetic is good even if the car is non-turbo... it'll still help to reduce wear much more than a dino oil and will do a much better job at keeping everything clean in there.

As MIJ said and as I encourage everyone to do, taking care of your own oil changes is your best bet. You can get a 5-quart jug of Mobil 1 at Wal-mart for ~ $25 and then buy the Mann filters in bulk along with the crush washers and you'll be able to do a synthetic oil change for about half the price your mechanic would charge. Once you do it and realize how easy it is, you'll ask yourself why he charges $35 to do it.

[robert213]

I
He told me that places like Jiffy Lube or out here EZ Lube use Penzoil which is paraffin based, and according to him is terrible oil...is that true?

He recommended Castrol for 3,000 mi changes..and for $70, he'd use that Synthec (spelling??) and I could change every 6,000 miles...I do a lot of local driving...my vehicle is not turbo.

I don't know whether the paraffin-based story is true or not...

Machine shops that I have worked with say, Avoid Pennzoil and Quaker State. Recommend Castrol GTX, Valvoline, and Kendall.

In a non-turbocharged engine, I would use 10W30.

Another option to raise your car...
Hydraulic Jack and Floor Stands. I place a scrap piece of wood under each floor stand to keep from sliding on concrete. Actually, I place two 4 x 8 sheets of plywood on the floor of my garage. I mount floor stands under the sub-frame for the engine.

And regarding oil filters...

Avoid AC/Delco, Fram, Pennzoil and Quaker State

Prefer Hastings Premium (Baldwin), OEM Volvo, Mann, Mahle, Wix, NAPA Gold, Carquest Premium Blue, Champ, Lee, STP, Mobile-1, and Purolator Pure-1.