Hey guys,

There's a 2000 Monte Carlo I was looking at, and the owner was saying that he's had routine synthetic oil changes on the vehicle.
I don't know a lot about the differences between synthetic/regular but I know that synthetic tends to last a bit longer and is just a bit better overall.

A friend of mine told me that the only downside of synthetic oil is that it's a little more expensive and that once you switch to synthetic you can't switch back to regular. I did a bit of googling, and it looks like some people have switched back just fine...
I don't think this would be a deciding factor as to whether I get the car or not, but I was wondering what your guys' thoughts on it were.

Thanks.

 

You can use regular no problems.

Although synthetic costs about twice as much as regular, you can run it twice as long. Cost wise is about the same really.

 

I wouldn't really gian much from switching to synthetic since I don't put many mile son it a year, but my question was the same. My friends dad and my mechanic both told me if I switched to synthetic I couldn't switch back or it'd ruin all my seals? Just wondering if that false. I'm not going to switch just wanna make sure if any of my buddies ask me I don't tell them the wrong thing then get blamed for it

 

Since it costs about twice as much but also lasts about twice as long, are the benefits of synthetic worth just sticking with it?

 

Hi `Josh & Welcome to the MCF,
It's great to read that you are doing your homework before your purchase your next car.. I hope it proves to be a Super Monte Carlo & we look forward to you returning & telling us all about `it .

It makes no difference if you switch back and forth. Anyone saying so is spreading a myth that has existed since synthetics were first made. The truth is that at the core they are the same thing. Synthetics are just made by man not nature so they don't contain the flaws that lead to breakdown of viscosity and thermal sludging found in conventional oils. The only truth is that you wont benefit from using synthetics while not using them. They can even be mixed together no problem. If you don't believe this then what do you think synthetic conventional blends are?

Wish you Good Luck & we hope we see you back with a Monte Carlo

 

I am a diehard Synthetic fan...not only can you run it twice as long, it keeps your engine cleaner, and tends not to build up deposits in your engine. Well worth the money IMO.

Can you switch from Synthetic to Conventional? The answer is yes. Lots of people say no, but it's simply a myth, you can change back and forth with no issues.

My suggestion though, is always use synthetic in everything....I prefer Mobil1 personally. Synthetics hold up better over time, through extreme cold or heat, and keep your engine cleaner...all worth it.

 

If you do switch make sure that ALL of the oil is drained out before you put the new stuff in.
I'm kinda debating on switching to Semi-Synthetic - I think it's the best of both worlds.

 

So would you recommend it to someone like me who rarely drives their monte? And as Amy mentioned in the thread how the heck would you get every last drop drained of the regular oil? I mean I want my car to run as long as humanly possible but I rarely drive it 3k a year so far. Hopefully it'll be more soon. So anyway what I'm asking worth it how about semi-synthetic?

 

I use Mobil1 synthetic and have 160K miles. Change every 4-5K miles.
I drive hard or high RPMs often-no problems w/engine. Use to change clutch + parts everytime i change oil/filter but ive slowed down from banging gears lol it got expenssive lol

 

Don't waste your money. Most semi-syn is only 10-15% syn at most.