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Date:         Wed, 21 May 2003 17:08:08 -0600
Reply-To:     Simon <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Sender:       Vanagon Mailing List <vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com>
From:         Simon <simon@FARRSIDE.NET>
Subject:      Re: Synthetic oil......sceptic no more!
In-Reply-To:  <1cd.a0ae6bf.2bfd5749@aol.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII; format=flowed

Want a testimonial? I've run Mobil 1 in every single one of the cars listed below- each car had never had synthetic oil as far as I could ascertain.

1981 Jetta 1981 Rabbit 1984 GTI 1986 Vanagon (with 1989 Audi 80 motor) 1987 Scirocco 16V 1988 Ford Ranger V6 1992 Corrado VR6 1994 Jetta GLX 1995 Passat GLX 1996 Jetta Trek

Results? The Ford seeped a little at the oil pan. The Corrado seeped a little at the rear main- but there's some debate as to whether that leak was pre-existing, and whether the actual problem is that that particular Corrado was a major piece of... junk. The Vanagon, the 16V Scirocco, and all the cars with VR6 engines would get 2 seconds' worth of lifter noise if they hadn't been run for more than a couple of days. Probably, all of the VW inline engines would have leaked at the front seals, but I tend to replace those seals as one of the first things I do when I get a new car, so we'll never know.

Every single one of these cars had some sort of temperature gauge, and several had one for water AND one for oil. Every single gauge read lower within 10 miles of the switch to synthetic, and stayed lower under all driving conditions. The VR6 cars had digital oil temperature gauges, and they ALL averaged 10 degrees cooler under all driving conditions. The VR6 cars also had digital MPG gauges, and I noticed (I was looking for it) that I gained at least 2 MPG in all of them, with a high of 4 in the '94 Jetta!

All that being said... I run Delo 400 in all of my cars now. I like that my lifters aren't noisy on "dry" starts, and that it's cheaper.

All tests... such as they were... were conducted in Colorado over the last 6 years, mostly in the Front Range near Denver, and commutes down to Denver, with some long-distance stuff mixed in.

HTH!

-Simon


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