Value of Synthetic Oil

It’s no exaggeration to say that oil is the lifeblood of your vehicle. It lubricates the parts of your engine, preventing friction and extending the lifespan of the entire vehicle. Without oil, the components in your engine will literally burn up and the car will cease to run at all—making it vital to be mindful of your engine’s oil health.

Value of Synthetic Oil

This means knowing the answer to some of the most common oil change questions—starting with the question of how often you should change engine oil. More complicated to answer is the question of what kind of oil to use—synthetic or premium. Yet if you really want to do what’s best for the ongoing health of your vehicle, this is a question you’ll put some thought into.

The Value of Synthetic Oil

Synthetic oil comes with one major downside, which we’ll clarify from the get-go: It costs more. Whether you change the oil yourself or ask your oil change technician to use the synthetic stuff, it’s going to run you a bit more than if you used conventional oil. The question is, does synthetic oil offer enough of an edge to make it a good value overall?

For many vehicle owners, the answer is yes. In terms of enhancing the performance of your engine—and extending the lifespan of your engine components—synthetic oil is definitely superior to any alternatives.

Synthetic Oil at a Glance

But what is synthetic oil, exactly? Basically, it’s just what the name suggests—oil created from chemical compounds, designed to maximize performance. Some synthetic oils actually use conventional oil as a base, but some are made entirely from other raw materials.

The goal behind synthetic oil is simple: It’s made to reduce the engine wear during start-up and drive-away. It also wards off oil degradation. In other words: It allows your engine to do what it’s supposed to do with minimal damage done.

Synthetic oil accomplishes all of this because it’s thinner, because it’s more resistant to temperature extremes, and because it simply lasts longer. None of that should come as any big surprise, of course, because it’s exactly what synthetic oil is made to do.

A Question of Value

Nobody really doubts that synthetic oil is better; the question is, is it actually worth the extra cost?

Consider the long-lasting performance of synthetic oil. Now we’re back to the question of how often you should change the oil. With conventional oil the answer is every 3,000 to 5,000 miles—but with synthetic, it’s more like 7,000.

So you pay more for the oil—but it lasts longer and doesn’t have to be changed as frequently. For many vehicle owners, that makes it a better bargain in the long run—and a better way to care for your car.