[Santos]

Found this vid to be super interesting.

I always council people go for the highest S'x' API rating in the store. 'x' being the furthest along the alphabet.

Currently that is SN
If no SN, go SM
No SM, go SL
then SJ, SH, SG
and any oil is better than no oil.

I honestly think 10w40 SN is better investment to SG 20w50 no matter how much oil the engine is burning.
Suzuki also have a chart similar to this in every factory service manual

Just check it regularly and top up. Also give the engine oil a good flush and add oil seal swelling additives at oil change.
I have no brand bias. i just buy the cheapest per litre API SN, usually on sale at SCA for $16-$20 5L


The final video is another one where i think any oil is better than no oil. Many years ago i learnt the hard way that just because your car doesn't burn oil city driving and you topped it up at the beginning of a trip doesn't mean you have oil 5 hours of highway later, stop every 200kms max. Always check your oil when going offroad or going over 80km per hour.

[shakes]

20 mins every 200k
200,000k no issues (what's average until an oil issue?)
1000stops x 20 mins = 20,000 or 333hours
333hrs x $50/hr (my time) = $16,666

For most motors I'll take my chances and will only do the minimum checks, and unless the motor is being worked hard I'll be running the cheapest oil in the recommended grade. Most cars I sell on after 30-50,000k

[Reubs]

Low to full mark on a Sierra dipstick is about 1L. If you are loosing more than that after 200km at highway speeds there will be a noticeable oil slick over the back of the car.

When I am doing a full day's drive (1000km+) I tend to do a 30 second walk-around at every fuel stop. I won't open the bonnet but I'll check the temperature of every wheel and hub by feel on the back of the hand and have a quick look at the underside of the car. Oil and other fluids will be checked daily however. Most Suzukis I have owned burn/leak oil at a rate of about 1L/1000km.

If you are buying oil based purely on it's specification, then commercial mixed-fleet stuff is cheap and better spec'd than most retail oils. Last 20L drum I bought cost $107.

[Santos]

Driving sydney to fraser island 4 years fully loaded i burnt/leaked around 250ml every 500km. that was my 2nd motor with unknown history, which last year i retired as i suspect the seals and or rings all need replacing. 3rd current motor was $100 and swapping it out seemed simpler solution for my daily driver.

The unfortunate experience was a year before hand where i got from sydney to taree (500kms) and burnt through what must of been 3 litres as once i stopped for fuel and lunch i got the knocking sound, decided that i could limp to brisbane. Made it 10kms till complete engine failure . Cost me $150 to tow it back into town and lost 3 days swapping an engine on the side of the road. To be fair i had a feeling the engine wasn't going to last much longer when i set on the trip. What is interesting is it appeared to be running amazingly well that day and not blowing smoke etc.

Ruebs, i have in the past got Gulf western diesel oil (15w40 SL) for $4 a litre (10L $40) and the supercheap auto exclusive castol 10w40 SN for $4 a litre (5 or 5.5L for under $20). I pick up clean oil for ridiculous 20c-50c a litre at garage sales which i use if topping up or freely giveaway to friends/family but like to put the SN rating at oil change. My latest score was 1l of fully synthetic 15w50 SJ sealed and 3 200ml radiator rust inhibitor also sealed for a total $2

Seriously Shakes love your maths, if you pay yourself $50 an hour in your spare time you can afford to live life dangerously i on the otherhand have l33t skills and can check and top up oil in under 5 minutes . I also like to refuel every 200kms simply to average out fuel quality, less likely to be stuck with a tank full of crap. Sounds paranoid i know but they are habits i picked up when travelling overseas.

Then i guess it comes down to what point you buy a car then sell it? i got my old girl at 197 thou 16 years ago and still have her 130k kms later. I also freely admit i probably killed my first engine prematurely at the 240k mark prematurely by the self taught learning curve.

[MrRocky]

I think it makes such a small difference its not worth even considering. Regular changes of cheap stuff will see most zooks hit 300k

[vet 180]

MrRocky wrote:

I think it makes such a small difference its not worth even considering. Regular changes of cheap stuff will see most zooks hit 300k

This

[Santos]

How regularly do you change the filter and drop the oil? I do it every 5000km. Did you watch the first video till the end where the oil pours?
(5minute 30 seconds)

[MrRocky]

Maybe 5 times in 100k kms
Total now at 265k