Oil Change Oil Choices

When a car owner goes in for an oil change, one of the decisions that he or she needs to make is what kind of lubricant to choose from. There are two kinds to opt for, synthetic and non-synthetic, otherwise known as regular. The latter is the one that has been traditionally used for decades on the engine while the former has just been recently introduced, around a decade or so. The procedure of replacing the lubrication that is needed by the engine is usually done every three to six months or when a specific mileage is reached. The replacement process entails changing the filter as well as the used substance in order for the machine to function well. Newer vehicles may require a longer span of time before any replacing is necessary but older ones may follow the three month rule as well as the 3,000 miles rule.

Cost

The cost of an oil change for either kind of lubrication is extremely different. Regular is cheaper than the synthetic kind. The difference is not in the process itself but in the oil that will be used. The ordinary kind is basically cheaper than the other because it uses petroleum which is a common enough commodity and the factories that process this has been established for decades already. On the other hand, the recently developed lubricant costs more because it costs more to develop and to produce. It is more expensive because chemicals are used in order to make a cleaner and tougher kind of lubricant. The filter and labor costs are the same for either. The price of synthetic lubricant itself is double that of the regular price. In spite of the difference in cost, synthetic may actually help to save expenses because it lengthens the interval that a vehicle will need an oil change. Due to the cleaner nature and purity of the recently developed lubricant, it does not burn as fast as the regular one. This means that it can outlast the ordinary oils longer by several months, making replacement only twice a year or yearly depending on how clean and pure it is. Compared to the three month interval that regular lubrication requires, there can be some savings.

Environmental Issues

Many mechanics who facilitate an oil change claim that synthetic comes out as more environmental friendly than the regular. The use of petroleum can add to the problems that Earth has with global warming and the like. The fact that synthetic does not need to be changed every three months or every 3,000 miles also contributes to lesser use of the chemicals compared to getting rid of regular lubrication every three months. If the used oils are recycled, then there may be a lesser environmental impact for the use of regular. The synthetic does not burn easily which means that carbon emissions are lesser compared to non-synthetic. Emissions contribute immensely to the state of our atmosphere.

In terms of cost and the environment, the use of synthetic lubricant for change oil may be more advantageous than the use of regular oils.