Let's talk about servicing our Camaros

[OldTimer]

Dealer only for me. Sure helps if you have any warranty issues when you can show it has been serviced by GM trained technicians only.

[MrGazinya]

AMSoil after the first 3000 of factory oil. Oil will be changed in my garage.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

not to mention, ive read reports that if you use a motor oil other than the type used in the car when you get it, it will void your powertrain warranty.
not sure about the validity of that tho.

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act FTW. They could deny a claim for a failure that could be affected by oil if you didn't follow their guidelines, but they can't specify just one brand and variety. Even then, they can't void anything, they can only deny a specific claim that they are able to blame on the oil.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Magnuson-Moss Warranty Act FTW. They could deny a claim for a failure that could be affected by oil if you didn't follow their guidelines, but they can't specify just one brand and variety. Even then, they can't void anything, they can only deny a specific claim that they are able to blame on the oil.

cool, yeah i couldnt remember the specifics of it off the top of my head.

thanks for adding that info.

thats one thing with my cars, I will break parts, but not because of improper servicing.

[jeffny09]

what kind of oil is royal purple?

[theholycow]

Royal Purple is a religion oil like Amsoil. People get converted and it becomes the meaning of their life.

It's probably pretty good stuff, but I don't want to get involved in that culture.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Royal_P...t_manufacturer)

[BowtieGuy]

Originally Posted by jeffny09

what kind of oil is royal purple?

Heavy synthetic oil. Mostly for high horsepower/heavy duty applications. Some people put it in their daily drivers because they get some kind of reassurance with it. I'm not really sure. It's expensive stuff and there isn't honestly that big of a difference for me to justify the expense.

As long as nobody puts Penzoil in their Camaro it's all good. On a side note, I won't be servicing my Camaro at the dealer or my driveway, but behind a curtain in the V.I.P room.

[Rogue Leader]

Do it myself.... I like as few people to touch my car as possible. Plus I don't trust dealer lot guys. Seen too my wrecks, and just door dings from it. The less that its there the better.

[RLHMARINES]

After break in period I'll be using Red Line or Royal Purple. Your car's engine oil is one thing you do not want to cut corners with the heart of your vehicle. I've used Red Line in my wife's past BMW 525 and never had problems with over 268,000 miles since purchase. I use Royal Purple in my Tahoe.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by RLHMARINES

I've used Red Line in my wife's past BMW 525 and never had problems with over 268,000 miles since purchase.

Who has had problems that can be blamed on another oil brand? Most cars go to the junkyard having never had a problem that could be blamed on oil brand, oil type, or even oil change interval. Anyone who keeps cars for a long time can post the same thing you did for whatever oil they use. I bet most people here don't even plan to keep their Camaro for 268,000 miles.

FWIW...my 2002 GMC is closing in on 180,000 miles and I've mainly taken it to two mechanics for whatever oil they put in it, but sometimes to Jiffy Lube or a dealer or DIY. I usually manage to change the oil by the time "Change Oil" lights up on the dash, but sometimes it's been longer (and the light usually comes on after 6 to 7 thousand miles). When it was relatively new it had an oil leak, and a "Low oil" light came on but I thought it just had a bad sensor so I drove it dry for I don't know how long before I finally got it to the dealer for service. I've towed my 6000 pound camper a few thousand miles with it, up mountains where the engine didn't have enough power to get up to a decent speed. I've idled it for hours on hot days, and driven it hard while stone cold on cold winter days. It serves me, I don't serve it.

After all that, it has never had a problem that could be blamed on oil. Mostly it's had wheel bearings wear prematurely from heavy loads and rough driving surfaces.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Royal Purple is a religion oil like Amsoil. People get converted and it becomes the meaning of their life.

It's probably pretty good stuff, but I don't want to get involved in that culture.

the Amsoil following is crazy. im talkin die hard fanatics. I prefer Royal Purple myself. now, before you go and call me a RP illinois nazi, i will tell you that i have ran numerous tests with different oils and filters in my cars and sent samples of all of them off for analysis, as well as cutting open my filters and inspecting them myself.

my top 3 oils

RP
Amsoil
Mobil1

top filters
Wix
Mobil1
K&N


fram sucks for synthetic oils... period.

Originally Posted by BowtieGuy

Heavy synthetic oil. Mostly for high horsepower/heavy duty applications. Some people put it in their daily drivers because they get some kind of reassurance with it. I'm not really sure. It's expensive stuff and there isn't honestly that big of a difference for me to justify the expense.

As long as nobody puts Penzoil in their Camaro it's all good. On a side note, I won't be servicing my Camaro at the dealer or my driveway, but behind a curtain in the V.I.P room.

heavy synth oil?

Originally Posted by theholycow

Who has had problems that can be blamed on another oil brand? Most cars go to the junkyard having never had a problem that could be blamed on oil brand, oil type, or even oil change interval. Anyone who keeps cars for a long time can post the same thing you did for whatever oil they use. I bet most people here don't even plan to keep their Camaro for 268,000 miles.

I plan on keeping my car till the wheels fall off... or i put it into a wall....lol

tho, if you use the proper grade/weight oil and filter for your application and change it at regular intervals, you should never have a problem. however, a LOT of people who put their cars in the garage for the winter dont change their oil when they take it out in the spring. a lot of people will change at 3000 miles, regardless of the weather/temps.

i change my oil roughly every 3000 miles, but then again, I live in charleston, sc.... we have one season... partly cloudy with a 30% chance of showers.

during race season, ill change it more often. and when I drive to IL for vacation, i change it before I leave and again when I get back. ~2000 mile roundtrip. is it excessive? could I let it go longer? sure. but when you thrash on your car like I do, its cheap insurance to me.

same thing like spending an extra 75-100 bucks on lifters when doing a cam swap.

however... with 9qts... and this car being under warranty, it will probably go to the dealer for changes at scheduled interchanges... but, it will get RP and a wix filter if it wont mess with my warranty.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

however, a LOT of people who put their cars in the garage for the winter dont change their oil when they take it out in the spring.

Those people don't use Amsoil or Royal Purple. They use whatever their mechanic or dealer puts in, or they use what's on the shelf at WalMart or Auto Zone. Even so, they don't have failures that could have been prevented by better oil habits.

[CamaroSpike23]

Originally Posted by theholycow

Those people don't use Amsoil or Royal Purple. They use whatever their mechanic or dealer puts in, or they use what's on the shelf at WalMart or Auto Zone. Even so, they don't have failures that could have been prevented by better oil habits.

complete failure? no.
but if you took that same car and started driving it daily, racking up 15k+ a year, the breakdown of the oil and gases and condensation from the temp changes would lead to failure of the oil. while it might still get the job done, it isnt doing anything good for the engine.

[theholycow]

Originally Posted by CamaroSpike23

complete failure? no.
but if you took that same car and started driving it daily, racking up 15k+ a year, the breakdown of the oil and gases and condensation from the temp changes would lead to failure of the oil. while it might still get the job done, it isnt doing anything good for the engine.

Sure, that's true, but when it's all said and done they'll sell or junk the car with an engine that hasn't suffered any consequences from their oil habits.

I'm not advocating neglect, but oil is NOT the rocket science that so many make it into. Just follow the service schedule and use oil matching or exceeding the manufacturer's specifcations and you'll get rid of the car long before the engine suffers from your oil habits, unless you use it in a particularly uncommon way ("uncommon" being defined as a way that not many other people use the same car).