Ive got an 03 Accord EX 4cyl with 83k miles.
I was thinking about switching over to synthetic oil with the next oil change but wanted to get your opinions on it here first.
If I do switch, ive been told that I can get more miles between oil changes and that also it will help my fuel economy. Im more sure on the former rather than the latter.
So, can anyone give me any tips, hints, or suggestions?

 

once to switch to synthetic, you cant switch back, so be careful.

 

Myth - you CAN switch back.

MPG inprovement is probably true in theory, but too small to measure.

 

Sorry, dead wrong on that one!
You can switch back and forth between synthetic and regular oil daily if you wish. Ever heard of a synthetic blend?On the first run with syntheticgo 5000 miles max, change oil and filter. The only 100% goofproof way to know when to change oil (future)is to do a used oil analysis. Generally you can go farther between changes with a synth but the UOA will tell you how much farther. Better MPG? Nope.

 

UOA? What is it and where can it be done?

 

Oh, and just so I dont forget my manners, Thanks to all for the info

 

True. But switching with a poorly maintained or high miled engine would require shortened staggered changes if switched from conventional to synthetic. I just remember in the early days of synthetic, "the compounds in the oil had different effects on the internal seals of an engine. Petroleum contained distillates that caused the engine seals to expand or "swell". The seals would wear to the correct tolerance for that component and everything would be fine, until the owner switched to synthetic oil . Synthetics did not contain the distillates and the seals would return or "shrink" back to their original size."

 

This caused sometimes incredible oil leakage issues. An interesting side bar is the invent of several "stop leak additives" to battle these problems. The primary component of these was and still is today.... Petroleum Distillate
If an engine had synthetic oil in it from the beginning and for the majority of its existence, the seals would not swell and wear until the owner switched to conventional oil. Once the switch was made, you could never go back due to the extended wear to the motor."

 

But I guess with today's technology and improvements, it does not matter so much anymore.

 

UOA = used-oil analysis
www.blackstonelabs.com or a small handful of other places like that.

I had been using non-synth at 7k mile changes in the2003 4-cyl Accord. UOA says I could go longer, but that car (daughter) has just changed driving habits to short-drives. So... ??

Check out www.bobistheoilguy.com for more info than you ever thought possible...