several months ago, i went from conventional to synthetic. bought mobil 1 fully synthetic 10w-30 for $5.99 each at Kragan i think? took it to a mom and pop shop; stupid me didn't buy a filter, so they put their own in.

today, at 7000 miles, i got it changed. i saw the oil draining and it was pitch black, literally. i bought 10w-30 mobil 1 extended performance + mobil 1 filter.

someone once told me that synthetic isn't supposed to burn (turn black). is that true? does that mean i ran the car too long with that oil?

and what do you all think about the mobil 1 extended performance?

 

7000mi is a little too much I belive. You should try 5000mi and oil won't be so black. Synthetic will turn black if you run on it too long

 

ya that is some used oil

 

mobile 1 goes black right away.. the color of the oil has nothing to do with how much life is remaining in it.

Also M1 is no longer a true synthetic it is a group 3 like Castrol Syntec, Pennzoil Platinum.

Amsoil, Redline and German Castrol Syntec 0w-30 are a few of the remaining True synthetics. Next oil change switch to castrol Syntec 0w-30 available at autozone. Great oil that will last 7500+ miles.

Also I have used the m1 extended on a friends 06 silverado. Great oil.. not sure if its a true synthetic or not.

Also save your money on M1 filters, they are great filters but not worth the money, the Purolator filters are just as good and you can get them for alot less.

 

Motul is a true synthetic as well.

I think part of the reason M1 goes dark so quick is because of all the additives it has, like cleaning agents etc. 7k is kinda long if you ask me.

 

yes I believe motul is also a true syn, most synthetics will go 7k no problem. I think Amsoil is good for 15-20k.

 

what about the royal purp?!

 

Anyone that goes 7K miles between oil changes has no respect for their cars!
Members on our site should care more about maintaining their cars not seeing
how long oil will last before it turns to black gue. You went twice to long
before changing your oil, show a little respect for your G.

 

You have no idea. Color is not an accurate indication of oil status. Only an oil analysis can determine that. Amsoil has long change interval oil that can go 15k if the engine is in good condition and the filter is changed.

 

What you are probably seeing is the extra detergency of the Extended performance at work. Since you were using dino oil prior to the M1, you likely had a fair amount of deposits already in the motor. The syn with its more robust additive package is loosening and dispersing the gunk left over. Its actually good that it is black because that means that the residues are in solution and being drained out.

Its always a good idea to do a short interval (3-4K miles) on the first & second syn change to get all the goo out. After that, you can easily go 7500 miles. I go the full 15K on M1, and after 80K miles, the thing still runs like day 1.

 

where the hell did you guys get the idea the color of oil doesn't matter?! That's so absurd! I ran mobile 1 for 6500 and it turn black, 2nd round, I checked at 5k and it was lighter in color. I'm going to change it around 5800 or so.. I've tried royal purple and others and they seemed to be about the same. I like the longer m1 filter.. dunno the part number, though.

 

I have wondered that as well, for the last 20K miles i have used mobil 1 synbthetic with a mobil 1 synthetic filter...and everytime my oil is black when it comes out (i change evry 3000 miles). I figured the first few times were from left over oil in the engine, but it still comes out black....?

-sean

 

Where did you guys get the idea that oil's color is an accurate indication of the oil's condition?

 

german castrol is great stuff. and from what i head from bob is the oil guy it is great for our vq's.

 

changing at 3500 miles on mobil 1 synthetic engine oil? there is little factual basis for doing that (unless it is meant to get everything out from the conventional oil used before).

the 3000 or 3500 mile figure that oil companies and mechanics use is an arbitrary figure meant to get consumers to change their oils frequently (even prematurely) so as to raise profit. the "right" time to change an oil does not depend solely on mileage, and certainly not solely on color. and, i think the Nissan VQ engine, on the Ward's 10 best engine list for god knows how many years, is of such high quality that minor indiscretions would be of negligible detriment to the engine.

i appreciate your caring about my car. i care about it too.