[SouthFlaGT]

ok, three questions. 1)using the same gas for the life of the car is good or bad, if bad how many miles do u switch gas ? 2)is there such a thing as "overwaxing" the car ? as in every month is too much wax and can hurt the car's paint. 3)should i change to synthetic ? i have 2500 miles on her now and 1 oil change done. will i be ok just changeing regular oil every 2k miles or is synthetic that much better?

dan

[GTRaptor]

1) You dont need to switch gas unless it detonates or make some mods that require a different octane. Not all fuels are created equal, some brands are better than others, so you could consider changing brands, but not necesarilly octane rating.

2) No such thing as "overwaxing" but some wax componets will build overtime, a fresh paint/surface cleaning is advisable every year or two. There are cleaner waxes that will remove old deposits of wax, following this you apply a fresh coat of wax.

One thing that can damage yoru paint is OVER POLISHING, the abrasive nature of some polishes will remove a thin layer clearcoat every time you use them, this will leave your paint unprotected and will become dull.

My rule is: wax every 3 months, clean and polish once a year, quick wax (spray detailers) as often as you want.

Fav brands: 3M, Zaino, Meguiars

3) A change to synth is ok, lasts a bit longer & doesnt degrade as fast as regular oil, it also gives you a bit better fuel economy. With every oil change also change the filter.

[Fiat Freak]

I concur with almost everything GTRaptor said, except the fav brands. I'm an old timer, and prefer Turtle Wax products.

And, depending on the amount of times you wash your ride, you may not need a wax cleaner/remover. Wax buildup is reduced/eliminated in part by normal washing. Polishing should be done in moderation, and when necessary, not as a general rule.

Waxing every 3 months depends on the amount of washes, exposure to daylight, and amount of time spent in the bugs & fast moving air.....kept in the garage, no wax required....daily driver, lotsa wax needed.

ABSOLUTELY, change the filter with every oil change. NEVER skimp on this. Switch to synthetic oils anytime you like after the break-in period.

[Saleen Owner]

Originally Posted by GTRaptor

Not all fuels are created equal, some brands are better than others, so you could consider changing brands, but not necesarilly octane rating.

This all depends on where you live. Very few areas of the U.S. have more than one or two bulk fuel terminals. For example, in this area Marathon Ashland Petroleum and Shell is the only game around. Doesn't matter if you go to a BP, Sunoco, Pilot, or whatever station around here, your buying either MAP or Shell fuel. The oil companys trade fuel stock to keep transportation costs down. So whereas the BP stations here may have MAP fuel, in another area of the country, you may be getting BP fuel at a Marathon station. There is a little difference in the blend of additives each company wants in their fuel, and the octane additive amounts, but beyond that, they are probably using the same base fuel stock.

What you have to be careful of, is some of the little independent stations that may water their fuel down to bump up profits.

Full synthetic oils, like Mobil 1, Redline, and Amsoil, are a lot better for your engine than dino oils. Also, if you don't like the price of a full synthetic, a blend is still a lot better than just plain dino oil. Motorcraft synthetic blend is about the best I've heard of, running around a 50/50 blend, and just a tiny bit pricer than regular dino oil.

[GTRmustang95]

I heard that once you go with synthetic you cant go back to conventional oil UNLESS you fullly "flush" or clean out all the sythetic oil inside the pan and stuff then you can go bad.

You cant run back and forth between oil changes from synthetic and conventional.

Also my friend ran his car up to about 30k on regular oil cause thats what was "recommended from the factory" the after 30k ran blend and then at about 90k we went to synthetic and said his motor will last about another 300k miles at least.