How does one know if vehicle came with Synthetic oil in it?

[JeffsMM]

Gonna change the oil for the first time in the new MM 42,000 miles.
I would like to use synthetic oil, but no records of what is in there now.
Any suggestions?

[Bigdogjim]

You can use synthetic now just do not change back.(if regular oil was in there.) You can send a sample to Blackstone Labs. to find out for sure what was in there. [just save it in a water/soda bottle (clean of course) till you get a kit]

If you PM me an address I will send you a sample kit,(free) cost of lab work is $20-30 bucks.

Kits are free:)

You can google Blackstone and read about them.

[Egon Spengler]

don't our owners manuals say to use synthetic oil... I could be wrong like the thing with the wheels on 300a's... I dunno... correct me once again if I am wrong

[Bigdogjim]

Ford blend 5W-20 not a full (100%) synthetic oil...

[magindat]

If changing back was an issue, there wouldn't be synthetic blends.

And TJ, the motorcraft oil is synthetic blend...not full syn! 1/2 points this time!!!!

[Bluerauder]

Ford blend 5W-20 not a full (100%) synthetic oil...
Yep, I've been using only the Motorcraft 5W-20 blend for 51 months. She's due again in about 1,500 miles. :D

[davidholland]

Old wifes tale. You can switch back & forth with snythetic & Dino oil and no harm will become you. A Snythetic blend is no better than a dino oil. If you are looking for protection use a full snythetic bump up change intervals to 5K and it will actually save you money over regular oil every 3K and be better for the car.

[hot-rauder]

im running full syn...

i would reccomend putting the blend in there if you dont want to pay for lab work, and then move on to full syn. next time you change your oil.

[FastMerc]

Just change it out and put full synt, in you will be good.

[Bigdogjim]

I have found that using a lab such a Blackstone can save you money in the long run. You would be supprised how long oil will hold up.

[Cordoba1]

I am so-not-convinced that premium oil is worth it for "the rest of us." Those that have modification that push their engines to the limits -- Yeah, those guys probably need premium lubrication and shortened change-intervals.

Every now and then you'll see a car advertised, and the copy will read, ".... and I changed the oil every 1,000 miles." The first thing I think is: bull*****! And secondly, I think, "What a waste of money!"

If you take a walk through a junk-yard, nearly every engine in the place is fine! Cars are almost always junked with other issues... It is almost always the ancillary devices that cause a car to be junked, usually not an engine failure.

I ramble: Just change your oil at the scheduled intervals with most any name-brand oil. I grew up in a "Penzoil" family - but I have no reason to believe it is better or worse than other name-brand lubes.

[RF Overlord]

I would like to use synthetic oil, but no records of what is in there now.
Any suggestions?Yes: go ahead and use whatever synthetic oil you prefer. As davidholland said, it's a myth that you can't switch back and forth. There was a grain of truth to that myth 30 years ago, but with today's oils there's absolutely no issue. A premium synthetic such as Mobil 1 or Pennzoil Platinum will have no trouble going 10,000 miles/1 year if you use a quality filter like Motorcraft or WIX/NAPA Gold/Carquest Blue (all the same filter).

[JeffsMM]

I will go ahead and use a synthetic oil, and for as long as I own the car which will hopfully be a long time.

[96DiamondVIII]

Synthetic and no worries. I personally use Mobil1 with a PureOne filter and stick to 5K intervals, which is usually between 3 and 5 months for me. If it hits 6 months without reaching 5K I'll change the oil then as a precaution. No need to have the old oil analyzed before switching, I changed in both the MM and in my previous car ('96 Mark VIII with ~55k at the time) with no ill effects.