From: Mark A on
"SMS" <scharf.steven(a)geemail.com> wrote in message
news:2j5gk.8597$L_.2836(a)flpi150.ffdc.sbc.com...
> Few people are still clueless enough to do 3000 mile oil changes (unless
> they own a very old vehicle).

Few people? I think that a lot of knowledgeable car people do it, which may
not be a bad idea if they use conventional oil. Obviously, that is excessive
if you use a full synthetic.


From: SMS on
Mark A wrote:
> "SMS" <scharf.steven(a)geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:Yd5gk.8594$L_.1401(a)flpi150.ffdc.sbc.com...
>> Similarly, I've been drinking fresh ground arabica coffee for 15 years,
>> after switching from pre-ground robusta and my body is still operating at
>> peak efficiency. It must be the arabica beans.
>
> Your body may be OK, but your brain is fried.

What you need to do is to learn about causal relationships. You've
attributed your use of synthetic oil to your engine running smoothly
after ten years, when in fact there is no relationship between the two.
Your engine would be equally smooth running on oil with a petroleum base
stock.
From: Mark A on
"C. E. White" <cewhite3(a)mindspring.com> wrote in message
news:zIKdnevZtsiEeR3VnZ2dnUVZ_hadnZ2d(a)earthlink.com...
> You mentioned the Corvette problems a couple of times now. I read what I
> could on Corevette ring sealing problems and other than some wild internet
> speculation, no one climed the use of synthetic oil was the prime cause.
> The most reasonable explaination seemed to be the use of low tension rings
> that were subject to flutter under frequent hard use (the sort of use one
> would expect from someone buying a Corvette). GM addressed the problem by
> changing the rings and pistons.
>
> Ed

Yes they changed the rings and pistons after they had break-in problem with
synthetics using their old machining methods. The problem coincided with the
switch to factory fill synthetic.

I am not trying to overstate this break-in thing before switching to
synthetic. But I find it ironic that most of the people who claim switching
to synthetic immediately is not a problem don't even use synthetic and don't
recommend it.

Does it do any harm to wait until the first oil change to switch to
synthetic? No, unless you live where the temps are below zero and you park
outdoors.

Could it do some good, even in 1 out of 100 cases? Maybe.


From: Mark A on
"SMS" <scharf.steven(a)geemail.com> wrote in message
news:C07gk.13510$cW3.1885(a)nlpi064.nbdc.sbc.com...
> What you need to do is to learn about causal relationships. You've
> attributed your use of synthetic oil to your engine running smoothly after
> ten years, when in fact there is no relationship between the two. Your
> engine would be equally smooth running on oil with a petroleum base stock.

I can tell you without any reservation or doubt, that as soon as I made the
change to Mobil 1 in 1998 (after the first oil change) I could feel that the
engine revved more freely. Although I cannot prove that my 10 year old car
is still in excellent condition is because of synthetic oil, but I have
never had an engine run so smoothly after even 5 years. I frequently rent
late model cars for business reasons, and very few of them are as smooth
running as mine.

Now, since you don't even use synthetic oil, how come you are telling me I
am wrong?

If you really want to get into serious discussion of cause and effect, then
read some of the 18th century British philosopher David Hume who proved
there is no known understood cause and effect relationship for anything. The
tobacco industry has used this same philosophy to claim that there is no
understood relationship between tobacco smoking and lung cancer (they are
correct, because although there is an statistical relationship, scientists
do not know how tobacco actually causes lung cancer).

In fact, when the USDA evaluates drugs for the treatment of disease, they
rely solely on statistical efficacy data, and not on any cause and effect
relationship that may, or may not, be understood.


From: Hachiroku ハチロク on
On Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:19:57 -0400, Mark A wrote:

> "SMS" <scharf.steven(a)geemail.com> wrote in message
> news:Yd5gk.8594$L_.1401(a)flpi150.ffdc.sbc.com...
>> Similarly, I've been drinking fresh ground arabica coffee for 15 years,
>> after switching from pre-ground robusta and my body is still operating at
>> peak efficiency. It must be the arabica beans.
>
> Your body may be OK, but your brain is fried.

MARK!!! I was sipping a Smoothie, and now I gotta go get a towel and clean
my screen! Thanks!!!