i know you've been asked this a thousand times guys but just to make certain i'm asking again. i booked my 94 wrx in for a service last week and told the mechanic that it had to have a decent fully synthetic oil but he was addament on semi-sythetic so i wouldn't let him carry on with service. was i right or not?

 

Many garages and mechanics recommend a good semi-synthetice oil for pre-model year 2000 cars ie any classic and fully synthetic for new models (ie 2000 bugeye on).

One guy who gave me this advice is an EXCELLENT mechanic who used to work on and prepare Imprezas for rallying and track use and has a lot of experience of both models.

Don't know if this helps any?

 

IMHO you was Correct Fully synthetic it should be
Besides he should do as you say (as long as its safe) the customer is always right.

 

thanx m8, i've heard that many horror stories i just want to be absolutely sure before i let them do it coz its to late once its in there

 

see, i'm confused already!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

doing my first oil change this week

motul v300 15w-50w competition

 

is that fully synthetic and if so whos told you to use it

 

fully synthetic

do a search, it is highly recommended 4 scoobys

 

thanx fuz, fully synth it is then,..... i think

 

My local dealer (who have been selling scoobs for donkeys years) use a special mobil 5w - 40w oil, I guess it's the same weight as motorbike oil. They say they get it specially as it's perfect for the Impreza turbo's.

My car hasn't used a drop in it's first 3000 miles and sounds really sweet.

Does anyone have an opinion on this - there seem to be so many different opinions. does the 5w just mean that it gives very good protection from cold (thinner when cold?)

 

castrol rs 10w60 is popular too

will

 

still really unsure what to do before i let the mechanics loose on my car, fully synthetic seems to be the one most people plump for but opinions seem to differ

 

Okay, first of all, if your car is newish, with less than 7.5-10K miles on the clock, a good semi-synthetic oil is the best option.

If your car is any older than that, a good full synthetic is the optimal choice. However, you can't just use any old full synth and assume it'll be fine, many of them are thinner than ideal.

The best oils for a turbocharged Impreza are Motul 300V 15/50, Mobil 1 Motorsport 15/50 or Castrol RS 10/60. Use one of those and your engine will be as well protected as possible.

It would also be worth making certain your mechanic follows the oil change procedure detailed here.

 

thanx greasemonkey, thats a great help m8! i,m as thick as pig **** and need all the help i can get but also need to know that if someones working on my car , at least they SHOULD know what they are doing

 

So in the case of the 1st 1000 mile change on an STI what semi(s) would you recommend?

 

Shell Helix Plus, Motul 200V or Mobil Super S, all at 10w/40. As above, switch to a full synth at between 7.5 and 10K miles.

 

ok thanks to Poc, oil now changed to moutul 300v competition

i'm shure she runs smoother

my01 wrx 20k

 

synthetics give much better protection at high temperatures. Mineral oils brake down and carbonise at 150celcius, thus blocking turbo feed pipes first, and any other fairly narrow pipe. Its a bit of a viscious circle really. Once it starts to narrow the pipe the pipe moves less oil, therefore the oil gets hotter and carbonises again builds up on the pipe, and so on and so on.

I'm not totally in agreement with only switching to synths at 7.5k, I think it should be earlier. But that said, you shouldn't be driving hard and seeing high oil temperature until the engine is properly run in, especially as the better length of run in, the better the engine performance and life.