Shop Talk
Synthetic oil in an older car
By GREG ZYLA

Q: Greg, I just bought an older Dodge Dynasty with 150,000 miles on the odometer. It runs great, and I plan to change the oil every 3,000 miles, as the previous owner did. He told me he used 10W-30 oil, but had never tried synthetic oil.

Some people tell me I shouldn't use synthetic in a car that has always used regular oil because it will leak out, and that it is only good for modern cars. Is there any truth to this? I use Castrol 10W-30 regular oil right now. What do you use? -Joe, Shamokin, Pa.

A: Joe, there is no truth to this statement at all. I have a '72 Dodge Challenger with a 383 Magnum engine, and I use Quaker State's "Q" 5W-50 full synthetic in it with no problems at all.

Additionally, some new cars come from the factory with synthetic oil, one of the first being the Chevy Corvette and Mobil 1. If you would like to try the Castrol Syntec synthetic, a 5W-30 would work

fine for you, and you'll really notice a difference on those sub-freezing winter mornings, as the synthetic does not "thicken" like crude-based oils can.

Notice, too, that many oil companies now promote "high mileage" crude and synthetic blends at a price in the middle of crude and synthetic, proving that you can even mix the two oils with no problems.

If you want extended drain intervals, AMSOIL, the first to offer a synthetic in 1972, now offers a 7,500-mile, six-month oil, and even longer with its AMSOIL filter change.

The choice is yours, and here's hoping for many more trouble-free miles on your Dynasty.

Greg Zyla welcomes questions on collector cars. Write to him in care of King Features Weekly Service, P.O. Box 536475, Orlando, FL328536475, or send an e-mail to letters. kfws@hearstsc.com.

(c) 2006 King Features Synd., Inc.